The Best Gerbil Food to Keep Your Pet Healthy

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For many, gerbils do make a great pet. They find this curious little creature very entertaining and fun-filled.

Unlike other pets, they will warrant appropriate arrangements. For instance, you ought to provide them with innumerable things like:

  • A secured enclosure.
  • Bedding.
  • A wheel, and lot more.

This prompts many gerbil owners to look for information about the best gerbil food.

Fortunately, you are currently reading the correct material. Once you go through all the details mentioned underneath, it will ensure better health for your lovely gerbil.

Here, we will find a wide range of information including, explore the healthiest gerbil food, maintain the appropriate amount of nutrition, know about the fruits that are bad for your gerbil, and more

Explore the healthiest gerbil food

Your gerbil is very dear to you. It is understandable since it gives a lot of entertainment and joy to you. Ensure it remains in the best of its health by giving it healthiest foods such as:

  • Salad Food.
  • Nutrition Diet.

· Fruits like:

  • Oranges.
  • Melon.
  • Apple.
  • Pear, and more.

Vegetables like:

  • Carrot.
  • Pumpkin.
  • Cucumber, and
  • Fennel.

Maintain the appropriate amount of nutrition

To ensure better health for your gerbil, it is absolutely important you maintain appropriate nutrition.

You can accomplish this objective by ensuring the main diet:

  • Has low fiber content.
  • It contains 12 and 16 percent protein, and
  • Has 6 and 9 percent fat.

Know about the fruits that are bad for your gerbil

Not all the foods that you provide to your dear gerbil are appropriate for them. Some fruits are bad for them and can produce devastating consequences. It includes:

  • Avocados: These are responsible for causing:
  1. Death, and
  2. Poisoning.
  • Apple seeds: Giving them apples is absolutely perfect, not the seeds! They contain cyanide which may be poisonous to your gerbil.

Things to bear in mind regarding how to feed them

Yes, there is no denying the fact that the best gerbil food you buy from a pet store meet all your requirements like:

  • Basic dietary needs.
  • A specific formula of:
  1. Carbohydrates.
  2. Protein.
  3. Fat, and
  4. Vitamins and minerals.

Unlike human beings, gerbils are unable to decide what is harmful to them. Similarly, they are not familiar with how to eat the food. For instance, the moment they are in hold of the muesli-type foods, the first things they will do is grab the:

  • The fattiest, and
  • Sugariest components.

Stop them from doing so as they will gain weight very soon.

On account of this, it is recommended you make some amendments by:

  • Sticking to a pellet diet, and
  • Resist your temptation to replenish the food bowl in question until everything is gone.

Likewise, supplement their commercial diet with little fresh food as well.

Make sure your gerbil is in receipt of the best nutrients

Your gerbil is very precious to you. Its health and safety are of paramount importance to you.

You can easily accomplish this feat by giving it the best nutrients. For instance, give them fresh vegetables and fruits in abundance.

The regular consumption of these will ensure rewarding growth and assured health for them.

Opt for regular diet supplements

Give your adorable gerbil some variety together with their normal commercial mix. Ideally, you ought to opt for an assortment of:

  • Vegetables.
  • Small insects, and
  • Fruits.

Give them some respite from their routine by feeding it with pasta as well.

Ensure to give these supplementary food items in accurate moderation. Avoid feeding them large quantities of:

  • Grains.
  • Vegetables, and
  • Fruits.

If you fail to do so, it might cause digestive troubles such as diarrhea. Similarly, more sugary treats might give rise to diabetes.

Fortunately, you can safely offer them different veggies daily, like:

  • Spinach.
  • Peas.
  • Cooked sweet potatoes.
  • Beet greens.
  • Kale.
  • Broccoli.
  • Carrots.
  • Timothy hay.
  • Romaine lettuce.

Yes, you can give them corn as well since they enjoy eating them. Nevertheless, keep in mind, it does not offer much nutrition.

Better health and safety of their gerbil is paramount to gerbil-owners. On account of this, it makes sense to provide your lovely gerbil a bite-sized quantity of certain fruits every alternate day. It includes:

  • Strawberries.
  • Melon.
  • Oranges.
  • Pears.
  • Apples.
  • Blueberries.

Great news for you: choose from a variety of options

Proud owners of a gerbil are often worried and apprehensive regarding what to choose. The good news is that you have a wide range of best gerbil food options to choose from, including:

1. Pellets and lab blocks: In case you are looking for a nutritionally balanced gerbil diet, it is the perfect selection.

Coming to what lab blocks are, they resemble small biscuits and are usually the larger chunks of food. Pellets are normally small pellets.

Both are equally good for your gerbil.

Nevertheless, some prefer the lab blocks as a lot of scientific research has gone behind them.

Gerbils are no humans. They do not have the capabilities to pick. On account of this, give them a balanced diet by opting for the blocks and pellets.

A word of caution though! These foods provide very little variety and much-needed enrichment. Treat it as a wonderful basic diet. Supplement it with other food items to derive brilliant mental health for your gerbil.

2. Seed mixes: Such mixes are essentially loose mixtures of seeds. They are often added to:

  • Fruits.
  • Vegetables, and
  • Pellets.

Please bear in mind one important fact. You are giving the above-mentioned foods as they are nutritionally balanced. However, this is subject to the condition that the gerbil in question eats everything present in the mix.

There are instances where the gerbil can be seen picking out their favorite items and leaving the rest of the said mixture. In case your gerbil regularly avoids consuming all the components, it can invite troubles for the gerbil. They may suffer from a dietary imbalance.

Such instances take place mostly with mixtures containing a significant amount of sunflower seeds. Subsequently, they fail to receive a balanced diet. It happens mainly because loose seeds do not ensure two things:

  • A complete, and
  • Balanced diet.

In view of these observations, it is recommended that you do not use it as the sole food for your gerbil.

Make the perfect selection of foods for the omnivore!

Your gerbil is an omnivore. Select the food judiciously to give it the best health. You can go for:

  • Vegetables.
  • Insects.
  • Fruits, and
  • A wide variety of seeds.

Give them commercial pellet mixes daily. It will ensure proper nutrients for their body. Try to select natural produce rather than relying on store-bought items like:

  • A supplement.
  • A tasty treat, or
  • Mixes.

Commercial pellet mixes provide your gerbils with the nutrients they need. A proper selection of natural products can be a healthy alternative to store-bought mixes, a tasty treat, or a supplement to their conventional diet.

Remember – water is an integral part of your gerbil’s diet

Like humans, even the gerbil needs a lot of water to survive. It is a well-known fact they are very active creatures. This compels them to remain hydrated regularly.

You can ensure your gerbil has easy access to water all the time. Have a cage-attached bottle so that he can take water whenever they desire.

Ensure your gerbil gets the water when they want to by taking some proper steps in this regard. It includes:

  • Make a regular check for breaks and leaks in the bottle: Look for signs of damages to the bottle. If detected, replace the same with a new one.

This step is of paramount importance to ensure your gerbil does not experience any difficulty in getting enough water from the spout.

  • Ensure suitable amount of cleanliness of the spout: Typically speaking, the fixture in question will usually suffer from the bottlenecks of:

1. Blockage.

2. Dirt, and

3. Mold.

Early detection of these events and suitable corrective steps will make sure:

  • Your gerbil does not get hurt, and
  • Suffers from instances of:

1. Dehydration, and

2. Sickness.

  • A proper flow of freshwater is an absolute must: You can not afford to see your sweet little gerbil fall sick owing to something you could prevent, right?

You can easily attain this goal by making sure your gerbil drinks clean water all the time. Replace the water frequently, preferably every couple of days. It will give you an assurance that your gerbil has easy access to clean and drinkable water at his disposal!

  • Check the water level without fail: You might be leading a fast-paced lifestyle. There are chances you forget to refill the bottle. Nonetheless, to make sure your darling gerbil’s diet is accurate, check the water level in the bottle every day!

The following are some of the most popular questions and their answers from gerbil owners:

  • Does a scrambled egg come within the purview of gerbil’s food?

Gerbils love to eat scrambled or boiled eggs. The real problem is, they fail to distinguish a raw egg from a boiled egg. It is interesting to note, eggshells contain minerals and it is appreciated by your gerbil as well. They love them because:

  1. These are crunchy, and
  2. Wears their teeth.

Remember, eggs are not treated as regular foodstuff as they contain too much:

  1. Protein, and
  2. Fat.

Of course, you do enjoy full freedom to offer eggs as an ideal snack once or twice a week.

  • What is the frequency of feeding a gerbil?

You will be required to feed them daily. It aids them to sustain in the long run. Make sure that your feeding does not cause any adverse consequences. For instance, you ought to avoid feeding them daily items like:

  1. Fat, or
  2. Sugary contents such as seeds, nuts, and fruits.

When you feed them such best gerbil food every day, very soon they end up becoming obese and fat. In addition, they have an uncanny habit of hoarding. The more they get, the more they hoard and the more they become obese!

  • How about grass? Can they eat them?

Well, they do not eat grass but eat seeds of

  1. Different grasses.
  2. Bulbs, and
  3. Kinds of herbs and leaves.
  • Do gerbils eat chicken too?

Gerbils are omnivores and they enjoy eating chicken. Fortunately, chickens are low on fat and high on proteins. This takes them to the perfect category of lean meat. This is welcome news for you as it will not make your gerbil very fat!

  • Will your gerbil eat lettuce?

Yes, it does fit into the definition of something edible and gerbils do eat it. However, bear in mind that it has high water content. This may at times throw off the digestion system of your gerbil totally out of gear. Instead of offering it as a portion of regular food, you can use it as a wonderful gerbil treat.

  • What do gerbils prefer to eat?

Well, there is no concrete list as such in this regard. They relish eating a wide number of foods. For instance, on a given day, they would love to eat plant-based foods and vice-versa.

However, when it comes to the list of the food items they prefer, this will include:

  • Sunflower seeds.
  • Dried fruits like raisins or cranberries.
  • Whole grain.
  • Whole wheat pieces of bread.
  • Fruits and vegetables.
  • Various kinds of nuts, cheeses (small amounts).

Control the number of treats you are giving

Yes, like any other pet owner, you also get pleasure from offering treats to your lovely gerbil. There is nothing unusual about it.

However, make sure you keep a tab on the number of treats you are offering.

In case you are baffled at deciding what to give, opt for the safest mode! Give them more veggies and fruits as they are natural and healthy treats.

At times, commercial treats do become an integral part of your gerbil’s diet. However, make sure to offer them in small fractions. Some treats contain extra fat.

This will enhance the chances of your gerbil getting overweight. You can always save them for special occasions.

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Feed your gerbil in the perfect manner

Yes, there are several ways to feed your gerbil. However, some of them do produce wonderful results, while others don’t. Go for the ones that make it easy to feed and are appreciated by your gerbil as well.

  • Go for a heavy crock made of ceramic: It will not give enough scope to your gerbil to chew or tip over. When it comes to the placement of the pelleted diet of lab blocks, take the rightful measures, including:
  1. Place it in the dish.
  2. Add a small amount of seed mixture.
  3. With time, you get aware of how much your gerbil eats. Feed them approximately the same quantity every 24 hours.
  4. Make sure to remove all uneaten food before you decide to feed them again.
  5. Once you get an idea about the timing when your gerbil eats wholeheartedly, establish a routine. This will ensure your gerbil does not go hungry. Feeding at the same time every day is the best move.
  6. Always use a separate bowl to feed and treat them.
  7. Prevent instances of spoilage by removing uneaten items every couple of hours.
  8. Choose to feed treats with your own hand. It helps to develop a better connection with your gerbil. It will serve you twin purposes – you win his trust and will aid you to tame them to perfection.

Know the inside story of the human foods they love to eat

Gerbils are very friendly and love to spend quality time with their owner. Seize this opportunity to share a snack together.

Being omnivorous gives you a number of the best gerbil food options to try. This means you do not have to restrict your choices to mere vegetables and fruits alone.

Instead, they can enjoy small quantities of:

  • Cheese.
  • Cooked egg.
  • Yogurt.
  • Cooked.
  • Unseasoned chicken.
  • Turkey or
  • Fish.

Of course, never give them chocolates as it might cause harm to them!

Feeding your gerbil a balanced diet is a brilliant decision

Like humans, even your gerbil requires enough vitamins and nutrients. This will ensure they remain strong and healthy throughout their lifetime.

Yes, the market is flooded with a number of alternatives. However, not all gerbil foods are equally healthy and beneficial.

This makes it necessary for you to explore the option to offer your gerbil a balanced diet.

Give preference to foods high in terms of nutrients and vitamins. Ideally, opt for organic foods as they are considered to be healthier.

Give preference to natural whole foods that are immensely helpful for regulating their digestive system.

Similar to the proper selection of foods, the feeding mechanism you adopt plays an instrumental role in their upbringing.

For example, layout the gerbil food in the best possible manner.

Likewise, give them adequate quantity giving special emphasis to the quantity recommended on the food package.

Monitor the intake of your gerbil and keep adjusting the quantum suitably. Non-regulating instances of overfeeding will lead to obesity in your gerbil.

Ensure the gerbil food has the proper mixture of nutrients.

Giving your gerbil the best food that money can buy is entirely different from giving them nutritious food.

Ensure it is a nutritious diet. Settle for something that provides enough:

  • Protein.
  • Fat.
  • Low fiber.
  • Lots of vitamins and
  • Minerals.

Opt for a proper mixture of nutrients as it can assure your gerbil sound health.

Avoid giving them too many treats daily. Instead, use them judiciously and sparingly.

For example, you can offer them treats to:

  • Create bonding opportunities and
  • For training purposes.

It is noteworthy, depriving them of their favorite treats can also have adverse health consequences. For instance, they fail to receive vital nutrients that in turn prohibit optimum health for your gerbil.

Give efforts to make health swaps for them. It includes:

  • Give them pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds since the latter is high in fat.

Foods that you ought to avoid

Gerbils can not process certain categories of foods. Avoid giving them these foods. These are toxic and dangerous. It includes items like:

  • Onions.
  • Beans.
  • Hubarb.
  • Chocolate.
  • Citrus fruits.

Give your gerbil plenty of opportunities to gnaw and chew

Gerbils are well known for being highly energetic and active. They require constant engagement.

Apart from needing a lot of climbing features you ought to make sufficient arrangements so that they can gnaw and chew as well.

Wrapping Up!

It’s a very wonderful decision that you have decided to be a proud owner of a gerbil. The onus to ensure its safe health lies entirely on you.

Go for the best go-to diet and gerbil foods. Make the perfect choice of gerbil food to deter it from picky eating.

Give them nutritionally delicious complete daily food. Opt for gerbil foods that are 100% preservative-free and have an accurate blend of all-natural ingredients.

It will permit your gerbil to accomplish their nutritional needs and relish their tiny mealtime.

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