Success with fruits and veggies?

[alleyj]

I must have the royal king and queens of gerbil land because they turn their noses up at almost every fresh food I give them! They eat Oxbow Healthy Handfuls very well and some Vitakraft goodies but of course I like to give them some variety with healthy fruits and veggies they can have.

However I am getting tired of getting them things that they refuse to touch. Has anyone had any luck with a certain food that the gerbils inhale?

They like dandelions, broccoli, kale and the occasional carrot or apple. My boy is a much better eater than the girls in this regard, the girls only really like dandelions.

They won't touch mint, parsley, lettuce, pear, strawberry... They aren't too keen on honey and nut treats.

Maybe some grass would be nice? They love honey and milk treats, barley treats and will eat dried papaya after some inspecting. 

I just get a kick out of how picky they are with toys and food. What a kingdom I have to cater to!

[Nightingale]

Have you tried peas? Mocha often leaves bits of the skin but otherwise she loves them. What about blueberries? A little bit of cucumber or bell pepper perhaps? EDIT: Also, beetroot!



And have you seen this list? It's a list of safe foods for gerbils. Might give you some ideas... EDIT: And this is the not safe list. Dandelion is on it.



Not veggies, but I like to give mine small amounts of pasta on occasion (and they'll steal entire pieces from my plate if I'm not careful), and they get a little bit of plain yoghurt once or twice a year, which they also adore.

[crittercrazy]

I had a gerbil once who loved spinach. And she liked grapes. But other then that she refused to eat anything veggie or fruit related.

[rennmaus]

Have you tried blueberries?

(Half a berry is plenty for one portion for one gerb)

[betty]

I do find that a few of the gerbs including the younger ones are more likely to eat something new if it is cut in half - a lot of them don't like the initial skin part - like grapes - if it's in pieces they snatch it up, but I get whole grapes left in some tanks?

Mini sweetcorns go down well with my lot, and pea pods, as well as fresh banana and raw sprouts and most other things you have tried, ooh and carrot tops.

Mine also get a lot of things from my allotment, so seeded grasses, herbs and tasty weeds like plantain and shepherds purse, as well as fruit leaves and stems - like strawberry leaves and raspberry leaves and canes.

They also get tree leaves too like fresh hawthorn and ash leaves, as well as their stems along with others like willow etc.

[woodsmoke]

i get my boys some dried fruit and veg that i mix in with there food, they love it. Anything to wet and they turn there little noses up at it!

[xtra]

I just did a quick apple test on one of my gerbils (the only one not sleeping XD). Cut out a very small piece of apple without skin, a piece only the size of his paw and he chewed on it happily with eyes closed. so that must have been a success by grays standards XD

[ninestone]

fresh spinach!

[alleyj]

Jul 7, 2014 19:10:07 GMT -8 Nightingale said:

Have you tried peas? Mocha often leaves bits of the skin but otherwise she loves them. What about blueberries? A little bit of cucumber or bell pepper perhaps? EDIT: Also, beetroot!



And have you seen this list? It's a list of safe foods for gerbils. Might give you some ideas... EDIT: And this is the not safe list. Dandelion is on it.



Not veggies, but I like to give mine small amounts of pasta on occasion (and they'll steal entire pieces from my plate if I'm not careful), and they get a little bit of plain yoghurt once or twice a year, which they also adore.

I read that dandelion is okay as long as it's pesticide free. I'll keep that in mind though - they don't get them too often. Pasta sounds so cute!

[Nightingale]

I read that dandelion is okay as long as it's pesticide free. I'll keep that in mind though - they don't get them too often. Pasta sounds so cute!

Ah, I see, sorry for not checking. That's okay then. And yes, pasta is a very cute snack. Especially like half or a quarter of a spaghetti strand because of the way they'll grab it in their paws. I like to give them a few grains of rice now and then, also, and that's cute too. ^_^

[BoxRAddict]

Fruits: They don't like too much, except banana chips.
Veggies: Carrots, broccoli, spinach leaves, are among their favorites especially the spinach leaves.

Non-fruit or veggie: Absolute favorite is Gerber Graduate Puffs. These have been a favorite treat among hamster owners, but they're a huge hit with my gerbils too. Other than that timothy hay, and dried insects.

I feed sunflower seeds as treats, too, and nuts since their mix (Gerri Gerbil) doesn't have it I give 1-3 sunflower seeds to each weekly.

[qtoffer]

Just be careful with the amounts of fresh fruits and veggies that you offer. They contain a lot of water, and too much can cause diarrhea. That said, getting your gerbils used to eating fruits and veggies as treats may save their lives later if they ever become so ill that they stop drinking from the water bottle. Offer fruit and veggie pieces no larger than what they can comfortably hold in both paws - no more than once or twice in a single day.

My girls love blueberries, strawberries, apple, pear, white grape, red grape, carrot, cucumber + seeds, and summer squash + seeds (cut into small manageable pieces). They love frozen peas that have been microwaved and allowed to cool. They won't touch citrus - too watery for them anyway. I haven't tried broccoli, bell pepper, or spinach yet.

[hannah4049]

My gerbil is pretty fussy about fruits and vegetables, but absolutely loves raspberries! He would eat a whole berry if I let him! I think it might be because of all the little seeds in it. But that's just a guess as he doesn't react to any other fruit this way, even strawberry which also has many tiny seeds.

[blockhead]

Mine seem to like most if not all fruits, but the same can't be said for all veggies. I think my gerbils like more drier fruits because they tend to turn down anything too moist.

[alleyj]

We did some more experimenting and Red ate blueberries and bok choy. I may try gerber puffs that sounds so cute!! I think the girls ate mint as well as Red but they're so much more picky it's crazy.