What flowers are safe?

[haze]

Woo! My first post! Hello all!
Soon to be gerbil owner here. I've been doing some research but can't find much on what flowers are/aren't safe.

I've made a list mostly based on gerbilwelfare.com and from the ingredients of products listed as suitable for gerbils on pets at home.

dandilion
hibiscus
camomile
mallow
safflower
sunflower
rose

Are these all safe? Any more that I can add to the list or any that are unsafe would be greatly appreciated!

I've heard that lavender and similarly strong scented flowers are a bad idea. This made me think that mint would be off the table but I've seen peppermint in a lot of gerbil food. So is mint okay? Just peppermint?

[betty]

Hello and welcome! And what a great first post - something I am trying to learn more about this year.

yes - petals, flower, leaves and roots (wouldn't do the seed head myself but might be fine?)
yes - but I only assume petals for now until I do more research
yes - petals, flowers, leaves and stems (again, not sure on the seed head but most likely fine)
yes - but again only petals for me at the moment until I find out more
yes - again only petals for me at the moment until I find out more (but presume whole plant)
yes - petals, tiny flowers and seeds of course - didn't try the sepals, leaves or stems as quite hard/sharp/crunchy
yes - petals and rose hips only I think - although rose leaves I would be intersted to look up

Mint (including all types) - leaves and stems (not sure about roots or flowers) just in moderation
Pot Marigolds - (I don't feed french marigolds) - the whole plant when fresh including roots - but not the seed heads
Daisy - flowers and a bit of stalk (not sure about leaves or roots)
Cornflower - petals for sure - and maybe leaves and flower heads (not sure)
Nasturtium - the petals, flower heads, leaves and stems
Plantain - both types - leaves, flower head (nubbin) and stalks
Strawberries - leaves, blossom, whole flowers, stems and fruits (I don't feed the runners though for some reason?)
Raspberries - leaves, blossom, whole flowers, stems and fruits and last years hard stems


Lavender is edible, but lavender OILS can be very irritating and possibly toxic. It sends humans to sleep too - so there must be something powerful in it!

Hope that gets you started!

[haze]

Betty you're a star! Thank you!

I'm very much erring on the side of caution but I don't wanna deprive them of interesting foods so this will get me started.

[betty]

You can always go online and look at treats and plants aimed at gerbils and check out the ingredients to see what must be at least ok (otherwise the product would have too many complaints!).

I get a load of my plant things off Zooplus and Rosewood. Burgess and Pillow Wad have started doing some nice ranges too - but there is often an overlap with the main ingredients.

[Markpd]

Plantain as in the weed right? (not the banana variant?).

Oh boy my neighbours and my front lawn are covered in those! I hope my boys like them, might make a dent in their spread!

How many leaves per day would you say is safe to feed them? 1 each?

[betty]

Feed just like you would any other moist fresh food - not enough to upset tummies and go soggy on the bedding - but enough that is is enrichment (if that was what was intended) or just a teeny bit as a treat.

I often put whole plants - root and all in to an enclosure - so they have a decent amount of interation with something new just before cage cleaning out day or whatever (as long I am happy with its source (ie only from my own back garden). People are often wary of bugs from outside becoming a problem, so in those cases - make sure it is dried throughtly first - and washed where possible.

And yes, I mean the weed.

[Markpd]

So it's ok to feed them a whole plant? Or is that for more than 2 gerbils?
Looking to feed it to them as part of their diet (their greens, which I struggle with them on that! ).

[betty]

The whole plant can be given to any number of gerbils - it is the length of time you put it in that is what you gauge it on.

Of course you can strip off leaves if it is a particularly giant one - and 'dry' them for later. I tend to feel ok with putting more dried plants in their enclosure than fresh ones as I suppose that is what meadow hay and mountain hay are all about?

[Markpd]

Err, well I don't know the length of time, but I was wondering whether it was ok to feed them the whole plant in one go. I'm guessing not with a bigger plant?

[betty]

I'm not sure what you are asking there that is different to my original answer, sorry?

Yes it is ok to feed them the whole plant (put the whole plant with flower, stalk, leaves and roots into their enclosure) at the same time - and then they can play with it and choose the bits they want to eat or chew first.

Then after an appropriate length of time, I would remove what is left so they don't eat JUST that all night, and so it doesn't go soggy or get buried or anything.

You can give a giant plant whole if you want of course, or you can strip off leaves if it is a particularly giant one and it takes up too much room.

Is that phrased better?

[Markpd]

You confused me with your 'length of time' statement , at the start I was referring to putting the plantain in the cage and leaving it there.
Anyway, yes got ya now, thanks

[howlingwolf88]

for the daisies would these ones be ok?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Common-Daisy-Bellis-Perennis-approx-x100-seeds-Wild-Flower-10cm/124417526346?hash=item1cf7dcca4a:g:xHcAAOSwL4lbD-Ia

[betty]

They appear to be the ones that grow in gardens - so yes.

Daisys - like some plants - can cause allergic reactions - so start sparingly.

[Markpd]

My boys turned their noises up at plantain in the end, but that was a while ago now so maybe I should try again...

[betty]

Your boys SO are the boss of you!