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Post by malabui on Jun 22, 2005 0:29:33 GMT -8
Does anyone elses gerbils hunt things like flies in their cage?
My little uns are currently scared of flies because they buzz!
But Spree will hunt them. I have had several other adult gerbils who hunt flies that have got into their cages in the past too.
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Jun 22, 2005 4:21:03 GMT -8
I haven't seen them doing it with flies, but they also eat mealworms. It doesn't sound strange, because in the wild they will eat insects too sometimes......but a fly....he is very sure of himself!  ;D |
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Post by malabui on Jun 22, 2005 4:23:15 GMT -8
I've seen other gerbils hunt them to.
What they do is sit still, often faceing a corner of the cage and when the fly comes infrount of them they pounce and catch it. They then hold it in their paws eating the head first. They then run off to their bed with it and eat it in private.
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Post by Ritzie/Admin on Jun 22, 2005 5:38:01 GMT -8
Interesting to hear! Would love to see it once! That eating the head first sound familiar, as they do that too with meal worms to kill it. And than eating it somewhere else. Butg I never knew gerbils could be that fast. Good to know.
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Post by malabui on Jun 22, 2005 5:47:25 GMT -8
Gerbils are fast. I had one called Mouse who at her top speed, well lets just say, I couldn't even see her running she was so fast.
Perhaps gerbils think of flies as slightly meater rasions?
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Post by tirilliel on Jun 23, 2005 4:31:30 GMT -8
I probably shouldn’t have done this... because who knows what bugs carry, but I remember the first time I saw my gerbils hunt down a fly, they hunted it caught it and ate it. After that id occasionally go outside and catch flies and stick it in their cage and watch them hunt for it. In the wild they would eat crickets and other insects
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Post by southcore on Jun 23, 2005 5:52:22 GMT -8
i've thought about getting a few crickets and putting them in with my girls, but i'm not sure what they would do.
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Jun 23, 2005 9:02:12 GMT -8
In my experience mongolian gerbils are not keen on food that can jump higher than they can!!!!
Pallids are another matter...they absolutely love cricket hunts!!!!
I agree that flies, by their nature, may carry disease and would try to keep them away from my gerbils because of that (also I rather dislike flies in the house).
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Post by gerbilsrgreat on Jun 24, 2005 12:50:13 GMT -8
i've thought about getting a few crickets and putting them in with my girls, but i'm not sure what they would do. I bought a feeder cricket for one of my gerbils once and he ate it. Yummy -Jeremiah |
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Post by malabui on Jun 24, 2005 12:52:13 GMT -8
Aww How cute!
I don't purposly give my gerbils live food, but if they catch it themselves, I don't mind them eating it. Yes flies are ment to carry some dieseases, over here in the UK there aren't any serious ones that I can think of and it hasn't don't my gerbils any harm.
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Post by gerbilsrgreat on Jun 24, 2005 12:54:22 GMT -8
Aww How cute! I don't purposly give my gerbils live food, but if they catch it themselves, I don't mind them eating it. Yes flies are ment to carry some dieseases, over here in the UK there aren't any serious ones that I can think of and it hasn't don't my gerbils any harm. The cricket I bought for my gerbil was a feeder cricket from PetsMart so I don't think it was carrying any diseases or had been exposed to pesticides. -Jeremiah |
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Post by malabui on Jun 24, 2005 13:00:15 GMT -8
PetSmart over here (in the uK) changed their name because they didn't keep thier pets well and there was a big scandel. They are now called PetsAtHome because no-one would buy from them. Same company. Different name.
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Post by gerbilsrgreat on Jun 24, 2005 13:03:23 GMT -8
I actually work at PetsMart, but I do know about all that. I guess basically what happened is that when we built stores in the UK, we just didn't have the infrastructure for stores across an ocean and everything just fell apart. I assure you, the quality of pet care at my store and I believe most US stores in general is excellent.
-Jeremiah
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Post by malabui on Jun 24, 2005 13:10:16 GMT -8
My latest 4 gerbils are from there, but normally I wouldn't get my pets from there. I'm currently wondering what they are going to do with the pets that haven't been sold. The last gerbil I got from there a couple of days ago is 4 months old. There is also a female of about the same age there with half a tail because of fighting. I wonder what will happen to her...
Perhaps the US stores are better than the UK ones. Its really odd. In the UK ones alot of stuff is actully MORE expencive than normal pet shops!!
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Post by gerbilsrgreat on Jun 24, 2005 13:12:19 GMT -8
Usually and animals that have been injured in a fight or something are adopted out. At least that's what we do over here. How many PetsAtHome are there in the UK?
-Jeremiah
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;D