Rabies

The first thought of the recently-bitten is "could I get rabies from my gerbil?"

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Small rodents like squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rats, and mice, and lagomorphs including rabbits and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans."

Updating your tetanus shot is a more practical response.