lulitta
member
Gerbil owner
Posts: 14
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Post by lulitta on Jan 27, 2015 0:00:47 GMT -8
Hi, I'm planning to get three gerbils soon, but their diet confuses me as there are so many different people saying different things! Could someone suggest a good diet for them? Thanks, Julia
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erin
Member
mom to two gerbils <3
Posts: 80
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Post by erin on Jan 27, 2015 9:41:20 GMT -8
Pre-mixed foods are your best bet. I've heard a lot of people using Tropical Carnival for hamsters and gerbils mixed with oxbow pellets. Apparently not many people have had good luck with the Oxbow pellets because their gerbils only eat if it's the only thing available to them. I wouldn't use the Tropical Carnival one because of the dyes and artificial flavors that it contains. I personally use Hagen Hamster and Gerbil mix, it's an organic food that I have only ever found at my local Petsmart, haven't seen it online anywhere. If you can get your hands on that, that's what I would recommend. It's fantastic! Good luck.
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keldamouse
Member
rest in peace my dear lovely Leela youre in our hearts
Posts: 374
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Post by keldamouse on Jan 27, 2015 13:36:12 GMT -8
okay there are resources out there but some are based on region. I am in the usa so I can only speak for them. Mostly you want to look for specific gerbil mix that has 7% fat and 12 % protein. More protein is usually okay for them. The other thing people say is that you don't want corn to be one of the top 6 ingredients but then everyone recommends Gerri Gerbil but it has corn in the first 6 ingredients. So here are a couple of resources: gerbilgerbil.tumblr.com/foodmasterlistwww.moonstonegerbils.com/dir/care/food.htmlwww.moonstonegerbils.com/index_files/commercial.htmlFor an extensive list of why these levels are correct and what other treats and items gerbils can have you have to go to egerbil. egerbil.com/diet.htmlIn addition I have found this item at Petco that is excellent because it doesn't contain chemicals like the Gerri Gerbil distributed in the USA. It is Higgins Sunburst Gourment Gerbil food. It is all natural and my girls adore it. www.petco.com/product/120464/Higgins-Sunburst-Gourmet-Food-Mix-for-Hamsters-And-Gerbils.aspx?CoreCat=GerbilHPFoodOf course I have to make sure they still eat all the bits, not just their most favorites, before I refill their bowl. Also keep in mind that you can make your own mix but you do have to make sure you are providing all the necessary items and usually this means just adding to a basic mix unless you have a nutrition calculator and are committed to really doing your research and ending up with a huge batch of food to store. Another item to Keep in mind that depending on where you are your local petstore may not stock any decent food so this may be something you have to order online. I have no issues doing this because I keep the extra bags stored in my freezer and they keep for a long time. Good luck and happy research.
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highflyer
member
Have owned two lovely female pairs, currently own a male trio :)
Posts: 27
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Post by highflyer on Feb 13, 2015 18:01:15 GMT -8
Avoid any Kaytee food; they have horrible food and often with unhealthy preservatives. I'd go with Oxbow's Healthy Handfuls. It has great quality food, though it's often not in petstores. If you want the best for your gerbils, you might want to consider ordering it offline. Hope I helped!!! Xxxxx Good luck with your new gerbils!
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Post by Awaiting Abyss on Feb 14, 2015 17:30:27 GMT -8
What really confuses me about Oxbow is the hamster and gerbil food is made with hay. Gerbils, hamsters, mice and rats cannot digest hay. Gerbils will chew it, but they don't eat it. Oxbow has an excellent rat food and I use their guinea pig food for my piggies, but I dislike their hamster and gerbil food.
Tropical Carnival is a good food with the exception of the dyes.
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Post by Shooting Star on Feb 14, 2015 19:17:23 GMT -8
Interesting, Awaiting Abyss! I had never heard of gerbils being unable to digest hay. I'll have to research it, do you have any sources to start off with?
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Post by Awaiting Abyss on Feb 14, 2015 20:56:20 GMT -8
I'll find sources. Some sources I can't give a link to though. One, I'm obsessed with nutrition and study it for all animals. Two, I'm going to school for a vet/vet tech. And I was originally informed that mice could not digest hay and that I should change my homemade diet, which originally included goat food to include hog food instead due to the lack of hay.
The following doesn't say anything about hay, but it does state that gerbils have similar dietary needs as rats, mice and hamsters.
This was a thread about rats, but I thought this comment was useful.
If you watch gerbils they do not eat actual hay. They chew it. Also, from experience of feeding hundreds of gerbils, hamsters, mice and rats at my work and home, they all leave the hay pellets behind in their food bowls. If I'm the one feeding them, I normally pick as many out as possible and throw them away. Our block food that we feed our rodents (we feed some a block food and some a seed mix) does not include alfalfa or timothy hay at all. I'll find more sources if you'd like, but for now I must go to bed.
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Post by Awaiting Abyss on Feb 14, 2015 20:56:40 GMT -8
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highflyer
member
Have owned two lovely female pairs, currently own a male trio :)
Posts: 27
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Post by highflyer on Feb 17, 2015 13:21:18 GMT -8
I don't think the gerbils actually eat the hay. Also, if you don't want to just give them Oxbow's, you can mix it with some other food.
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