Gerbils are hardy little rodents that can thrive in a variety of environments. They are native to deserts, grasslands, and arid woodlands across the Northern Hemisphere. Gerbils thrive in semi-deserts where there is a plentiful supply of fruits and vegetables.
Gerbils are omnivorous mammals that eat both plant and animal materials. They have a sensitive sense of smell that alerts them to the presence of potential prey or predators. Due to their small size and high activity level, they need access to a wide range of foods throughout their lifespan. A healthy diet for gerbils consists of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. Gerbills also eat some insects such as crickets and mealworms occasionally. Letג€™s take a look at what type of insects do gerbils eat?
Do Gerbils Like Insects?
Gerbils are typically solitary animals that live in burrows, but they are known to occasionally hunt for food together. These rodents hunt for prey in groups of two or more. Most often, the prey is a specific type of insect such as a mole cricket or mealworm.
Some gerbils will eat almost anything that moves including earthworms, slugs and snails, bird droppings and even insects like butterflies. Itג€™s not unusual to find a gerbil with crickets attached to its back. They also love to chew on wood, cardboard and other pieces of paper.
Do Gerbils Need Insects?
Gerbils need a varied and nutritious diet. Some of the items they will eat are fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds, insects like crickets and mealworms occasionally. Gerbils need to eat a wide range of foods throughout their lifespan. The best way to provide a healthy diet for your gerbils is with a commercial food such as Exo Terra’s Gerbil Treats or Zupreem’s Sticks.
The right combination of protein-rich pellets and fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts, and insects make up the ideal diet for gerbils.
Can Gerbils Eat Live Maggots?
Gerbils are omnivorous mammals that eat both plant and animal materials. They have a sensitive sense of smell that alerts them to the presence of potential prey or predators. Due to their small size and high activity level, they need access to a wide range of foods throughout their lifespan. A healthy diet for gerbils consists of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. Gerbills also eat some insects such as crickets and mealworms occasionally. Letג€™s take a look at what type of insects do gerbils eat?
Gerbils can eat live maggots when given the opportunity but it would be more beneficial for them to avoid feeding on live maggots for fear of contracting larvae-borne diseases such as rat lungworm disease or trichinosis from eating raw meaty material with live maggots in it. However, if you were raising your own gerbils on commercial rodent diets that are designed to avoid these diseases then you wouldnג€™t need to worry about this risk factor.
Do Gerbils Eat Cockroaches?
Cockroaches are social insects that feed on both solid and liquid foods. They usually live in close proximity with other cockroaches and can form colonies in numbers ranging from hundreds to millions. Gerbils are not known to eat cockroaches, but they do eat crickets, mealworms, and earthworms occasionally.
