If you’ve recently brought home a gerbil, you should know it’s not going to be easy. We don’t mean to scare you but raising a gerbil is tricky due to their sensitive digestive system. If you want to raise a happy and healthy gerbil, you’ll need to be on your toes, especially when providing them with food.
Gerbils are high-maintenance animals that require plenty of attention and care. If you’re careless about raising your gerbil, they might easily fall sick. If you don’t want them to go to a vet’s office, you might as well ensure you’re doing the best job of raising them properly.
So, can your gerbil eat something sweet as cookies? Let’s find out.
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Can Your Gerbil Eat Cookies?
No, your gerbil cannot eat cookies whatsoever. Cookies are considered junk foods and not treats when it comes to your gerbil. Cookies can be highly harmful to your gerbil, so please ensure your gerbil stays away from them. Many healthy foods that your gerbil can eat are available, but cookies aren’t one of them.
Cookies contain plenty of sugar, which isn’t ideal for your gerbil. Sugar is an ingredient that can be poisonous for your gerbil if fed excessively. Your gerbil can become fat and struggle with mobility. Also, too much sugar can increase your gerbil’s blood pressure. Hence, sugar is a big no as your gerbil won’t be able to handle a sugar rush.
Another reason why you shouldn’t feed your gerbil cookies is that they’re hard to chew. Their texture isn’t the most ideal for a gerbil’s teeth. If your gerbil tries too hard to chew the cookie, it might break its teeth. So, please know that cookies aren’t the best treat to feed your gerbil.
If you want to feed your gerbil some healthy snacks, you have numerous options. But it should always be a hard pass when it comes to cookies.
What to do if your gerbil eats a cookie?
If your gerbil eats a cookie, the first thing you should do is check the ingredients to make sure the cookie is safe for your gerbil. Gerbils are small rodents, and as such, they have very sensitive stomachs.
Some human foods can be poisonous to gerbils, so it’s important to check the labels carefully. In most cases, if your gerbil has only eaten a small amount of the cookie, they will be fine.
However, it’s always best to err on the side of caution when it comes to your gerbil’s health. If you have any concerns, contact your veterinarian immediately.
What Treats Can You Give Your Gerbil?
If you want to provide healthy treats to your gerbil, you can always go with treats that don’t include excessive sugar. As mentioned earlier, sugar doesn’t sit well with your gerbil as it can cause them to gain weight. Your gerbil might even get high blood pressure, which isn’t ideal.
Feeding your gerbil fruits is a good alternative as they’re healthy and fresh. Fruits may contain sugar, but your gerbil won’t be at risk since it’s natural. Also, some fruits contain relatively low sugar, and these can make excellent treats for your gerbil.
Apart from fruits, wheat crackers are an excellent snack your gerbil can eat. Gerbils love eating wheat as it offers plenty of health benefits to them. Wheat is an organic and raw form of food that doesn’t affect your gerbil. Wheat cereals are another excellent snack that’s quite healthy for your gerbil to consume.
So, now that you know there are plenty of healthy alternatives to choose from, please do not give them junk food such as cookies. Instead, replace them with something healthier, such as fruits or crackers.
Final Words
Gerbils are small creatures and as such, they have very sensitive stomachs. This means that if your gerbil eats a cookie, the first thing you should do is check the ingredients to make sure the cookie is safe for your gerbil.
There are many healthy foods that your gerbil can eat, but cookies aren’t one of them. So please keep your little friend away from those unhealthy snacks!
Thanks for reading this post about whether or not gerbils can eat cookies – we hope you found it helpful.
