Gerbils are omnivores, eating seeds, vegetation, fruit, and meat. They also scavenge in their natural habitat, hunting for fresh food sources. Like many prey animals, gerbils live on seeds, grasses, bulbs, insects, and fruits. These foods are also essential to their survival. Read on to find out more about what gerbils eat in the wild and how you can feed your pet!
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Seeds
When you consider what a gerbil eats in the wild, you’ll notice that seeds make up a large part of the diet. Grains and plant roots are high in carbohydrates, but seeds contain plenty of fat and protein. These nutrients are essential for gerbils, as they can become very sick if they don’t get enough of them. While commercial gerbil food mixes contain seeds, you can also include extra amounts.
Although gerbils mostly live off of insects, they supplement their diet with plant material as well. Most gerbils are found in arid areas, so they can thrive on grasses, seeds, and grains, as well as some roots and berries. Sesame seeds are particularly nutritious, and pumpkin seeds have less fat than sunflower seeds. Pumpkin seeds, melon seeds, and poppy seeds are also good sources of fiber for gerbils.
Vegetables
You can feed a gerbil fruits and vegetables. These items will provide the essential vitamins and minerals that gerbils need, and they can also maintain a shiny coat. The main problem with cucumber is that it is mostly water and your gerbil may suffer from diarrhea if you give it too much. In addition, it lacks the necessary minerals and vitamins, but it is still a delicious treat for your gerbil. Fresh vegetables and fruits should be removed from your gerbil’s cage four to five hours after you put them in it.
Vegetables and fruits are the best choices for gerbils, but you should avoid giving your pet lettuce and tomatoes because of their bland taste. Gerbils eat insects, too. In the wild, they often feed on mealworms, which are inexpensive and packed with vitamins and minerals. Mealworms are not actually worms; they are the larvae of mealworm beetles. Mealworms are one-inch larvae that contain around the same amount of protein as chicken.
Mealworms
Mealworms are the larvae of the black beetle. They are black and brown in color and rarely fly. Gerbils prefer to feed on mealworms that are live, although some breeds do prefer to consume mealworms that have already pupated. While mealworms do not contain much protein, they are a great source of animal protein for pet gerbils. In addition, crickets contain far less fat and saturated fat than mealworms. You can purchase live crickets at most pet stores or order dried crickets online.
Mealworms are a healthy and easy food source for gerbils. You can purchase them at any pet store, but make sure that they are pesticide-free. If you buy your mealworms from a pet store, they are much safer for your gerbil than insects you find outside. Mealworms are available in boxes of 50 or in bulk.
Eggs
While gerbils in the wild mostly eat eggs, they can also eat a variety of other foods as well, such as meat, dried insects, and even eggs. You can feed your gerbil about a tablespoon of meat or dried insect a day, but you should not overfeed it as this may lead to cannibalism. It is also important to note that some foods are not good for gerbils. They can have diarrhea or deadly toxins, so you must be sure that you don’t feed your gerbil too much of these.
Gerbils are omnivorous and have very high metabolisms, so they require an abundant supply of protein to maintain a healthy body weight. They also require a daily amount of fat to sustain themselves. In the wild, gerbils can hoard up to 1.5 kg of food, and if you bring one home, make sure to remove this food from the cage and make sure it is not stored too long. Otherwise, it will develop a foul odor.
Fruits
As their names suggest, fruits are a very important part of your gerbil’s diet. Not only do they provide vital vitamins, but they also help keep the fur on their bodies clean and active. Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet for humans and your gerbil will benefit from these foods, too. Always keep fresh fruits and vegetables out of their cage for at least four hours.
Although gerbils are classified as omnivores, they primarily stick to a herbivore diet. They eat plants and other vegetable matter, and their diets contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals. In addition to plants, gerbils eat fruits, vegetables, grains, and grass seeds. The variety of foods available to them is quite extensive, and you can give them any type of food they love.
