Gerbil Nutrition
Food
A good premixed gerbil food is recommended. It is easy to get the right combination of protein, minerals, vitamins, and bulk. Sunflower seeds tend to be very high in fat, and, therefore, are fattening. A good idea is to pick out the sunflower seeds and hand feed them to your gerbils over the course of the day. This has a double benefit. First, no one gerbil hoards them and gets too fat. Second, it is an excellent way to hand tame and bond with your gerbils.
Follow these general guidelines:
Gerbil age/situationProteinFatNon-breeding12% 7%
Older 2+ 10.5% 4%
Breeders 15.5% 8%
Food can be placed directly on the bedding in the center of the tank allowing the gerbils to forage. Food can also be served in small ceramic dishes sold at stores, or made out of small cat food or tuna cans. Most gerbils will bury their food dish in their bedding. This is their way of protecting it from other gerbils. Don't worry they will be able to find it with no problem.
Treat
If you want to give your gerbils a treat, try things like Cheerios and Rice Krispies cereals (nothing with artificial flavor, sugar, or marshmallow). They also enjoy the occasional peanut, but those are very fatty. They also like an apple, carrot, and lettuce, but remove it after one day and don't give it to them too often. You might want to give a large piece (say half an apple) to gnaw on for a few hours then remove it. Small pieces can get lost in the bedding and rot.
Fruit and vegetables that are safe to feed a gerbil are:
- Apple (seedless)
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Cauliflower leaves and stalks
- Cucumber
- Lettuce - small amounts occasionally - in excess it can cause liver problems
- Parsley - a good tonic
- Kidney Beans (raw)
- Onion
- Potato (raw)
- Potato tops
- Rhubarb (raw)
- Rhubarb leaves
- Tomato leaves