Dealing with a gerbil isn’t the easiest. You’ll have to constantly be on your toes to ensure your gerbil stays healthy. Gerbils have highly sensitive digestive systems, making them more prone to catching illnesses quicker than other animals.
So, when you’re preparing meals for your gerbil, please ensure you add the right ingredients. Since numerous ingredients don’t suit your gerbil’s diet, it’s better to know which ingredients are beneficial and provide food accordingly.
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Can Your Gerbil Eat Peanut Butter?
Yes, your gerbil can eat peanut butter. Peanut butter doesn’t have ingredients that can harm your gerbil. However, that’s only true as long as your gerbil eats peanut butter in moderation. It’s always better to feed natural foods to your gerbil, but peanut butter doesn’t come with negative side effects if you don’t give your furry friends too much of it.
Salt
Peanut butter contains salt that your gerbil requires in their system to have a balanced diet. However, if your gerbil is getting salt from other foods, you might want to steer clear of peanut butter as your gerbil will have excessive salt in their bodies.
If your gerbil isn’t eating other foods that contain salt(like crackers), feeding them peanut butter, in that case, is all right.
Sugar
One drawback of peanut butter is the excessive sugar it comes with. Sugar can be highly harmful to your gerbil as it’s the number one cause of weight gain.
Also, if your gerbil consumes too much sugar, they’ll have to battle with high blood pressure, which isn’t the best scenario.
Oil
Peanut butter is quite high in fat, and that’s not the best thing for your gerbil. If your gerbil consumes too much fat, they’ll end up being obese, which will lead to other health problems like diabetes.
So, peanut butter, in general, is all right for your gerbil as long as it’s fed in moderation. If your gerbil consumes too much of it, you might have a problem at hand.
How Much Peanut Butter Can Your Gerbil Eat?
If you want your gerbil to eat peanut butter, it’s better to make it yourself at home by adding all gerbil-friendly ingredients. You can add minimum salt and sugar and little to no oil.
The peanut butter you get at the store is too processed and preserved, which isn’t the healthiest for your gerbil.
It’s always better for your gerbil’s health to feed them fresh foods which their digestive system can digest easily. As long as you’re making the peanut butter yourself, you can feed your gerbil as much of it as you want.
Homemade peanut butter is natural and healthy as it includes every ingredient suitable for your gerbil.
However, if you want to feed them store-bought peanut butter, we recommend you feed them as little as a teaspoon every week. Peanut butter, in that case, should only be given as a treat to your gerbil.
Since your gerbil is already getting its nutrition from other foods, giving them peanut butter won’t be necessary.
As long as you’re on top of your gerbil’s health and nutrition, you won’t have to worry about their food and enjoy raising a sweet and fluffy gerbil.
Can gerbils eat Peanuts?
Yes, gerbils can eat peanuts. Peanuts are a good source of protein and fat for gerbils, and they also provide some essential vitamins and minerals. However, peanuts should be considered healthy treats rather than a regular part of your gerbil’s diet.
If fed too often, peanuts can cause your gerbil to become overweight.
Can gerbils eat Peanut shells?
Gerbils can eat peanut shells as a source of fiber and as a chew toy. The shells contain various nutrients like B vitamins, minerals, and vitamins like magnesium, and potassium.
Peanut shells should not be the only source of fiber in a gerbil’s diet, however, as they can also eat hay, fresh vegetables, and other types of pellets.
Final Words
Peanut butter is a popular food for gerbils, but it’s important to be mindful of the ingredients in store-bought peanut butter. Too much oil, sugar, or salt can be harmful to your furry friend.
However, if you make your own peanut butter with healthy ingredients, your gerbil can enjoy this tasty snack in moderation. Just remember to stick to a teaspoon or so per week–any more than that and you may start seeing some unhealthy weight gain in your little pal!
