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One of my gerbils seems to have developed a twitch2007-11-24 22:13:18

Every couple of days i'm watching him and he will go through about 10 seconds of little twitches. what might cause this? will it get worse? does he need to see a vet?

Answers:

It sounds like your baby may be having what they call "petit-mal seizures." (sp) Your little one needs to visit a vet, very soon.

Without seeing your baby first-hand, it's hard to try and diagnose something online.

You will feel better if your baby gets the okay from the vet. Good luck. I am sure that everything will be just fine.

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it depends on how old is ur gerbil...mine had it when he was very old..but if he is not, take him to the vet straight away...my rabbit has it now but vet said that's because he is old...he said that nerves and not good flow of oxygen causes it...

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Jella M,

above gave a good awnser and i completly agree. Have it checked out imeditly I had one for 50 days then it started twitching and hiding then it died really soon after. So do not delay. What area do you live around? Maybe I could find a small animal vet? I have a magizine with many in every state?

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Does your gerbil look like it's hopping in place 3-4 times then stopping then hopping? That is thumping and is normal warning/exciting behavior.

However gerbils are prone to seizures ranging from freezing to falling over and twitching then lying limp. They occur most often around puberty. Stress is a major factor in triggering them. Sometimes the act of picking up your gerbil can trigger it. But usually they lessen and often disappear as the gerbil matures and gets used to things. There isn't anything to do for them. If you are breeding them any with seizures should be removed from your breeding program and any close relatives should be watched for signs of seizures.