Thea
Member
Posts: 1,012
|
Post by Thea on Mar 30, 2021 11:36:23 GMT -8
I'm afraid I haven't made one from scratch Yes it is (I hope, because that's what I've used in the past!)!
|
|
|
Post by yeti218 on Mar 30, 2021 11:43:26 GMT -8
Ah, I thought you had but you were able to answer my question anyway so thank you.
|
|
|
Post by PipSqueak on Mar 30, 2021 12:16:40 GMT -8
pipsqueak theahow is everyone liking this food mix? I'm going to give this a try. I have a dumb question, the fennel is just normal fennel seeds that we use in cooking, right? Yes it's just normal fennel seeds used in cooking. I got mine at Whole Foods. Also my gerbils love the mix, they really aren't a big fan of the fennel and tend to leave that in the bowl and won't eat it but usually I don't refil their food until they eat most of the fennel.
|
|
|
Post by yeti218 on Mar 31, 2021 19:53:31 GMT -8
I was able to get most supplies at a bulk food store, which was handy because I could buy just small quantities of things.
I usually scatter feed, but I think I'm going to put the smaller items (like the amaranth) in a dish and just scatter feed the larger pieces since I'm not sure theyll actually find those small pieces if I scatter them.
Did you adjust the recipe at all? Some of the ingredients I got had different protein/fat/fiber percentages than she had listed so I entered them on the spreadsheet and ended up with a bit of a different formula and different overall guaranteed analysis.
Havent started them on it yet though. Bit worried, but I need to make a change to their diet so....
|
|
|
Post by Scott on Apr 1, 2021 3:32:28 GMT -8
Yes it's just normal fennel seeds used in cooking. I got mine at Whole Foods. Also my gerbils love the mix, they really aren't a big fan of the fennel and tend to leave that in the bowl and won't eat it but usually I don't refil their food until they eat most of the fennel. They sound like me! Can't stand fennel.
|
|
|
Post by PipSqueak on Apr 1, 2021 5:10:21 GMT -8
I was able to get most supplies at a bulk food store, which was handy because I could buy just small quantities of things. I usually scatter feed, but I think I'm going to put the smaller items (like the amaranth) in a dish and just scatter feed the larger pieces since I'm not sure theyll actually find those small pieces if I scatter them. Did you adjust the recipe at all? Some of the ingredients I got had different protein/fat/fiber percentages than she had listed so I entered them on the spreadsheet and ended up with a bit of a different formula and different overall guaranteed analysis. Havent started them on it yet though. Bit worried, but I need to make a change to their diet so.... The only ingredient I changed was the amarsnth. I couldn't find any and they were out of stock at the last store I was going to but I looked it up and online it said that millet had a similar nutrition so I just replaced the amaranth with the same amount of millet. I didn't even think of putting the nutrition in a calculator but I need to make food again so I will do that next time. You can always add more of one ingredient or add something else in the mix if there is an imbalance of something. A friend once said to put some dried meat or mealworms into their mix so if you need more protein in your mix than you can add some form of dried protein. Really I think you can add or take anything out of the mix as long as it still has the right percentages of protein and fat.
|
|
|
Post by yeti218 on Apr 1, 2021 10:51:25 GMT -8
I think my protein content is too high. The final tally right now is 13.8% protein, 7.09% fat, and 14.65% fiber.
Fins and whiskers says the protein for an adult gerbil should be 10-13%, but I've seen other sources say 12-14%, or less than 12%. so I'm not entirely sure what's correct.
When I looked at the nutritional information from the manufacturer for ingredients I purchased, enough of them had 1 or 2 grams more protein than the numbers she'd listed to throw things off. I can increase the wheat and millet to get the protein down below 13.
|
|
|
Post by PipSqueak on Apr 2, 2021 7:34:29 GMT -8
I think my protein content is too high. The final tally right now is 13.8% protein, 7.09% fat, and 14.65% fiber. Fins and whiskers says the protein for an adult gerbil should be 10-13%, but I've seen other sources say 12-14%, or less than 12%. so I'm not entirely sure what's correct. When I looked at the nutritional information from the manufacturer for ingredients I purchased, enough of them had 1 or 2 grams more protein than the numbers she'd listed to throw things off. I can increase the wheat and millet to get the protein down below 13. I think that the mix should be fine. I looked it up and some websites said up to 16%. I really am not sure what the correct amount is. So many websites online say different things.
|
|
|
Post by yeti218 on May 3, 2021 9:03:28 GMT -8
Well, this was a bust. My gerbils do NOT like it. I had been using a food bowl so I could see how much they eat and if they’re eating selectively. Many of the ingredients they just refuse to eat. Even if I don’t replenish the dish for a day or two, they would just rather not eat than eat fennel, or amaranth, or many other items. They actually both started to lose weight, which I don’t want. Especially not for Shark who has never weighed more than 80 grams. I’ve taken to giving lots of additional treats to make sure they’re still eating enough.
So Higgins sunburst makes Chicken gain weight too quickly and eat all the food before his brother gets any, and this food puts them both on a hunger strike... the next food I’m getting is sun seed vita prima rat, mouse & gerbil. I had to order it online so I will be switching as soon as it arrives.
|
|
|
Post by PipSqueak on May 3, 2021 11:27:21 GMT -8
Well, this was a bust. My gerbils do NOT like it. I had been using a food bowl so I could see how much they eat and if they’re eating selectively. Many of the ingredients they just refuse to eat. Even if I don’t replenish the dish for a day or two, they would just rather not eat than eat fennel, or amaranth, or many other items. They actually both started to lose weight, which I don’t want. Especially not for Shark who has never weighed more than 80 grams. I’ve taken to giving lots of additional treats to make sure they’re still eating enough. So Higgins sunburst makes Chicken gain weight too quickly and eat all the food before his brother gets any, and this food puts them both on a hunger strike... the next food I’m getting is sun seed vita prima rat, mouse & gerbil. I had to order it online so I will be switching as soon as it arrives. Interesting, what recipe did you use? Did you use the same one I linked? My gerbils love it but I guess they all have different preferences. I hope you didn't spend too much on supplies.
|
|
|
Post by yeti218 on May 3, 2021 13:53:37 GMT -8
Yeah the fins and whiskers recipe.
It wasnt too expensive because I was able to buy a lot of the ingredients I needed in really small quantities from the local bulk food shop.
Some items I had to get bigger bags of, and I hate waste so i guess i need to find some human food recipes using flax and rye grains...
|
|
|
Post by PipSqueak on May 3, 2021 15:19:55 GMT -8
Yeah the fins and whiskers recipe. It wasnt too expensive because I was able to buy a lot of the ingredients I needed in really small quantities from the local bulk food shop. Some items I had to get bigger bags of, and I hate waste so i guess i need to find some human food recipes using flax and rye grains... You can make bread out of rye but you will have to grind it up. I have never made it before since I don't make bread often but I know that it is something you can do.
|
|
|
Post by Scott on May 3, 2021 15:58:50 GMT -8
Yeah the fins and whiskers recipe. It wasnt too expensive because I was able to buy a lot of the ingredients I needed in really small quantities from the local bulk food shop. Some items I had to get bigger bags of, and I hate waste so i guess i need to find some human food recipes using flax and rye grains... I go through loads of rye--for bread. You need a good grain mill for it, though. For the whole berries, you can use them in salads, for grain bowls, or in casseroles/soups/stews (need to soak/cook them first). Flax seed can be used as an egg substitute. You can also use small quantities (1-2T) as an addition to muffins and quick breads.
|
|