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Post by squeaky on Aug 31, 2004 8:49:14 GMT -8
Is tuna fish ok for gerbils?
I'm looking for something to add into my new mother's diet.
Here's what I have for pregnant nursing rats:
EMP, eggs, tuna, chicken baby food
I've gave them egg tonight and can pick up some kitten food tomorrow but just thought I'd ask about the tuna.
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Post by Gwirrel on Aug 31, 2004 8:57:02 GMT -8
I would think Tuna would be alright, I did recently ask a friend about it... He said that, if it is the tinned type then make sure it is in brine rather than oil and that you rinse it well to get rid of all the salt. I've never actually tried using it though. A fresh tuna steak should be ok if a little expensive  |
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Post by squeaky on Aug 31, 2004 10:47:06 GMT -8
Thanks - I might give it a try later, they don't seem at all interested in the egg I've given them.
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Post by sweetie on Aug 31, 2004 19:33:14 GMT -8
I am not sure about the tuna fish. Have you tried plain yogurt or grasshoppers, mealworms, waxworms. I know that Tuna has a lot of murcury in it and they advise people against it when pregnant. I would be careful!!!! There are plenty of other protien rich foods that do not contain murcury.
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Post by squeaky on Aug 31, 2004 23:35:45 GMT -8
They seem quite unsure about trying new foods still. Cheese is the only success I've had so far.
I'll get some yogurt today, and see if my petshop carries mealworms etc.
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Post by andrea on Aug 31, 2004 23:44:57 GMT -8
Our lot love James welbeloved chicken and rice dried cat food. you can get free samples from the website.
Andrea
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Post by r8ch on Sept 1, 2004 2:39:25 GMT -8
Hi
Personally I would stay away from tuna fish. I would stick to other protein - rich foods such as dog/cat biscuits, live foods if u want, plain white meat from chicken, cheese. Not sure what extra nutrients you would get from tuna anyways that you can't supply with something else. Gerbils aren't really designed to eat fish.
R8ch
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Post by Gwirrel on Sept 1, 2004 3:53:14 GMT -8
I agree with R8ch, that there are better alternatives out there and this is why I have never actually given Tuna to my Gerbils.
I saw on a hamster website, someone was giving their pups Tuna, and thought it was odd - had never heard of giving rodents fish before and so asked a friend what he thought, we couldn't think of anything seriously wrong with it, other than the salt. But I still decided not to give my own gerbils tuna.
Keep trying the same foods on your Gerbil. What they might not want one day, they will want another day. I had the same problem with my nursing female, she didn't want cheese, chicken, anything. But I kept trying on different occasions and she will take cheese etc when she wants/needs it. Broccoli has been a big hit, but none will take carrot... ever.
On a side note - it is thought that Tuna is good for diabetes, depending on the type of Diabetes though. So should anyone have a Diabetic pet, check it out.
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Post by andrea on Sept 1, 2004 4:02:42 GMT -8
i must admit the idea of fish and gerbils doesn't really make sense to me. Ours LOVE broccoli, good job really cos darren likes it but I hate it so i buy it for darren and the rest the gerbs have  ours don't like cheese but I have to admit I have cheddar when its so mature that you can smell it a mile off and is about to sproat legs. I hate mild cheddar Yucky .. and I am a bit fond of a bit of smelly stilton, much to darrens discust lol Andrea |
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RW
Member
When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. Puppy 6/6/07
Posts: 530
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Post by RW on Sept 1, 2004 5:41:44 GMT -8
From what I've read, quite a few breeders give their breeding females dry cat and dog food as an extra source of protein.
Even though I don't breed, I occasionally give my gerbils dry cat food, too, and they all love Milk Bone dog biscuits as a treat.
RW
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Post by squeaky on Sept 4, 2004 5:27:54 GMT -8
I've given up with trying to add in extra protein and switched them to my rat mix!
They wouldn't eat anything except the cheese, fussy little furries!
They are eating the rat food though and it has a higher protein content so it should be ok. They like the James Wellbeloved dog food that I use in the mix.
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Post by j on Sept 5, 2004 17:41:22 GMT -8
tuna for a gerbil? That doesn't even make any sense. Tuna isn't even good for cats, despite what many people think.
I think some of you obsess too much about the protein thing with pregnant gerbils.
I never did anything special with mine except give her a couple sunflower seeds everyday..which I do anyway. All my pups turned out fine. She never had a problem feeding or taking care of 5 and 7 pups. ;D
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