How do you make my gerbils healthy?

Gerbils are omnivores who enjoy a wide variety of seeds, fruits, vegetables, and insects. Commercial pellet mixes provide your gerbils with the nutrients they need. A proper selection of natural produce can be a healthy alternative to store-bought mixes, a tasty treat, or a supplement to their conventional diet.

1. How do I keep my gerbil healthy?
2. What is the healthiest food for gerbils?
3. What should a healthy gerbil look like?
4. Do gerbils like to swim?
5. Do gerbils need hay?
6. What is a gerbils favorite treat?
7. Can gerbils eat peanut butter?
8. Can gerbils eat chicken?
9. Is my gerbil blind?
10. Do gerbils like the cold?
11. How can you tell if a gerbil is dehydrated?
12. Do gerbils need a sand bath?
13. What makes gerbils happy?
14. How do you tell if a gerbil is stressed?

How do I keep my gerbil healthy?

Pelleted food is the mainstay of a gerbil's diet; refresh pellets daily and always keep the gerbil's food dish three-quarters full. Feed gerbils dark leafy greens every other day; and apple, banana, melon, or other appropriate fruits once a week. Gerbils should have access to fresh, clean water at all times.

What is the healthiest food for gerbils?

Give them plenty of variety - fruit (such as pear, melon, apple, oranges) and vegetables (such as cucumber, carrot, pumpkin and fennel) can be used to supplement your gerbils' food pellets. Pumpkin seeds are a healthy treat. Gerbils like to sit up and hold pieces of food to gnaw.

What should a healthy gerbil look like?

Signs of a healthy gerbil

Your gerbil should have a shiny coat and fur covering on his tail. A happy gerbil will be active and playful – any listlessness, limping, matted fur or hairless patches on the tail could be a sign that you should get him to the vet. ... Finally, your gerbil's bottom should be clean and dry.

Do gerbils like to swim?

Gerbils dislike swimming. They won't play games in water like other animals, although they can swim in an emergency. There aren't many streams and lakes in the gerbil's natural habitat, so they aren't good swimmers. They use the doggy paddle to swim, and they'll do anything they can to get out of the water.

Do gerbils need hay?

Gerbils love to burrow, climb, dig and explore. ... Gerbils love to chew on the hay and move it around during playtime. Keep at least two of these Oxbow varieties of grass hay on hand: Western Timothy, Orchard Grass, Alfalfa Hay, Brome Hay, Botanical Hay and Oat Hay.

What is a gerbils favorite treat?

So, what treats do gerbils love? Fruits make a safe and healthy treat, including strawberries, berries, bananas, apples, and raisins. Vegetable treats include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, lettuce, peas, pumpkin, and tomatoes.

Can gerbils eat peanut butter?

The quick answer, yes. Peanut butter is perfectly safe for gerbils to consume. There is a tremendous amount of misinformation about peanut butter and gerbils on the internet. Gerbils can eat peanuts.

Can gerbils eat chicken?

Gerbils can eat chicken and will enjoy it. It contains lots of protein but not much fat. Chicken is lean meat, which means that it's not going to fatten your gerbil too much.

Is my gerbil blind?

How to Tell if a Gerbil is Blind. The lighter your gerbil's eye color, the higher the chance that its vision will be impaired. If your gerbil has dark red or 'wine' colored eyes, its vision probably isn't impaired at all.

Do gerbils like the cold?

Gerbils, quite simply, do not function well in cold temperatures. ... To keep your gerbil happy and healthy, think somewhere between 65 and 75 degrees, according to the Small Animal Channel. If the temperature ever hits a low of around 55 degrees, then it's just too cold for your gerbil, full stop.

How can you tell if a gerbil is dehydrated?

If gerbils go longer than 24 hours without water they will start to show signs of dehydration. You may see them licking the wall of an aquarium or other surfaces trying to lick up moisture. They may dig under their water bottle, bang it around, or chew on it.

Do gerbils need a sand bath?

Instead of bathing gerbils in water as you would a human, gerbils need 'sand baths'. Sand baths involve the gerbil rolling around in a small pot of sand, an activity which looks rather strange but actually gives the animal a chance to give its fur a good scrub and to free itself of dirt.

What makes gerbils happy?

Gerbils need lots of exercise to be happy, and an exercise wheel is a great way to provide them with that. Make sure that the wheel does not have any openings that may cause your gerbil's tail to get caught. Give your gerbil a nice enclosed place to sleep.

How do you tell if a gerbil is stressed?

Thumping. This is something gerbils do when they are excited or stressed, as a warning to other gerbils. 1 The thumping is produced by pounding both hind legs on the ground.