Plants - Not on a safe list - but not on a not safe list

[betty]

I was wondering whether there were any plants that anyone has tried for gerbils that just don't appear on either a safe or not safe list - like the inbetweeners?

I recently started looking at safe lists for guinea pigs for example and both dahlia and hollyhock leaves were on it - two common garden plants that I have never seen on a gerbil list before - but which my garden is bursting with.

We also grow a weird tuber plant (a yacon) and it is huge - turns out guinea pigs can eat that too (and they love it) - so just wondering about gerbils?

So really just wondering about any feedback from anyone first - and then I might start trialling them? Can anyone think of any reason why guinea pigs diet can't be compared to a gerbil (apart from volume of course).

The thing is that often a list will just say 'dahlia' - they often don't specify which parts of it - and which lifestage - so I will always assume that petals and new (but not totally fresh) leaves are the best starting point (as opposed to stems, roots, old/mature leaves and seed heads)? Would you all agree with that for starters - although some tree leaves are best eaten when brand new and pale rather than mature, and others are the complete opposite!!!

[LilyandDaisy]

Oct 19, 2022 10:54:58 GMT -8 betty said:

Can anyone think of any reason why guinea pigs diet can't be compared to a gerbil (apart from volume of course).

I read here that rabbits are resistant to some plant poisons. I don't know whether guinea pigs, or indeed, gerbils might be similar, but I suppose it means that in theory safe food lists between the species might not be fully interchangeable.

In practice I think these lists tend to contain plants that are not poisonous at all rather than plants that are poisonous but might not be dangerous to every species, since nobody wants to take the risk.

[Markpd]

Perhaps Gerbils are not affected by poisonous plants from there natural habitat?? Or they simply avoid them?

It would be handy if there was a way of testing whether they'd try to eat something dubious without actual taking the risk of them eating it! I think their sense of smell would guide them, but I certainly wouldn't risk it with my boys! (nor would I want anyone else too).

I don't think I've fed my boys anything not listed [edit, unless you include Sunflower stalks?], whether I did with pets I had as a kid, I don't remember!

[betty]

Yes, I would imagine that rabbits (like rats and mice) can eat a lot of things that wouldn't be deemed safe for gerbils or guinea pigs as they are all globally widespread in their native form - I mean rabbits and rats are everywhere - where as gerbils and guinea pigs are quite specific in their habitats and so I would have imagined that their dietary flexibility would be more limited (especially with ginties being quite strict herbivores).

As for natural plants - I have tried to get seeds for plants from their habitat (mainly those listed on egerbil) but they are not species specific (mainly a bulk genus with a few named individuals) but I gave up trying to source them way back.

Also, smelling-wise - I remember first learning about ragwort (the highly toxic liver-damaging aster-like plants) and found that if you see them in a horses field you should actually leave them alive rather than pull them up and discard them - as it is only when alive that it gives off a chemical that identifies them to an animal as toxic. Once dead, the deterrant isn't made - but the toxin is still there - and animals accidently eat it as hay. Scary.