J
c

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Insects

 

Yes, gerbils eat insects!! 

As I said elsewhere, gerbils eat seeds but are also omnivorous. This means that they may also eat other things like insects. Insects are a very good source of proteins. But don't worry, they are not obligatory. If you want to feed insects to your gerbils, go on reading. 

Which is good for the gerbils?

Crickets and mealworm are the easiest ones to breed and find in pet stores. Don't take the ones you find outdoors around your house. With pesticides and all the chemicals found outside, use the ones sold in pet stores. 

Where to find them?

In most petshop or any place that sell reptiles. You can buy them in bulk (you decide the quantities) or in box of 50 or more.

Breeding insects yourself

 

Mealworm

The mealworm, also called, Tenebrio, has an average length of 1,5cm and has 6 small legs. They are not worms; they are the larvae of the tenebrio, a black beetle. When adult, this coleopter is black or dark shiny brown. Even if they have wings, they rarely fly. They are most of the time, slow insects and won't escape too fast, even if you let their container open. Before becoming an adult, the insect goes trough a transformation stage called "Pupae". At this stage, the insect is in a kind of shell. They are white/yellow and motionless. They will only move their tail if they are disturbed.

 

Here is the different stage of the Tenebrio

Larva - Pupae - Adult

 

Important: Do not give pupae or adults to your gerbils. 

Equipement needed.:

- A plastic container or a glass jar. Make a hole on the top of it (3-4 cm wide) and place a piece of mosquito net on the opening. If you only drill holes in the cover, the air circulation won't be enough and the worm will die. 

- Dry plain oat for food. You can add fish food or any dust of dry food for pets that you have. This will increase the nutritive value of the mealworm. 

- A piece of fruit or vegetable for water. (Once a week, taken out the same day)

You can also place a piece of facial tissue in the container and poor some drop of water on it just to make some humidity. Do this some times a week. 

- Tenebrio larva or mealworm.

 

Procedure 

Place 2-4 cm of oat (and fish meal) at the bottom of the container. Place the larva and add the fruit or the wet facial tissue. Place your container in a tempered and dark place. (Not totally dark, but not in the sun either) After a while, you'll see the white pupae and then some black beetle. The adults will give you eggs and then very small worms after 2 months or so.

This can be very long before you can see very small worm crawl around. You may need many containers to obtain a big mealworm production. 

 

Feed your gerbils

Advise: hold your mealworm with something. Your gerbil may be so happy to have mealworms that they may grab your fingers! My gerbils do enjoy mealworms a lot! They become totally wild when they "hunt" their prey! 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Crickets

Breeding crickets may be a littel more complicated then mealworm, but the result are seen faster. Crickets are jumping insects that normaly live hidden the durt and under dead vegetation. They are vegeterian and will eat pretty much everything. Leaves, dead wood, seeds, fruits, etc. Females can be identified by the long tube they have on their abdomen. This is not a stinger, this is a ovipositor, a tube used to borrow the eggs in the soil. Male don't have that. Once adult, both will have wings even if they don't fly. Males will use their wings to sing. The noise can become a problem. Feeling like living in a crop field all year long can disturb more then one! You can keep them in a room you don't use often. 

On the left, a female and on the right, a male.

 

 

Here are 2 videos of gerbils eating and chasing crickets.

Video 1   Video 2

 

 

 

ŠAll right reserved, copyright TheGerbils.com

Webmaster: Joelle Clermont