Gerbils?

[Minkness]

So I see alot about mice and rats, chicks, quail, rabbits, and a plethora of other meal options. However....what about gerbils?

I have been thinking about starting my own feeder colony and considered rats and mice as a 'pet' that would produce food for my snakes. However, I would love to have gerbils instead!

Has anyone done this? If not. Does anyone see an issue with this? How prolific are they? Would a 1.3 be too much, or not enough? Any difference in nutrition? Any cons?

Thanks for any feedback! (Hehe...get it? Feed back...-snorts- )

[Albert Clark]

Don't waste your time Mink. IMO if you are not breeding rats or asf then gerbils are just a big hairball with inferior nutritional quality. Actually its a documented fact about the hair content compared to rats and asf's. It's convenient and less messy and odorous compared to rats but do you really want to give your animals a lot of hair?

[Minkness]

I wasn't thinking of the smell lol. I just think they are cute and figured if I had to have rodents around, might as well be something I liked. I had no idea about the hair thing though. How does that work?

[Albert Clark]

Comparatively to rats and asf's the hair content is much more in gerbils. Yeah, I understand you want to try it but I was just putting it out there about the nutritional quality. They really don't have much of a smell compared to rats.

[Minkness]

Thanks, but I'm confused what the hair has to do with it. What IS the nutritional difference.

Not just looking for someone to tell me not to, but to tell me why, then let me make my own decision.

Smell isn't that big of an issue. I've had rats and mice as pets in the past and kept them clean and rarely smelled them. So a focus on the nutritional value (with facts) is what I'm after.

[Aaron_S]

Some ball python people were using gerbils years ago to acclimate their wild caught stuff. It's closely related to a rodent they prey on in the wild the 'gerboa'. Check it out.

I think most people just prefer the rats, mice, asf for ease of breeding, care and temperment.

[Minkness]

Thank you Aaron.

Would you know anything about gerbils? What is different in their care, breeding, and temperment compared to mice/rats?

Edit: OMG THE JERBOAS ARE ADORABLE!

[Aaron_S]

Thank you Aaron.

Would you know anything about gerbils? What is different in their care, breeding, and temperment compared to mice/rats?

Edit: OMG THE JERBOAS ARE ADORABLE!

Temperment sucks lol. From my experience at least. Breeding/care unsure. Haven't had them since I was a kid.

They also don't get as big as rats.

[Albert Clark]

Gerbil body mass to hair ratio is much less than even mice. Compared to rats that equals less available calcium, protein, iron etc. If you really want a good nutritional prey item day old chicks have a higher protein, magnesium, iron and vitamin E content than mice , rats or quail. I was only making a suggestion but you do what you want. Day old chicks are cheaper than mice and rats. Good luck. :)

[eminart]

My daughter has 3. Long story short, as a falconer, I use gerbils for bait when (legally) trapping a hawk each year. Then, I come home and my wife and daughter beg to keep them. Three years, three new gerbils.

I know nothing about them nutrition-wise. I really don't think they could be any worse than mice, but that's just an assumption on my part. But, it's true they don't stink nearly as much as mice or rats. And I think they're a lot more interesting as pets, although I've explicitly stated to the wife and kid each year that their care is all on them. They're MUCH quicker and more flighty than mice or rats, but I haven't noticed that they're especially mean or anything. My wife and daughter reach in and feed them seeds by hand. They don't really handle them though.

That's all the info I have - not much. But, I don't see any reason you couldn't do it.

[Minkness]

Sucks like a hampster? I hate hampsters...like mice and rats though lol

[Albert Clark]

Thank you Aaron.

Would you know anything about gerbils? What is different in their care, breeding, and temperment compared to mice/rats?

Edit: OMG THE JERBOAS ARE ADORABLE!

I used to breed gerbils and they are very easy to breed as long as when you get your pairs make sure they are from the same tank bc those animals will already established. Its better to buy the young ones and raise them to be your breeders. They are very inquisitive creatures who love to play. They take a lot to maintain as far as food is concerned but love a occaisional cricket or mealworm. :) They are non aggressive unless it's about territory or invaders from another colony.:)

[Minkness]

Good to know Albert! I had planned on getting babies first for my breeders to establish that trust that will allow me to handle babies without being seen as a preditor. Knowing they like bugs is super interesting too!

[eminart]

Is this experiment still going? I'm eventually going to have to breed my own rodents. I've tried mice a couple of times, but the smell was unbearable. My daughter has 3 gerbils that hardly smell at all. It seems like a great way to go. If not, I guess I'll wait until I have a dedicated building or basement and try rats and/or mice again.

[Minkness]

Em, I ended up getting mice. I really like them and they don't smell too bad so long as they have large space, deep substrate, and I do a half change twice a week. Doing a half change instead of a full change helps prevent them from having to remark/musk it all up again. Also, I use an enclosed tub that helps contain the smell as well.

A little more in the girbils. They don't have large litters like mice. Ao you may only get 3-6 babies vs 10-20. Bot bad for a small collection of 2 or 3 snakes, but for a larger collection may notbe the most productive.

Hope this helps!