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Eggs
Aug 18, 2004 11:45:44 GMT -8
Post by sweetie on Aug 18, 2004 11:45:44 GMT -8
I have read several places that it is okay to give gerbils hard boiled egg whites and other places say scrambled eggs. Have any of you tried either of these?
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Eggs
Aug 22, 2004 13:31:03 GMT -8
Post by Ritzie/Admin on Aug 22, 2004 13:31:03 GMT -8
Some like it others don't! Again never give it too much!
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Eggs
Aug 22, 2004 19:01:38 GMT -8
Post by sweetie on Aug 22, 2004 19:01:38 GMT -8
Thanks Peter. Glad to have you back. I was looking for more protien since I recently had a bad experience with meal worms. They like yogurt but I was looking for a little variety. I caught Bubba eating an ant that got inside the house and figured eggs must be better than ants!!
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Eggs
Aug 23, 2004 4:54:34 GMT -8
Post by queenofthenile on Aug 23, 2004 4:54:34 GMT -8
You could try crickets too. One of my gerbils used to love the little grasshoppers you catch outside.
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Eggs
Aug 23, 2004 5:24:41 GMT -8
Post by sweetie on Aug 23, 2004 5:24:41 GMT -8
Queenie, Do you mean we can catch them from outside? No reason to be alarmed with germs or such? If so then my little guy is going to be extremely excited. He loves catching those things. How big can they be? The crickets here are about as big as a quarter. Will it jump through the bars in the gerbils house?
Thanks for the input. I was really upset about the ant since I read somehwere that outside bugs may carry disease or such. He seemed to have no ill effects though. As a matter of fact, Bubba was quite irritated when I took the ant from him.
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Eggs
Aug 23, 2004 5:41:16 GMT -8
Post by queenofthenile on Aug 23, 2004 5:41:16 GMT -8
I talked to one of my entomology professors about catching insects to feed to my gerbils, and he told me it was perfectly alright. I was particularly concerned about pesticide usage, and he told me that the city where I live doesn't spray within the city limits. Is that similar to where you live?
About disease, most of the insect diseases specialize on the arthropods only, or are even specific to certain types of insects. The only diseases that are transmissible to mammals are the ones transmitted by biting flies (ie: blackflies and mosquitoes). So grasshoppers would be okay. If you are still leary, you can just pic up some crickets at your local petshop to feed live. Just make sure that the insects aren't too large, because I've seen a large grasshopper attack an anole (lizard) before.
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Eggs
Aug 23, 2004 5:47:47 GMT -8
Post by sweetie on Aug 23, 2004 5:47:47 GMT -8
Watch out killer grasshopper on the loose!! That should be another movie! Thanks, I am not worried anymore. I am not trying to figure out the logistics. The city/town does not utilize pesticides, but we do around the perimiter of the house (black widow siders and fire ants). I think thatif we went out in the back yard, we could catch a bunch. I am now concerned about them jumping out of the house and into our livingroom. Do you just leave them in the gerbils house? Will they catch them? Will the gerbils be bitten or harmed with crickets or grasshoppers? Now I am excited about this new "project". I have a ton of little grasshoppers and some little crickets but mostly bigger crickets. Our mealworms turned into beetles and I was kind of grosed out when they ate them anyway. Also the girls don't like them since I think they got bitten by the mealworm if that's possible.
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Eggs
Aug 23, 2004 16:13:08 GMT -8
Post by queenofthenile on Aug 23, 2004 16:13:08 GMT -8
I kind of just catch them as I go. You don't want to give too many, because they are very high protein. I would say 1/gerbil, maybe twice a week. During the winter you won't find them outside (unless it's a lot warmer where *you* live ). Then you could try housing crickets. I don't know much about that, however. I actually didn't feed any grasshoppers this year because we didn't have the major infestation that we had last year. As for biting, it *is* possible, but gerbs are pretty big so I wouldn't worry too much. I would just watch their behaviour when you pop one in. If your gerbs see fearful or uninterested, just take the little hopper back out. Juniper would sense the grasshopper immediately and just lunge at it. It was as quick as a frog catching an insect! Then she would eat it head-first, wings and all. Boy she loved her grasshoppers .
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Eggs
Aug 23, 2004 18:12:27 GMT -8
Post by sweetie on Aug 23, 2004 18:12:27 GMT -8
Queenie, My gerbils thank you. Evan thanks you also. He is the great grasshopper catcher. He has little hands and is quick and gentle. He caught 6 today and we fed them tonight. I took pictures to show you. They loved them. Even the girls. I was amazed. It did not take them long to find them but Evan had to hand feed them since they were not used to catching them. We added screen to prevent the grasshoppers from getting out.
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Eggs
Aug 23, 2004 18:38:58 GMT -8
Post by queenofthenile on Aug 23, 2004 18:38:58 GMT -8
I'm so glad that they like them. I can't wait to see the pictures!
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Eggs
Aug 24, 2004 7:04:54 GMT -8
Post by andrea on Aug 24, 2004 7:04:54 GMT -8
our gerbils eat many unsuspecting spiders that drop in there tanks!! We found that they like crickets but only the heads, they will catch them bite the heads off eat the heads and leave the rest. Mealworms, most of our gerbils are not to kean on them, also be careful only get mini mealworms as they can give a nasty nip. All our gerbs LOVE waxworms. Andrea
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Eggs
Aug 24, 2004 7:08:26 GMT -8
Post by RyanF on Aug 24, 2004 7:08:26 GMT -8
I didn't know gerbils eat worms and insects! But, I guess they eat whatever they can out in the wild.
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Eggs
Aug 24, 2004 12:01:22 GMT -8
Post by sweetie on Aug 24, 2004 12:01:22 GMT -8
Hey here is a picture of my little ones eating the grasshoppers. Cowboy with his tasty morsel. Bubba with his treat They loved the grasshoppers. Even the girls loved them!!
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Eggs
Aug 24, 2004 12:28:30 GMT -8
Post by RyanF on Aug 24, 2004 12:28:30 GMT -8
Oh my gosh, that is weird, but cute! Were the crickets dead or did the gerbils catch them?
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Eggs
Aug 24, 2004 12:57:38 GMT -8
Post by sweetie on Aug 24, 2004 12:57:38 GMT -8
Actually, the grasshoppers were caught by my 4 year old son Evan who absolutely loves bugs!!!! He had a great time and so didn't the gerbils. We put them in the tank alive then Cowboy caught the first one and we had to hand feed the other 3 since they did not get the hang of the jumping thing.
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