Give your gerbil bits of fruit.
- Apple
- Blueberries
- Mango
- Pear
- Strawberries
- Kiwi
- Pineapple
- Banana
What fruits and veggies can I Feed my gerbils?
You can safely give your gerbil the following veggies daily:
- Timothy hay
- Kale
- Romaine lettuce
- Beet greens
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Cooked sweet potatoes
- Carrots
What kind of food do gerbils like as a treat?
You can safely give your gerbil a bite-sized amount of these fruits every other day:
- Pears
- Melon
- Apples
- Oranges
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
What can gerbils eat besides gerbil food?
What Can Gerbils Eat Besides Gerbil Feed?
- Apples. Honestly, who doesn’t like apples? ...
- Blueberries. ...
- Green Peas. ...
- Sunflower Seeds. ...
- Peanuts (unsalted) Like sunflower seeds, peanuts too should only be fed as a treat to gerbils because an excess of any human food can go rather south.
- Other Food Items You Can Serve Your Gerbil. ...
How much should gerbils eat?
Tips to Keep Gerbils From Eating too Much
- Eating More Than Just Their Favorite Parts. When gerbils only pick out their favorite pieces from their food mix, they may only be selecting the unhealthy parts.
- Limit Refilling Their Food too Early. ...
- Cut Back on the Treats. ...
- Try Different Feeding Strategies. ...
- Keep a Good Exercise to Feeding Ratio. ...
What can gerbils eat human food?
It's not just seeds and nuts that your pet will enjoy. Almost any fruit or vegetable that is edible for humans can be fed to gerbils. This can include carrots, cabbage and apple. Note that plants from the onion family, together with raw potato and rhubarb should not be fed as they are toxic for gerbils.
What food can gerbils not eat?
Gerbil Food To AvoidCrisps.Cakes.Biscuits.Chocolate.Sweets.Meat.Cabbage.Lettuce.More items...
What should gerbils be fed?
Gerbils are omnivores who enjoy a wide variety of seeds, fruits, vegetables, and insects. Commercial pellet mixes provide your gerbils with the nutrients they need. A proper selection of natural produce can be a healthy alternative to store-bought mixes, a tasty treat, or a supplement to their conventional diet.
How many times a day do you feed a gerbil?
But feeding once a day is a good compromise. It is also possible to feed your gerbils more or less frequently than this. However often you feed them, you should give them the same amount of food. So, for example, gerbils require around 1tbsp of food each per day.
Can gerbils eat banana?
Gerbils can eat fresh bananas and both green (under-ripe) and black (over-ripe) bananas. But they're high in carbs and low in protein and fat. The minerals found in bananas include magnesium, copper, and manganese.
Is Milk OK for gerbils?
Milk isn't healthy for gerbils. It can upset gerbils' stomachs, causing pain, diarrhea, and weight loss. This is because gerbils are lactose intolerant. Gerbils can eat small amounts of dairy products that are low in lactose, like hard cheese.
What food kills gerbils?
Nuts that are cooked, salted, or flavored are often toxic and sometimes deadly to gerbils. Cooked nuts are the least offending of the above, but they are still unhealthy for pet gerbils. Salted is the next worst on the list.
What meat can gerbils eat?
They are high in fat and protein like other kinds of meat. But gerbils can also eat other kinds of meat. They can eat chicken, pork, and beef. They can eat any meat, provided that it's fed in moderation and that you understand your pet's nutritional needs.
Is lettuce poisonous to gerbils?
Lettuce is safe for gerbils to eat. It contains nutrients such as folate, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins K and A. Red and green leaf lettuce, butterhead lettuce, and romaine lettuce are good choices. Gerbils shouldn't eat iceberg lettuce as its water content is too high.
Should I cover my gerbils cage at night?
Unlike covering a bird cage, covering a gerbil cage at night won't help your gerbil sleep. Gerbils are active throughout the day and night, so darkness doesn't act as a sleep cue. However, covering the gerbilarium can help to muffle any noise coming from within. This may make it easier for you to sleep.
Do gerbils need hay?
Gerbils need hay to keep their teeth healthy. That's because gerbils have incisors that don't stop growing. The tooth grows from the bottom, and gerbils naturally grind it from the top as they eat.
Do gerbils like to be held?
One of the nicest things about having pets is cuddling, stroking, and holding them close to you. But because gerbils get easily nervous and scared, they may not seem to be as affectionate. Most gerbils enjoy petting or sitting in your hand. Some gerbils will allow you to cuddle or hug them once trust is established.
What food kills gerbils?
Nuts that are cooked, salted, or flavored are often toxic and sometimes deadly to gerbils. Cooked nuts are the least offending of the above, but they are still unhealthy for pet gerbils. Salted is the next worst on the list.
Can gerbils have cheese?
Gerbils can eat cheese, but only in small quantities as they're lactose intolerant. It has too much fat and protein and not enough carbohydrates. Cheese has nutrients like vitamins A, B2, and B12, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc, which offer health benefits.
Can gerbils eat cheerios?
Plain cheerios are fine for gerbils to eat. They arent likely to make your gerbil fat. Cheerios are part of my gerbils staple diet, and they always eat their cheerios.
Can gerbils eat chocolate?
Gerbils can't eat chocolate because it contains theobromine, which a gerbil's body can't metabolize. Even small amounts of chocolate can lead to seizures, irregular heart rhythm, and even death. White chocolate contains just tiny amounts of theobromine, but it's high in fat and sugar.
What do gerbils need?
Gerbils need: Fresh, clean drinking water constantly available, in a drinking bottle with a metal sipper tube. Check the water bottle daily for leaks and/or blockages. Gerbils must always have access to clean fresh water. Their water changed regularly and the bottle and nozzle cleaned properly. A good quality, balanced diet especially ...
How much grain do gerbils hoard?
Gerbils love to hoard food in large stores. In the wild, gerbils may hoard up to 1.5kg of grain in one store! To avoid sudden dietary changes, or food that has been allowed to become stale, as they can upset their stomachs. Monitoring daily to see how much they eat and drink.
What is a good diet for gerbils?
A good quality, balanced diet especially for gerbils, containing all the nutrients and minerals they need. This may be a compound pelleted ration or a mixture of different seeds; commercial rations are formulated to meet their biological needs.
Is pumpkin seed good for you?
To avoid excessive amounts of certain seeds (e.g. sunflower) as they are fatty and can cause obesity. Pumpkin seeds are a healthier treat.
What do gerbils do?
Gerbils are active pets who love to chew and forage. Providing them with a variety of diet options around their cage can keep them entertained and turn mealtime into a game of foraging.
What do gerbils need to be a pet?
Gerbils are energetic pets that need engagement. Along with plenty of climbing features, they need things to chew on. Fixtures made of cardboard and soft paper will get torn apart, but they’ll ultimately become part of the cage's substrate.
How to keep gerbils healthy?
Rather than keeping a specific food dish in your gerbil's habitat, you can instead sprinkle the food onto the floor of their cage and let them hunt for it. They'll be more engaged and will be more likely to eat a larger variety of food, letting them get all the nutrients they need to stay healthy. Pagination. 1. 2.
How long does a gerbil need to be in water?
An alternative to a filtration system is to use bottled drinking water or tap water that has sat in an open container for at least 24 hours. Like any other pet, your gerbil should have a feeding routine. The specific mix you feed them will have serving instructions and proper portion sizes.
What can gerbils not process?
Cardboard from food packaging. Coconut shells. Untreated softwood. Hay cubes. Foods to Avoid. As with many animals, gerbils cannot process certain types of food. Avoid feeding these foods to your gerbil, as they are dangerous or toxic: Rhubarb.
What to give a gerbil?
Like with other pets, you should control the number of treats you give your gerbil. You can opt to use fruits and veggies to provide a more natural, healthy treat.
How much protein is in a gerbil mix?
It’s recommended that the mix contains around 14% protein. Anything less than that will likely need to be supplemented with other sources of protein, such as insects. Some sources recommend more or less protein. If you’re unsure, consult your vet about your gerbil’s needs.
What is the best food for gerbils?
The best food for gerbils is a specially formulated gerbil mix. It contains nuts, seeds, corn flakes, and dried vegetables. Healthy gerbil foods also include fruit and vegetables, but only as a treat. There are foods to avoid that may poison gerbils, like grapes and rhubarb.
What are the nutrients that gerbils need?
The first of these are calcium and phosphorus. These are essential for healthy bone mass/density and healthy teeth. Again, these are found in suitable amounts in regular gerbil mixes. You don’t need to add them to your gerbil’s diet manually.
What Do Gerbils Eat in the Wild?
A gerbil’s wild diet varies. That’s because there are many kinds of gerbils, and they all live in different parts of the world. However, while the exact foods available may differ, the general food types that gerbils eat do not.
How long does gerbil food last?
If you are feeding your gerbils food mix, this will stay fresh for longer than two days. But feed them fruit and vegetables this way and they may go bad. So, remove stale gerbil food from your pet’s gerbilarium regularly.
What is gerbil food?
Far better than a general seed mix intended for ‘rodents’ is one that’s tailored to the needs of gerbils. Gerbil food mix should be the majority of your gerbil’s diet. It’s designed to contain everything a gerbil needs. These mixes don’t just contain seeds, but seeds, beans, grains, dried vegetables, and general fiber.
How much fat do gerbils need?
What’s easier to get wrong is the amount of protein and fat a gerbil eats. Gerbils require somewhere between 2 and 20 percent fat in their diet. Not enough research has been done to determine exactly how much is required. However, studies indicate that gerbils can survive when fed as little as 2% fat.
Why do gerbils need carbohydrates?
They need carbohydrates for energy, protein for muscle growth, and fat for their fat stores. But if fed these things in the wrong amounts, that’s bad for them. The majority of a gerbil’s diet should be made up of carbohydrates. What’s easier to get wrong is the amount of protein and fat a gerbil eats.
What supplements are good for gerbils?
Other vitamins and minerals aren’t nutritional but help to keep your gerbils healthy. Vitamin and mineral supplements are available in different forms, such as powder, but are in most cases, already available in sufficient amounts in the special gerbil mixes.
What is the best food for gerbils?
For a good staple food, most gerbil owners will choose between: lab blocks or pellet food. commercial or homemade seed mixes.
What percentage of gerbils need protein?
A balanced gerbil diet should contain: protein: a percentage between 12 and 16 percent is required for gerbils.
What do Mongolian gerbils eat?
Mongolian gerbils, the most common pet gerbil, are no exception. Gerbils feed on the seeds of grasses, roots, bulbs, and leaves in the wild. In captivity, a high-quality and well-balanced gerbil mix should be given. Occasionally treats such as sunflower seeds, fruit, and vegetables can be given.
How much water do gerbils drink?
A single gerbil will drink up to 150 ml per month (around 5 ml daily) depending on the age, temperature and exercise levels.
What do lab blocks look like?
Lab blocks look like large pieces of pellet food. These kinds of blocks are also used to feed laboratory animals and contain all nutrients that your gerbils need and improve your gerbils’ dental health. They don’t look very appealing but are the perfect food when your gerbils are picky eaters.
How much protein should gerbils eat?
You need to consider that gerbils will need to be fed a main diet that is low in fiber content, contains between 12 and 16 percent protein, and between 6 and 9 percent fat. Older gerbils will need a diet with less protein and fat.
What do gerbils eat?
Gerbils will enjoy small amounts of dried banana, pumpkin seeds, nuts, millet (the kind sold for budgies and other birds), crispy vegetables such as raw broccoli and carrot, small amounts of fruit, such as apples and grapes (but break the skin so the gerbil can easily see the moist interior), alfalfa, and hay.
Do gerbils drink water?
Although gerbils drink hardly any fresh water in the wild, and very little in captivity, getting most of the water they need from their diet, they should always have access to water. A fresh supply is as essential as fresh food. Elderly, pregnant or nursing gerbils need plenty. Use a water bottle, as gerbils tend to bury their water bowls!
Do gerbils eat apples?
Gerbils, being naturally omnivorous, will try most foods you offer them, but they will thrive on a diet based largely on mixed gerbil food from the pet store. Small portions of extras such as vegetables and slices of apple will keep them and their tastebuds stimulated, though.
Are Treats Good For Gerbils?
Gerbils have a surprisingly complex diet. That’s because they have specific vitamin, mineral, and nutrient requirements to survive. As a result, gerbils eat a mix of:
What do gerbils eat?
In the wild, gerbils live off grass, including mugwort, bristle grass, and lyme grass. They also eat the bulbs and seeds underground. You can recreate this diet by offering your gerbil hay.
What to feed a gerbil to keep teeth filed down?
Cereals are some of the best foods for keeping your gerbil’s teeth filed down, due to their rough, fibrous texture. Puffed rice, Shredded Wheat, and Malted Wheaties are suitable cereals, as long as you choose the no added sugar variety. Some cereals also contain dried fruit, which is something gerbils love.
What are some good snacks for gerbils?
Rice is another surprisingly healthy gerbil snack. All forms of rice are safe for gerbils, including cooked and uncooked, brown, white, and puffed rice.
Can gerbils eat strawberries?
The good news is strawberries won’t harm your gerbil unless you overfeed them to your pet. Gerbils can also eat the leaves, so keep them on the strawberry when you feed the fruit to your gerbil.
Can gerbils eat cereal?
Some cereals also contain dried fruit, which is something gerbils love. As long as they have no added ingredients and are genuine pieces of dried fruit, they’re safe for your gerbil to eat.
Can you overfeed gerbils?
You mustn’t overfeed your gerbil treats, as they can cause stomach upsets and diarrhea. Remove all uneaten fruits and vegetables after four hours to prevent them from spoiling. Other treats, such as unsweetened cereal and wholemeal bread, can be fed once a week in small amounts.
