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Post by daisy on May 30, 2015 20:28:09 GMT -8
My gerbils didn't seem to being eating enough so one day I soaked their oxbow food and hand fed it to them moist. They liked it and ate quite a bit whenever I did that. But, then over time, they stopped eating that, so I tried something different. I dipped the soft oxbow circles in a tiny bit of baby food or apple sauce or rubbed them against a strawberry. The gerbils will eat the "flavored" oxbow when I hand feed them.
I think that I have spoiled them. What can I do to change their ridiculous eating habits which I caused?
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Post by betty on May 31, 2015 0:38:15 GMT -8
As far as I was aware, gerbils will always eat enough food to survive, it's just the way they are. So I would just give them the oboe on its own and leave them to it. As long as they don't get really thin they will be just fine.
It could be that they were eating more than they actually needed when you were making it tasty and so when it's not extra tasty you think they aren't eating enough.
Have you ever weighed them to get a starting point weight and in a few weeks weigh them again and see if they are a similar weight - or a normal weight for an adult gerbil.
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Post by daisy on May 31, 2015 13:33:16 GMT -8
They are 3.2 and 2.8 oz and have been for the last two weeks. I don't know before that.
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Post by betty on May 31, 2015 23:27:37 GMT -8
Their weight seems fine as around the 80/90 is normal for males - but it is rather on the heavy side for females - so whatever sex they are you don't yet have any worries about them not eating the right amount.
And - with Oxbow you know that they will be getting 100% of the nutrition they need as it is an extruded food. So perhaps you should steer clear of muesli mixes for the mean time so that you never need to worry that they aren't getting enough of this nutrient of that food group, etc.
You didn't say what age they were?
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Post by daisy on Jun 1, 2015 5:03:54 GMT -8
They are boys - nick and brad. I'm not unite sure how old they are. We got then last July and they were definitely older than 4-6 months. B
Now that I've need sipping their oxbow in "sauce" do you think they will have trouble going back to it plain?
I worry about their teeth, although the gnaw a lot.
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Post by betty on Jun 1, 2015 7:05:01 GMT -8
Well if they gnaw a lot - there is no need to worry about their teeth...
As for the dry Oxbow - it might be that they just prefer the wet more - not that they don't like the dry. Like I said before - gerbils won't starve themselves, so by just leaving the dry in all the time, they will be eating it. You can always just reduce how often you give them the wet version.
If you them weigh them in a few weeks you can see if they lost any weight - only if they go below 70g would I be a bit concerned - and then only if that had happened in a short space of time really.
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Post by vexorg on Jun 3, 2015 4:51:15 GMT -8
Leave them a bowl of the dry gerbil mix stuff. Only fill it when the bowl gets to near empty. They'll eat when they get hungry.
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Post by rs on Jun 4, 2015 3:08:31 GMT -8
Use the regular Oxbow for routine feeding, and use the special items you prepare as special treats.
And consider the possibility that what they really like is the hand-feeding! They may just like that you make them feel especially cared-for when you feed them. Hand-feed them a little of the regular food, picking out a few favorites to give them, to keep up that behavior and source of contact and interaction, otherwise, yes, just leave a bowl of the dry mix.
Re-weighing them is a good idea, if you are worried.
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