Gerbil Advice Needed: Twilight's "bleeding" nose

[Miss Z]

Hi all, seems like I haven't been around on PT for a while; I'm going to be very busy over these next few months (well, up to about June next year, I suppose) with schoolwork, but just thought I'd pop in to ask a question.

Over the last few days, Twilight has had what appears to be a nosebleed. Every morning there's crusty red stuff all around her nose, which I have to bathe to get rid of. She appears pretty normal in herself, if perhaps ever so slightly lethargic, but she's still eating and drinking and peeing and pooping just fine. It doesn't appear to cause her any pain.

My strongest suspicion is that it could be an allergic reaction to a disinfectant we have just changed to. I know that a lot of rodents have reddish mucus that can look a lot like blood. However, I've not seen her sneeze or have any breathing difficulties, nor are Ebony or Nightshade affected by the swap. I'll be changing back to the old stuff when they are cleaned out tomorrow and see if it has any effect.

Another likely cause could be Ebony. She's notorious for being a bit rough and picking fights to display her dominance, as Nightshade found out a few months back. There is a bit of fur that seems to have been rubbed away around her nose, but then again that could have been caused by Twilight trying to clean herself up. Plus, I can't see any bite wounds, and usually a gerbil attacks from behind rather than head on. Ebony seems to have been quite gentle recently and I haven't really seen them fight at all, but I suppose they could quite easily have done so whilst no-one's around.

The third possibility is that it is actually a nose-bleed, but I have no idea what could cause it, and why it's happening now.

I would appreciate any advice or knowledge on the matter. Rest assured that if it isn't an allergy, she'll be going to the vet to get checked out. Is there anything else I could be doing in the meantime for her? Anything this could be a sign of?

Thanks a bunch,

Zara

[IRescue452]

I think you've probably got it diagnosed pretty well. The red probably isn't blood, and it probably is caused by the new product you are using. Gerbils aren't as prone to myco-related bacterial infections as much as mice and rats are. However, you should be careful not to get her too wet when you wipe her nose off.
What are you using around the animals? I'd stick to just a mild bleach solution. I don't trust the "pet safe" stuff on the market.

[Miss Z]

What are you using around the animals? I'd stick to just a mild bleach solution. I don't trust the "pet safe" stuff on the market.

We've always used a concentrated disinfectant which we dilute ourselves that my mum brings home from work (she works for a company specialising in cleaning products), and the one we changed to was the 'upgrade'. I think it's called 'Selgeine' or something. It's definitely safe to use around animals because it is sold to animal-related businesses such as vets and shelters. Hopefully it'll clear up once we change back as there were never any problems with the old disinfectant. Thanks for the advice.