My gerbil is licking the aquarium sides, or stuff in the tank. (I think it's kinda cute...) (Does my gerbil crave/need salt?)

*Check the operation of the waterbottle IMMEDIATELY. Licking is signs it's looking for moisture. During weaning pups will do this, or if you're messing with the waterbottle and get a little water on the side of the tank they may also clean it off, but. Even if you push and get a drop this doesn't mean it's working properly. If you get a drop when you tap yet the gerbils are licking, then use the back of your hand to rattle the ball repeatedly, making a trail across the back of your hand. You should get drops all the way along. If in doubt, take another bottle you know works and offer it to the gerbils in the tank. If they squeak furiously and fight HARD to get at it, you have a problem with the waterbottle that's in there. Toss it and get another one. Sometimes more than one will want to drink from the bottle at the same time, and a few minor squeaks and jockeying for position happen...that's normal. If it's all out screaming level squeaking and serious battling....

My gerbil doesn't seem to be able to use the waterbottle and it's over 4 weeks old...

*I've heard that some pet stores use open bowls instead of water bottles, and if the gerbils were born in the store they did not learn how to use the bottles...so they don't know that that thing is the water source. (Some reports of incidents in Canada). Try getting the gerbil next to the bottle, tap the ball, and get a drop of water and offer it to them on your finger (or put the drop on the TOP of their nose) and draw them to the bottle. After a little experimentation and/or efforts on your part they should get the idea of where the water comes from and how to get there.

*During weaning, there is a transition between mom's milk, licking at things and licking at the parents' mouths, and following a parent to the waterbottle and finding out that that thing gives water. (around day 23-24 usually). Pay attention and in the next few days all should be drinking from the water bottle, either with a parent, or a few pups at the same time. If so they may do minor squeaks and jockey for position, and nothing major. Usually by 28 days they will all be using the bottle well. (I had one foster litter refuse to proceed past licking parent mouths, and were still doing it at day 29. Tossing them in with the 37 day old litter that was on the other side of the split screen...the older pups would not stand for it and in four hours the entire batch learned to use the bottle).

My gerbil has a bulging eye

*Sometimes just the way they're holding their head, or being held, it may seem that one eye or both are bulging. If after lots of observation it seems that one or both stick out a lot, especially in comparison to another gerbil, take them for a vet examination. Sometimes there may be glaucoma (eyeball fluid pressure soars) or a growth behind the eye that is causing the problem.

My gerbil has a white spot on the eye

*This is either a laceration or ulcer of the cornea, or cataracts. Take the animal to the vet.

My gerbil had a tail accident-oohgross-and some of the tail came right off! There's a red skinny thing all bloody attached to the fur stump!

*This is a degloving injury. The skin detached and came off, leaving the tendons, muscles and bone underneath. This almost always happens if someone grabs a gerbil by the tip or near the tip of the tail. It's a survival technique, as if a predator almost gets ahold of the gerbil it's better to let them have some tail and get away.

*It will stop hurting very shortly as it dries out. It will fall off in a few days to a week. Some stringy frayed bits, gross, are the tendons. Just keep an eye out for signs of swelling for infection in what's left of the tail. The animal will be fine and other than a shorter tail, have a normal gerbil life. Do not consider this a defect for breeding.

*A vet can finish the amputation but cannot reattach the skin that came off. If you have a degloving injury happen, put the animal (and cagemate if they have one) onto shredded cheap white paper towels, take all the toys out of the cage, no wheel, no food dish, no nestbox; change the paper towels every few days, and wait until the dried up chunk comes off before putting them back into regular housing. You can take the animal to the vet right away, and they can finish up the amputation so you don't have to look at it while it dries up and comes off!

My gerbil mom attacked the pups and I have one that has some paw/leg(s) missing (and possibly the tail).

*This happens. Take the pups away from the mother and if they're not of age you will have to hand raise or foster. Take the pup(s) to the vet as they may need amputation of partial limb (bone end sticking out open to the world) and a followup of antibiotics.

*They can make wonderful pets, just make sure to pair them with a like one or a really mellow gerbil so they can keep up with their cagemate. If you have two, they will do just fine and you will have a pair that can't jump. They will try to though. They CAN breed though and do anything else an unhandicapped gerbil can....other than spring out of the tank. It's best not to give them wheels or anything they can climb onto and jump or fall off of.