Feeding characteristics of Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus).

Prolonged direct observation, and a series of timed dissections indicated that gerbils were not coprophagous when provided with an adequate stock diet ad libitum. However, coprophagy occurred after the feeding of a variety of purified amino acid rations. The diets apparently lack some needed nutriment . Gerbils ate food approximately eight times per day. Meal feeding, either for a 1-hour or a 2-hour daily interval, resulted in weight losses, which were often, but not always, reversed by adaptation to the feeding procedure. When given no other nutriment , weanling gerbils ate raw ground beef, but lost weight and died. Substandard growth was observed when sorghum, corn, oats, wheat, sunflower seed, or peanuts were fed. A mixed vegetable diet also gave substandard growth.