Mary Allen
Food keeps you fit: This applies to the gerbil. Too much is unhealthy, but you can still spoil your gerbils with culinary delights. Gerbils do not have a fixed feeding time. Gerbils eat at different times of the day, about eight meals a day. This is why it is important that you keep your gerbils constantly supplied with food. But what is on the gerbil’s menu? We’ll tell you everything about the nutrition of your gerbil.
Gerbil Feed as the Basis of Nutrition
Gerbils are fed in a very similar way to hamsters. A good basis is gerbil feed, which you can get in your Fressnapf store. The small rodents gladly accept the grain mixture – but you should also supplement it with fresh hay, herbs, and some juice feed. You should buy the hay in your Fressnapf store so that you can be sure that it does not contain any poisonous plants. A few grains of corn, a few carrots, a small piece of apple: the gerbil likes it! But be careful not to feed too much acid or to give bloating fruits or vegetables. Every now and then a treat from your Fressnapf store is allowed. Use it sparingly, otherwise, your slim gerbil will soon get bacon rolls.
You can also feed sunflower seeds as a fine bite in between, but here too the motto is everything in moderation! If there are too many kernels, gerbils can easily spoil their stomachs – and they also make them fat. If your animals become sluggish, you have to feed more green fodder and fewer nuts.
Not Pure Vegetarians
Just like the hamster, the gerbil is not a pure vegetarian. Now and then she has no objection to a few animal proteins, for example in the form of quark, hard-boiled egg, dry cat food or mealworms. You can also offer your gerbil branches from unsprayed fruit trees, these help to keep the teeth short and are also used for employment.
What Gerbils Drink
When it comes to keeping gerbils, you should know that some gerbils drink very little. Especially if you eat a lot of greens. However, of course, you always have to provide them with fresh water. This works best with a rodent self-drink or a drinking bottle. You have to clean them regularly, which also applies to the cage: Always remove old, rotten food so that the animals don’t spoil their stomachs.
The Rule of Thumb for Food
By the way, the rule of thumb for every gerbil is: give her a teaspoon of grain feed, once or twice a day, varied servings of salad, vegetables, or fruit, and now and then a small treat from your hand. So you have the best overview!