# meerkats what do they eat?



## philipniceguy (Mar 31, 2008)

hi,
i been wondering what people feed there own meerkats with? and all the poeple out there that keep them in outdoor enclosures do any of you have a heated inside bit for warmth?
im only asking as like to keep up on how people provide for there exotics.

thanks in advance


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## guinness (May 12, 2008)

witnessed at feeding at a zoo, they fed them meel worms.


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## Squara13 (Aug 4, 2010)

*Different things*

We had some meerkats at the shop once, we fed them a mix of fruit and veg, then live foods i.e. crickets, locusts, mealworms, waxworms, etc.

They will eat eggs, but only in moderation.

Never feed them grapes, they can kill them.

Other than that meerkats are pretty voracious eaters and will try anything, so it's important to keep an eye on their diet so they don't put on too much weight. Hope this helps.


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

The odd grape as a treat isn't going to do them any harm but they shouldn't be a regular part of the diet.


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## philipniceguy (Mar 31, 2008)

:2thumb:thanks people for your help.:2thumb:


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

Just noticed your bit on housing. Yes they should have a warm indoor place (heated in cold spells) and an outdoor enclosure. Your outdoor enclosure should have a solid base (concrete!) under your substrate as these guys are great diggers. High solid sides or high mesh sides with a roof as these guys are good at climbing too. Lots of things to keep them interested, tubes, pieces of wood with tunnels in, drilled holes with a few meal worms hidden in etc! You need to give them as much room as you can. Which is a fair number of feet! There was another meerkat housing thread on here somewhere, worth having a dig for more info


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

they also need an element of meat aswell as bugs and eggs/fruit/veg

They love chicks, rodents, turkey legs, chicken wings etc


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Pouchie said:


> they also need an element of meat aswell as bugs and eggs/fruit/veg
> 
> They love chicks, rodents, turkey legs, chicken wings etc


Ours eat all of the above plus pasta, rice and bread and milk. Chicken wings and mealies are their favourite, and they LOVE sweet potato!


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

oh and ferret kibble now and then. for taurine :2thumb:

and sa37 or whatever they call it these days


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## philipniceguy (Mar 31, 2008)

this is very usefull info just a shame some people out there don't reed it as they keep there meerkats in just rabbit hutchs. it sounds like need to design one similer to what the zoos have for theres. while some people state concrete at the bottom (underground) could mesh be used instead? out of interest for now anyway :lol2:


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## Cranwelli (Mar 24, 2009)

philipniceguy said:


> this is very usefull info just a shame some people out there don't reed it *as they keep there meerkats in just rabbit hutchs*. it sounds like need to design one similer to what the zoos have for theres. while some people state concrete at the bottom (underground) could mesh be used instead? out of interest for now anyway :lol2:


You can't be serious?


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## philipniceguy (Mar 31, 2008)

Cranwelli said:


> You can't be serious?


i am thats why the rspca is trying to stop people keeping meerkats as pets as they are sometimes kept alone in rabbit hutchs as well as other things. not that i agree with rspsas way of thinking about alot of things it doesnt seem right they are kept like that. hopefully these thread aswell as others can help them deside if they make good pets (in the way the owner wants them to be)

problem is alot of exotic mammals are easy to find to buy but hard to find good info on keeping them as pets. hence why i asked the questions i did as i was unsure on those two points though i did find some info about meerkats as pets.


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## stubeanz (Mar 28, 2007)

Cranwelli said:


> You can't be serious?


 unfortunatly ive seen this twice!:devil:
i feed a mixture of fruit and vegetables in the evening along with wholemeal pasta or rice and a mouse or chick each, throughout the day they have various insects such as morio worms and crickets that i put in enrichment devices so it takes them a long time to find them.
occasionaly they will have hard boiled egg.
stu


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## annie.davis (Feb 18, 2009)

Ahhh poor things :-(
Has anyone ever had a Meerkat on its own for a few months then introduced it to another from a different litter?? If yes did they get on? Or did the original get jealous that you were giving the new meerkat attention??


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## annie.davis (Feb 18, 2009)

As for what meerkats eat, you have to go by the same Ca ratio as you would an Iguana.
However a good way of increasing the calcium in a Meerkat's diet would be to feed its live feed 'Bug Grub' or 'Grub Grub' instead of the Bran which is already in there with them when bought from the shop as this is VERY high in posphorus.

Remember though Meerkats just like reptiles cannot absorb the calcium from their food without the correct lighting (UVA and UVB). We have a 120w SB Mega Ray for our Meerkat which provides excellent UVA/UVB and Heat.

Hope this helps all you Meerkat owners and future Meerkat owners out there if you dont already know this. It is just very difficult to research the right care for something that shouldnt be a pet in the first place.


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