Can gerbils eat avocado?

As a responsible gerbil owner, you’ll be looking to take care of every aspect of your furry friend’s life, which includes the food they eat.

Your gerbil’s diet needs to be balanced, and since the seeds they feed on don’t provide all the nutrients they need you have to supplement it with other food items like fruits and vegetables.

The best and healthier gerbil mix we recommend is the Oxbow Gerbil Food (check the current price on Amazon), it’s made of natural ingredients in the form of pellets which is what we strongly advise for gerbils because they tend to get picky with their food when served seeds.

Some foods are very healthy for gerbils like bananas, carrots … while others are less healthy like celery and watermelon and some are even toxic like bitter almonds and apple seeds.

Foods that are safe for humans may not be for gerbils, so checking every fruit or vegetable is important before introducing it to your gerbils.

So can gerbils eat avocado?

The water content in the avocado fruit is very high for gerbils to handle, and it decreases with maturity and varies inversely with the amount of fat making it again not so healthy for gerbils with the high-fat content, so gerbils can eat avocado but only in very small amounts as a high-value treat once every few weeks.

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Do gerbils eat avocado in the wild?

In order for it to prosper avocado trees need moderately warm temperatures (60 F to 85 F) with moderate humidity. They can tolerate temperatures, once established, of around 28 F to 32 F with minimal damage.

Gerbils natural habitat is the desert areas where the climate is very dry and temperatures are burning during the day and freezing at night.

So there are no avocado trees in the gerbil’s natural habitat and therefore avocado is not on the menu in the wild.

Is avocado safe for gerbils?

Avocado is full of water, and gerbils don’t deal very well with food items that contain too much water since they’re built to feed on dry seeds and absorb very little water, so avocado could cause some digestion issues most commonly diarrhea.

Avocado is also very rich in fat and could cause the gerbil to get fat very quickly, that’s why it is best to avoid avocado.

Avocado can only be used for gerbils that need to pick up weight very quickly or as a high-value treat for training.

All in all, avocado is not the best choice for a gerbil diet but if given in small amounts it’s fairly safe to eat.

Do gerbils like to eat avocado?

Gerbils adore avocado especially that has a lot of fat and they do love these kind of fruits, however it is not totaly safe for them so, giving your gerbil too much avocado would sure cause a lot of digestion problems and probably diarrhea.

If given a choice gerbils would choose avocado over other fruits and that’s why you should only give your gerbils a reasonable amount.

Are all avocado types the same?

Hundreds of avocado varieties grow around the world, they are generally categorized as A-type or B-type, based on their pollination and flowering.

Most avocados only differ slightly in their nutritional composition, as they’re all calorically dense and high in healthy fats and various vitamins and minerals.
healthline

This means that the key nutrients why gerbils should not eat avocados (at least not regularly) are always present no matter what variety of avocado it is.

Out of the hundreds of varieties, only a handful are commercially grown anyway, so it would be hard and expensive to get your hand on other types of avocados even if they presented no health issues only to feed your gerbils, while cheaper and healthier alternatives are abundant.

Is avocado good for gerbils?

Avocados are highly nutritious. They contain small amounts of B vitamins and minerals, such as copper, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, iron, and zinc. They are great sources of folate, potassium, and healthy fats, as well as vitamins C, K, and E.

Theoretically, avocados are great for gerbils since they’re a very nutritious fruit that contains most of the gerbil needs, however, they do have too much water and fats

How Much avocado can gerbils eat?

Avocado contains too much water and fat to be fed to gerbils on a daily basis, it should not even be part of the weekly menu.

Avocado should be fed to gerbils every couple of weeks in a small quantity that doesn’t exceed a bite-siezed portion.

Avocado can only be fed to gerbils that have suffered weight loss once a week for a quick weight gain and that’s the only exception.

Can gerbils eat other avocado parts?

There is a slight amount of persin, a fungicidal toxin similar to a fatty acid, in the pits, the skin, bark, and leaves of the avocado tree.

Thesmal amount makes it insignificat to humans but for a small rodent it can be dangerous.

Other than the flesh of the avocado all other parts are toxic for gerbils and should not be eaten.

Avocado nutrition facts?

Avocados are incredibly nutritinous fruits, they are rich in many vitamins and minerals, such as B-vitamins, vitamin K, vitamin E, vitamin C, potassium, and copper. Avocado is great for a healthy diet, however, for a desert rodent like gerbils, they are not your best option.

Thye are a low saturated fat food
Contain naturally good fats

Are a good source of fiber
Contain 250mg of potassium
(6% DV) per serving
Contribute phytosterols

Elements	Amount mg, mcg
Vitamin B-5 (panthothenic acid)	1.39 mg
Copper	0.19 mg
Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine)	0.26 mg
Folate	81 mcg
Vitamin K	21 mcg
Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin)	0.13 mg
Vitamin E	2.07 mg
Vitamin B-3 (niacin)	1.74 mg
Vitamin C	10 mg
Potassium	485 mg
Magnesium	29 mg
Manganese	0.14 mg
Vitamin B-1 (thiamine)	0.07 mg
Zinc	0.64 mg
Choline	14.2 mg
Vitamin A	7 mcg
Vitamin B-12	0 mcg
Vitamin D	0 mcg

Can gerbils eat avocado: Conclusion

Gerbils can’t eat avocado, in fact, they can’t eat all types and parts of avocado.
Gerbils should be fed avocado in very small portions not to disturb their diet.
Avocados are not a substitute to the gerbils primarily diet and can only be used as a supplement for gerbils that need to gain weight.