Tyzzer’s disease can kill gerbils quickly. Because gerbils are prey animals, they tend to hide any signs that they are sick. If a predator ever saw a sick gerbil, that gerbil would be easier to kill than a healthy gerbil. Gerbil caretakers need to observe their pets every day in order to learn how their pet normally, eats, sleeps, grooms and defecates. Variations from this can signal illness such as Tyzzer’s disease.
For an unknown reason, male gerbils come down with Tyzzer’s more often than females, according to Susan Brown, DVM. But females can still catch and die from this disease. The good news is that Tyzzer’s is mostly preventable. Regularly cleaning the gerbil’s tank and removing any uneaten fresh food treats after a few hours can reduce harmful bacteria growing near the gerbil. Fresh food can begin to rot after a few hours.
Warning Signs
The bacteria that causes Tyzzer’s disease attacks the gerbil’s digestive system and the liver. This will cause the gerbil to lose his or her appetite or significantly reduce the appetite. The gerbil also will not as active and may just want to sleep all of the time.
Another main sign is that the gerbil will go into a hunched posture. The gerbil may lose interest in things that normally get him or her excited, like a special food treat. The hunched posture may make the coat appear scruffy or stick out at odd angles.
Also look out for diarrhea. Gerbils should have well-formed pellets and not liquid or very soft pellets. Gerbils usually keep themselves very clean, but a sick gerbil may both clean underneath the tail of the hind legs. These places could be stained with feces.
Treatment
The prognosis for a gerbil with Tyzzer’s is poor, but cures can happen. The gerbil may stop drinking and so syringe-feeding water may help reduce the dehydration caused by diarrhea.
All gerbils suspected of having Tyzzer’s needs to go to a vet. Sometimes vets can prescribe medicine over the phone without the need to bring the gerbil in, but they need to have seen the gerbil recently. The policies change from vet to vet. The gerbil would be prescribed an antibiotic like tetracycline.
Any cage mates of the sick gerbil will also be infected, even if they do not show any signs. This is because Tyzzer’s is incredibly contagious. The cage mates will also need to be placed on a round of antibiotics. Be sure to wash hands after handling a gerbil sick with Tyzzer’s so that you do not accidentally spread it to other gerbils, pet mice or other small mammals.
References:
“Gerbils.” Sue Fox. TFH Publications; 2007.
Pet MD. “Tyzzer’s Disease in Gerbils.” http://www.petmd.com/exotic/conditions/digestive/c_ex_gb_tyzzer_disease
Veterinary Partner.com. “Small Mammal Health Series: Gerbils.” Susan Brown, DVM. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A;=682&S;=1&SourceID;=43
