Would Anyone Be Interested In A Gerbil Mix?

[Silver]

Hello me again :D

Would anyone be interested in a Gerbil Mix?. I know probabley on the wrong forum for this question, but thought I would ask as I know some people do keep them.

Thank You

Silver xxx

[newtohamsters]

I would be!

I have bought special Gerbil food but my guys don't seem that fussed by it

I was looking at your site, is all the food suitable for rats unless other wise stated?

thanks

xx

[Silver]

Hello Newtohamsters,

I'ts not my site, wish it was though lol. Yes unless it say's so the % have been worked out for Rats, & I've been told that Mice have the same % so Rat's & Mice unless it say's otherwise.

Thank You for being interested in a Gerbil mix

Silver xxx

[SnickersTheFirst]

Sorry if this seems rude, I really hope it doesn't come across that way!

But would syrian hamster and gerbil mixes really sell well when there's Harry Hamster and Gerri Gerbil on the market which are pretty balanced diets? Murphy eats everything in the gerbil mix. :D

I think the dwarf mixes are amazing btw but postage is so high that it wouldn't make it worth ordering for me :(

[racinghamster]

Just a thought Silver, but would it be worth setting up your own website to sell your diets at a more reasonable postage? Maybe that way you could earn the profits from sales? :)

I have to admit that all the commercial foods on the market could be better with their actual ingredients, even though they are `balanced` diets. I`m not too sure what they mean by `balanced` because half the time hamsters, mice, gerbils etc, leave most of the drivel they put into these mixes and it would make more sense for commercial manufacturers to look at Silver`s examples and take away some of the blander ingredients and replace them with seeds and grains that are eaten. Their diets as they are cannot be balanced if the animals are not eating everything within them surely? That`s the way I see it anyway. Which is why I mix things around myself and use Burgess Supahamster harvest as a mere base and just use my own initiative to mix in things that I feel are better enjoyed by my two and also feed fresh raw veg daily or weekly.

Silver, I can`t really comment on the gerbil mix as I used to use Gerri Gerbil mix when I had my gerbils and added in oats and some other bits, but I have to say, if you can put together alternative and better mixes for hamsters, mice and gerbils, I`m sure they would be very popular. Mice don`t need too high a protein unless they are very young or pregnant mums. Around 16% is usually fine for adult mice. There are only a few food mixes for mice that I know of and they are...lets just say, not great. Mouse owners usually feed their mice what rats enjoy. :)

[Silver]

Hello Snickers,

It's not a rude question. The reason why I am making Syrian mix's & Gerbil mix's is because the same reason as why I made the Dwarf mix's. You are verry lucky that yours eat it all, most hamsters & Gerbils will not eat the Alfifa pellets which is where the fibre for there diet comes in. So the Hammy's are not getting enough fibre in there diets.

Also the Comercial mix's have a few ingredients, not many at all. Why? I'm really not sure other than it's cheeper to make mix's with only a few ingredients.

In my mix's there are at least 20 different ingredients which are a mix of seeds/grains/nuts/egg. All are safe good & healthy for hammy's to eat so in my mix's you will find much more variety which is not only good for the hamster's well being, its also fun for the hammy's too, they love to forage around in the food & eat a varied diet.

I hope that has helped.

Silver xxx

[Silver]

Thank You RH,

I have looked into getting the ingredients myself & making the mix's. But unless you are a registerd business you can not buy wholesale, so I would be buying the ingredients with profit for the company ontop, also then when I put my profit this makes the mix's much more expensive than on Ratrations as they buy soooo much they get brilliant rates from the people who supply them.

I will keep looking into it though

Silver xxx

[racinghamster]

No problem Silver, just thought I would mention this as some (including myself) find their p&p too much if I`m only ordering one bag of food or a few other items. However, if it means spending an extra fiver in order to get better food for a hamster or other small animal, it`s probably worth the investment knowing that the mix is varied and more enjoyed and will get eaten! :) It`s nice to have that choice I guess. Good luck with the other mixes you are planning. They have to be an improvement on what`s available on the high street. And as you say, grass/alfalfa pellets, corn/maize and whole peas that are so hard you need a hammer to break them! should be replaced for better ingredients.

We (the public) should have small animal foods available without having to remove certain things from it because we (a) either have a diabetic prone species or (b) see the waste from what isn`t eaten. It seems these companies don`t truly research their feeds perhaps the way we do. Either that thy are mis-informed and don`t seem to know about some dwarf hamsters being prone to diabetes, yet they still add ingredients that can fuel this condition. Not very well informed, are they....

[Silver]

Thank You RH xxx

[SnickersTheFirst]

Hello Snickers,

It's not a rude question. The reason why I am making Syrian mix's & Gerbil mix's is because the same reason as why I made the Dwarf mix's. You are verry lucky that yours eat it all, most hamsters & Gerbils will not eat the Alfifa pellets which is where the fibre for there diet comes in. So the Hammy's are not getting enough fibre in there diets.

Also the Comercial mix's have a few ingredients, not many at all. Why? I'm really not sure other than it's cheeper to make mix's with only a few ingredients.

In my mix's there are at least 20 different ingredients which are a mix of seeds/grains/nuts/egg. All are safe good & healthy for hammy's to eat so in my mix's you will find much more variety which is not only good for the hamster's well being, its also fun for the hammy's too, they love to forage around in the food & eat a varied diet.

I hope that has helped.

Silver xxx

Ah yes! I exaggerated the truth a little actually as I forgot about those horrid pellets! The only animal to ever eat them is Pipsqueak.

Thanks for the response :) I did order a sample from a German lady who made her own gerbil mix and the variety was amazing and he did love it but the postage was about £10, way too much for just one bag of food for one gerbil. :)

I'd be interested in the food, Murphy has fallen very ill today but maybe in the future if I continue with gerbils.

[Silver]

Thank's STF

Silver xxx

[Silver]

The Gerbil Mix's three of them are about to start being tested. I have found a lovely lady who is a mod on a Gerbil forum. She runs a Gerbil rescue for many years & will start the testing of the mix's as soon as RR has sent them out to her.

I'm really pleased its going to be a Gerbil rescue that will test the food.

So I will let you all know when the testing starts & what the Gerbils think of it.

Silver xxx

[Silver]

I have put a stop to the testing of the Gerbil mix's because of the sad loss of Mandy yesterday.

Silver xxx

[Silver]

Hello Everyone,

Just thought I would do a update.

The three Gerbil mix's that I have made have just finished being tested on some gorgeous Gerbils!

The verdict is in........Nom Nom Nom!

The entire mix's were eaten first attempt!. Am very happy with that. Now Some Gerbil Breeders/keepers have asked for a couple of things added to the mix so I will be tweaking the mix's slightly.

Then once I & the Gerbil breeders/keepers & Ratrations are happy they will go on sale. So I am guessing another couple of months.

Silver xxx

[Schofield]

I'll certainly be buying them. Been waiting so long for a proper balanced mix like this that isn't the usual commercial mix full of additives etc. Well done and thank you from all the Gerbils xx

[Kirsty1987]

I'm considering getting gerbils so i would by the mix as i already buy the dwarf and syrian mix on the site and a bale of megazorb so it makes the p+p worth it and i hate the amount of food i have to chuck away with the commercial mixes. So far your mixes have gone down well with totoro and carmine :) but they still leave some things fussy hamsters much

[Silver]

Thank's

The thing that has been so different to hamsters is you can put so much variety in one mix. Them not being diabetes prone & not getting upset tummy's if you change there diet in fact they thrive on a varied diet is great

Silver xxx

[September]

Is it only possible to order these things in the UK? I'm in America.

[Silver]

Ratrations sell & ship to some E.U country's but not to America.

They have tried before but customs destroy them.

I am trying to find a company who will sell them in America no luck so far, but I will keep trying!

Silver xxx

[racinghamster]

Best of luck with the gerbil mixes silver they sound great. :) They will probably be as big a hit as your hamster mixes! Gerbils are just like other small rodents, they thrive on variety. Just one thing I noticed though when you mentioned breeders wanted a few extras added. Breeding animals will have a different diet to gerbils that are mainly kept as pets who only need a maintenance diet, so would you be reflecting this with a diet for breeding gerbils and a diet for maintenance? Or would there be much difference between them? Just curious really but you know what you are doing anyway!

[Silver]

Thank You RH,

At the moment there will be three mix's for all Gerbils. But not ruling out more specific mix's in the future.

I'm on a Gerbil forum that has experienced breeders, rescue's & pet homes. So I am listening & learning from a wide range of people.

Silver xxx

[Schofield]

I think for people who may be using breeding mix's they would just need to supplement the diet with some extra protein which can be done in the form of treats anyway so shouldn't really pose a problem there. I'd also say that as Silvers mix's will most likely be far superior to any commercial mix nutritionally anyway that even if someone breeding were to use it as is for their animals they would still be getting pretty much what they need without getting pumped full of additives etc :)

[racinghamster]

That`s true Schofield. Anything that Silver puts together has to be a world apart from the commercial dribble we put up with off the shelf!

[Silver]

Thank You Both

Silver xxx

[Silver]

Just to let you all know who are asking & waiting on the Gerbil mix's.

I have just finished working them my end & now RR will work them & make the mix's up & send them to be tested on the test Gerbils again hopefully as we have changed the mix's a lot.

So will let you know when the mix's reach the testers.

Silver xxx

[purple_x]

oooohhhh I hope the mixes are ready soon.

[Silver]

Me Too :p

Will see how long it takes to get from RR to the test Gerbils. And then if the test Gerbils like the mix's

If they do then they can go on RR, if they don't then will need to tweak again

Silver xxx

[Bekki2308]

id be interested :D I dont have gerbils yet but once I move my robos into a viv their tank will be empty and is suited to a pair of gerbs :D

[Silver]

Sounds like a plan to me!

Will let you know as soon as I know anything lol

Silver xxx

[Kirsty1987]

Any new information on the gerbil mixes silver? :) My boys are getting picky with there mix lol thought i would bump this back up instead of starting a new thread hope that's ok :)

[Silver]

Hello Kirsty,

The hold up is RR are so busy now most of the time. They are getting mix's ready to take to two shows & at the moment have the end of March quieter.

So I have asked if they can pencil me in for then to sort the next trial mix's out. So fingers crossed.

Thank's for asking

Silver xxx

[Vectis Hamstery]

Please see the new rules regarding product support: http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/feeding-nutrition/35570-customer-enquiries-directed-specific-products-such-types-foods-other-hams.html