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Post by blackie on Jan 26, 2006 4:27:20 GMT -8
I'm wondering what to feed a sick gerbil. Are there anything I absolutely should not give to a sick gerbil?
How about: bread? cornflakes? cherios? cookies/biscuits? sweet cookies? can gerbils digest food with a lot of fibres? can they digest things with sugar? My gerbil Phillip got an ear infection and it affected his balance nerve. He stopped eating the dry gerbil food one week ago. first I just gave carrots and sunflower seeds. How much fruit is OK? I'm afraid I'm going to over-feed him. Actually I've realised that gerbils can eat a lot of stuff that's not from the pet shop. Gerbils in the wild eat a lot of branches and stuff , don't they? So they can digest fibres, like roots and stuff. I'm not going to give him chocolate:)
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Post by AndreaS15 on Jan 26, 2006 12:22:03 GMT -8
When i have a sick/old gerbil I give them extra cat food (for protine) and some apple sauce (no sugar added).
Gerbils don't actually'eat' branches, they chew them to keep their teeth trim. In the wild they eat seeds, bugs and fruits/veggies they find (though i'm not sure how much, sicne they are from the desert).
never give to much wet fruits or veggies, as it can give them the runs and make them more sick.
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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 Jan 27, 2006 6:01:47 GMT -8
I relax the rules a bit when I'm feeding sick gerbils. I feed anything the gerbil will eat, so long as it isn't dangerous.
As already mentioned, I wouldn't feed chocolate and I wouldn't overdo fruits/veggies because they could cause diarrhea, or sugary foods, but I think moderate amounts are OK.
I once kept a very sick gerbil who was too weak to eat her normal gerbil mix or drink from the water bottle alive for several days on crumbled Cheerios, Rice Krispies, and green leaf lettuce. She wouldn't eat anything else and that kept her going until she recovered enough to start eating and drinking normally.
RW
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Post by maiziecat17 on Jan 30, 2006 13:45:51 GMT -8
birdie is lovley BTW RW
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Post by meganb52 on Feb 1, 2006 16:41:04 GMT -8
I'll also add no-sugar-added peanut butter, uncooked oatmeal, and yogurt to the list (again moist items somewhat in moderation)
-Megan
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Post by AndreaS15 on Feb 1, 2006 20:09:05 GMT -8
I tryed yogurt so far with no luck, how have you got them to take it Megan? Cranberry juice usually goes over well with most of the gerbs (easy to hide med's in  ) |
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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 Feb 2, 2006 5:37:34 GMT -8
Thank you. Birdie was a wonderful little girl. She's been gone almost a year. She was put to sleep on 2/10/05. RW |
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Post by meganb52 on Feb 2, 2006 8:39:44 GMT -8
I tryed yogurt so far with no luck, how have you got them to take it Megan? I just offered it on a spoon. One of my girls liked it, the other one wasn't so keen on it. Pedialyte (any pediatric electrolyte) is also a good liquid to give a sick gerbil (use an eyedropper or a 1cc syringe from any vet's office) and offer as much as they will drink several times per day. I like it better than regular juice because it has more of the essential nutrients sick gerbils need, and it tastes good, so gerbils tend to really like it. -Megan |
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Post by kimsgerbils on Feb 2, 2006 22:15:30 GMT -8
I give kashi, cat/dog food, oatmeal, flax seeds, organic baby food, snapple juice, pedialyte, dried fruits like apples, pineapples, blueberries....
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Post by lizzy on Feb 3, 2006 13:52:00 GMT -8
When one of my gerbils had a respiratory infection I found that the "strawberry drops" made for small animals, available in petshops, went down a treat.
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