What Are the Causes of Gerbil Hair Loss?

Gerbils are small furry animals in the rodent family. They are popular small pets because of their social nature and curiosity. Gerbils can be tamed to interact with their owners as well and enjoy good health in general making them east to care for. However, like any animal they can have occasional health problems. One issue that affects gerbils is hair loss. Causes for the hair loss run from something easily fixed to disorders that need medical attention, such as a contagious condition.

  1. Parasites

    • Gerbils sometimes suffer from external parasites. These include fleas and even an occasional tick. The fleas and ticks are easily seen, but a third parasite, the mite, is too tiny to be seen by the human eye. If a pet gerbil is scratching and has dry skin with dandruff, in addition to the hair loss, it should be seen by a veterinarian. The veterinarian can confirm the presence of mites with a microscope and proceed with treatment.

    Burrowing

    • Burrowing is a favorite activity for gerbils. They love to go through tubes, toys and bedding. Frequently they even try to burrow through the bars of the cage. Since that isn't possible they only get the nose and muzzle of the face through the bars until they can't fit any further. Repeated burrowing through things and constantly rubbing their nose through the cage bars can result in hair loss around the nose and face.

    Life Management

    • While specific life management reasons for hair loss are not known, in general a poor diet and dirty cages contribute to poor health that can cause hair loss. Malnutrition can cause damage to hair follicles causing it to fall out. Dirty cages spread disease. By keeping the cage clean and nutrition a priority, a veterinarian can rule these out as causes for hair loss, therefore leaving it easier to find the true cause.

    Boredom

    • Gerbils are social animals that rarely sit still long. They love to explore and chew things, preferably with another gerbil. Some gerbils when left along for long periods or worse with nothing to chew will resort to chewing on their own tails out of sheer boredom. Patchy hair loss on the tail is sometimes a sign of a bored gerbil. Give gerbils chew sticks, gerbil toys and things to tunnel through and the hair loss should clear up.

    Ringworm

    • Although ringworm is not common, gerbils do occasionally get this skin disorder. Hair loss results in the coat where ringworm is present. The ringworm presents as a large bald scabby patch without hair. This condition spreads quickly across the skin and to other gerbils. Medical attention from a veterinarian is necessary to prevent further hair loss.