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Treatment

Your veterinarian will begin by cleaning the porphyrin deposits and irritated parts of the face and applying topical medications to encourage healing. If your gerbil has scratched to the point that there are lesions, further treatment will be necessary. Unless veterinary treatment with antibiotic therapy is given to your gerbil, infections will progress, becoming more severe and possibly life-threatening. Sores can be treated with local antibiotics for the infected site, and with systemic antibiotics to either treat the body if the infection has spread, or to prevent it from spreading.

Living and Management

It is important to provide appropriate and stable humidity and temperature at all times to prevent stress or other conditions. Your gerbil should be provided a stress-free environment in which to recuperate and heal. This may mean removing the gerbil from the company of the other gerbils. Other factors that will need to be taken into consideration are whether there is inter-gerbil aggression or lack of space. Additional cages and separating some of the gerbils from each other can remove the stress.

You may also need to make dietary changes while your gerbil is recovering. Talk to your veterinarian about supportive diets, and if your are uncertain about it, how much space each individual gerbil needs to be comfortable.

Prevention

Keep the humidity levels below 50 percent and the ambient temperature between 60-70°F, feed your gerbil a nutritionally balanced diet, and provide clean, sufficient living space and compatible cage mates. Simple management techniques like these can help to prevent irritation of the face and nose due to porphyrin deposits in your gerbil.