My baby gerbils won't eat fresh fruit, will this affect their health?

Question

I bought 2 baby gerbils on Saturday, and they are tamed and will eat from your hand. They won't eat fresh fruits or veggies. The only thing they'll eat is sunflower seeds. Is this a bad sign? I've tried carrots(they ate a few bites the first time I gave it to them), apples, oranges, and bananas.

I got a bag of mixed seeds, but the only thing they'll eat out of it are the sunflower seeds. I also give them these little cubes(not sure what they are, the clerk just gave them to me). Everything I give them was reccommended by the clerk.

I gave them a piece of tomato today and one of them nibbled on it. They don't seem to want to eat anything else. I have tried almost everything!

Answer 1

Gerbils eat mainly seeds; "wet" foods (fresh fruit/veg) should be given only once a week or so. The high water content will give them diarrhea if they eat these foods too often, which can be very dangerous in young pups.

Their age might be an issue, if they were separated from their mom too early. If they are eating sunflower seeds, though, they should be weaned.

Sunflower seeds should only be given as treats, as they are very high in protein. Gerbils love them, but they will quickly become overweight if they have too many. Gerbils do tend to pick out and eat their favorite seeds first, so if they have an constant supply of sunny seeds, they may just be filling up on those.

Gerbils have little problem with changing food brands, unlike hamsters, so this should not be the problem. And if they are eating out of your hand, they sound like they've adjusted to their new environment well, so *that* shouldn't be the problem.

Are you sure they're not eating the other seeds without your notice?

Not to insult store clerks, but a lot of times they don't really know as much as they think they do. The mix you were given is probably fed to all their rodents, even though they have different dietary needs. The cubes may be alfalfa, from your description. You should get a prepackaged food made specifically for gerbils, which you can find in any major pet store (PetSmart, PetCo, etc.), and sometimes even in grocery stores. You will need to pick out most of the sunflower seeds in these mixes, though, to save as treats.

Once you are sure they are eating a balanced diet, you can branch out into making your own mix, either from scratch or using a store-bought mix as a base. Or if you're lazy like me, you can look into FurryFlower gerbil food. It's homemade and sold on the internet. The mix is excellent, and it actually costs less for me than buying food locally, even with shipping.
http://home.earthlink.net/~furryflowers/food.html

Answer 2

Do not just feed them sunflower seeds....that is like you eating just cheeseburgers every day. They are eating the sunflower seeds because they taste good. You can get a pelleted food as well- try that mixed with some fruit. Lay off the sunflower seeds for a while- they will eat other stuff when they get hungry.

Answer 3

wow i never knew they eat fresh fruits (which i know may sound stupid but now days all they are fed is like gerbil feed) but what were they eating before you bought them? Perhaps they are just use to a certain thing...I'm sure later their taste will change and soon they will be eating fruits. You should get gerbil food that has all the nutrients and vitamins they need to grow. Sunflower seeds arent BAD but they dont have all the good stuff baby gerbils need to grow.

Answer 4

ours never ate fruit or veggies and they were just fine. be careful with the seeds as they are quite fatty and can cause them to become quite over weight and other problems. give them the pellets first and then put only a few of the sun flower seeds in the bottom they will have to eat through the pellets to get at the seeds.

Answer 5

no