Gerbil

I have a very very fat gerbil. We have a pair of gerbils that we are breeding to provide gerbils as feeders for my ferrets (the like a variety of prey items). I plan on holding back a female or two from this litter to make another breeding group and expanding the gerbil colony a bit more. (We only have one breeding pair).

I'm not sure when she is going to pop but she is huge! I'll post pictures when the babies arrive.

that must be something to see a ferret rip into a gerble!,won't that make them aggressive?

You dont have to feed ferrets gerbils, some simple ferret pellets at the store will sufice.

I was thinking the same thing! LOL was being a little sarcastic:D

Ferrets have unique feeding requirements. Ferrets are obligate carnivores, and food passes through their digestive systems very quickly. They also lack the ability to get nutrition from plant matter. This is why, a ferret diet must be high in animal protein, high in fat, and low in fiber. There is no truly "complete" manufactured ferret diet available. I'm sure the ferrets are fed pellets with gerbils as the supplement protein ;)

Ferrets really don't need to eat gerbils..
They get enough protein from pellets.

Ferrets as I have been told by a vet that keeping the food item variety to a minimum is a good idea. It's like switching a dog or cat to a different brand of food.. they will probably not digest it well and get sick.

Actually, my ferrets are fed strictly raw meat, meaty bones, and whole prey items. I cannot stress this enough. Kibble diets are HORRIBLE for ferrets. The only reason no studies have been conducted is because the only people who would do the study would end up losing, the kibble companies. Ferret kibbles are terrible for ferrets. There are a few that are "acceptable" but the majority are nothing but crap. It causes digestive issues, teeth problems, adrenal disease, ect.

I've done my research and talked to my vet as well as people studying ferret nutrition. Raw/whole prey diets are the best diet out there for them. My ferrets don't even touch kibble. When they ate kibble, one of my ferrets was underweight, dirty teeth, and digestive issues. After starting them on raw, their teeth are white, Twitch is gaining weight, and the loose stools have stopped.

Raw diets and whole prey items do not make them more aggressive. Twitch is a sweetheart but she loves chasing down mice. My ferrets will never touch kibble again. Raw/whole prey is the way for them. They love it and I love them being so happy because of it.

Also a variety is the best way to go. With raw meat and whole prey items you don't have to worry about their digestive system not agreeing with a switch in meat like you do with kibble. Because the make up of kibble varies so much, they have a hard time switching, but with meat, the makeup of meat is essentially the same and their digestive system can handle it no problem. Actually mine STOPPED being sick when they went raw. And the poop doesn't smell nearly as bad. Variety in the whole prey and meat allow them to get all the nutrients they need, the more variety, the more vitamins and minerals they are getting. My ferrets eat the following...

Boneless Meat:
Beef
Chicken
Turkey
Pork
Fish

Meaty bones:
Chicken wings
Chicken legs
Turkey necks

Whole Prey:
Rats
Mice

And soon I will be adding the following whole prey items to their diet:
Rabbit
Gerbil
Quail
Chicks
Guinea Pig
ASF
Hamster

They will also be trying deer soon. :) I am actually in the process of writing up a ferret care sheet to post on this forum. It will have a huge section on ferret nutrition and diet. :) I used to think kibble was good for my babies, until I did my research.

But back to the gerbil. She is huge and I hope she'll pop this week. :)

I told my wife I was going to stop buying cat food for the cat & start feeding his over weight a$$ my extra rats & mice,but he just likes to play with them to much LOL! may put my extra frozen feeders in a blender & feed the cat the mixture.;)

wow I had no idea that a ferret was that aggresive of an eater to take out a gerbil. They are so cute and playful I would have never thought they had a killer instinct.

I strongly suggest any ferret owners consult their veterinarian before feeding any of their pets a raw diet. If you would like to do research on your own about raw diets use reputable web sites such as the www.avma.org

Most veterinarians, unless they've kept ferrets themselves or have actually done their own research will tell you not to feed your ferret raw and will tell you to feed them kibble. Thankfully our vet used to have ferrets and they were fed a mix of raw and kibble. Our vet understands we have done our research and fully supports the diet switch to 100% raw.

Its not that ferrets are aggressive. It is their natural instinct to hunt and eat meat. Dogs and cats benefit from raw diets as well and I will be switching my 3 cats and dachshund over to a raw diet. On the ferret's dinner plate tonight was chicken gizzards and hearts. MmmMmm, good. Haha. Well they like it. I know Twitch will enjoy a gerbil once I get the breeding group going.

I'll have to take a video of Twitch hunting live mice. She's quite quick on dispatching them, so they don't suffer. I was planning on building a indoor "outdoor" area that I could set the mouse loose in and have her hunt in the "great outdoors" (kiddie pool with dirt and live plants)

[QUOTE=modestosnakeman;921978]wow I had no idea that a ferret was that aggresive of an eater to take out a gerbil. They are so cute and playful I would have never thought they had a killer instinct.
LOL, THEY ARE PREDATORS WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD DO,EAT A SALAD;).BUT ITS UNNECASARY TO FEED LIVE PREY TO MAMALS,BUT SEROUSLY THATS A LITTLE OVER THE TOP WHEN CATS CAN LIVE TO 18 OR 19 YEARS ON CAT FOOD,ALSO THEY CAN GET PARASITES FROM LIVE PREY ALSO.IF MY PYTHONS WOULD EAT PELLET FOOD I WOULD FEED THEM THAT:D
FERRETS ARE COOL BUT THEY CRAP & SMELL TOO MUCH FOR ME!:D DANG CORNER POOPERS.

Its not over the top at all. Its natural for them and good for their health. Do you know what is in ferret kibble (and kibble for cats and dogs too)? Nothing but fillers and by-products. In the wild, ferrets would catch and eat a variety of small mammals, reptiles, and frogs. If I can provide the best diet for my ferrets, then why not. They have already shown massive improvement with their diet switch. They have more energy and their poop doesn't near as bad as it was before.

Cats live that long DESPITE their diet, not because of it. Cats and ferrets are obligate carnivores and kibble foods are FULL of plant material. Why would you feed an animal something it cannot digest or use? When you feed a raw diet EVERYTHING gets digested and used. The only thing that does not is fur and bones. (though some bones are digested too). When a ferret eats kibble, their teeth are not designed to grind the kibble. Their teeth do not get cleaned and they end up swallowing huge chunks instead of a finely ground mix that we would be able to make with our teeth. When the food passes through, the body absorbs any nutrients it can find, normally just enough to keep the ferret going (kind of like us eating bread and water) and passes everything else. The poop ends up resembling the food almost exactly.

On the other hand, when a ferret eats raw meat or whole prey, the meat is easily digested and used, letting the ferret absorb more nutrients from the same amount of food (2-3 oz per feeding). When a ferret eats a mouse, the only thing the ferret poops out is bones and fur. They absorbed EVERYTHING else. Don't you think they are getting more out of eating meat if they don't even poop out the remains of meat, organ and skin? It is not found in their poop so they have absorbed every bit of digestable food. And no, ferrets cannot get parasites from raw meat. The meat passes through their digestive system too fast for any kind of bacteria or parasites to settle in. Their digestive systems are only 3 hours long. The time it would take bacteria to make themselves at home in their digestive system is longer than that. I've talked to people that have been feeding raw for years and none of them have ever once had an issue with illness or parasites due to raw feeding.

Anyway, I've done my research and my ferrets' health are improving because of it. Stick to kibble if that's what you want to feed your animals. I'll feed mine as I see fit. I've actually done my research instead of listening to the people at the pet store who know nothing of animal nutrition and kibble companies who are only trying to make a profit.

I think the gerbil is due any day now. Does anyone know how long it takes a gerbil to reach breeding age? If I'm going to be holding a female or two back I'll need to know how long to wait till I start breeding hold backs.

If I remember correctly gerbils reach sexual maturity between 9-12 weeks of age.

Hope that helps ;)

Good luck with the ferrets and new gerbil babies :D

Thanks. So much like a mouse then. I know female mice should not be bred before 12 weeks. Rats are 16 weeks.

Kinda like a mouse... ;) I think mice are able to start breeding a bit earlier than gerbils...6 weeks of age (approx)?

Since it does vary - If it were me I would wait til the 12 week mark, but that's me :D

I will definitely wait for the 12 week mark. I went and checked on Mama. She is even bigger than she was yesterday. She must be getting close. She's sticking to a single corner of the cage and is making a little nest. I need to find my camera so I can take pictures of the babies when they arrive! Also my male and female gerbil need names. All breeders in the house have names. The male is a gray and white and the female is a black and white.

:rage: FIND YOUR CAMERA :rage:

:rofl:

I want PICTURES!!! :rolleyes:

I will. Don't worry. This is my first gerbil litter so I'm excited. :P

i want to see a ferret eat a gerbil !!!!! and give it a live quail lol and guinea pig post videos lol also set it free to chase and kill a deer i want to see that to. good luck with the ferrets...

I've also been doing some reading on raw ferret diets. A ferret shelter near me feeds raw and if you adopt from them you have to promise to continue feeding raw. Anyway, I really like the idea of feeding them a more "natural" diet without all the fillers and stuff in kibble; however, I'm just not sure I can stomach having them tear into a rat or mouse. I mean my snakes eat rats whole so there's no blood....but the ferrets....I just don't know. Do they eat the whole thing or are there scraps of stuff left? Also, do they get like bloody? Do you think they would eat frozen/ thawed ones? Or just frozen ones without being thawed? (not as much blood?) Sorry of all the questions about non hamsters stuff, I'm just curious :-)

I don't mind them eating whole prey. It's natural for them and has everything they need (organ meat, muscle meat, bones, connective tissues, ect) all in one neat and tidy package. There is very little blood but on occasion the ferret doesn't like to eat the whole thing and wants to save some for later. Twitch is known to eat the head and top torso but leave the bottom half for later. You can feed them frozen/thawed no problem. Ours get f/t all the time, especially when I'm out of live (which is often). They won't be so keen to eat a frozen feeder animal, but you could always try. No harm in trying. In the wild, they will bury their leftovers in the winter so those would freeze and they would come back and eat the frozen meat so it wouldn't hurt to try. (I'll give it a go and let you know)

And you don't have to feed whole prey at all. You can stick to raw meat, meaty bones, and organ meats. Many people do this, but its all about variety. Mine get several different types of meat along with chicken legs, turkey necks, and chicken wings. <- They love bones. (Just don't cook them).

We just got our fourth little ferret tonight. So now we have two girls and two boys. :) We are so excited. And it looks like the gerbil should be popping soon.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Actually, my ferrets are fed strictly raw meat, meaty bones, and whole prey items. I cannot stress this enough. Kibble diets are HORRIBLE for ferrets. The only reason no studies have been conducted is because the only people who would do the study would end up losing, the kibble companies. Ferret kibbles are terrible for ferrets. There are a few that are "acceptable" but the majority are nothing but crap. It causes digestive issues, teeth problems, adrenal disease, ect.

I've done my research and talked to my vet as well as people studying ferret nutrition. Raw/whole prey diets are the best diet out there for them. My ferrets don't even touch kibble. When they ate kibble, one of my ferrets was underweight, dirty teeth, and digestive issues. After starting them on raw, their teeth are white, Twitch is gaining weight, and the loose stools have stopped.

Raw diets and whole prey items do not make them more aggressive. Twitch is a sweetheart but she loves chasing down mice. My ferrets will never touch kibble again. Raw/whole prey is the way for them. They love it and I love them being so happy because of it.

Also a variety is the best way to go. With raw meat and whole prey items you don't have to worry about their digestive system not agreeing with a switch in meat like you do with kibble. Because the make up of kibble varies so much, they have a hard time switching, but with meat, the makeup of meat is essentially the same and their digestive system can handle it no problem. Actually mine STOPPED being sick when they went raw. And the poop doesn't smell nearly as bad. Variety in the whole prey and meat allow them to get all the nutrients they need, the more variety, the more vitamins and minerals they are getting. My ferrets eat the following...

Boneless Meat:
Beef
Chicken
Turkey
Pork
Fish

Meaty bones:
Chicken wings
Chicken legs
Turkey necks

Whole Prey:
Rats
Mice

And soon I will be adding the following whole prey items to their diet:
Rabbit
Gerbil
Quail
Chicks
Guinea Pig
ASF
Hamster

They will also be trying deer soon. :) I am actually in the process of writing up a ferret care sheet to post on this forum. It will have a huge section on ferret nutrition and diet. :) I used to think kibble was good for my babies, until I did my research.

But back to the gerbil. She is huge and I hope she'll pop this week. :)

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I strongly disagree because everyone knows that all ferrets eat pellets in their natural habitat. lol. I find this thread to be a joke lol. Just keep doin what your doin as long as your animals are happy and healthy who gives a hoot what they eat. I am gonna start feeding my snakes pellets because its better for them :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Wow looking back on this thread i just realized how much of an A hole i come off as. lol.

Well the thread started off just being about my gerbil breeders but then people started telling me what to feed my ferrets and I just had to say something. You wouldn't believe how many people think that ferrets eat rabbit food. :confused::confused::confused:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Well the thread started off just being about my gerbil breeders but then people started telling me what to feed my ferrets and I just had to say something. You wouldn't believe how many people think that ferrets eat rabbit food. :confused::confused::confused:

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i meant to come off as sarcastic i completely agree with you what better diet could you give your animal besides the one that thousands of years of evolution have found best. Just keep on keepin on. :gj::gj:

I shall. I'll take a video of Twitch's next "hunt" and post it up. I'll also post pictures of the baby gerbils. :)

And the gerbil pops! I've counted five babies. I don't want to disturb her so I quickly counted and left, but they are such cute little pink jelly beans!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

but they are such cute little pink jelly beans!

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Until they get ripped to bits. Yeah can't wait to see the vids. Feeding meat to the ferrets, not got a problem with it, can't you stun the whole rodents before you give to the ferrets. People who have cats don't go to the pet shop , get live budgies and let the cat loose on them, "because thats what they do in the wild, they kill birds" i get pretty sick of "because thats what they do in the wild" defence.

Most of our pets have nice little beds, little cute water dishes, nice little cages with locks on, then we say, we need to feed live for the hunt , we need to create what they do in the wild. i don't know you Jay Bunny, you might be a very responsible animal owner,but i can only guess from this post alone that you get a bit of a kick out of watching your ferrets devour live animals.Not me for I'm afraid, but each to thier own

Sorry, missed the post where you said you feed F/t. Would it be kinder to all the ferrets' prey animals to be f/t?

I do not get a kick out of watching my ferrets hunt. I watch to make sure the ferret is safe while hunting. Once I know the feeder is not going to harm my ferret, I go do something else while the ferret eats. It is the same for watching a snake strike prey when you feed live. I just want to make sure my animal is safe, then I let them eat in peace.

Also, I feed a raw/whole prey diet, not just because it is natural for them, but because it is good for them. The raw meat makes up the bulk of their diet for now. I also do not feed whole prey items to all my ferrets. Only one of my girls gets whole prey and that is because she can easily dispatch a rodent in less than 2-3 seconds. She doesn't let the rodent suffer.

Also, I make sure the ferrets are safe. The prey items are properly sized before I give them to my ferret. Twitch does not get anything larger than a 20g mouse as live prey. Anything larger is f/t. This is for the safety of my fur kids as well as the feeder animals. (If they cannot be dispatched quickly, they suffer)

Once again, this thread was not meant to be a "lets attack the ferret keeper about her feeding practices thread". This was supposed to be a "my gerbils gonna pop" thread. So let us get back to the main purpose of this thread and leave my ferret husbandry alone.

So there are five little jelly beans. I still need to find my camera so I can snap a few pictures of them.

I have had 5 ferrets during my life, in the last 15 years I had up to four all at once. Of these last four 2 were rescues that I got at about 4 years of age. The other 2 were babies. From the day I got them they were started on a high quality ferret diet. They were fed the same brand their entire life. The 2 resuces passed away at about 12 years of age and 1 baby just passed at 14 and the other is still going, None have had any health issues, parasites etc. They were given an occassional yogurt treat but that's it. All were neutered. I can't help but think the steady diet helped with their long life and good health. I don't plan on continuing with ferrets but wouldn't change a thing if I did.

Fair play Jay, the post in certain places came across as though you got a kick from watching the kill. There are a small minority of herp keepers that get a thrill from watching live prey getting nailed. Those people get into keeping snakes etc for that "watch Stuart Little get hammered here!" lets put it on youtube! (same ppl who buy a pit bull to use as an offensive weapon) . Sorry if it sounded like i put you in that catagory.

We have a long tradition of Ferret keeping up here in the North West of England. They have been used for pest control of rats for a long time (and ferret racing!!) along with jack russels.

Regards Scott

I have a hard time imagining ferret racing. Mind just like to get into everything. If they were racing I bet they'd stop to investigate something shiny. :D

I understand where you are coming from. There are a lot of stupid people out there these days who want a macho dog to prove how tough THEY are, or get a snake just to show their buddies. (I think only one of my friends has witnessed feeding day and that was because he wanted to learn more about snakes).

Debbienflorida, if you wish to feed kibble to ferrets, then that is your choice. Ferrets can live a long life on kibble, but that doesn't mean it is necessarily the best food to give them. My friend's ferret died at an old age but he had adrenal disease caused by a poor diet (she fed him high quality ferret kibble). When I go to feed my fur kids they are more excited about dinner time, they are more active, their teeth are cleaner, either gaining weight or losing weight to become the proper size, poop smells less and is smaller, ect. I even feed my cats raw on occasion (they will be switched to 100% raw in the next month or two) and I've noticed huge improvements with them. My overweight cat, Ramman, has slimmed down. He used to have gingivitis (he was only 7 months old when the vet said he had it) which is more common in adult cats and wanted me to brush his teeth from now on. Instead I started feeding them raw meaty bones and raw meat for a week. After a week of this, Ramman had slimmed down and his teeth were nice a white. It was wonderful. I can't wait to switch them to 100% raw. They are just so much more happy on it. (The dog will be switched over as well in the next month or two)

Look, you feed what you want to feed, and I'll feed what I want to feed. I just know that kibble has been causing issues with ALL of my fur kids and feeding them raw is the best option for my animals. If kibble works for you, then who am I to say you should switch. What a pet owner decides to feed their animal is their choice, but I hope that you feed the best possible kibble you can get. For ferrets, cats, and dogs, make sure no grains are in the first few ingredients (I have seen a dog food out there that has no grains, so that's even better). Grains cause a lot of issues with dogs, so the less, the better.

12 & 14 years thats a long time! I thought 4 or 5 years is old for one.

Actually, 12-14 years is a good old age for a ferret and not uncommon. Ferrets live 10-15 years.