Gerbil Care

Digg

Del.icio.us

Stumble

Gerbil Care

By: April Metroulas

Pages 1 2

Section: Feeding

Gerbils are herbivores. In the wild, they live on a diet of seeds, fruits, and vegetables. They should be fed a diet that is between 16 percent and 22 percent protein. Pellets should be the main staple of your gerbils' diet. Gerbil pellets, hamster pellets, or any pellet diet for rodents will be suitable. These are available in most pet stores.

Your gerbils' diet can be supplemented with dry oatmeal, raisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and fresh vegetables. Sunflower seeds are very high in fat and should be limited. The pellets should be fed in a chew-proof food bowl.

Young gerbils begin to eat at around 15 days of age. They should be offered the same diet as adults, except softened with water. It's a good idea to feed your gerbils several meals, as opposed to a lot of food at once. Gerbils have a tendency to overeat and can bloat. Bloat is life threatening, but can easily be avoided.

Always have fresh water available and adding a commercial vitamin will keep your pet healthy. Gerbils consume about 1 teaspoon of water per day, but may drink less if supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables. Sipper bottles are a great way to supply plenty of water and are available at most pet stores. Just make sure that the water supply is accessible. Water supply should be changed daily, and the bottle should be cleaned.

Pages 1 2

Printable Version

Digg

Del.icio.us

Stumble

Share this Article with a Friend Email To:

Have a Pet Question?

Review the Most Frequent Questions
Answered by Dr. Jon and His Staff of Veterinarians

Dr. Jon's Newsletter

Yes! Send Me the Latest Health Information, Pet Tips, Pet Stories and more...

Search Over 15,000 articles

1 Having Fun with Your Gerbil
Gerbils are social and curious creatures by nature. If your pet gerbil were a member of your family, he would be your tag-along little brother: the one who’s always interested in what you are doing and...
Read More
2 Gerbil Behavior
Gerbils are excellent small pets for children because they are naturally curious and social animals and do not bite people unless scared or mishandled. Gerbils are clean and relatively odorless additions...
Read More
3 Making a Great Bed for Your Gerbil
Gerbils love to burrow and, of course, to sleep. It’s up to you to provide them with the best materials, but the choices aren’t easy. Here’s what you need to know to create a fun and cozy environment for...
Read More
4 Choosing a Fat-Tailed Gerbil
If any pet could play the part of the dormouse in Alice in Wonderland, it would be the fat-tailed gerbil or duprasi, a sleepy, chubby, distant relative of the more common Mongolian gerbil.
Read More
5 Choosing a Gerbil
Relatively unknown in the pet world until the 1950s, the gerbil has become the first pet of choice in homes and school classrooms around the world.
Read More

Over 10,000 Veterinarian Approved Articles

Dogs & Puppies

Dog Breeds

labrador retriever, golden retriever, yorkshire terriers, german shepherds, beagle, boxers

Dog Medication

dog allergy medication, dog pain medication, dog anxiety medication, dog flea medication

Dog Products

dog bowls, dog crates, dog toys, dog beds, dog ramps, dog food storage, dog tags

Dog Symptoms

dog vomiting, dog limping, dog diarrhea, dog bad breath, dog coughing, dog seizures

Dog Health

dog cancer, dog diabetes, dog epilepsy, dog hip dysplasia, dog health, sick dog

Dog Care

dog vaccination, dog microchipping, dog grooming, dog neutering, dog spaying, dogs mating

Dog Training

dog aggression, dog barking, dog chewing, dog behavior, dog jumping, dog whisperer

Dog Pictures

puppy pictures, funny dogs, cute dogs, dog breeds, sleeping dogs, silly dogs, small dogs

Cats

Cat Breeds

persian, siamese cats, devon rex, ragdoll cats, sphynx, maine coon cat

Cat Medication

cat flea medication, cat heartworm control, cat tick medications

Cat Products

cat litter box, cat food, cat bed, cat flea collar, cat carrier, cat urine odor

Cat Symptoms

cat vomiting, cat limping, cat diarrhea, cat bad breath, cat coughing

Cat Health

cat health, cat liver cancer, cat diabetes, cat scratch fever, cat aids, sick cat

Cat Care

cat vaccination, cat grooming, cat microchipping, cat neutering, cat spaying

Cat Behavior

cat urine marking, cat furniture scratching, cat litterbox training, cat toilet training, cat fears

Cat Pictures

cute cats, funny cats, playful cats, fat cats, jumping cats, lazy cats, sleeping cats, cute kittens

1Choosing a Fat-Tailed Gerbil
If any pet could play the part of the dormouse in Alice in Wonderland, it would be the fat-tailed gerbil or duprasi, a sleepy, chubby, distant relative of the more common Mongolian gerbil.
Read More
2Choosing a Gerbil
Relatively unknown in the pet world until the 1950s, the gerbil has become the first pet of choice in homes and school classrooms around the world.
Read More
3Gerbil Behavior
Gerbils are excellent small pets for children because they are naturally curious and social animals and do not bite people unless scared or mishandled. Gerbils are clean and relatively odorless additions...
Read More
4Having Fun with Your Gerbil
Gerbils are social and curious creatures by nature. If your pet gerbil were a member of your family, he would be your tag-along little brother: the one who’s always interested in what you are doing and...
Read More
5Making a Great Bed for Your Gerbil
Gerbils love to burrow and, of course, to sleep. It’s up to you to provide them with the best materials, but the choices aren’t easy. Here’s what you need to know to create a fun and cozy environment for...
Read More

Gerbil Care

Gerbil Care

Related Articles

Over 10,000 Veterinarian Approved Articles

"Gerbil Care"

To view the requested article, please register below.

Success! - You Are Now Part of the Petplace Family!