File :-(, x, )
Anon
Dear /an/,
I have a bit of a problem. You see, my gerbil had escaped from his cage (faulty tubing) and had inadvertantly bound onto a gluetrap. The directions said to douse in cooking oil to release him.
Much dousing and pulling later I had a very slippery, slightly less hairy, and pissed off gerbil on my hands. I debated on bathing him or not, decided not to. The poor thing had had enough humiliation for one night, and I didn't want to add attempted drowning to his list of insults. And I was on figuring he and his brother would taking care of it.
It's been a month now..and well the poor little guy is still rather slick. He reminds me one of those sea otters after an oil spill.
I've changed his bedding several times since then, petted him, etc. Still he's rather sad looking.

So...has anyone ever bathed a gerbil? Any tips?

Pic related, that's the little bugger before.
>> Anonymous
Step 1: Soap and Water
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Clean!
>> Anonymous
i recall reading about putting vegetable oil on rodents that were stuck in glue traps, but that would probably just make him more shiny.

but yeah. you got oils all up in his fur.
try going to the petstore and get some shampoo for rodents, if it exists. maybe rabbit/dog/cat shampoo would work?
if you don't want to scare the shit out of him, get a sprayer and spray the little bastard clean.
>> Anon
I don't recall seeing anything for hamsters/gerbils. But I do have ferret and cat shampoo. Maybe some Dawn.
My main thing is how to hold the little bugger still while I do bath him. I gather this is going to be a two man job. One holding him still the other scrubbing him. He's just so small it's going to be a bitch holding onto him.
This might get bloody.
I was thinking shiny too when it happened, but he's a little too oiled to be just shiny...I guess you can call it gooey. Kinda like someone's hair that hasn't been washed for months.
>> Anonymous
>>96945
gloves will help with the bloodshed part.
>> Anonymous
>>96945
Bloody? Are you obssesive compulsive or something?
"GERBIL MUST BE FUCKING CLEAN MOTHERFUCKER!!!"
>> Anonymous
Be very, very sure you get him completely dry after bathing him, the easiest way to get a rodent sick is to have damp skin.
>> Anonymous
>>96960

....he means the gerbil will probably resist. and it has claws and teeth.
>> Anonymous
I had to bathe my mice when I came back from college as my sister didn't clean their fucking cages, so they reeked of piss and death.

I used baby shampoo and lukewarm, non-running water, and they didn't even claw me. Plus, they still climb into my hands and stuff. Needless to say, if it can get nasty oily mouse-piss out of their coats, baby shampoo should cure your ails.
>> zaofuzz
I've read that it's not such a good idea to bathe gerbils. It removes oils from their coat or something. You could get it a sand bath. I once dumped some oil on my gerbils by accident and they just cleaned themselves up (eventually).
>> Anonymous
>>96967
gerbils aren't as friendly as mice