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Post by jal on Aug 7, 2020 3:47:00 GMT -8
Oh, not good then! Not sure what your mean by mineral sands though, I've got Chinchilla sand from zooplus, so I assume it's ok?...... I'm sorry for confusing you further! I wasn't saying I think chinchilla sand isn't okay per se. I initially thought the Beaphar sand (and a couple of others) were okay but when I sieved them it created a cloud of dust I could see, smell and taste. There is someone on YouTube who had a similar experience with Vitakraft sand (but, a recent reviewer found it okay, so maybe that one's changed). It's trial and error. From what I gathered a year ago, and from Betty and Pim's comments here, chinchilla sand that isn't dusty, play sand that is baked (unless already sterilised) and reptile sand without calcium (Reptisand is popular) are all okay. The Zooplus sand is quartz sand which I believe is pretty much the same as many reptile desert sands. I may try that myself. I like Reptile desert sand as it's not dusty at all but, I respect and acknowledge other people have different opinions, experiences, preferences and individual circumstances.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 7, 2020 4:19:45 GMT -8
Cuttle bones as far as I have heard from other people are deemed fine to use occasionally as they are a one-piece so gerbils aren't getting all over their coat as would happen with a substrate - obvs if they chewed it it's a different story. However, in general I think cuttle bones aren't recommended for use for most rodents as; not only do rodents/gerbils get all their nutrients from their diet anyway; they can't eat or ingest too much of it before getting ill; and unlike birds and reptiles they don't need the extra calcium in the same way biologically; it seems a bit pointless anyhoo. Personally, I wouldn't give one to my gerbils - even as a treat... Thank you. I thought it would be an interesting new texture for them to chew but they didn't really like it anyway. I'll throw it away.
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Post by betty on Aug 7, 2020 4:51:40 GMT -8
Some times just a really good wash can clear off a lot of dust from sand. It can be just the way it is produced that differs between the sand types - not the actual sand particles that are in it.
So, if you find yourself with dusty sand, give it a good wash first (like you would with any new toy from a store or online anyway) and see if it is still dusty when dry (and baked).
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Post by Markpd on Aug 7, 2020 17:20:35 GMT -8
With the Calcium in the bones being in a different form (an organic compound vs a mineral compound), wouldn't that mean it would be safer?? Maybe?
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Post by betty on Aug 8, 2020 2:46:20 GMT -8
Yes, it is a safer form if it is in a natural thing like a cuttle bone - but it is still an excess of the mineral - and depending on how the body copes and metabolizes those nutrients it could be a bit pointless to add an excess for no reason?
Even in adult humans - adding excessive balanced calcium supplements doesn't actually make the bones any stronger - it just gets excreted?
I suppose it is like eating too many calories - you can eat them all day long and they aren't necessarily short term harmful - but your body need to get rid of them still - otherwise they have a negative effect.
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Post by redheaddegu on Jan 6, 2021 1:58:40 GMT -8
I’ve found an online shop in the U.K. that sells chew toy bits at a reasonable price, so you can make your own dangly toys. minipetz.co.uk/
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Post by mygerbilprince on Jan 11, 2021 18:49:11 GMT -8
PLEASE DO NOT give your gerbils a bath with soap and water, only do it if your gerbil has something potentially harmful in their coat. Sandbaths/ powder baths are perfectly safe for gerbils.
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Post by Markpd on Jan 14, 2021 9:51:12 GMT -8
Where did you see someone mention a water bath?
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Post by mygerbilprince on Jan 15, 2021 10:47:34 GMT -8
Page #4 of this thread by kayjay
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Post by Markpd on Jan 15, 2021 12:21:28 GMT -8
Ah yea, that was nearly 10yrs ago though and johanne corrected kayjay . Btw if you reply to something that is pages back, it's worth quoting them so we know what you're referring to. Interesting to go back to some old pages though and see the ducting going to other play areas. I've just ordered 5m(!) of ducting as I'll be using some of that to temporarily connect to a storage box which I'll be making into a sand playpen for my boys, much like some of the guys did back then.
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Post by gerbilord on Jan 16, 2021 3:45:32 GMT -8
Please note that not everything that was seen as suitable then is seen as suitable now (the soap and water was a different matter, with an obviously oblivious person trying to correct someone who was more well-informed) - if you go back through old threads on here you'll be likely to see things like wire wheels, small cages, no correction because this was more than 10 years ago, when there was less information about the possible dangers of these things than there is today. We're constantly improving gerbil care so something that seemed fine then can seem bad now. I guess that's why pet shops still sell tiny cages etc - they haven't improved their research and so are "stuck in the past". Random lecture now over... XD But I find it really interesting that this thread has gone on for literally more than a decade and there's only 8 pages :o
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Post by Markpd on Jan 16, 2021 9:00:49 GMT -8
Lol, true, quite a short thread really! Re wire wheels, I take it you meant wire mesh wheels? As wire rungs wheels have been known to be dangerous for decades, I have an old Gerbil book by Paul Paradise printed in 1980 that warned of wire rung wheels!
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Post by gerbilord on Jan 16, 2021 9:52:47 GMT -8
yes I meant wire meshed ;) and ooh nice, think I'll get a collection of gerbil books just because... is it good/interesting?
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Post by Markpd on Jan 16, 2021 9:59:03 GMT -8
Interesting yes, ranging from useful to shocking to how bad their cage standards were then! lol
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Post by tanzanyte on Jan 16, 2021 13:22:08 GMT -8
I’ve found an online shop in the U.K. that sells chew toy bits at a reasonable price, so you can make your own dangly toys. minipetz.co.uk/This website is amazing! Thank you so much for letting us know about it.
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