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Post by Pep Maxs Mom on Dec 30, 2005 21:22:24 GMT -8
Hi all,
I've seen several posts about chubby gerbils. Mine are, erhm, a bit on the round side.
Right now, they get a standard lab block diet. No sunflower seeds or other treats, unless it's a special occasion. I give them fruits and/ or vegetables a few times per week (favorite is peas, for some odd reason, they beat each other up to get to one!).
My question is what dietary changes can I make to help them slim down? They already eat a diet that I think is pretty healthy.
Any suggestions?
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Post by mice on Dec 31, 2005 2:07:08 GMT -8
You seem to have the right idea with the diet, perhaps giving them more time out of their tank would help them slim down? I understand that they're getting on a bit but if you gradually build up the amount of exercise they do, I imagine that would help with the weight loss?
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Post by paws on Jan 2, 2006 3:18:57 GMT -8
That sounds like a good diet, as long as they're eating the lab block! You could also try mixing your own food, there have been success stories here on that. I feed mine small amounts of normal food every day. They were on lab block for a while, they refused to eat anything so after a week of trying to get them to eat more than the joghurt drop I put in there every day, I put them back on normal food.  Also, do you have a wheel? You could buy them one, they may use it, and may not, but if they do, it will slim them down a little! Even if they are a little fat though, it doesn't really matter. As long as they're happy and healthy. HAYLEY |
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Post by pepandmax on Jan 2, 2006 10:45:36 GMT -8
Yes, they do eat the lab block, and they seem to like it quite a bit! (maybe that's why they're little chubsters) Paws, what do you mean when you said "normal food"? Do you mean the standard commercial gerbil seed mix? They do have a wheel, and both of them love it. I let them out for several hours per day to play in a playpen I built for them (it's about the size of a standard U.S. bathtub). There's lots of little boxes to hide in or shred, their wheel, and plenty of space to run and chase each other. To me, it seems like they're pretty active. I posted another question about protein... that's the only thing I can think of... that there's too much protein in the standard lab blocks for the average old man... I'm beginning to wonder if they're just "big boys." I mean, it seems like I'm doing everything right.  |
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Post by AndreaS15 on Jan 2, 2006 11:25:42 GMT -8
Alot of boy gerbils are just "big". I personally think the bigger boys come from better breeding backgrounds. I have 2 pet store boys, one in particular that is skiney and sickly looking... we're guessing inbreeding.
Have a look at pictures of breeders web sites and loo at the boys they have, this will give you a good idea what a boy gerbils weight should look like. (At the same ages as your would be best).
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Post by paws on Jan 2, 2006 14:10:02 GMT -8
By normal food I mean commercial petstore food. I try to buy the stuff from small privatly owned petstores, because they sell better quality goods. Mine has no sunflower seeds, I think it is a "subspecies" of Gerri Gerbil. Andrea, I always though the *smaller* ones were healthier! Oh well, guess I was wrong!  My three boys were all very big boned, but after Sterling was neutered, surprisingly enough he slimmed down! HAYELY |
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Post by pepandmax on Jan 2, 2006 14:28:49 GMT -8
Ok! That's what I give them (packaged commercial brand). Since I have only three total, it's not worth it to mix my own.
I think it makes sense that a male gerbil would slim down after being neutered... although I wouldn't have thought of it before you mentioned it.
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm going to transition to a diet that's lower in protein and a teensy-bit lower in fat (their diet was already fairly low-fat). Let's hope it helps...
...but in the end, I'm happy that they're very healthy and active. I just want them to stay that way.
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Post by meganb52 on Jan 3, 2006 11:08:03 GMT -8
If you look at some of the breeders posts, you can see some male gerbils are just 'big:' Here are some of Kim's gerbs. She's a breeder in Alaska. I can also say that some of the males that the breeder I got my last pair of males from had some big boys. I had never seen gerbils as big as hers! Not sure if she has any pictures of her breeders up but you can check out her website at www.freewebs.com/kansascitykennelGood luck with the little guys! -Megan |
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Post by pepandmax on Jan 3, 2006 16:15:15 GMT -8
Megan,
Thanks for posting the link to Kim's gerbils. They are all lovely (especially the siamese, Yoshi). Many of the adult males look very similar to my adult males (actually some of them are even larger than P & M). I also noticed that it's not just their bodies that are large, it's also their heads, etc. Everything looks in proportion. Thanks again for posting the link, it's a good point of comparison.
Regards,
Nicole
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Post by meganb52 on Jan 3, 2006 19:28:20 GMT -8
Glad it helped  -Megan |
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Post by kimsgerbils on Jan 3, 2006 21:28:58 GMT -8
Hey hey!! Just skimming posts and see my chunks on exhibit!! Riley is my beefy boy, I'm beginning to think he's half hamster!! Personally I like the beefy gerbils, some of the gerbils I see in the UK are too scrawny looking to me... I like my rotund rodents!
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Post by AndreaS15 on Jan 3, 2006 21:31:21 GMT -8
Personally I like the beefy gerbils, ... I like my rotund rodents! I will second that! ;D I love BIG gerbies! he he he |
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Post by kimsgerbils on Jan 3, 2006 21:32:33 GMT -8
 12-14 week old son next to father, Riley who is 7 months old... Heck, some of mine are too fat to even fit halfway in a toilet paper tube!!!  |
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Post by kimsgerbils on Jan 3, 2006 21:45:20 GMT -8
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Post by ashgerbil on Jan 4, 2006 12:10:29 GMT -8
Hey hey!! Just skimming posts and see my chunks on exhibit!! Riley is my beefy boy, I'm beginning to think he's half hamster!! Personally I like the beefy gerbils, some of the gerbils I see in the UK are too scrawny looking to me... I like my rotund rodents! UK gerbils scrawny?!  ;D you havn't seen my Ash yet then! ;D he weighs 120g now (yes, he's piled on the grams since i last weighed him! ;D lol) and now Leo has gained weight too! he now weighs about 95g! i though that they'd lost weight! i don't even feed them any treats anymore (they're on a diet, but it seems to be having an opposite effect!). they're also both from a petshop, so they're certainly not bred to be big show gerbils! ;D here's a pic of Ash...  "it's all relaxed muscle..." ;D lol but i personally prefer my gerbies 'big' anyways ;D so Ash is my cute fat handwarmer  |
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My three boys were all very big boned, but after Sterling was neutered, surprisingly enough he slimmed down! 
;D you havn't seen my Ash yet then! ;D