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Post by laurdd37 on Apr 2, 2021 16:41:53 GMT -8
I just got two gerbils today and the food I got for them is oxbow garden select hamster and gerbil food. Just wondering if anyone has used it/has opinions on it if it's a good food?
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Post by PipSqueak on Apr 3, 2021 5:25:23 GMT -8
I have never used it but I know that oxbow doesn't have the best food for hamsters or gerbils because a lot of it is hay based and they do not need hay in their diet. Oxbow has great food for guinea pigs or rabbits that need a diet mostly of hay but gerbils do not. You can watch this video on what gerbils should eat. youtu.be/QSiSM1Wn5Mw
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Post by betty on Apr 3, 2021 6:07:21 GMT -8
I am not disputing the hay thing - but do we have a source on it?
I was recently reading about the various grasses that are growing in a gerbil's natural habitat - and it often says 'these grasses/plants were found in their dens' Now although that means they may well have been digging up poor gerbil dens to find this out - but if the gerbils were storing the grasses and plants for food - how much of them would they eat as an over percentage?
The reason I ask is obviously if gerbils ARE storing the grasses because they eat them, then perhaps gerbils DO need grass/hay in their diet, but on the other hand - my jirds hoard any big dried things I give them rather than eat them straight away - and often don't eat them at all - but if a scientist came and examined their hoard - they could assume that dried maize, whole nuts and sunflower seeds make up a big part of their diet - when in fact these 3 things are the last things that they prioritise to eat?
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Apr 3, 2021 8:10:25 GMT -8
If I examined Lily's hoard (it is basically her hoard since Daisy never bothers with hoarding) I might think that she lives on pellets, the red biscuits from their forage mix, corn and millet sprays but she doesn't. She's just more likely to hoard her least favourite things to eat.
I have noticed that hay based pellets are right at the bottom of my gerbils' preference list, even below wheat based pellets, so I wouldn't want to feed a diet composed solely of them.
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Post by PipSqueak on Apr 3, 2021 8:50:29 GMT -8
I am not disputing the hay thing - but do we have a source on it? I was recently reading about the various grasses that are growing in a gerbil's natural habitat - and it often says 'these grasses/plants were found in their dens' Now although that means they may well have been digging up poor gerbil dens to find this out - but if the gerbils were storing the grasses and plants for food - how much of them would they eat as an over percentage? The reason I ask is obviously if gerbils ARE storing the grasses because they eat them, then perhaps gerbils DO need grass/hay in their diet, but on the other hand - my jirds hoard any big dried things I give them rather than eat them straight away - and often don't eat them at all - but if a scientist came and examined their hoard - they could assume that dried maize, whole nuts and sunflower seeds make up a big part of their diet - when in fact these 3 things are the last things that they priorite to eat? I'm pretty sure this is the video I watched on why hamsters and gerbils shouldn't be fed oxbow. youtu.be/9sc7BD9yqNI
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Post by londongerbils on Apr 3, 2021 12:43:23 GMT -8
If I examined Lily's hoard (it is basically her hoard since Daisy never bothers with hoarding) I might think that she lives on pellets, the red biscuits from their forage mix, corn and millet sprays but she doesn't. She's just more likely to hoard her least favourite things to eat. I have noticed that hay based pellets are right at the bottom of my gerbils' preference list, even below wheat based pellets, so I wouldn't want to feed a diet composed solely of them. I’ve noticed my gerbils also store their least favourite food and red biscuits is one of them!
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Post by betty on Apr 4, 2021 5:37:09 GMT -8
Wow - that video was a bit intense!
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Post by Scott on Apr 4, 2021 8:05:02 GMT -8
I feel like I need a lie-down in a quiet place after that video!
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Apr 4, 2021 15:03:33 GMT -8
You should see the videos where she reviews small cages!
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Post by Markpd on Apr 11, 2021 9:24:40 GMT -8
Sounds promising!
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Post by yeti218 on May 3, 2021 9:06:08 GMT -8
Is it weird I’m excited to watch both the diet and cage video now?
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Post by LilyandDaisy on May 3, 2021 11:03:56 GMT -8
Is it weird I’m excited to watch both the diet and cage video now? There are lots of cage videos. This one is my favourite: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV2kskxmFic. It's a really good channel and she's definitely passionate about what she does.
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