>I'm just wondering if anyone here uses/feeds timothy hay to
>their gerbils. My guys have always gotten a handful of grass/alfalfa
>hay, usually weekly, and they love it! Play, eat, and sleep in it.
>I was cleaning out my boys cage this evening, and it occurred
>to me that I had never tried the timothy hay, so I put their aspen
>bedding down, and then about an inch of hay covering the
>aspen. At first they seemed somewhat scared, like they had
>no idea what they were on, but now all of them seem fine and
>actually are chewing on it.
>So how about anyone here? Have they used it as a bedding
>extra, or as a treat?
A lot of people have allergies to grass and grass pollen. There
can be dust or mildew or molds in with the hay.
With modern times and a lot of keepers keeping their gerbils in
such an enclosed environment such as in their room in a cage...it
is best to not use hay.
Yes Gerbils are originally wild animals and they'd have access
to hay and grass in their original habitat. However, the animals
we keep are far from their wild ancestors...and it can cause
more problems than it's worth to bring in hay and offer it as
bedding.
Hay can also harbor mites and other things...it can have sharp
shaft ends and broken shafts that can cause injuries similar
to papercuts.
There are so many people and gerbils that have allergies to
bedding materials, that I wouldn't take the chance.
Plus if hay gets soiled or wet from feces or urine it can mold,
which is not a good deal in the closed environment of a cage.
If you would say, so, what about wood shavings....take a
two liter pop bottle and fill it mostly full with water that has
no chlorine in it (letting tap water sit overnight will work),
add a handful of straw stuck down into the water. Leave
in a sunny window for about three days. Look at what's
swimming around in that hazy water.
In season, I've collected a few blades of fresh grass, that I
know isn't sprayed with fertilizer or weed or bug sprays, and
feed that as a treat. Hay I leave out of the cage environment.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
