I know all you fuzzy rat lovers are going to hate me for this, but here goes...
As I mentioned in my earlier thread, I have a snake that won't even consider frozen food as an option. Therefore, I'm forced to be overrun with mice, and I hate them. While at a pet store not too long ago, I discovered gerbils; a mouse's fluffier, larger, friendlier, less disgusting alter ego, and we bought two, planning to feed their to my buddy. (I know, I know.)
The larger part was especially great, considering my mom tends to want to be stingy with his food, and mice are tiny, and expensive.
Petstores won't sell mice as feeders, so we lied. (bad me)
They didn't even assume the gerbils were food. (so hah!)
Gerbils reproduce more, and quicker, as apparently the pregnancies are less tolling on them than mice. Those two gerbils we bought had approximately six or seven litters before the daddy became lunch.
How awful is it that I'm feeding my snake gerbils?
Obviously they're not going to hurt him, as it's been a year+.
My only concern is that they may not eat anything else, and when you get in a pinch, they'll cost you more to purchase.
In ball python-land, if you feed a ball a gerbil, it's likely he'll refuse to eat much of anything else sheerly out of preference for gerbil meat. It's frustrating if you don't breed.
Personally, I prefer rats and rabbits, with the occasional chick or anole, but there's nothing nutritionally wrong with gerbils.
"Women. They are a complete mystery" Stephen Hawking
scarletfang [forum info]
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If you're feeding live, I'd also be a little worried about gerbils - they have a greater capacity to do real harm than mice/rats/bunnies - they're easier to handle if you're NOT trying to eat them, but they're quite strong for their size.
Also, my vote would be either mice or rabbits, but that's because I LIKE rats and gerbils.
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scarletfang [forum info]
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Goddess of Chaos
Fuzzy kitten lemming
(also destroyer of worlds)
I'm so hot I kill fridges
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I may be small, but I'm made of FIERCE
Posts: 67272
In theory, gerbils can deliver a pretty strong hind leg kick - kinda the way a pissed of cat will rake with it's back legs. Proportionately, they have a lot more muscle back there than most of the smaller rodents.
