Will etreme heat kill a gerbil? My friend left his heat on over night while he was away and it got hot enough in his apt. to melt candles. The gerbils had plenty of food and water. We are wondering if this could have killed his gerbils or if he should be worried about cabonmonoxide.
Erin says:
October 20th, 2008 at 04:12 PM
It's possible. Only an autopsy could tell for sure.
User says:
October 20th, 2008 at 04:15 PM
Aren't gerbils a desert animal, though? I thought that as long as they had a ready supply of water they would be able to cool themselves. What do you think?
User says:
October 20th, 2008 at 04:18 PM
How possible do you think it is that the heat may have killed them?
Erin says:
October 20th, 2008 at 04:36 PM
I really can't say what killed your gerbil without knowing about your gerbil's medical history. Gerbils were originally desert dwellers, yes, but domesticated ones have not had to deal with heat in quite some time and aren't adapted to that environment.
It could have been the heat, or an unrelated and previously asymptomatic medical problem, or trauma or toxicity, etc. You'd need an autopsy to tell for sure.
Gabriella suggests:
September 18th, 2009 at 03:13 PM
It's VERY possible that the Gerbil died from overheating. But, it could have been some medical thing that went undetected. Good Luck, Gabriella
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