Can gerbils eat sunflower seeds?

Yes, but sparingly. They are high in fat and gerbils will eat them in preference to everything else, so they work far better as an occasional hand-fed treat than as part of the daily bowl.

How much should I feed a gerbil?

Around a tablespoon of a complete mix per gerbil per day. Scattering it in the substrate rather than using a bowl encourages natural foraging and slows them down.

Do gerbils need a water bottle?

Yes. They drink very little compared with other small pets because they are adapted to dry conditions, but fresh water must still be available at all times.

Can gerbils eat the same food as hamsters?

A good quality hamster mix is usually acceptable, though gerbil-specific mixes suit them better. The more important point is managing the fatty pieces, which applies to both.

What do gerbils eat?

Gerbils eat a complete gerbil mix as their base, with small amounts of fresh vegetables and the occasional seed as a treat. They are desert animals, which shows up in how efficiently they use water and in how easily they put on weight when a mix is too rich.

The everyday mix

A complete gerbil or hamster mix, offered as roughly a tablespoon per gerbil per day, covers the basics. Gerbils are grain and seed eaters by nature and take readily to this kind of food.

Scattering the food rather than bowling it gives them something to do, since gerbils are natural foragers and spend a large part of their day digging and searching.

Sunflower seeds and selective feeding

Sunflower seeds are the piece gerbils will always eat first, and they are high enough in fat that a gerbil given free access will eat little else. Most keepers either pick them out of the mix or treat them as a hand-fed reward.

The same applies to peanuts and other fatty pieces. A gerbil on an unmanaged mix can become noticeably overweight while the bowl still appears to contain a balanced diet.

Fresh food and water

Small pieces of carrot, broccoli, cucumber or apple are fine a couple of times a week. Portions should be small and anything uneaten removed, since gerbils hoard and damp food spoils.

Fresh water should always be available even though gerbils drink very little. Their desert ancestry means they extract a lot of moisture from food, but that is not a reason to leave them without a bottle.

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Common questions

Can gerbils eat sunflower seeds?: Yes, but sparingly. They are high in fat and gerbils will eat them in preference to everything else, so they work far better as an occasional hand-fed treat than as part of the daily bowl.
How much should I feed a gerbil?: Around a tablespoon of a complete mix per gerbil per day. Scattering it in the substrate rather than using a bowl encourages natural foraging and slows them down.
Do gerbils need a water bottle?: Yes. They drink very little compared with other small pets because they are adapted to dry conditions, but fresh water must still be available at all times.
Can gerbils eat the same food as hamsters?: A good quality hamster mix is usually acceptable, though gerbil-specific mixes suit them better. The more important point is managing the fatty pieces, which applies to both.

Sources

Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.

Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.