Gerbil Diet: Comparing Gerbil Foods
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2024
- How do you choose which gerbil food to use? In this video I explain the 6 main things you need to look out for when choosing a commercial gerbil food, and then we take a look at a few examples from the USA and the UK and what we can do to make some of them more suitable 🙂
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🎬 • Comparing Gerbil Food ...
Chapters:
0:00 Problems with an imbalanced diet and DIY gerbil food
2:10 6 things you need to look out for when choosing gerbil food
3:45 What to do about low protein food - USA examples
4:43 What if a food is too high in fat? - UK examples
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Playpen: amzn.to/3miy1Qs
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Coco coir (wet to expand, then fully dry before using): amzn.to/3ZNHLQ7
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ATTRIBUTION:
🔗 UFAW, Companion Animal Care and Welfare, Wiley Blackwell publishing, 2012, bit.ly/3Kr5IHj (affiliate link)
🔗 National Research Council, Nutrient Requirements of Laboratory Animals, National Academy Press, 1995, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB...
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🔗www.viovet.co.uk/Mr-Johnsons-...
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Research:
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DISCLAIMER: I am not a vet, if you have medical issues relating to your pets, please seek advice from a qualified veterinarian
#GerbilFood #Gerbil #Gerbils
I love your videos so much. I recently got a foster gerbil through a rescue so I've never owned a gerbil before and your videos are so helpful for a first time gerbil mum!
I'm so glad you're finding them helpful 😊
UPDATE: I've noticed that the vitasmart food does have added salt, so it doesn't quite meet all the requirements, but it is rather far down the list, so as long as the gerbils have constant access to fresh water it shouldn't be too much of a problem
If you want to download the FREE checklist I used to assess the foods, you can get it here: petconnectioninternational.ck.page/eae96a642f 😊
For bonus content, check out the blooper reel for this video:
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Yet again further proof that gerbils aren't meant to be pets for little kids unless the parents do most of the care. How is a little kid gonna do all this stuff without help? It's great seeing such a detailed video on gerbil care as finding this much information on them can be hard. Thank you!
You're welcome ☺️ yeah I agree, I think gerbils can definitely make great family pets, where everyone is involved in their care and learning about them, but I don't think they're very well suited to being a kids pet, honestly the best pets for small kids are probably dogs 😅
@@PetConnectionInternational I agree! Me and three siblings all share the care of our dog, though two of them do most of the work and I want to start helping more, it's a great setup bc dogs are pack animals and it helps if someone is busy or it's a day with low motivation. And I agree! What people don't expect is that dogs seem easier to care for than small pets because small pets require more detailed and careful care.
thanks so much for this!!! really clear and concise explanation + i can only wonder how much research you did for this XD
Haha I may or may not be up to my eyeballs in gerbil research 😅
please keep making these gerbil videos! :)
Don't worry, I plan to! ☺️
Great video diet
Great video.
I am heavily considering making my own mix, due to my continued unhappiness with store brands and their crap filler ingredients. I have done lots of research on ingredients to include. I'm hopeful also giving them the pellet formula will supplement any missing vitamins and minerals they would be missing out on.
I don't advise feeding a strictly DIY diet as like you mentioned, they don't get everything they need from it, and people without the right information can add in unnecessary ingredients, for example like you say cat treats.
I think if you're doing something like a 50-50 mix of DIY and commercial I wouldn't be as worried as a full DIY diet, especially if you also add a multivitamin to their water, just to make sure they're getting everything they need. As long as the DIY diet doesn't have inappropriate ingredients and meets the protein/fat/fibre requirements, then I think a 50-50 mix with a multivitamin would work okay 😊
Interesting video, have never seen this! That's why I subscribed, wish I could make this on my own channel! Greetings from Denmark
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it ☺️
Originally I had planned on using a mix from a small business owner (Erin's Ark Gerbil Mega Blend), however after watching this video I have realised that the fat, protein, fibre, sugar and salt content had not been stated! I have just contacted them to find out this information, but I was wondering if it is all already balanced and checks all the ticks would using that mix and a vitamin and mineral supplement (like the one shown in your video) work?
I believe she states on her website that it's a complimentary feed, not a main diet, so if you wanted to include it as a bit of enrichment for foraging toys or something like that I think it would be fine, but I have heard some people say there's arrived mouldy (although I'm not sure how true this is), so make sure to check it thoroughly if you do just in case
But as it's not designed as a main diet and not properly calculated I wouldn't give it as their main food. One brand I've come across recently that has some AWESOME ingredients is Bunny Nature: www.vetsend.co.uk/bunny-nature-gerbil-dream-basic
That's what I'm going to be using as my muesli half (other half will be science selective nuggets to increase the protein) once my current mix is all munched ☺️
Thanks so much for posting an informative diet video! Higgins Sunburst is the one most recommended in the groups I belong to. Is that one a quality food if the raisins are removed ( the food recently started containing raisins)? Also, I’ve been told to combine it with a lab block, such as Mazuri Rat and Mouse lab blocks. Is this necessary?
The problem with removing ingredients from food mixes is that it throws off the balance of loads of nutrients in ways impossible to predict without the original calculation, so that's why I'd recommend just finding a different muesli mix to use instead. I do generally recommend mixing in a pellet or lab block, just to make sure they're getting balanced nutrition with the potential fall off of the vitamin mix from the mueslis, but you could use a multivitamin in their water as an alternative, although I do prefer to mix the pellets in myself, I now use science selective nuggets as my base, they have some really great ingredients and my gerbs all love them, I'm not sure if you can get those in the states?
Okay so the Science Selective for Gerbils as the lab block/portion. I found that one!
Mix that with the Vitakraft you mentioned in this video for the seed portion of their diet? How much should I give per day (teaspoon/ tablespoon US measurements)?
That's great! Yeah, I'd mix them in equal weights, so grab a jar and fill it halfway while weighing the mix on a scale, then add in the same weight of the other food, so you'll have a 50/50 mix 🙂
For feeding it'll depend on what vitakraft says on the back, for science selective it's about 5g per gerbil per day, same for my mueslis, but these recommendations are based on a 100g (rather large) gerbil I believe, so I'd adjust accordingly, I give my girls around 3.5g each, because I'm trying to get them down to 70g, I accidentally gave Luna a bit too much food 🤭
Whatever amount you start with, make sure to weigh the gerbils regularly to keep an eye on their weights, if they lose too much and start looking bony, then increase their food, and if they put on a few and start looking chub, reduce it down 🙂
Great- thank you so much for your help!! 🐾
@@Megan-nx6et no problem ☺️
thank you,did you use dubble plastik box or one?for ther digging home under cage,i make the same
Yep, I double up the tubs for extra security 🙂
Thank you! ♥I was just wondering if you know if there are any gerbil supplements targeting low magnesium and sodium?
They shouldn't need supplements if they're eating a balanced food 🙂
where did you find the nutritional value margins? i find them to be very different than other videos like fins&whiskers and other places online so I'm sorta confused as to which info is correct D;
They're a combination of the UFAW companion animal handbook (most recent, 2012) and the nutritional requirements of laboratory animals textbook (older requirements, 1995), they're both linked in the description ☺️
I think there's just a lot of outdated information floating around online unfortunately, the nutritional requirements change and get updated as there's more research done on the topic 🙂
Just been looking at some gerbil food options. Rodipet is a reputable brand but doesn't follow your recommended percentages. Could I ask your opinion on the versele-laga gerbil food? I also live in the UK. Also do you have any links to sources so that I can find more about this topic as I'm very interested :)
In the UK the best mix I find is bunny nature mixed 50/50 with science selective nuggets 🙂 the bunny nature is a little low in protein on its own, but mixed with science selective and it's almost perfect!
For sources, everything I used to make the video is linked in the description, I'll always link my sources there ☺️
I do plan to do another more in depth video going over ingredient quality too at some point
Thank you for your reply! Can I ask whether you mean the basic bunny gerbil or the expert bunny gerbil food? I have a hamster that I've fed for the last 2 years on bunny dream food but have recently had to change their food as I can't find the bunny food easily in the UK anymore. Not sure if you're finding a similar thing with the gerbil bunny food or if you have any alternatives if you are? As I don't want to switch to the bunny food and then have to switch them again! Thanks :)
I think either is good tbh, I'm using the basic one atm, but I'm going to try the expert one next. I got mine from here: www.vetsend.co.uk/bunny-nature-gerbil-dream-basic
Thanks for the info... I am doing my research to buy a gerbil. I found Mr. Johnson's Advance Hamster & Gerbil Food
. But it has other ingredients that I am not sure if they are OK... do you know this food? Thanks in advance
It's fine as far as I can tell 🙂 I've been looking into it recently as an alternative for science selective now that it's been discontinued. I do recommend mixing pellets 50/50 with muesli though for enrichment, bunny nature gerbil dream is great and when mixed with Mr Johnson's pellets it gives a perfect balance of macronutrients (protein, fat, fiber) ☺️
I do a mixture of Sunseed and the Carnival one together. I’ve taken out the peanuts as treats (because I notice one of my boys might’ve been hogging the food), and added in freeze dried meal worms. Should I remove the carnival one?
I would remove the carnival one, yes, because of the potential risks of raisins being toxic. But keeping the peanuts aside as treats is an excellent idea! I do this with mine and the sunflower seeds, they work great as training treats and by keeping them aside we can make sure one gerbil isn't hogging them all! (Pumbaa I'm looking at you here 😅)
Could removing the raisins help or just remove it all together?
I would remove it altogether because by taking the raisins out the whole nutrient balance of the mix is thrown off, so it's better to use a mix that you can use all of imo 😊
@@SSherlockEIf you want, you could try to remove all rasins in the bag from Brown's Tropical Carnival and still feed your gerbils the rest in good amount. That is what I did with my rats with dried corn. Rats and mice can't have dry corn.😔
I’ve got two gerbils of my own and I work at a pet store, I’m doing the best I can to give people the best options for food with small animals and it’s such a struggle. I just used the guide up against every gerbil/hamster food and none of them can reach the protein levels, the highest is oxbow but with the added salt it doesn’t seem to be a good option. What do you suggest I feed my own gerbils/tell customers to get in this case?
In the US I think the best one I found was the VitaSmart one I mentioned in the video, do you have access to that one?
@@PetConnectionInternational no unfortunately not from what I can find :(
Okay, in that case I'd maybe go for the market medley if you can find that one, and supplement the low protein by adding mealworms. Or you could try and find a balanced pellet/lab block and do a 50/50 mix as an alternative 🙂
@@PetConnectionInternational I’ve found the science selective hamster food that’s within range for the list, I see quite a few foods that list themselves as hamster and gerbil but this one only listed hamster. What do you think about that one for gerbils?
One of my gerbils refuses to eat mealworms unfortunately
If the main macronutrients are all right (protein, fat, fibre) then it doesn't matter if it's labelled as hamster, rat, mouse or gerbil, they all have very similar diets 🙂 the science selective for gerbils is excellent though, I usually buy mine on Amazon if you're struggling to find it in store ☺️
What do you think of the RatRations gerbil mix?
I'd need to take a look at it, can you send a link?
The only gerbil food that I can get has a high fat, but I found a hamster food that fits perfectly to all requirements. Which one do you think I should get? Should I reduce the fats from the gerbil ones or is it okay to give them hamter food?
A food that's slightly higher in fat won't be too much of a problem, just keep an eye on their weight to make sure they don't gain too much on it, but otherwise it's not a big issue 🙂
Diet! Thanks for letting me know to add vitamins to their water and that raisins are potentially toxic😌 wouldn’t have known if not for you so thanks
No problem ☺️ only use the vitamins with muesli diets though, if you use them with pelleted diets they can end up getting too much which isn't good for them
@@PetConnectionInternational mhm I’m trying to make them a homemade food mix so I’ll add the vitamins then
@@victorc4_1234 ah okay, in that case I would make it 50% a decent balanced pellet, then use half the amount of vitamins, just to be sure they're getting what they need, I wouldn't even trust my own diet calculations completely until I can get some more advanced nutrition training 😅
@@PetConnectionInternational I know I know I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have to it’s just that for religious purposes over Passover I’m not allowed to use any store bought products so I have to make my own mix.. so I’m trying my best to make it balanced and healthy.. I know it won’t be perfect but anyways it’ll only be for a few days then they’ll go back to their normal food mix
Ah okay I understand, they should be totally fine if it's only for a few days ☺️
Hi! Caramel has an 80/20 ratio of etsy food mix (for gerbils) and pets at home muesli and she never seems to have an issue with this. I also supplement with pumpkin seeds, crickets, mealworms and dried fruit. Is this a good mix?
I don't know, I don't know what the values of the Etsy food mix are. But as a general rule I don't trust anything made by unknown people online, unlike commercial food they don't go through lab testing to check the nutrient balance of the food, nor do they use qualified nutritionists to properly calculate the food mix, so I'd be very worried about it
Dried fruit is also not good to include in their regular diet, as it's very concentrated in sugar, as an occasional treat it's fine though
@@PetConnectionInternational The etsy mix is one i know of, its all natural, “raw” produce, and yes the fruit is only once every two weeks or so :)
@@leaving.. ah that's good about the fruit 🙂 unfortunately just because something is natural, it doesn't mean it's balanced and provides them with proper nutrition, peas are natural, but if a gerbil were to eat only peas their entire lives they'd be dangerously deficient in a number of nutrients, much better to stick to properly calculated mixes, my favourites are science selective nuggets mixed 50/50 with bunny nature gerbil dream muesli 🙂
@@PetConnectionInternational I may start doing a 50/50 mix of pets at home just to be sure :)
@@leaving.. pah mixed with science selective? That makes an okay mix 🙂 the pah has a lot of hay in it though, which isn't great for gerbils, that's why I switched to bunny nature for my muesli half, much better ingredients for them ☺️
How much food two gerbils need to eat on a day?
It usually says on the back of the food mix the recommended amount to feed (different mixes have different caloric densities), and these recommendations are usually for a 100g (very large) gerbil, so it needs to be adjusted based on the appropriate weight for your gerbil (best assessed by looking at their body size when they stand up straight - they should have a clear indent at their waist with at most a fairly flat tummy - they're tummys shouldn't be protruding (too large) and you shouldn't be able to see individual bones sticking out (too small))
E.g. my food mixes suggest 5g/gerbil/day or 10g for 2, but my girls are at their healthiest size at around 70-75g, so I feed them 6.5g of food per day between 2 of them (works out at just under a tablespoon total, but this is inaccurate, not the same every time) to account for extra treats and forage toys they get, and this keeps them at a nice healthy weight and size ☺️
Here's how I work it out:
- If 10g is for 2 gerbils to be 100g, then the food is 10% of their weight for 2 (or 5% for one)
- so if I want my 2 gerbs to weigh around 75g each, 10% of this is 7.5g, this is my starting amount to feed
- I then weigh them regularly (once per week to start with) to monitor weight changes, if they're gaining when I don't want them to I reduce their food 0.5g at a time until they level out
For my 2 because of the extra millet sprays, carrot stuffed logs, forage stuff and general treats they get, I needed to reduce by 1g to keep their weights stable, you may find you only need to reduce by 0.5g or not at all, it'll all depend on your gerbs and what/how many snacks they get 🙂
I hope that all makes sense 💚
Do you know how much I should feed per day?
It will depend on the food you're using, although they're usually in the region of 5-10g per gerbil per day. But I'd check the back of the package of food and see what the manufacturers recommend 🙂
@@PetConnectionInternational thanks.
No problem ☺️
One of my gerbils have been loosing weight should I lessen the fiber in her diet
If they're losing weight when you're feeding the same amount as usual, that warrants a vet check. How much fibre is in your usual food?
Help I getting a baby gerbil from pet smart how can I see if they are 🤒
you want to look for a smooth coat, clear eyes and ears and no discharge from anywhere, those will be your main things to look for. But it's really not recommended to get gerbils from pet stores as they come from rodent mills where the conditions are awful, cramped and unhygienic and they breed relentlessly with no regard for good genetics so they're usually very inbred, it's much better to get them from a rescue, and they need to be kept in pairs too 🙂
Hello, is this food good?
Composition: Products of plant origin (blueberry, grasses, and herbs 22%), fruit, seeds, minerals, protein extracts, oils, and fats, vegetables (peas 14.2%, yellow peas 4%, leeks 3.5%, calendula, moss, algae, yucca.
crude protein 14.5%, crude oils, and fats 3%, crude fiber 16%, crude ash 8%
It's low in protein and too high in fibre, and including fruit as a primary ingredient in a gerbil diet will likely introduce too much sugar, fruit should only be an occasional treat, they naturally eat roots, seeds, leaves and insects in the wild. Also the fact that they don't specify exactly what "protein extracts" "oils", "fats", "fruit" and "seeds" they're including is rather suspicious - if they're including grapes/raisins for example these are potentially toxic
What food is that?
@@PetConnectionInternational ok
Diet
diet
Is this food OK?:
cereals, meat and animal products (8% chicken), seeds, fish and fish products (1% fish), yeast, eggs and egg products, minerals, oils and fats, FOS, yucca extract , calendula extract.
Quality characteristics: proteins 20%, fats 5%, crude ash 7%, crude fiber 6.5%, calcium 1%, phosphorus 0.8%, vitamin A 15000 IU/kg, vitamin D3 1500 IU/kg, vitamin E ( alphatocopherol) 140 mg/kg, vitamin C 50 mg/kg, copper (as copper sulfate) 5 mg/kg.
Unfortunately not, "meat and animal products" is basically by-products of human meats, it's total junk and naff for even cats and dogs, but it has no business being in a gerbil food, gerbils don't eat beef, pork, chicken, fish, they aren't animals gerbils would naturally hunt and eat in the wild, only insects. I'm curious what food that is? It's ingredient list sounds much more like a low quality cat/dog food than something for rodents
@@PetConnectionInternational the best feed sold in my country is this:
Ingredients: oat flakes, wheat flakes, calendula, parsley, beetroot, alfalfa, dandelion, pea flakes, carrot, nettle, plantain, wheat, roasted wheat, roasted corn, leaves, chicory flower, rose, peppermint, corn flakes, lemon balm , Clover.
Contains: protein 14%, fat 4.1%, fiber 12.9%, ash 7.2%.
it's low in protein, but I haven't found anything better
@@PetConnectionInternational I don't know who invented the food with meat, but they probably confused a gerbil with a dog
@@silikon7875 haha yes! Or they could have confused them with a cat, gerbils are rather cat like 😆
@@silikon7875 yeah you're right it is a smidge low in protein, but the ingredients are great! Do you have any lab blocks or pellets that are higher in protein that you could maybe mix with the muesli?