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Post by lovelly20 on Aug 17, 2022 2:39:23 GMT -8
Hi! So I’m new to posting on here but not new to the forum - been using it to help with gerbil care for a while but wanted to ask a few things about gerbil diet as I’m thinking of changing mine. I’m really into gerbil (and small animal) care and am going to be starting training to become an exotic vet nurse in September! I have 4 female gerbils and have owned gerbils for around 4 years now - all my gerbils are usually on GerriGerbil mix and my previous gerbils loved it and basically ate everything in it! However, my current girls only eat the parts they like and leave the rest so I was worried they weren’t getting a good enough diet. I’ve found that homemade mixes can be the best way to get the right ‘stuff’ into them🤣
Basically I’ve done a lot of looking around and I found a homemade mix by Fins and Whiskers on YouTube and was going to make that until I read some people on here saying that it contained too much of some things and not enough of other parts! I also heard good things, and bad, about Erin’s Ark gerbil mix so can I try either of those mixes or am I better off trying to make my own? Problem is, I have no idea how to calculate percentages of protein, fat etc. using a GA calculator I think it’s called? So I don’t know how to create my own mix because of that but also even if I did and my gerbils didn’t like some ingredients, how would I know what good alternative would be to add keeping within the protein, fat, fibre etc percentages!
Has anyone on here created their own mix that has worked for them? Should I just choose some healthy gerbil foods (I saw a thread with a big list of them) and try and calculate my own mix, amending ingredients that my girls don’t like?
I’ve also started giving my girls fresh vegetables slowly - twice a week to seek how they are on it - and then I’ll slowly give some to them daily so I know that that is good for me to give them! I’m giving things like cucumber, carrot, spinach, lettuce, green pepper (not all at the same time tho). I’ve started adding more forage into their diet too - every other day I sprinkle a mix of dried flowers and leaves in their cage and they seem to love it. I’ve also stopped giving too many sunflower seeds as treats because I think I was giving too many even though they love them! Is it ok to give them one seed each a day? Or should it be once a week?
Ok that’s all the questions done! Sorry for the long post but wanted to cover everything as I really want to get this right! Hope someone can help!😊Ellys.
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Post by lovelly20 on Aug 17, 2022 2:44:16 GMT -8
Oh also sorry! Dried fruit and vegetable mixes - are these ok to give to gerbils or should I avoid them? My girls love them but I’m concerned I’m giving too much - how often can I give them some in a week or should I stick to fresh veg and this new homemade diet I’m thinking of making? Thanks!😊
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 17, 2022 3:02:17 GMT -8
Hello! Making your own gerbil food is a challenging but exciting endeavour. Because I like to go overboard on things like this I made a database to help with ensuring a mix is balanced. It's here. You are welcome to use it if it helps, and I can offer more specific advice on its use it you want. As for homemade mixes you can buy such as Erin's Ark etc and recipes you find online, some might be great and others might not be so there is some risk but if you choose one that's been around for several years and has good reviews in different places (ideally reviews from people who have fed it for several months or more - many people will open the bag and leave a review because it looks/smells lovely but that doesn't tell whether it was good long term) the risk should be quite low. One of the great things about making a homemade mix is that you can tailor it to your gerbils' tastes, and if they don't like a particular ingredient there's almost always a substitute you can use so that it's still balanced. Switching from a commercial diet to a homemade mix can be a scary moment because you're taking your gerbil's nutrition out of the hands of big manufacturers and putting it in your own hands. If it's easier you can start with a gradual approach e.g feeding 50% commercial mix and 50% homemade mix. One sunflower seed a day is absolutely fine  Please ask all the questions you want! |
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 17, 2022 3:04:36 GMT -8
Oh also sorry! Dried fruit and vegetable mixes - are these ok to give to gerbils or should I avoid them? My girls love them but I’m concerned I’m giving too much - how often can I give them some in a week or should I stick to fresh veg and this new homemade diet I’m thinking of making? Thanks!😊 Yes, dried vegetables are fine to feed in moderation. Probably a pinch a day is reasonable. Dried fruits are also ok but be more careful as they're high in sugar. Try to always imagine what the same piece would look like if it wasn't dried - so a raisin is a whole grape. Gerbils wouldn't really eat a whole grape every day, or ever, so a whole raisin every day would also be a lot. I usually tear raisins into smaller pieces. |
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Post by lovelly20 on Aug 17, 2022 3:10:03 GMT -8
Hello! Making your own gerbil food is a challenging but exciting endeavour. Because I like to go overboard on things like this I made a database to help with ensuring a mix is balanced. It's here. You are welcome to use it if it helps, and I can offer more specific advice on its use it you want. As for homemade mixes you can buy such as Erin's Ark etc and recipes you find online, some might be great and others might not be so there is some risk but if you choose one that's been around for several years and has good reviews in different places (ideally reviews from people who have fed it for several months or more - many people will open the bag and leave a review because it looks/smells lovely but that doesn't tell whether it was good long term) the risk should be quite low. One of the great things about making a homemade mix is that you can tailor it to your gerbils' tastes, and if they don't like a particular ingredient there's almost always a substitute you can use so that it's still balanced. Switching from a commercial diet to a homemade mix can be a scary moment because you're taking your gerbil's nutrition out of the hands of big manufacturers and putting it in your own hands. If it's easier you can start with a gradual approach e.g feeding 50% commercial mix and 50% homemade mix. One sunflower seed a day is absolutely fine Please ask all the questions you want! Thank you soo much for this amazing answer so quickly! I think I’ll have a go with the calculator and making my own mix and see how I get on - I’ll keep you guys updated on any great mixes I end up making😅And if I have any more questions I’ll definitely ask! Thanks again! Also, I’ve always wondered where people get information on gerbils diet, care etc. because I’m always wanting to know more and learn for myself but find a lot of generic websites on gerbils, and are unsure of reliability! I’m not doubting or questioning your knowledge at all - just so intrigued how you know so much!😁 |
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Post by lovelly20 on Aug 17, 2022 3:12:50 GMT -8
Oh also sorry! Dried fruit and vegetable mixes - are these ok to give to gerbils or should I avoid them? My girls love them but I’m concerned I’m giving too much - how often can I give them some in a week or should I stick to fresh veg and this new homemade diet I’m thinking of making? Thanks!😊 Yes, dried vegetables are fine to feed in moderation. Probably a pinch a day is reasonable. Dried fruits are also ok but be more careful as they're high in sugar. Try to always imagine what the same piece would look like if it wasn't dried - so a raisin is a whole grape. Gerbils wouldn't really eat a whole grape every day, or ever, so a whole raisin every day would also be a lot. I usually tear raisins into smaller pieces. Great! - good to know and I’ll adapt what I’m feeding - thanks again!😊 |
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Post by LilyandDaisy on Aug 17, 2022 6:08:41 GMT -8
Hello! Making your own gerbil food is a challenging but exciting endeavour. Because I like to go overboard on things like this I made a database to help with ensuring a mix is balanced. It's here. You are welcome to use it if it helps, and I can offer more specific advice on its use it you want. As for homemade mixes you can buy such as Erin's Ark etc and recipes you find online, some might be great and others might not be so there is some risk but if you choose one that's been around for several years and has good reviews in different places (ideally reviews from people who have fed it for several months or more - many people will open the bag and leave a review because it looks/smells lovely but that doesn't tell whether it was good long term) the risk should be quite low. One of the great things about making a homemade mix is that you can tailor it to your gerbils' tastes, and if they don't like a particular ingredient there's almost always a substitute you can use so that it's still balanced. Switching from a commercial diet to a homemade mix can be a scary moment because you're taking your gerbil's nutrition out of the hands of big manufacturers and putting it in your own hands. If it's easier you can start with a gradual approach e.g feeding 50% commercial mix and 50% homemade mix. One sunflower seed a day is absolutely fine Please ask all the questions you want! Thank you soo much for this amazing answer so quickly! I think I’ll have a go with the calculator and making my own mix and see how I get on - I’ll keep you guys updated on any great mixes I end up making😅And if I have any more questions I’ll definitely ask! Thanks again! Also, I’ve always wondered where people get information on gerbils diet, care etc. because I’m always wanting to know more and learn for myself but find a lot of generic websites on gerbils, and are unsure of reliability! I’m not doubting or questioning your knowledge at all - just so intrigued how you know so much!😁 Please do doubt and question my knowledge. It's far from infinite or infallible Largely it's bits and pieces gleaned from various websites and articles, too numerous to remember unfortunately. There are a lot of generic websites out there that rehash the same (not necessarily accurate) information. Try to tell whether the information is new or constructive in some way. If it's just the same thing you read everywhere else it could be that the author is just repeating things rather than coming from a point of genuine knowledge and experience. Not that repeating information is always wrong (sometimes things are oft repeated because they are true) but many myths are perpetuated through uncritical repetition. This applies when reading forum posts too. Off hand, some good websites I remember are egerbil.com and diebrain.de but I remember any others I'll add them to the list. No one website is perfect unfortunately! |
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Post by lovelly20 on Aug 17, 2022 6:38:20 GMT -8
Thank you soo much for this amazing answer so quickly! I think I’ll have a go with the calculator and making my own mix and see how I get on - I’ll keep you guys updated on any great mixes I end up making😅And if I have any more questions I’ll definitely ask! Thanks again! Also, I’ve always wondered where people get information on gerbils diet, care etc. because I’m always wanting to know more and learn for myself but find a lot of generic websites on gerbils, and are unsure of reliability! I’m not doubting or questioning your knowledge at all - just so intrigued how you know so much!😁 Please do doubt and question my knowledge. It's far from infinite or infallible Largely it's bits and pieces gleaned from various websites and articles, too numerous to remember unfortunately. There are a lot of generic websites out there that rehash the same (not necessarily accurate) information. Try to tell whether the information is new or constructive in some way. If it's just the same thing you read everywhere else it could be that the author is just repeating things rather than coming from a point of genuine knowledge and experience. Not that repeating information is always wrong (sometimes things are oft repeated because they are true) but many myths are perpetuated through uncritical repetition. This applies when reading forum posts too. Off hand, some good websites I remember are egerbil.com and diebrain.de but I remember any others I'll add them to the list. No one website is perfect unfortunately! Yes I’ve definitely noticed a lot of websites regurgitating the same old information and as you say I’m hesitant to trust it as I don’t know who’s saying it! That’s good advice re seeing if things are new or written differently on a website, I’ll look out for that. Forums are definitely helpful though, you can talk to so many people, real people, who are passionate about animals like yourself! I’ll probably stick to forums more now as I keep arriving at the same old websites when I google things, but I’ll also check those websites out thanks! |
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