Can Gerbils Eat This?

[brittgerbillover]

Can gerbils eat strawberries or rasberries? Is it healthy for them? I want to feed my gerbils them so that they will heal. Also, can I feed them fried eggs?

[belldandy]

yea they are fine just give them small slivers and watch to make sure they eat it all.. any they dont eat take out and trowaway you dont want them eating rotten fruit or get flies..
but make you you dont give them to many fruits cause they will get diariaha.. id give em a peice everyother day a small piece like a blueberry <an other great treat> size.

[m0mmy2011]

Heres what I do. I make a fresh small bowl of fruit and salad for them daily ( and I do mean daily because if you do not change it daily it will get nasty and spoil easily ). I get some regular romaine lettuce at the grocery store, some whole wheat crackers, grapes, strawberries, bananas, carots, cucmbers and squash and chop them up ( they dont have to be super small I just half the strawberries and grapes ) and put it in a medium sized ceramic bowl ( so they dont chew the bowl ). They LOVE IT !!

[m0mmy2011]

Might I add though, that my adult gerbils just got done breeding and they have 8 babies so i'm trying to make sure that they get an awesome diet and are healthy as can be so the mother can take proper care of the babies.

If your trying to get your gerbils back in good health especially since it was from a fight ( I would try the split cage system and make sure they have fresh bedding and plenty of love as well as a quiet environment such as your bedroom or closet ( which is where I keep my breeding pair ). I'm no expert but I'm on these boards 6-7 times a day and absolutely LOVE taking care of my gerbils ! Good luck and message me if you need some advice. Johanne is great at giving advice. I love talking to her as well as Doug and a couple other moderators..

[brittgerbillover]

Thank you belldandy and I will try that m0mmy2010, thanks!

[racammann]

I would limit fresh fruit & veg to 2-3 times a week only. Gerbils don't eat such a moist diet in the wild and aren't adapted to it so it may give them dodgy tummies. The best things you can give pregnant, nursing and poorly gerbils that just need a boost, is lots of seeds and nuts, these are high in protein and energy.
Suggest things like flaked almonds, oats, millet, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, unsalted & unflavoured peanuts and cashews, pecans, pine nuts, raisins and sultanas. You can also feed them grains and cereals, but watch the sugar and salt content. Organic granola is good.

I wouln't give them fried eggs, but hard boiled or scrambled with nothing added is fine. You can also give them plain roast chicken, again with nothing on it.

[racammann]

I would limit fresh fruit & veg to 2-3 times a week only. Gerbils don't eat such a moist diet in the wild and aren't adapted to it so it may give them dodgy tummies. The best things you can give pregnant, nursing and poorly gerbils that just need a boost, is lots of seeds and nuts, these are high in protein and energy.
Suggest things like flaked almonds, oats, millet, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, unsalted & unflavoured peanuts and cashews, pecans, pine nuts, raisins and sultanas. You can also feed them grains and cereals, but watch the sugar and salt content. Organic granola is good.

I wouln't give them fried eggs, but hard boiled or scrambled with nothing added is fine. You can also give them plain roast chicken, again with nothing on it.

[m0mmy2011]

Thats really wierd because I've read that in the wild they are omnivorous animals

[seabreezegerbil]

Yes they are omnivorous, but they don't eat a lot of green leaves and such (there isn't much of that in the desert, lol). Their diet in the wild is insects, seeds, ect.

[racammann]

They need a diet that is very high in protein but fairly low in fat, which is why chicken and egg is good. They come from the mongolian & gobi desert where there aren't lush green leaves and lots of juicy fruits. They probably like them and will eat them but don't give them too much because they will get diarrhoea. Mine get a broccoli stalk once a week and that's it. If I think they need a dietary boost I will give them some hard boiled egg white and the things I mentioned above, sunflower seeds etc.

[cheekygerbils]

I read this thread earlier and had no idea you could feed your Gerbils chicken. Well we had chicken for our lunch today and I gave all 3 gerbs a small piece each and they went crazy for it. This is definitley their new fav treat

[esztershine]

Ha ha ha.... mealworms, boiled egg, cheese, chicken... They must be on the RATKINS diet ;D

[cheekygerbils]

Ha ha ha! Fester could do with a diet, he's a wee chubster! I'm going to have to be more strict with his treats. All he has to do is look at me with those big eyes and I give in and give him extra Mogey and Mary only eat what they require but Fester really loves his grub!

[esztershine]

I know it is hard to say no. Perhaps you could convince Fester to run 10 sofa lengths before giving him a treat?

[cheekygerbils]

I think I will try that, I'll need to make a contraption where I can dangle a pea or cornflake in front of him to make him move quicker! He is definitely the slob of the gerbil world