Your gerbil's not moving is that bad?

Answer 1

Well, that's a tough question. Sometimes, when gerbils are frightened like they hear a noise that scares them, they'll remain frozen in their position for a few minutes. That happened just a couple of times to my gerbils, but hopefully it doesn't happen often. If it's a sort of thing like he lays down and starts to go to sleep every few seconds, then it may be that he is sick. When 2 of my gerbils were getting old, they would run around like gerbils do, then he would collapse and not move, then a few seconds later he would do the same. It went on for awhile, and it got worse and worse. Then around Christmas, he wouldn't move at all. It was awful, and at the time I didn't know what to do to help him. I read later that lethargy (laying down and not moving, he's really tired) meant that he might've had a common rodent disease called Tyzzer's Disease. The gerbil will fall down and get sleepy a lot, and it quickly results in death. It's a serious infectious disease that's very common among gerbils, and it spreads quickly. I found out that he had given it to my other gerbil, too. He did the same thing. It was very sad, and you can't do much about it. There's a chance that your vet could help you, though. On the other hand, your gerbil might just be sleeping, or dreaming or really frightened. Do some more research and ask your vet. This may not even be a disease, just something else. I hope your gerbil is ok!