Nutrition Index

Nutrition Articles

Millet Seed Reference Guide

Millet plant species form a unique agronomic group of small seeded grasses that are able to grow well and set seed in the most difficult of terrains. Millets are probably the world's earliest food plants used by humans, and certainly the first cereal grain that was used for domestic purposes.

 

Sunflower seeds re-examined

In experiments with gerbils fed solely on sunflower seeds the concluding data showed that they eventually caused obesity, and also led to osteoporosis through calcium depletion. Many *bibles* on rodents and Internet websites have continued spreading this message, and over the years this information has been translated into sunflower seeds being a very bad source of nutrition for gerbils and rodents in general...

 

Alfalfa Hay, Timothy Hay & Other Meadow grasses

There are mainly two common types of hays, legumes and grass hays. Timothy hay is an example of grass hay and Alfalfa is legume hay. As a crop they are often grown together. Both crops can vary tremendously in quality, especially grass hays, depending, on type, what location it's grown, and at what particular stage it's harvested...

 

Understanding Sugars

Many rodents are susceptible to type 2 diabetes, and care must be taken when designing their diets. In the gerbil world, it is the Fat Sand rat that is very susceptible to this condition. However, occasionally Mongolian gerbils can suffer from this condition, but its occurrence is rare. A useful tool for testing for Diabetes is a glucose test strip, which can be bought over the counter from any chemists. Exercise is very beneficial for type 2 diabetics and exercise wheels help keep this condition very manageable...