Anybody ever bred gerbils for feeders?

[volstedgridban]

Thinking of trying this. Wondering if anybody had any experience with it and could share tips (or dire warnings).

[satomi325]

I don't have personal experience since gerbils are illegal in my state, but I've heard horrible things about feeding gerbils to BPs. Apparently they get way more "hooked' on gerbils than asfs. And it's very very difficult to switch back to normal rats/mice.
Plus if you feed live, their teeth are gnarly and much longer than a rat's. So gotta be careful.

If you decide to sell your snake, it could prove difficult to find a new home since hardly anyone is willing to feed gerbils. Especially if it won't switch back to a more common feeder.

[threezero]

isn't gerbil ball python's natural prey? I heard its like crack for bps. once they are on it they will not have anything else

[satomi325]

isn't gerbil ball python's natural prey? I heard its like crack for bps. once they are on it they will not have anything else

African Soft Furs (ASFs) are a natural prey. They are like crack, but gerbils are more addicting. So they're like crack too. And it is very very difficult to wean a BP off a gerbil.

Gerbils that are pets or are captive bred originated from Mongolia. So no, not a natural prey item.

[Royal Hijinx]

I have only heard of gerbils being used as a last ditch to restart feeding.

[Coleslaw007]

Ugh I will NEVER offer a gerbil again. I once tried as a last resort to offer one to a really picky eater on a 7 month+ fast. It was a hopper, not even an adult. First thing it did was run up and start attacking the snake, trying to bite her.. I had to catch it and offer it to a good feeder, who took care of it for me. Never again.

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[John1982]

I bred them for a short while as a side project, gerbils are great. They drink very little, they pee very little, they smell very little. After a month in the same bedding mine would smell none-the-worse. I'm not a fan of their adult size though and prefer breeding rats as feeders - even if they are more work. I fed gerbils to many of my smaller snakes and don't recollect anybody refusing their following, non-gerbil, offering. Snakes can get used to a particular food type, whatever that may be is often the choice of the owner. Some snakes eat practically anything you throw their way, many require a bit of finesse to get them onto something unfamiliar to them.

[cmenger]

I beileive they are not legal to be sold as feeders if they are legal in your state also they attack snakes and like others have said they are hard to switch back from I keep a few gerbils as pets and if I have a animal off feed for a few months ill take gerbil bedding and put a rat pup in it to get the scent and it works everytime

[volstedgridban]

I don't have personal experience since gerbils are illegal in my state, but I've heard horrible things about feeding gerbils to BPs. Apparently they get way more "hooked' on gerbils than asfs. And it's very very difficult to switch back to normal rats/mice.
Plus if you feed live, their teeth are gnarly and much longer than a rat's. So gotta be careful.

If you decide to sell your snake, it could prove difficult to find a new home since hardly anyone is willing to feed gerbils. Especially if it won't switch back to a more common feeder.

I'm thinking of breeding them for ferret feeding, so their effect on snakes isn't an issue.

(I don't actually have any snakes. But I'm gonna try to switch my ferrets over to a whole-prey diet, and this forum seems to be one of the best places on the Internet for finding info about raising feeder rodents.)