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Post by gerbilicious on Mar 7, 2004 12:55:09 GMT -8
Here we go  : 1) I have seen people talk about the fat in sunflower seeds, but what about peanuts? Are peanuts considered a treat? And if so, how many times a week can I feed them peanuts? (One half of half of a whole peanut is what I consider a gerbil peanut.) 2) Fruit again! Let's say I was to feed them...lettuce. How much? Thanks!  |
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Mar 8, 2004 3:27:42 GMT -8
About the peanuts: they contain a lot af fat! (just like other nuts) They are not very healthy, but gerbils like them very much!
So they are indeed a treat! But just as with sunflower seeds, you may not give them too much, because your gerbils will otherwise get fat! Their is not really a rule or something like that for how ofter you may give these kind of treats to your gerbils! I would say 2-3 times a week. Make sure they can exercise a lot!
You should not give them too much fruit or vegetables either! The digestive system of the Mongolian gerbils is not used to food with a high water content, due to their origin in (semi-)deserts. When you give it too much they can get diarrhoea, which can be lethal for such small rodents. Some breeders, like Julian Barker (from the National Gerbil Society UK), have the opinion that gerbils not really need any fruit! However, some gerbils like it (not all), and it contains a lot of vitamins! So if you decide to give it to them, I would recommend not more than about 2 times a week, and remove it the next day, to prevent it from getting bad.
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Post by queenofthenile on Mar 8, 2004 10:33:33 GMT -8
I was actually wondering about the sunflower seeds. The mix I use right now contains a fair amount of sunflower seeds. Do you think there is a reason to worry about my gerbils being overweight? I don't have a little scale, otherwise I could just weigh them and find out myself . Does anyone here pick out some of the sunflower seeds? |
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Post by gerbilicious on Mar 8, 2004 15:26:38 GMT -8
I try to avoid the sunflower seeds, but sometimes I purposely give them some...like if they used the exercise wheel. |
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Post by butsam on Mar 9, 2004 13:49:44 GMT -8
I pick out the sunflower seeds and feed them when they run (wheel or plastic ball). They love this! It gives them lots of motivation to run, run, run! It also adds to the taming, though I'm sure that's no problem for the queen I used to do once per day per gerbil, but I found they got so skinny it was almost scary (I could feel their bones and the like). I now do 2 per day per gerbil, and they are feeling more like they aren't wasting away, and they have a lot more energy. Try going down to 1 sunflower seed each per day for about a week, so they can lose some weight, then give them 2 per day. That seems to work well for me. Remember, humans may have developed an "anti-fat" craze, but in some cases, fat is actually *good* in very small amounts. For one, it helps keep them a bit warmer, which could be important, depending on where you are. It also gives some stored energy. Now, I'm not saying fat is just as important as vitamins, don't distort my words. But I also think *no* fat is unhealthy...just give them a little bit of fat (especially as a treat when they exercise). It's like if you got your favorite candy bar every time you exercised, that would increase the chances of you exercising...except for gerbils, it seems more like they act like they are getting a new car each time you give them a sunflower seed Sam |
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Post by queenofthenile on Mar 9, 2004 18:03:37 GMT -8
I actually pick out all the sunflower seeds each morning when I feed my gerbils and I give them to them by hand. This really helps to keep them tame (and is a wonderful way to get little pups to jump in your hand  ). Right now they each get about 6 seeds per day. If I think they are getting overweight I will cut back on the seeds, but I just love seeing how happy they are to get them! Maybe I will start picking out half of the seeds - I don't like the food I'm feeding them right now because it has too many seeds. |
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Post by gerbilicious on Mar 10, 2004 18:01:23 GMT -8
Thanks, everyone! I appreciate your help. I'll try the sunflower seed diet you suggested, butsam! |
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Post by amy on Mar 29, 2004 9:52:20 GMT -8
My gerbils food has quite alot of penuts in it! Some are in their shells and there are others that have been taken out. Should i remove them?
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Mar 31, 2004 6:44:43 GMT -8
If there a really very much peanuts in it, it is maybe more healthy to remove them and than you can give them as a treat! Peanuts contain a lot of fat (=energy), so they will mostly eat less, which result in less intake of nutriets (because they have eaten enough)! Or they will get fat! |
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Post by j on Mar 31, 2004 18:03:44 GMT -8
My gerbs don't care about peanuts. I bought some so she'd have extra protein for her and the pups... They got eaten but mostly ignored. They go crazier over rice crispies and sunflower seeds.  |
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Apr 1, 2004 4:49:59 GMT -8
Every gerbil has a different taste! But I think that all gerbils like sunflower seeds! ;D
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Post by moghedien on Jun 21, 2004 17:13:17 GMT -8
I have a sunflower-seed related question. Does anyone know if there's any danger in giving gerbils roasted sunflower seeds if they aren't salted? I bought some at a grocery store the other day, and the gerbils really love them (maybe even more than normal sunflower seeds). |
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). Right now they each get about 6 seeds per day. If I think they are getting overweight I will cut back on the seeds, but I just love seeing how happy they are to get them! Maybe I will start picking out half of the seeds - I don't like the food I'm feeding them right now because it has too many seeds.