Ensuring your gerbil is eating the right diet is important for their wellbeing. Gerbils are omnivores and enjoy a wide variety of seeds, fruits, vegetables, and insects to stay healthy.
Their diet should largely be made up of commercial gerbil food, in the form of pellets or seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables, and healthy treats. They’ll also need things to chew and gnaw on to help wear down their ever-growing teeth, and you should provide them with fresh water every day.
Let’s take a further look at the components that make up a healthy gerbil diet.
Commercial Gerbil Food
Commercial gerbil food that is found in pets shops comes in either pellet or seed form. Whichever you choose, the food should contain around 14% protein. If it contains any less than this, you will need to supplement the diet with other sources of protein, such as insects.
Try to stay away from seed mixes that contain a lot of fat. The fat content of these mixes should be between 6% and 8%, otherwise your gerbil will put on weight. Some seeds, such as sunflower seeds, are very fatty and should only be given to your pet for a very special treat! Pumpkin seeds are a healthier alternative.
You may also find granola or muesli-style gerbil food in your pet store. You should stay away from this as your gerbil will leave the bits that are high in fiber and pick out the sugary bits.
Fresh Fruit And Vegetables
Fresh fruit and vegetables should be given to your gerbil in moderation. Too many can cause diarrhea.
Every other day, you can give your gerbil the following:
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Green beans
- Timothy hay
- Romaine lettuce
- Kale
- Peas
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Fennel
- Pumpkin
- Tomatoes
- Pears
- Melons
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Oranges
- Apples
- Raisins
- Bananas
These fruit and vegetables should only be given in bite-sized amounts. We recommend you do not feed them these any more than every other day.
Healthy Treats
There are a number of healthy treats that you can feed your gerbil. Just like fruit and vegetables, these shouldn’t be given very often as some contain very high contents of fat.
- Mealworms
- Crickets
- Boiled or scrambled eggs
- Cereal (unsweetened and unflavored)
- Oats
- Dry pasta
- Nuts (chestnuts, monkey nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, pecans, Macadamia nuts, pine nuts and raw peanuts)
- Popcorn (unsalted and unsweetened)
- Rice
- Seeds (sesame, pumpkin, melon, poppy, sunflower, butternut squash and chia)
- Wholemeal bread
We do not recommend you buy sweet treats from pet shops as these are very unhealthy for your gerbil. If you do want to buy some treats from a pet shop, go for healthy, natural treats.
Things To Gnaw And Chew
Gerbils need plenty of things in their home to gnaw and chew on. Like some other small pets, gerbils have teeth that never stop growing. Chewing on things helps to wear their teeth down, which help to prevent dental issues that can occur when the teeth get too long.
Because chewing is a natural instinct for gerbils, they will find anything solid in their cage to chew on. Therefore, you should provide them with plenty of items that are safe to chew on to satisfy their needs.
As well as providing your gerbil with levels, ramps and climbing features to explore, giving them things to chew on helps to keep them entertained and prevents them from getting bored.
Some of the foods we have already mentioned are great for your gerbil to chew on. These include different kids of nuts and sunflower seeds.
Other great items for your gerbil to chew on are cardboard, hay cubes, coconut shells, pumice stone, seagrass, banana leaves and any wood that hasn’t been processed or treated.
Untreated softwood is great for gerbils to gnaw and can be easy to find. These include branches from the following trees:
- Apple
- Dogwood
- Elm and red elm
- Grape and grapevine
- Hawthorn
- Hazelnut
- Pear
- Poplar
- Quince
- Willow (goat, weeping, or pussy willow)
- Yucca
Make sure the branches are washed well and bake them on a low heat for an hour to ensure they are safe.
Water
Fresh water should be given to your gerbil every day. Some owners choose to use a water bottle specially designed for small animals, while other owners prefer to use a water bowl. It is up to your personal preference which one you choose.
A water bowl gives your gerbil a more natural drinking position. However, a bowl can get easily contaminated, and can also be knocked over easily. A water bottle helps to keep the water fresh and uncontaminated, and causes less mess in your gerbil’s home. However, some owners worry that a water bottle causes the gerbil to strain their back as they drink from it.
Whichever you choose, ensure you are replacing your gerbil’s water daily and cleaning out their water bottle or bowl regularly.
Food To Avoid
There are, of course, some foods that your gerbil can’t eat and shouldn’t be given as they could cause health issues.
The following foods should never be given to your gerbil:
- Rhubarb
- Grapes
- Garlic
- Onions
- Citrus fruits
- Meat
- Avocados
- Fruit seeds
- Raw potato
- Chocolate
- Candy
How Much Should I Feed My Gerbil?
The amount you feed your gerbil should be based on the manufacturer’s guidelines on the food packet. Generally, most gerbils will eat around a tablespoon of pellet food every day.
For fruits and vegetables, you can give them a bite-sized amount of one of these every other day. Treats should be even more rare, as otherwise your gerbil can put on weight.
What Time Of Day Should I Feed My Gerbil?
You should feed your gerbil at least twice a day. However, it is best to feed gerbils small amounts of food at regular intervals, so you should offer them a small amount of food every 2 to 3 hours. If this isn’t possible, just make sure you feed them twice a day.
To make feeding time fun, you can scatter your gerbil’s food around their home. This will allow them to forage and search for their food like they would in the wild, which will keep them entertained and engaged.
Scattering food is also a good idea if you have more than one gerbil. This means the dominant gerbil will not guard the food bowl, and will give both gerbil’s a fair chance at eating!
Hoarding Food
Hoarding is a natural behavior for your gerbil. Gerbils like to hide their food around their cage for later, which is something they would do in the wild to save food and keep in more fresh.
Gerbils can actually go three days without food, thanks to their hoarding behavior. However, we don’t recommend you leave them alone for days at a time!
As their owner, you’ll need to keep on top of their food hoarding and remove any stale or moldy food. This can be a challenge, especially if their home is large, but it will keep your gerbil healthy and also keep their cage smelling nicer.
Things To Remember: Gerbil Feeding
Remove Old Food
You should give your gerbil fresh food and water every day, and, while doing this, you should remove any old food in their home.
Removing old food will stop it from rotting, which will prevent your gerbil from getting sick and the cage from smelling.
Monitor How Much They Eat And Drink
If the amount that your gerbil eats and drinks changes (either increases or decreases), this could be a sign that there is something wrong. Monitoring your gerbil closely to watch out for this means you can potentially catch any health issues before they become serious.
If the amount they eat and drink does change, take your gerbil to the vet ASAP.
Avoid Sudden Food Changes
By avoiding any sudden food changes, you’re much less likely to upset your gerbil’s stomach. If you want to give your gerbil a new pellet food, introduce this food slowly by mixing it with their old food, so you can be sure it doesn’t have any adverse effects.
