Gerbils need a wide selection of nutritious foods in order to be healthy and happy, and as a pet owner, this responsibility falls to you!
If you are looking for new foods to introduce to your gerbil’s diet, you do need to do some research to make sure that they will be safe for them, and that they will deliver some important nutrients and vitamins.
One food you might want to add to your gerbil’s diet is bananas.
So, can gerbils eat bananas? Gerbils can eat fresh, green, or even overripe bananas. The only problem is that bananas are low in protein and fat and high in carbs, so they should only be fed to your gerbil on occasion, rather than forming a large part of their diet.
There are many great nutrients and vitamins that bananas can deliver to your gerbil, so they should be given now and then, but as a snack.
To find out more about feeding bananas to your gerbil, keep reading for everything you need to know!
Are Bananas Safe For Gerbils?
Bananas are safe for gerbils to eat, and they are a fruit that can give them some much needed vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium, manganese, and copper.
Gerbils need a varied diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and seeds. Wild gerbils do not live where bananas grow, so they do not eat them naturally in the wild. However, this does not mean that they cannot eat bananas.
Bananas do need to be offered in moderation though, as they are high in carbohydrates and low in fat and protein. Feeding them bananas as a snack now and then ensures that they get to enjoy the fruit, but they are not lacking in their regular food.
Do Gerbils Like Banana?
Whether or not your gerbil will like eating a banana is yet to be seen! There is a good chance that you feed your gerbil a mix of food already, with fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables, so they will most likely be happy to try out banana.
Start off small by placing small pieces of banana in their cage and seeing how they react. They might take their time to try it out but will probably love it when they do.
If you notice that they do not like the banana, remove it from their cage before it starts to go bad. You could always try and feed them some banana at a later stage to test it out again, but don’t force it if they do not like the taste.
They can get their essential nutrients and vitamins from other fruit, so it is not necessary for them to have a banana in their diet!
Do Gerbils Eat Green Bananas?
Gerbils can eat green bananas, which are bananas that have not ripened yet. However, there is a higher chance that your gerbil will not eat green bananas, as they have a much sharper taste than what ripe bananas do.
They will not harm your gerbil at all and are not toxic to them, but once again they should only be fed as a snack now and then, and should not make up a large part of our gerbil’s diet.
Do Gerbils Like Black Bananas?
Overripe bananas tend to turn black, and can have black spots in some places, or have more black coverage all over.
Black bananas should be fine to feed to your gerbil, but you do have to first check that the banana has not begun to spoil. If it is leaking juices and has a bad smell, rather throw it away. However, if the banana still smells and looks okay, just with some bruised spots, it should be fine to feed to your gerbil.
Can I Feed My Gerbil Banana Chips?
Bananas are fine for gerbils to eat, but banana chips are not as healthy. Banana chips are fried banana slices and have a crunchy texture and a deeper golden color.
The crunchiness of banana chips might be an absolute hit with your gerbil, who enjoys crunching away at food, but they are not necessarily the best thing to feed to your gerbil.
The problem with banana chips is that they are fried in oil, and oil is not healthy for your gerbil. The fat content in the banana chips because of the oil is not suitable for your gerbil’s diet.
Gerbils are not able to deal with high-fat content and do not need much fat in their diet. For this reason, banana chips can really upset their digestive system and could cause them some irritation and pain.
Overfeeding your gerbil banana chips and other fatty food could also lead to them becoming overweight, which can be dangerous to their health.
Some banana chips are flavored with salt and seasonings, or sugar and other sweeteners. Too much salt and sugar in your gerbil’s diet is not recommended, and can have some serious health effects on them!
Can I Feed My Gerbil Dehydrated Banana?
Dehydrated or dried banana and banana chips look similar, but they are very different. Banana chips are fried in oil, whereas dried banana is made by dehydrating banana slices and removing the moisture.
Dried bananas can either be crunchy or chewy, and this is a great texture for your gerbil to enjoy. The benefit of dried banana is that it is not processed or made using other ingredients, and are just bananas with less moisture.
The nutritional content is slightly lessened when the bananas are dried, but they can still be nutritious for your gerbil.
These dried banana slices should only be fed to your gerbil in moderation and will be a really great snack for them to munch away on now and then. They should not be fed to your gerbil daily, and should instead be offered as a treat on occasion.
Can I Feed My Gerbil Banana Peels?
Before throwing your banana peels away, you should see if your gerbil would want to eat it first! We don’t chew down on banana peels because of taste and texture, but there is no reason you can’t offer it up to your gerbil as a snack.
It is worth washing the banana peel first, to ensure that there are no pesticides or chemicals on the skin. It might not be as nutrient-rich as the banana itself, but small bits now and then can make for a different snack.
Keep in mind that your gerbil might not take to eating banana peels at all, so avoid giving them any if they don’t seem interested.
How To Feed Banana To Your Gerbil
There is little that you need to do to prepare bananas to feed to your gerbil. It is a soft enough fruit that they do not need to chew through too much, but there is little peeling and preparation.
- Remove the banana peel and check to see that the banana is okay. Some black spots here and there are fine, as long as the banana does not smell off.
- Slice the banana into manageable pieces for your gerbil. Keep the slices slightly thick so they can bite pieces off, and not small enough that they could fit the whole piece in their mouth.
- Feed them about two slices of banana, as you don’t want it to form too big a part of their diet.
- Remove any banana from their cage that they do not eat, as it can go bad quite quickly and dirty their cage.
Avoid feeding your gerbil banana every day, as they need other more important foods to make up the bulk of their diet, and variety is always good.
Offer your gerbil around two to three slices of banana once or twice a week.
Final Thoughts
Gerbils can eat bananas, and they can be a great source of magnesium, manganese, and copper. They are high in carbs but low in protein and fat, and should not form a large part of their diet.
If your gerbil enjoys the taste of bananas, they can make for a great snack once or twice a week once they have had their full of their other food!
Related Questions
Can gerbils eat banana bread?
You should not feed your gerbil banana bread. While it contains banana, which is fine for gerbils, other ingredients such as flour and sugar are not good for their diet.
Too much sugar can cause obesity and even an upset digestive system, so it is best to avoid it where possible, and only stick to fresh fruit and vegetables.
Can bananas cause diarrhea for gerbils?
If your gerbil eats too much of a certain fruit or vegetable, such as banana, they can suffer from diarrhea. For this reason, it should only be offered to them as a snack once or twice a week, and they should continue to eat appropriate food daily more suited to their diet.
What should my gerbil’s diet consist of?
Unfortunately, most store-bought gerbil food mixes are full of unnecessary ingredients, don’t offer enough nutrition, and lack variety. If you’d like to feed your gerbils the right way so you can make sure they are happy and healthy for their whole lives, then you’ll need to make it yourself.
Here’s a great video from the Fins & Whiskers channel on YouTube talking all about what you can feed your gerbils!
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