FEATURE |
DETAILS |
Type
|
Gerri Gerbil is a complete food
formulated for the special needs of gerbils. |
Processing |
Many of the ingredients within Reggie are
processed (pelleted, flaked, rolled, extruded) to improve their digestibility whilst
retaining a natural appearance. |
Quality Ingredients |
Only the highest quality
cereals, legumes, forages and oils are used in a fixed formulation. On the packet the
ingredients themselves are declared rather than categories of ingredients, so the owner
knows exactly what they are buying. |
Coccidiostat Free |
Gerri contains no coccidiostats, nor is it
produced on a line where coccidiostats are used. Coccidiostats may be damaging to gerbils,
just as they are to guinea pigs. |
Nutritional Balance |
As long as selective
feeding is discouraged, gerbils being fed Gerri Gerbil will receive a balanced diet.
Nutrients are present in the correct quantity, and are in the correct ratio to the energy
content and other nutrients. |
Meat Protein |
Gerri Gerbil contains poultry meat meal, thereby
supplementing the gerbil’s diet with meat proteins, just as would occur in the wild. |
Vitamins &
Minerals
|
Gerri is supplemented with
vitamins and minerals. Traditionally many manufacturers incorporate vitamins into the
pellets with coarse mixes which are often refused (a bitter metallic taste deters animals
from eating them). Supreme incorporate vitamins and minerals into their extrusions. The
supplement is created to take into account the shelf-life of the product and the effect
that processing has on the vitamins (different vitamins have different thermal
stabilities). Many of the minerals that Supreme use in their supplements are in the
sulphate form, as these are more readily available to the animal than the oxide. |
Shelf-life
|
1 year. |
Sunflower Seed & Peanut Free |
Gerbils are notorious for
preferentially selecting seeds and nuts from coarse mixes. Excesses of seeds must be
avoided otherwise obesity and mineral deficiencies can develop. Gerri does not contain
peanuts or sunflower seeds. The calculated omission of such ingredients means that the
dietary fat level of Gerri is just over 4%, thereby reducing the likelihood of obesity. |
Stimulation & Dental Challenge |
Gerri contains a variety of ingredients which
encourages natural foraging behaviour, and providing a degree of enrichment to the gerbil
(bored gerbils have a tendency to barber their cage mates). It is preferable to introduce
gerbils to a variety of ingredients at a young age, as they will be more receptive to new
ones or change as an adult. Ingredients like the pumpkin seeds require the outer fibrous
material to be gnawed through prior to receiving a reward – the seed. The different
shapes, sizes and textures require different biting and chewing motions and also pressures
to break them down, and so they may help to prevent dental overgrowth. |
