Gerbils will eat an assortment of foods but they tend to be partial towards plants. If you have a pet gerbil you will want to give it different foods so that it will continue to enjoy them. Just like humans, gerbils can bet easily bored with the same foods time and time again. You can choose to buy foods that are offered from the pet store or give your gerbil some common items around your home.

Seeds make a very good meal or snack for gerbils. This includes sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Some gerbils like to eat peanuts as well but you want to limit them due to the salt. Some people even give their gerbils dog food and dog treats so that they don’t end up buying separate food items for their pets.

To provide them with plenty of nutrients you can give them the peels to your bananas and oranges. Apple peels can help gerbils with their need to chew as well for healthy teeth. If they don’t have something to chew on their teeth can grow too long and they can cause them some severe pain. They may enjoy a handful of grass or weeds from your yard on occasion as well. Make sure you don’t feed them anything that has been sprayed with fertilizer or weed killer.

It is a good idea to give your gerbil some fresh insects to eat as well. This can be grasshoppers you collect in the yard or crickets. Many pet stores also sell them for a very low price. You need to limit what you feed your gerbil though daily as if you put it out for them they will consume it. Don’t get into the habit of refilling their bowl all day long.

You will need to do some experimenting to discover what it is that your particular gerbil enjoys. There may be some foods they don’t like at all and others they gobble up instantly. Only introduce one new food at a time though. This way if your gerbil has a reaction to it you will know what caused it. You can feed this type of pet on a low budget though so that is nice as well.