While you may be asking yourself, “What can a GERBY eat besides gerbil food?” you may be surprised to learn that there are plenty of foods other than gerbil food that your pet will love. These include vegetables, fruits, wholemeal bread, and even cheese. Learn about these foods and how they can benefit your pet. Listed below are some of the best choices for your pet.
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Vegetables
Gerbils like fresh veggies and fruits, but they also enjoy unflavored cereal, cheese, insects, seeds, and wholemeal bread. While dog food is a great choice, gerbils do not need to eat it. Gerbils do not need vitamin C, and the low amount of vitamins and minerals makes cabbage a poor choice. They do, however, enjoy carrots, which keep them busy and help file their teeth.
As long as you do not give too much of any new food to your gerbil, it will adjust to it easily. Try giving them a quarter of their new diet the first week, half the second, and three-quarters of the new diet by the third week. Your gerbil will become used to it in no time! In addition to vegetables, gerbils also love to chew on wood. Be sure to buy wood from a pet store or reliable source. Wood must be free of chemicals and toxins.
Fruits
While fruits like pineapple, oranges, and kiwi are delicious treats for gerbils, you should avoid giving them grass and weeds. These may contain fertilizers and pesticides that will harm your gerbil’s health. A better alternative is gerbil hay. Gerbils enjoy chewing on the tough strands of gerbil hay. You can also feed your gerbil leaf lettuce, butterhead lettuce, or romaine lettuce. These three types of lettuce are the most nutritious, while iceberg lettuce is too high in water and prone to pesticides.
You should always remember to give your gerbil fresh water on a daily basis. If you do not do so, your gerbil could become dehydrated and weak. To help avoid this, you should purchase a water bottle for your gerbil. Also, you can give your gerbil fruits and veggies as treats. However, you must keep in mind that too much of these foods can cause stomach problems for your gerbil.
Wholemeal bread
There are other types of bread that are not suitable for gerbils. White bread can be too stale or mouldy for them. However, wholemeal bread contains fewer calories and more dietary fiber than white bread. Gerbils can also digest wholemeal bread but you need to be careful not to give them any moldy bread. To make it safe for your gerbil, you can buy wholemeal bread and cut it into pieces.
Apart from wholemeal bread, you can also feed your gerbils with fruit and vegetables. Aside from wholemeal bread, gerbils love pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds have minerals that are beneficial for their health. Gerbils eat food by munching and standing up to grab it. Other foods that your gerbil might love include chocolate and citrus fruit. They have a high sugar and fat content, so you should limit them to a few pieces a day.
Cheese
While some people recommend giving their gerbil cheese occasionally, the fact is that it can be unhealthy for your gerbil. While it does contain many important nutrients and minerals, too much cheese may cause your gerbil to become overweight. While cheese is a rich source of protein, it also contains too much fat and protein to be a good choice. Cheese should only be given to your gerbil once a week or so.
While cheese does not contain lactose, it can cause digestive problems for your gerbil. It also contains a lot of fat and can be harmful. Cheese is not toxic to gerbils, but it can cause digestive issues if you give it too much. The problem is that gerbils cannot produce lactase, and this can lead to digestive issues.
