Dog treats?

[kim]

Who gives there gerbils dog treats or dog food? and how often do you give it to then and how much?

I brought a small pack of dog treats the other week and I've only given then tiny pieces at the moment like 3mmx3mm pieces, and one of these size pieces a week (2 weeks) but how much can they have? I don't want to give them to much and make them sick or unhealthy.  

[alleyj]

I've never heard of giving your gerbils dog treats... I don't think gerbils are big meat eaters (however lots of dog foods are sadly corn based).

Any treat you should give your gerbil should be in moderation and a small addition to a staple healthy gerbil intended diet. I usually give my guys treats every two or three days, depending on how much of their regular food they're eating. If they've cleared the bowl they usually get a cookie, but if they haven't touched their pellets I won't be giving them dessert, you know?

[snowballandnugget]

I do give my gerbils dog treats but the ones I give are vegetable based. They are called Wimzees and they come in cute alligator and hedgehog shapes. Its helpful to keep their teeth trimmed.

[supergerbil]

I give mine dog treats but they don't seem to like them very much. Gerbils can have dog treats and it is a good protein booster. Just make sure to check the ingredients and make sure there is not too much corn and no garlic or onions.

[Demonic Hope]

You can give you dogs hard dog treats. I have one in my cage a lot. But even better are horse treats. They are a lot healthier and lower in protein.

They help wear down the teeth. And horse based ones are grain based and won't overload the protein like dog treats.

[Awaiting Abyss]

Dog treats are fine to give gerbils as long as they are decent dog treats... Obviously you wouldn't want to feed them any dyes (red 40, yellow 6, yellow 5, blue 1, etc), preservatives (BHA and BHT both cause tumor growth at a rapid rate in rodents), or high amounts of corn (the hormones used in corn causes cancer in rats and mice, so I assume it isn't good for gerbils either).

I feed my gerbils grain free dog food and dog treats sometimes, but they don't really care for it much. My gerbils would far rather get a mealworm or a live cricket as a treat (its amazing to watch them chase down the crickets). Mice love dog food and treats though.

[Keeper]

I have put a hedgehog one in my gerbils tank but they never touched it, I also gave them milk bones but they didnt bother. My gerbils are really fussy though lol
They do like the odd cat treat though