What Kind Of Food Can I Feed My Gerbil?
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at
10:25 am
I have the food that I bought from the pet store, and I have some yogurt chips the he seems to like, but I was just wondering what else I would be able to eat.
Tagged with: Feed • Food • Gerbil • Kind • What
Filed under: Other Pocket Pets
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Food
Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts are favorites of most gerbils, though they have individual preferences and too many sunflower seeds may result in illness. They also enjoy fruit peels such as that from a banana. In fact, gerbils will eat almost anything: dog biscuits and chews; rat food; rabbit food; guinea pig food; oats; and various “special” treats from pet shops, which in fact were not appreciated nearly as much as some parsnip cores. Most weeds dubbed as safe for grazing animals like rabbits or guinea pigs can be eaten by gerbils as well. Pet gerbils will especially enjoy live crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts as food, tearing the insect apart and eating the juicy insides. It is good for you to feed your gerbil vegetables such as carrots or an apple. Take care not to feed them too much of these foods as they contain a lot of moisture and can cause an upset stomach.
Avoid lettuces, as the nitrates can prevent oxygenation of the blood,[4] and citrus fruits. Sugary treats are bad for gerbils; they rot the teeth and the sugar is hard for a gerbil to digest. Lastly, do not feed your gerbils food with high water content, such as celery or watermelon, as the water will cause the gerbil to have the runs, or “wet-tail” as it is commonly known.
Drink
Although gerbils can go without water for a few days, provided they have plenty of moist food, they will always take water if it is available.
Good luck!
Hi !
This is a site with some good info :http://exoticpets.about.com/od/gerbils/a…
I would not suggest changing the food he is on in a hurry, It may upset his digestive system. But if you really want to then change it gradually. Put in the new food at the bottom of the dish then more food on top but then steadily put more & more new food in until all the old feed is gone.
Gerbils also like :
Carrots,
Banana Peels (just a tiny chunk)
Dandelions (washed)
Scrambled or boiled egg ( Just a slice or tablespoon )
Bits of cheese,
Plain dog biscuits,
Some cereals such as cheerios,
Dried meal worms ( usually found in the bird section of pet shops )
Natural yogurt,
DO NOT FEED THE BELOW :
*Raw kidney beans
*Avacado pear
*Raw potato
*Onion
*All plants from the garden other than dandelion
*Cabbage
*Lettuce
Hope I helped =)
Have Fun,
Abby x
A standard mix (such as you have) should provide him with the bulk of the nutrition he needs. I would not recommend yogurt chips, however, or any other treat which is marketed for small animals in this way. They tend to be high in fat and sugar content.
As for other treats, try seeds such as sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (you may already have these in your mix, if so pick them out). You can also give him the millet sprays you see in pet shops for birds. If you want to offer fruit and vegetables, it’s good to offer the dried kinds of fruits as the water content is far lower in these. High water content in vegetables such as lettuce and cucumber should be avoided as it can cause fatal diarrhoea.
You may occasionally want to offer your gerbil insects (perfectly normal in their wild habitat) and you can get crickets or meal worms from your local pet shop. Dried meal worms are preferable as live may carry the risk of E.Coli.
Other small treats which can be offered are things which you might find in your own kitchen cupboard. Cereals such as Cheerios are a firm favourite with most small rodents. You can also offer a small piece of hard boiled egg.
Remember, when giving treats never offer a piece bigger than the gerbil’s head.
Visit this site if you want some more detailed information about foods for gerbils: http://gerbilsuk.proboards15.com/index.c…
wagg its for hamsters ginypigs and small animals its in asda
they like toilet paper rolls empty one to chew on.http://www.abcgerbils.com/care.html
my gerbils LOVE cheereos!! i give them only a couple every once in a while cause to much can cause constipation. they also enjoy raisins and they love un-salted pumpkin seeds. they like dried bannana and they also like the peel of the bannana. dont give them very much of any of these though, these are simply treats.
<3
hope this helped!
i would usually visit pet shops because my dog and cats can eat so much pet food in one day ,-”