A healthy diet for gerbils

Make sure your gerbils have a healthy diet

Facts

• Gerbils must always have access to clean fresh water.
   
• Gerbils naturally eat seeds of various grasses, bulbs and a range of leaves and herbs.
   
• Gerbils love to hoard food in large stores. In the wild, gerbils may hoard up to 1.5kg of grain in one store!
   
• They like to sit up and hold pieces of food to gnaw.
   

Things you should do

• Make sure that there is always fresh, clean drinking water available, in a drinking bottle with a metal sipper tube and check the water bottle daily for leaks and/or blockages.
   
• Change their water regularly and clean the bottle and nozzle properly.
   
• Make sure that you provide a good quality, balanced diet especially for gerbils, containing all the nutrients and minerals your gerbils need. This may be a compound pelleted ration or a mixture of different seeds; commercial rations are formulated to meet their biological needs. Follow the manufacturer’s guidance for how much to feed.
   
• Scattering the food directly on the surface of the bedding helps prevent squabbling and is also enriching to the animals by giving them foraging opportunities.
   
• For variety, fruit (pear, melon, apple, oranges) and vegetables (cucumber, carrot, pumpkin and fennel) can be used to supplement your gerbils ration. Do not give your pets’ grapes or rhubarb as these are poisonous to rodents.
   
• Avoid giving excessive amounts of certain seeds (e.g. sunflower) as they are fatty and can cause obesity. Pumpkin seeds are a healthier treat.
   
• As gerbils hoard food, the gerbilarium needs to be checked daily to remove any stale food items.
   
• Do not make sudden dietary changes, or allow food to become stale, as this can upset your gerbil’s stomach.
   
• Monitor daily how much your gerbils eat and drink. If food consumption or water intake increases or decreases from the level normal for your pets, the faeces become moist or your pets’ hind-quarters become soiled, take them to your vet straight away.