Gerbils and Ear infections??

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PitterPaws

PitterPaws

Songster
12 Years
Nov 29, 2007
646
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Wisconsin
After 16 plus years I am thinking about getting another Gerbil, I think they are the sweetest pocket pets, so anyhoo

I was told by someone I know that they can get Ear Infections, which can lead to brain cancer? I have never heard of this!

Can anyone inform me on this? Thanks!
 
Sounds like fear mongering to me. An untreated ear infection can lead to permanent damage to their balance center (part of the inner ear) and I bet they thought that was 'brain cancer'. Certainly gerbils can get cancer, but no more than other pocket pets. I had gerbils who all lived to about four years old, and they never developed ear infections in their lives.
 
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Yes, when I had Gerbils over 16 years ago I had never even heard of such a thing, so I am hoping something like this is VERY Rare!
 
I work for a vet that does "exotics" in addition to cats and dogs. I've seen many scent gland tumors (the one on their belly) on gerbils in my 9 years working there, but only ONE "ear infection." Even then, it was a middle ear problem, and not something that the owner could have prevented. Ear infections, and ear problems in general, are very rare in any pocket pet (gerbils, hamsters, mice, rats, chinchillas, guinea pigs) so don't let something someone said about ear infections leading to brain cancer stop you from getting gerbils.
 
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That makes me feel much better! Thanks! I was afraid I would get a gerbil and have to keep going to the vet with it! Now I can start my search!
ya.gif
 
I've experienced gerbils having brain aneurysms, and because they can bleed from their ears, perhaps that is where the confusion started. Sometimes they will also have strokes and have a head tilt upon recovery, but the brain aneurysms seem unusually common from either Petco or Petsmart stock (forget which is which, and which one I and my friends got our gerbils who met awful ends from). The best way to avoid that is to buy from a responsible breeder.
smile.png
 
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