Any Homemade Gerbil Mix Recipes?

[zouave]

That was exactly my concern - working out the percentages and getting the right protein, fat, and carbo ratios.

Some of the formulas above cite precise "part" amounts. Some do not.

I could take a commercial mix with a 12-14% ratio and add more protein in the form of cat food, and then add some type of cereal. But I am still guessing.

So far, from this and the AGS board I have many recipes. And I am still trying to determine which is best, and most feasible for me to use.

back later. . .

[guest]

Well yes, my concern too! and probably the concern of any right thinking person before taking them off a standard mix with decent protein and fat values, and adopting one of these type of guess if i'm good, guess if i'm bad diets for their gerbils, as none come with protein, fat, or carb ratios, and is all wild guess work.

I mean it's ok saying I have one, two and three year old gerbils and they are healthy, but that's kinda like saying I have seen 30 year olds, 40 year olds and 50 year olds that smoke and none have died of cancer! Ok an extreme example , but you can get my drift here. Besides I personally don't think three is that old for a gerbil!

It's a simple question though, although I now know that few here must practice it, but does anyone actually know how to calculate the protein and fat ratios after you've added all the various stuff to your base mix?

[zouave]

Hopefully that question will be answered.

For the moment, here is what I do:

What I do. . .

For the moment, I take a 25lb bag of Sun Seed Vita Gerbil mix:
Protein min 12%; crude fat min 8%; crude fiber max 13%; moisture max
14%. Ingredients are sunflower seeds (but not nearly as many as
Kaytee's gerbil mix), wheat, milo, oats, groats, kibble corn, flaked
wheat, shelled peanuts, raisins, a whole variety of dried veggies,
dehydrated alfalfa meal, dehulled soybean meal, ground yellow corn,
ground whole oats, wheat middlings, etc. The biggest problem with this
mix is that the veggies appear to come in the form of a small green
disk, and the gerbs almost never touch them. when I give them to my
mice even they take awhile to eat them!

To that I add a cup of sunflower seeds, a cup of shelled peanut
pieces, two cups of regular puffed Kashi, three cups of Kashi Go Lean,
a cup of Cheerios (the generic equivalent), a cup of dried fruits
mostly raisins and bananas, and a small amount of pumpkin seeds.

That is what I currently do. It lasts me a month. Of course I add
fresh fruits, etc. The mix does not have that much in the way of
sunflower seeds.

- - -- -

I suppose I could also add standard dry cat food?

[janis]

Since gerbils tend to pick out the food that they like you can't be guaranteed that they are even going to eat everything in a perfectly balanced mixture. This is why the pellets are recommended. But, then what fun are pellets! I bought premium cocktiel food because it was from a special store where the seeds are fresh and then I use the sun seed sunscription vita mix like Zouave and I have the hamster/gerbil pellets. Then I like to give her a frozen pea, bit of apple, raison or something else that is fresh. I don't think that I would ever feed her cat food unless I was convinced by a specialist as a gerbil and a cat are so different.

[guest]

janis said:

Since gerbils tend to pick out the food that they like you can't be guaranteed that they are even going to eat everything in a perfectly balanced mixture. This is why the pellets are recommended. But, then what fun are pellets! I bought premium cocktiel food because it was from a special store where the seeds are fresh and then I use the sun seed sunscription vita mix like Zouave and I have the hamster/gerbil pellets. Then I like to give her a frozen pea, bit of apple, raison or something else that is fresh. I don't think that I would ever feed her cat food unless I was convinced by a specialist as a gerbil and a cat are so different.

Isn't this why most websites recommend that you shouldn't fill their bowl or feed again until all their food supply has gone? Also I've read a lot of sites really and not one actually recommend pellets for the reasons that it's too bland and offers no variety.

They recommend the cat food (usually dry treats) because of the higher protein in them. Cats and gerbils maybe different, but protein is more or less the same. It's interesting though because not many cat sites recommend the dry cat food as a lot of the protein is vegetable based , and cats are carnivores. I think it causes long term problems.

Has anyone found out how to calculate the altered values yet? Admin, mods, anyone??? it would give me a lot of peace of mind if I could find out how people do it.

[zouave]

I doubt if anyone can calculate that. We can only approximate. What I commented on above I think maintains a reasonable ratio. I can also add more fresh veggies if I suspect too much protein.

Dry cat food sometimes is 30% protein, so if that is used do not use too much. That is way too high a protein level. Same with seeds.

I just don't have the time nor local stores for complex "from scratch" formulas.

I never give them too much or else they will only eat the bits they like. But they seem to really dislike the green things in the Sun Seed mix. I wonder if they'd eat those only is starving?!

[janis]

So, one person says that cat food is recommended because of the protein and another says there is too much protein. Some people say use the pellets and others say don't use pellets. Some say don't feed sunflower seeds, others say limit them, and some just put them in the bowl with the rest of the food. The opinions go on and on. I don't think you'll find anyone on here who is going to put as much time and effort in calculating the amount of protein etc. of their gerbil food concoctions than the companies that make mixed gerbil food like Sunscription. However, to calculate it you would have to look at each ingredient and look at the elements you are the most concerned with. You can find this on the package or on the web at a site like USDA. www.nal.usda.gov You would have to calculate each by weight or volume and set up a ratio to get the total amount of a specific nutrient in it......100g of oats has 16.89 grams of protein. You would then have to add up the information from all the foods in their separate categories. The whole process would take a long time with all that measuring etc. and for example the different nutrients factors for Oats is over 60 so you would have to pin point the areas you are the most concerned with . My goodness, I think it would be a lot of work although fairly easy to do. But then even if you do all of this you would have to be sure that your gerbils were not sharing a food bowl as one gerbil may eat all of one type of food and the other gerbils may have their favorites, too.

[janis]

Oops, I should have said that the lab blocks are recommended rather than the pellets because the gerbils tend to pick out what they like.

[sandy]

I've switched to using a good quality puppy chow instead of cat chow and it has worked out well. It is of course added sparingly, but it does increase the overall protein content of the whole feed and is especially good for growing pups and pregnant/nursing moms.

I used to use lab block but found that the gerbils did poorly on it alone, and they didn't like it. I use it mainly for overweight gerbils, for only a short period until their weight comes down.

I do recommend using sunflower seeds in the mix because they are very nutritious (high in calcium). They will be eaten first thing, though, so do not feed as often then the gerbils will be forced to eat a good variety after the sunny seeds run out.

I also have added a scoop (3 or 4 cups to about 10 gallons of feed) of a thin, long rice (Basmati) to the feed because rice is high B vitamins. The addition of extra B vitamins is recommended for pregnant women to prevent spinal deformities in babies, and I add it in the belief that it has the same beneficial effect on gerbils. I have indeed seen a decrease in tail deformities in pups, so it is something to keep in mind if you have a pregnant mummy gerbil.

[zouave]

Now puppy chow?? This gets even more complex!

As I said, I can only approximate, as referred to above.

>> the lab blocks are recommended rather than the pellets because the gerbils tend to pick out what they like. <<

I think they eat them only if starving and there is nothing else! I am sure they hate them and find them boring.

Basmati rice. Seems like you intend it for pregnant moms. I rescue only, so that is not needed for me. I do assume you refer to COOKED rice, though.

I mentioned in above posts what I do. If anyone has a big problem with it just say so. Thanks.

[janis]

i bought some of the basmiti rice! I don't cook it do I?

[RitzieAnn]

I add raw rice, but of course when I cook some for myself I usually let some critters snack on it... gerbils, hamster, birdies... lol

[Nathan]

I use a Gerri Gerbil base and add linseed, hemp seed, rolled oats, bran sticks, sesame seeds and puffed rice. C:

[Chivalry]

I use a base of 50/50 rat mix and hamster mix (good ones with nice variety already), then to that i add:

puffed rice,
All Bran (like little twigs of bran cereal)
rolled oats,
millet,
extra sunflower seeds,
extra peanuts (plain, shelled/skinned),
rasins or currants,
dried banana or apple,
locust beans,

Sometimes i add other extras like lentils, dried corn or peas, pumpkin seeds, cheerios, safflower seeds. It changes all the time, depending on what is in the kitchen and what i can get my hands on, but this is the usual stuff. I don't have any measurements, i just add little by little till the mix looks good.

If you're thinking about making your own mix, i'd suggest the most important thing is to start with a good base, then add things that arent included already (like dried fruit or millet) or some different grains/seeds for a bit more variety. Always keep in mind that you need to balance out the food, so for example, if you add puppy food then put in some grains to balance out the extra protein you'll get in the puppy food. If you start with a good base and remember not to go too much towards protein, fat or whatever, you can't go far wrong.

[xymenah]

well my experience is different. My gerbils were being too selective withe the mixes I was finding. Maybe I just didnt find a mix I liked. I have them on a lab block/lab pellet and they actually really like it. One of the even comes and takes one from my hand every time I feed. I do give them some dried fruit as treats and sometimes seeds and sunflower seeds as treats. They are all healthy and run around actively and will go out and grab the food right away when i put it in the tank. I even have one that is starting to look a smidge pudgy at the moment as well.