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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 12, 2004 21:11:00 GMT -4
Yea, if I ever start eating cereal again I'll start with Kashi! The gerbs do seem to like it, and the millet "spray", more than the hams.
I still await seeing an eaten piece of whole corn in a gerbil tank. I am leaving the kernels there, but I have my doubts fropm past experience.
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Post by rasputin on Jan 13, 2004 3:18:49 GMT -4
How would you know that a kernel was eaten?  Wouldn't it just be gone? |
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 13, 2004 21:26:05 GMT -4
How would you know that a kernel was eaten? Wouldn't it just be gone? They don't swallow them whole! They eat the inside of the kernel and leave the husk - at least the hams do. I have no idea if a gerb has ever even attempted to eat one; if a gerb swallowed an entire kernel I would be very worried about blockage.  |
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Post by rasputin on Jan 14, 2004 0:45:02 GMT -4
It's a hard kernel -- they gnaw it and chew bits as they go. No whole kernel swallowing -- *that* would be very strange!
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 14, 2004 0:51:31 GMT -4
The hams only eat the center. I'll have to put some whole kernels in the gerb tanks and COUNT them to see if I can figure out if any disappear.  |
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 17, 2004 20:50:48 GMT -4
Just a quick word about eggs.
We all know hamsters eat them (with one exception here!) but the gerbs eat them also, I just give them in smaller bits. A nice protein source, along with bits of chicken or tuna.
BTW, I give them mostly the whites, but the yolks are by no means harmful, not to humans either. The cholesterol things was blown way out of proportion. (No, I am not paid by the Egg Board! ;D ).
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Post by dscritters on Jan 21, 2004 1:37:23 GMT -4
;D I should be over on the Ham message board, but have owned gerbs for a few years and am more comfortable with them. For gerbil mixes I use a couple of comercial brands, and add other grains to them. I would buy the Kashi pilaf and use it but I have tooo many to feed and instead hit the health food/feed stores and buy some of the grains in bulk. I also add a little of the puffed to the mix for fun and also use that as treats (make sure you use the plain - the honey and other kinds are not recomended). Sometimes I think the AGS must be a sponsor for Kashi, we like and promote it that well  The LM Vita Vittles just fell out of favor with its #1 supporter in the AGS when they changed their formula recently. |
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Post by rasputin on Jan 21, 2004 1:48:15 GMT -4
I tried Kashi with the gerbs -- they like it, but now that I have it in the home, the real danger is that I'll eat it up first.
BTW, DF -- I notice now what you mean about the corn kernel leftovers -- it seems our hams gut the seeds and nuts and leave the husk/exterior, whereas the gerbs tend to gnaw them away to nothing.
Geez, Havix has been such an education!
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 21, 2004 5:15:58 GMT -4
. . . The LM Vita Vittles just fell out of favor with its #1 supporter in the AGS when they changed their formula recently. I have been commenting on that on this and other sites for many weeks, and not favorably. The AGS commented on this directly? Have a link? LM's 800 number told me straight up they are putting hamster mix in the gerbil mix bags, and they are not even changing the labels on the gerbil bags; worse, Petland Discounts in NYC is continuing to charge a lot more for the alleged "gerbil" mix even though it is in fact hamster mix!  I've complained to both more than once. I suppose unless sales go down they won't care. Know any good commercial brands exclusively for gerbils? (Not "gerbil/hamster" mix - which usually means it is hamster mix marketed for both). |
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 21, 2004 5:19:05 GMT -4
BTW, DF -- I notice now what you mean about the corn kernel leftovers -- it seems our hams gut the seeds and nuts and leave the husk/exterior, whereas the gerbs tend to gnaw them away to nothing. Geez, Havix has been such an education! In the past when I left whole kernels of corn in the gerbils' tanks they seemed to ignore it totally. I'll remind you that the former LM Gerbil mix featured NO whole corn kernels - just kibbled corn. The new faux-gerbil mix (really hamster mix) features whole corn. Maybe I'll leave some whole kernels in there and see if they gnaw them. |
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Post by jeannie on Jan 21, 2004 11:53:47 GMT -4
Gerry Gerbil is the best mix, but of course it can only be found on-line. Give it time though - it will eventually be available in stores.
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 21, 2004 20:49:29 GMT -4
The sooner the better in stores! I so wish they'd just eat pellets I could scoop up. You know, I take the trouble to pick out individual pieces in the mix to make sure they don't get too much corn or sunflower seeds, et al? I do that for all of them - 19 times for 19 bins every day.  Why am I laughing? I must be wacky to do all that work.  And that doesn't include bits of fruit, veggies, eggs, chicken, etc. |
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Post by dscritters on Jan 21, 2004 23:21:16 GMT -4
The AGS commented on this directly? Have a link? Know any good commercial brands exclusively for gerbils? (Not "gerbil/hamster" mix - which usually means it is hamster mix marketed for both). No, Not the AGS itself, one of its major members who has been using & recomending LM for some time, she recently posted on another group about LM VV pulling a switcharo and that she woud be looking for another brand. I am trying to remember if she has found another good replacement food yet. Most of what I use is the Ham/Gerbil mixtures. I really don't know of any good ones left that are just for gerbils. Maybe I should look online for that Gerry Gerbil? that Jeannie keeps talking about. |
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Post by Die Fledermaus on Jan 21, 2004 23:27:07 GMT -4
I suppose I will wait until Gerry Gerbil is available in stores, as she suggested it might be.
LM's switcheroo is despicable, and I twice got the runaround on the phone, after getting the runaround with e-mails. I'll find some other "premium" "ham/gerb" food and use that; on principle the LM switcheroo is unacceptable.
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Post by jeannie on Jan 22, 2004 0:07:26 GMT -4
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The LM Vita Vittles just fell out of favor with its #1 supporter in the AGS when they changed their formula recently. 
Why am I laughing? I must be wacky to do all that work.