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Post by monkeygerbils on Jun 20, 2020 6:55:34 GMT -8
So I know that gerbils are omnivores and I give mine mealworms but these are dried. I really want to feed live but I don't know what I want to feed them. I don't think my parents would appreciate bugs in the fridge so it needs to be something that cam be kept at room temp. My boys are just so energetic and inquisitive so I think they would benefit from this. Are there any feeder insects that would be good???
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jun 20, 2020 7:58:52 GMT -8
I don't think mealworms have to be kept in the fridge. Keeping them cold just slows their growth down so they last longer before turning into beetles. When I've had live mealworms I put them in a plastic terrarium with a thick layer of oats and some slices of cucumber for moisture.
Crickets are noisy so are best avoided if you would have to keep them in your bedroom. Locusts are quieter. I've kept locusts the same way as mealworms but they also need something to climb on, like egg boxes or folded cardboard. I assume crickets are the same but I've never had those.
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Post by monkeygerbils on Jun 20, 2020 8:56:15 GMT -8
I might try mealworms then. I've seen some smaller ones in pets at home and was debating whether to get them or not. I was looking at waxworks but they don't seem to last as long so I'll definitely try mealworms. I've heard live ones are more fatty so they should be good for my thinner gerbil who I'm trying to get to gain weight.
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Post by betty on Jun 20, 2020 9:57:26 GMT -8
Yes , mealworms at room temperature are fine and I have never kept mine in the fridge - and before they turn into beetles they turn into aliens (pupae) which the gerbils love too - so as long as you alwasy feed any aliens first - you will be just fine. (Gerbils will not eat the beetles - mind you they don't always eat the mealworms and you sometimes find a beetle in your front room!!!).
Wax worms are fine too at room temperature and they coccon too before becoming moths - so same again - feed them in the right order and you will get through them fine.
No crickets - they escape and live behind the furniture and make noise for months.
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Post by Markpd on Jul 22, 2020 13:38:29 GMT -8
Lol <--- imagines Betty hunting around the furniture trying to find them, but when you get close the they go quiet! Btw, what did you mean Locusts need something to climb on? Also, wouldn't locusts escape through the mesh/bars?
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Post by betty on Jul 22, 2020 14:01:59 GMT -8
It has happened more than once Markpd!!!! Never trust a cricket...
And locust can climb up straight glass for sure - so yes - if not eaten they will certainly 'escape'. We often find them nonchalently sitting somewhere you don't expect them; the bannister, the ironing board, the hearth...
Mealworms themselves can't climb - but they burrow out of reach - so either make sure they aren't alive or feed them in a bowl. The number of times I have found a beetle a few weeks later on cleaning out the harvestmice.
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 22, 2020 14:16:39 GMT -8
Locusts like to cling to things and hide, so it's nice to give them some folded cardboard or a tube. It also increases the surface area in the enclosure, as it can get quite cramped.
Locusts probably could get through mesh, but I don't put them in the tank. I put the gerbils in a run for feeding locusts, because they tend to disappear down tunnels. My gerbils also sometimes eat the head and leave the rest and I don't want the rest in the tank.
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Post by Markpd on Jul 22, 2020 14:38:34 GMT -8
Lol, eww, you'd think the head would be the least tastiest bit! Do they kill the locust quickly by de-capitating then? Betty Heheh, I found a very pretty 'grasshopper' in my garden a few weeks back (see here), but when I showed the neighbour he said it was an escapee Locust from his Lizard! I haven't bought any live feed (too earlier anyway), I was just thinking about it, in the meantime I bought a 1ltr tub of dried mealworms, which at 1-2 mealworms per Gerbil per day (that right?) will last ages! lol Also I don't really like killing anything, so I'm not sure I'd be happy feeding live insects to my future Gerbils! (I only started killing slugs in my garden after they massacred a load of my sunflower seedlings, Marigolds and Petunias!! And even then I didn't like do it and reverted to chucking them in the garden waste bin! lol, and I also started using Beer traps, it's alright if something/one else is doing it ).
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 22, 2020 14:53:11 GMT -8
Locusts have an amazing ability to live for a while without a head. How long, I don't know, because I kill them myself when they're like that. I don't think it's humane to leave them to die slowly.
There's no need to get live insects if you're uneasy with it, as they're completely optional. Some gerbils don't even like them.
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Post by betty on Jul 22, 2020 15:08:04 GMT -8
Yep - the head is totally the tastiest bit!
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Post by Markpd on Jul 22, 2020 16:51:20 GMT -8
Lol, you've tried them yourself? lilyandDaisy They live with no heads!? How the hell do they do that!? lol (I feel I must read up about that now. )
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Jul 22, 2020 17:19:59 GMT -8
I've no idea but I've seen them keep moving around after the gerbils have bitten their heads off. It's quite horrible really. I'm sure they wouldn't live long. Ok, I just looked it up, and apparently they can live days. www.thoughtco.com/do-insects-have-brains-1968477
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Post by kessan on Aug 23, 2020 8:40:40 GMT -8
Lol, you've tried them yourself? lilyandDaisy They live with no heads!? How the hell do they do that!? lol (I feel I must read up about that now. ) they didn`t need for head exept for the eat they have a distributed nervous system
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Post by Markpd on Aug 23, 2020 13:57:52 GMT -8
And to see After my last post I did read something along the lines of what you said.
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Post by betty on Aug 23, 2020 14:44:55 GMT -8
Some insects don't even need to eat so don't have mouths or digestive systems - but they still have a head.
Insects are awesome!
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