Fruits & Vegetables for Gerbils

Wild gerbils forage on a variety of seeds, nuts and plants. Domesticated gerbil mix is formulated to mimic the nutritional requirements of the wild gerbil. Pre-formulated gerbil mixes, pellets and lab blocks take the guess work out of feeding. However, introducing fruits and vegetables into your gerbil's diet can add variety and serve as a special treat.

  1. Safe Fruits and Vegetables

    • Some of the fruit and vegetable choices that can safely be added to your gerbil's diet are apple slices (without seeds), broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots, berries and parsley.

    Unsafe Fruits and Vegetables

    • Not all fruits and vegetables are beneficial to the gerbil, and some are actually toxic. Avoid raw kidney beans, rhubarb, tomato leaves, onions and raw potatoes, including the tops. Too much lettuce can damage a gerbil's liver and should be fed in moderation. Nuts and sunflower seeds, which are high in fat content, should be limited as well. Monitor your gerbil and cut back on high fat content foods if necessary.

    How to Feed Fruits and Vegetables

    • Once armed with a list of safe fruits and vegetables, it is important to know how to feed the gerbil. Fruits and vegetables should be introduced slowly into the diet. They can cause diarrhea if fed too frequently or in too great a quantity. Offer fruits and vegetables two or three times a week for the first few weeks. If the gerbil experiences diarrhea, immediately cut back and feed only what your gerbil can tolerate. All fruits and vegetables not consumed within a few hours should be removed from the cage to prevent rotting.

    Fun Facts

    • The gerbil is indigenous to Asia and can be found in Mongolia, north China, south Siberia, Sin-Kiang and Manchuria. In 1935, 20 pairs of Mongolian gerbils were captured and brought to a research lab in Berlin. By the early 1950s, 11 pairs were brought to another research lab in the United States. Some of the research assistants and lab technicians grew fond of the little rodents and took some of them home as pets. Thus began the domestication of gerbils as a family friendly pet. The vast majority of all gerbils found in pet stores today originated from the 20 pairs captured in 1935.