SPECIAL NEEDS GERBILS

There are just some sweeties that require extra special care. Sometimes the front teeth of the gerbil will break off and not grow back. They will more than likely still have their bottom teeth which will require monthly clipping. These gerbils require and little extra care when feeding. The American Gerbil Society (AGS) gave me some wonderful ideas on what soft foods you can use to feed your special gerbil.

Posted by: "GerbilGal" (me)

Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:55 pm (PST)

My co-worker has recently found out that she has now a special needs gerbil. I helped her take some gerbils to my vet since there wasn't one her home. Many of them needed their teeth clipped. She didn't realize that she needed to keep a piece of wood in with the gerbils. This one little girl has no front teeth and will require monthly clipping of her bottom teeth. I know many of you have or had these special gerbils. Can you give me some food ideas or maybe recipes to help this little girl? This also gives me the idea of making a web page for gerbils with special diet needs. How often does this little girl need to be fed? I am thinking breakfast and dinnertime.

Any help would be appreciated.

Diane

Posted by: "Knollsgerbils"

Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:38 pm (PST)

Hi, Diane- Recommend she go to the AGS website for proper gerbil care and also, she can get Donna's wonderful book on Gerbil care , Gerbils: The Complete Guide to Gerbil Care (Complete Care Made Easy) (Paperback) by Donna Anastasi. (This book can be purchased at the AGS website or on Amazon.com)

For Fairfield, our special needs gerbil- same problem as your co-worker's gerbil- we fed him organic baby foods (all kinds of veggies, rice and peas, potato and beans), cooked sweet potato, cooked organic oatmeal, brown rice, all cooked whole grains (no sugar). Twice a day is fine.
He lived to over 3 years old.

Posted by: "merlincatwizard2" 

Sun Sep 24, 2006 8:37 am (PST)

Organic fruit and vegetable baby food is good. Soft foods like fruits and vegtables (thawed or fresh), oatmeal, rice, softened gerbil food.
Can your co-worker ask the vet for some Oxbow Critical Care food? I mix into a tiny bit of Critical Care food with some baby food and
oatmeal for my gerbil with kidney problems. The special needs gerbil can be fed twice a day.

Posted by: "Cathy"

Sun Sep 24, 2006 4:59 pm (PST)

Our Sweety Boy has had no upper teeth since February. He's 3 years old. In the morning, he gets applesauce (unsweetened, "natural" label) mixed with the baby cereal  boxed dry oatmeal flakes, with water for consistency. In the evening he gets regular gerbil food, which I put in a Ziploc and pound with a mallet to break up (into bite-size bits, not dust), an unsalted cashew broken up the same way, regular oatmeal flakes, a few plain quartered Cheerios, and sunflower seeds that I cut out of the shell for him. He puts the solid food in his mouth and chews it with his side (cheek) teeth. He's actually gained weight on this diet, whatever parts he's eating of all that. Sadly, but not diet related, he now has a large lymphoma in his left cheek, but he still eats very well and doesn't seem to mind the tumor at all.

So good of you to look out for your coworker's gerbils like that!

Got anymore good ideas? Email them to me.