Bacterial Infections in Gerbils
Pocket Pet · Meriones unguiculatus · typical adult weight 0.07–0.13 kg
7 cited drugs treat Bacterial Infections in gerbils: Cephalexin, Gentamicin, Marbofloxacin, Neomycin, Oxytetracycline, Trimethoprim-sulfonamide, Tylosin.
General coverage of susceptible bacterial pathogens. Drug selection turns on the suspected organism's gram-stain, the patient's species (oral β-lactams unsafe in rabbits/guinea pigs), and the infection site (penetration to bone, CSF, or biliary tree).
The overview above describes Bacterial Infections across species; the citations below are the ExoticRx dose rules scoped to gerbils — a reference list, not new species-specific clinical guidance.
Cephalexin(Keflex)
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 25 mg/kg | q24h | Bacterial infection (row states no indication) | Weak | Morrisey JK, Carpenter JW. Formulary. In: Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW, eds. Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 4th ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2021:620-630. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.771 — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9780323484350, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323484350 — PRINTED DETAIL MISSING FROM THIS RULE (retrieved 2026-08-19): Although cephalexin has been used in some small mammal species, products licensed in the United Kingdom state: Do not use in rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and gerbils, and other small rodents; potentially serious enterocolitis can result. — Plumb's 10th ed, printed p.235 (corpus plumb 262). Currently in internal_notes, which the migration that created it states is "deliberately NOT added to any response schema" — so no clinician has ever seen it. |
Gentamicin(Gentocin)
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC, IM | 2–5 mg/kg | q24h | Bacterial infection (row states no indication) | Weak | Meredith A. BSAVA Small Animal Formulary: Part B: Exotic Pets, British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, Gloucester, UK; 2015. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.772 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part B — Exotic Pets — ISBN 9781910443712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443712; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Marbofloxacin(Zeniquin)
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO, SC, IM | 2–5 mg/kg | q24h | Bacterial infection (row states no indication) | Weak | Meredith A. BSAVA Small Animal Formulary: Part B: Exotic Pets, British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, Gloucester, UK; 2015. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.772 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part B — Exotic Pets — ISBN 9781910443712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443712; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Neomycin(Biosol)
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO (drinking water) | 2.6 mg/mL drinking water | Continuous in water; no interval printed | No duration printed in the row. | Enteric (gut-lumen) bacterial infection — the row prints no indication; the agent header states there is no absorption after oral dosing, so it is not effective for systemic infection | Moderate | Meredith A. BSAVA Small Animal Formulary: Part B: Exotic Pets, British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, Gloucester, UK; 2015. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.773 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part B — Exotic Pets — ISBN 9781910443712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443712; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Oxytetracycline(Terramycin, Liquamycin)
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IM | 20–25 mg/kg | q8-12h | Bacterial infection (row states no indication) | Moderate | Meredith A. BSAVA Small Animal Formulary: Part B: Exotic Pets, British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, Gloucester, UK; 2015. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.773 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part B — Exotic Pets — ISBN 9781910443712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443712; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
| PO | 10 mg/kg | q8h | Bacterial infection (row states no indication) | Moderate | Burgmann P, Percy DH. Antimicrobial drug use in rodents and rabbits. In: Prescott JF, Baggot JD, eds. Antimicrobial Therapy in Veterinary Medicine, 2nd ed., Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA; 1993:524-541. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.773 PMID: 1237959 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Trimethoprim-sulfonamide
Uncategorized| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO, SC | 50–100 mg/kg | q24h | Bacterial infection (row states no indication) | Moderate | Meredith A. BSAVA Small Animal Formulary: Part B: Exotic Pets, British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Quedgeley, Gloucester, UK; 2015. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.774 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part B — Exotic Pets — ISBN 9781910443712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443712; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Tylosin(Tylan)
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO, SC | 2–10 mg/kg | q12h | Bacterial infection (row states no indication) | Moderate | Morrisey JK, Carpenter JW. Formulary. In: Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW, eds. Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 4th ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2021:620-630. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.774 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.1 (Antimicrobial and Antifungal Agents Used in Rodents.a). Located 2026-08-05: the only table covering this species in which the drug's own row prints this dose. The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9780323484350, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323484350 |
Other conditions in Gerbils
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice. Verify against current literature before clinical use.