Are gerbils allowed to eat arugula?

Arugula is fresh, delicious and very rich in nutrients.

Sounds at first glance like the ideal food for your gerbils, right?

The answer is here!

Are gerbils allowed to eat arugula?

In very (!) small quantities, arugula is not harmful and even healthy for your gerbils.

Gerbils love to eat arugula, so of course you want to do them a favor and give them more of it.

But: Please refrain from feeding arugula in larger quantities or every day! Here are really smallest quantities appropriate.
This is why arugula is not so good for your gerbils

To answer the question of why arugula is not healthy for your gerbils, it is important that you know that arugula is not a salad, but a cabbage.

Thus, arugula has the same properties that white cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and the like: On the one hand, arugula has a high nitrate content and many mustard oils (both are very unhealthy for your gerbil), but on the other hand, cabbage also has a flatulent effect.

By the way, most lettuces also contain a lot of nitrate, which is why you should only feed small amounts here, too, and in no case the stalk. This is especially true for the winter months, because here the nitrate content in salads and also the cabbage varieties is the highest.

What negative effect does cabbage have?

Perhaps you know it even from yourself: If you eat a lot of cabbage, you often have a bloated belly and get abdominal pain for free.

Also for your gerbils cabbage has a strong bloating effect.

However, compared to humans, gerbils have a hard time getting rid of this pent-up gas.

If you feed large amounts of arugula or other cabbage, this can have fatal consequences and in the worst case even cost your pet its life. But even if your gerbil survives, it will suffer great pain.

Are gerbils not allowed to eat arugula at all?

You may feed your gerbils a small amount of arugula or other cabbage from time to time.

However, you should not feed your gerbils cabbage on a regular basis and you should make sure that each animal eats its own piece.

Why?

It is possible that the more dominant animal will steal the food from another gerbil if you do not intervene in time. Of course, this should never happen with cabbage, so make sure that each animal only eats its own little treat.

7 tasty alternatives that your gerbil will be much happier about!

1. chicory

Yes, chicory is lettuce too!

However, the nitrate content of this type of lettuce is comparatively low, which is why you can feed your gerbils chicory as a snack for in between meals without any problems.

Due to the numerous vitamins and the high water content, this salad is even really healthy for your gerbil!

However, you should not overdo it with the feeding, it is sufficient if you feed your gerbils a little bit of chicory once a week.

2. peanuts

Peanuts have a high fat content and should therefore not be fed daily. Also, be sure to feed only unsalted peanuts.

For gerbils that are a little underweight and therefore need to be fed again, this snack is quite suitable!

The valuable nutrients make the peanut a very healthy snack, which will also convince your gerbil 100% in terms of taste.

Here you can be sure that your gerbil will be really excited!

3. raisins

This sweet snack makes gerbil hearts beat faster!

If you want to give your gerbils a treat and show them your affection, feel free to feed them a raisin every now and then.

Raisins are high in calories, but they also contain many important nutrients and vitamins.

Although they are a tiny and healthy snack, you should definitely refrain from feeding them if your gerbil suffers from diabetes or obesity! In this case, go for another snack with less sugar and more water.

4. fennel

This snack is also suitable for your gerbil if it suffers from digestive problems.

You can feed both the bulb itself and the greens to your gerbils.

The high digestibility in combination with the contained vitamins and minerals make fennel a real insider tip among snacks.

Gerbils love fennel and will pounce on it as soon as you put it in the enclosure. In addition, fennel is one of the few snacks that can be fed regularly, even in large quantities.

5. broccoli

Wait a minute: broccoli is also a cabbage, isn’t it?

That’s right.

Broccoli is also a type of cabbage, but compared to arugula, cauliflower and the like, it is much less harmful.

It is true that broccoli can also cause gases to form, but much less and in such small quantities that they cannot cause your gerbil any pain.

In small quantities broccoli is extremely healthy for your racer and even actively strengthens the immune system! So this is a healthy snack that you can feed occasionally.

6. sweet corn

Here you have the choice whether you want to feed the corn in fresh or dried form.

In both variants corn is very healthy, you can also feed the leaves in fresh or dried form.

You can easily put the whole dried corn cob in the enclosure, so your gerbils can not only eat, but also gnaw a little on the cob.

The advantage is also that dried corn is good for dental care. There are no disadvantages to feeding corn. However, you should make sure that the corn is unsprayed!

7. chamomile

Chamomile can also be fed regularly to your gerbils. Decide for yourself whether you want to integrate these herbs into the diet or only feed them occasionally as a snack.

Fact: Chamomile has a positive effect on digestive problems and can even promote the healing process of respiratory diseases.