Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

royalpython · Key Member Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 484

i know this is the royal forum... royal related though...

i seem to hear a lot about gerbils being an unhealthy diet, but cant find any information on this at all?

i feed my gerbils and multi's a mixture of things. I've got rat nuggets, and mouse/gerbil meusli that they feed on... i also mix in corn flakes, with lots of other assorted treats (i probably spoil them) Laughing

. Is it likely the gerbils just excrete all the goodness a royal python needs? I hear things, but see no evidence. Confused

Lynne · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 4:42 am Post subject:

actually i always thought gerbils were a royals main 'wild' diet, so you would think they would be ok for them. also i heard they are good for getting a non feeder to feed.
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royalpython · Key Member Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 484

Lynne · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 4:48 am Post subject:

i have had them to try when some of mine were not feeding. one of the owners of a shop near me feeds most of his gerbils too.
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Lynne · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 4:52 am Post subject:

and i will say, when i went for my gerbils i was expecting something about the size of a mouse, a my brother had them and they were small. what i got were thes enormous brown things. i didnt have a snake big enough for them.
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royalpython · Key Member Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 484

nice one

i question this because i breed gerbils as well, and i find they grow quicker, so i just wondered what the bad hype was about. Mine also seem to breed fairly regular, which goes against other peoples views?

Lynne · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 4:59 am Post subject:

i have heard folk say sometimes its hard to get them, but if you have them well i cant see why not!
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royalpython · Key Member Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 484

toyah · Key Member Joined: 09 Nov 2005 Posts: 228

The pet gerbil is Meriones unguiculatus, and found in Mongolia. I doubt many make the journey over to Africa to be eaten by ball pythons, and I don't see royals migrating to East Asia to catch them either Laughing

Other Meriones sp are found in northern Africa though, so they're not completely unrelated to what I assume must be a natural diet for a royal.

Mastomys and Praomys sp are more Africa-centric, both of which multimammates have been grouped under at some point.

I wouldn't worry - both have to be more "natural" than rats, which are an Asian species by right, and royals seem to do just fine on rats! I imagine to a degree, a rodent is a rodent is a rodent to a snake....

Scott W · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:07 am Post subject: