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Post by buckthegerb on Aug 10, 2023 20:39:14 GMT -8
I have read articles where pasta is good and articles where pasta is bad.
My gerbils love pasta, but am I putting them at risk? The articles have said that pasta can expand in their stomachs? Or something like that? And the way pasta is made is bad for them? I don't know. Are there many gerb incidents where pasta is the factor? I break spaghetti noodles in half and give them as treats to mine and they're okay, so far. So do I need to stop or what is going in here. Some people say they're absolutely fine and some say it's terrible. Please give stories and opinions and whatever else you got! Thanks!
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 11, 2023 15:29:36 GMT -8
I seem to remember there was a discussion on here quite a while ago about the theoretical risk of rice swelling in the stomach and causing issues. I think the concern stems from the urban myth that if pigeons eat lots of dry rice, their stomachs will rupture, killing them, but I think this has been debunked. I have never heard of a single case of harm, whether confirmed or rumoured, coming to a gerbil from dry pasta (nor dry rice). Rat owners often add dry pasta to food mixes and that seems to work fine.
I still wouldn't feed a lot of pasta personally. It's not the most nutritious food for a gerbil so I wouldn't make it a staple of their diet but as a treat I suppose a little bit is okay.
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Post by TJ's Rodent Ranch on Aug 12, 2023 12:21:59 GMT -8
Hi there,
I agree with LilyandDaisy on that point. I wouldn't say that it could cause harm for the gerbil, or even be deadly to a gerbil but I would refrain from feeding it to them often since it doesn't hold any nutritional value. I would probably feed them something with a bit more to offer in it, but I think pasta itself is okay just not the best out of other options. I feel like I'm going around in circles, i guess what I'm trying to say, is that I don't feed my gerbils pasta, but for different reasons. I don't believe it's lethal to them, or dangerous, but there are better options that I choose instead.
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Post by betty on Aug 12, 2023 12:42:00 GMT -8
Same here. It isn't something I ever offer to mine as there are always loads of other things I have bought in for them instead - but I wouldn't say that someone shouldn't. There are also many breeders and suppliers who always add dried pasta for rat fod as a mainstay (however I have a feeling that I read elswhere that rats and mice digest things in a different way to gerbils and so can eat more of and more type of foods overall - but have no sources for that right now).
However, I remember when I was a kid and pet shops only really stocked one type of food for rodents - whether they be rats, gerbils or hamsters - so we would always raid the kitchen every so often for anything that was different for them - so a piece of cereal, a corner of a biscuit, and more often than not - a piece of pasta.
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