What diet should I feed my gerbil?
- Mongolian gerbils' diet in the wild consists of seeds, grains, roots, leaves and stems. A proprietary gerbil mix containing sunflower seeds, wheat, maize, millet, oats and barley attempt to imitate this diet
- This mixed seeds diet should be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables, such as banana, apple, carrot, lettuce etc.
- Wild plants, such as dandelion, shepherd's purse, groundsel, chickweed and plantain can be fed, but all fresh food must be washed thoroughly, as gerbils are very sensitive to insecticides etc.
- Animal proteins can be given in small amounts. Examples include small amounts of hard-boiled eggs, cheese, milk powder, meat, cat or dog food
- Extra carbohydrates such as baked bread and dog biscuits can be given and they are useful to satisfy a gerbil's gnawing needs
- Any new food must be introduced gradually in small quantities
- Gerbils are also very fond of sunflower seeds. These have high fat and low calcium content. An excessive amount of these seeds can cause calcium deficiency that can lead to fractures. Obesity is also common in gerbils fed large quantities of sunflower seeds so sunflower seeds should therefore make up no more than 10% of the daily diet
- If you feed peanuts, make sure they are of good quality. Mouldy peanuts may contain aflatoxins that can cause fatal liver damage in gerbils
As long as a varied diet is fed, and the gerbil has no special needs, a well balanced diet should be sufficient in itself.
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