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Gerbils like to eat many different vegetables as they are soft and chewable, Vegetables are a great addition to a gerbils diet but can gerbils eat celery?
Gerbils like to feed on many different type of vegetables including celery. Celery is good for your gerbil and is a nice addition to a balanced diet.
Is Celery Safe for Gerbils to Eat?
Celery contains various nutrients that make it suitable for gerbils, but it can also harm them. You have to feed celery to your gerbils once in a while and not regularly to avoid some problems. Celery can be safe if only you feed them to your gerbils once in a while and dangerous when you feed it to them regularly.
In the wild, gerbils are omnivorous, meaning they feed on various food ranging from insects to bird’s eggs, fruits, seeds, etc. Each gerbil’s location determines the food it will feed on both; all gerbils have a broad range of foods they eat. Gerbils will feed on celery both will seldom come across it, making them feed on it only once in a while.
If you check the fruits, seeds, vegetables, and other foods gerbils eat, you will notice these foods have low water content. Gerbils only take about 4ml of water per day; taking more regularly can harm their health. If you have a gerbil, and intend to feed it a lot of water, you might be causing it more harm than good.
Celery contains enough nutrients that can cause goodwill for gerbils but contains high water content that can be hazardous to their health. Aside from the high water content, which is dangerous to gerbils’ health, celery contains nutrients that keep gerbils going.
Here are the nutritional values of celery to gerbils;
- Fats : Celery is rich in fats, which is a suitable nutrient for gerbils. Feeding celery to your gerbils occasionally will provide them with the essential fat.
- Calcium : Another nutrient celery offers gerbils is calcium. They are rich in calcium, and provide you with moderate nutrients for the rodents.
- Sugar : Celery also contains a high value of sugar. Sugar is one of the essential nutrients needed by gerbils for their routine activities.
Although celery contains enough nutrients for gerbils, you shouldn’t feed it regularly as the water content will cause them much trouble. Too much water in gerbils can cause hyponatremia by diluting the electrolytes and sodium. It can also cause diarrhea in gerbils, making them dehydrate.
In both cases of illness, the gerbil dies eventually, not what you would like for your rodent. Feed celery to your gerbils occasionally and be sure of its good health.
Can Gerbils Eat Celery Leaves?
Gerbils will eat celery leaves, and other celery parts of you feed it to them. You have to discipline yourself when feeding them with celery to avoid getting too much water into their body system. Although they will eat celery anytime you feed it to them; you shouldn’t feed them regularly or every day as it can cause an adverse effect on their health, or worse, death.
How to Feed Gerbils Celery
The only reason celery is not a good treat for gerbils is its high water content. Celery contains high water content; on the contrary, gerbils do not need a large amount of water in their body. It makes celery a good snack when fed occasionally and a disaster when fed regularly.
When dealing with celery, you should treat it like the way you treat apples and other fruits. Only feed it to them 2 to 3 times a week as a supplement for their primary diet. Cut it into small sizes, so they would be able to eat it quickly and easily.
If you decide to feed celery to your gerbils, you have to make sure you do not use it as their main diet; it should only be a supplementary diet for them. Celery has a high nutritional value, but you cannot compare it to their regular diet as it is more nutritious. You can make high-quality seed mixture their main diet while celery becomes a once in while snacks.
How Much Celery Can I Give to My Gerbils?
Consuming celery in high quantities can lead to many gerbils problems. Therefore, you have to make sure you feed it to them in a moderate amount. As much as it is beneficial to feed celery to your gerbil due to its nutritional value, it is also essential to consider its water content as it can cause a great disaster. You have only to feed a small quantity of celery to your gerbils occasionally.
The ideal quantity of celery you should feed your gerbil should not be more than 5% of its total food intake. Consuming celery in a high amount can cause diarrhea, which will later result in the gerbil dehydrating. A prolonged diarrhea case can result in the death of the gerbil if you do not treat it as soon as you can.
Another crucial problem an excessive intake of celery can cause to gerbils is hyponatremia. High water contents dilute the electrolytes and sodium in the body, causing neurological complications for the gerbil. This condition can lead to the rodent’s death if you do not treat it or provide adequate care when needed.
Excess celery can also cause your gerbil to develop a problem called Hepatonephritis. This condition occurs when there is an inflammation of the kidney or liver in the gerbil. A prolonged case of this condition can also lead to the death of the gerbil.
Can I Give Too Much Celery to My Gerbil?
You can feed your gerbil with celery, but you should feed it in small quantities to save yourself and the rodent from trouble. Celery contains a high amount of water, making it not fit for excess and regular feeding of your rodent as it has an adverse effect. Only feed your gerbil with a small amount of celery, and make sure you feed it only 2 to 3 times a week.
One of the adverse effects of excessive feeding of celery to gerbils is oliguria. It occurs when there is a low urine output in the rodent and usually accompanies dehydration and other medical side effects. It can cause the death of the gerbil if you do not take care of it.
Too much celery can also cause jaundice in your gerbils. It can also cause the gerbil to have blood in its urine. Whatever the type of sickness developed by the gerbil from eating excessive celery, it is more likely that it will result in death if not treated as soon as possible. You can also save yourself t6he stress and chance of treatment by providing your gerbil with an adequate amount of celery and not overfeeding it.
Conclusion
Gerbils can and will eat celery when they come across it, but you have to feed it to them in small quantities. Excess intake of celery can cause complications to the health of the gerbil. Feed them with celery only 2 to 3 times a week and let them enjoy theirs once in a while.