Can Gerbils Eat Celery? (7 Important Facts)

It can be tempting to share your celery with your pet gerbils. But before actually giving your gerbil celery, you will want to know whether celery is good for gerbils. Read on, for an answer.

Can gerbils eat celery? Yes, gerbils can eat celery. Celery is a food gerbils enjoy eating, mostly due its crunchy nature and pleasant taste. But celery happens to have a rather high moisture content, which may cause problems to gerbils. Therefore gerbils should only eat a little celery.

If a gerbil eats too much celery, it may end up suffering from bloating and gas. The gerbil may also end up with loose stools. This is due to the high moisture and fiber levels in celery.

All in all though, in modest quantities, celery is alright for gerbils.

If you research on what vegetables can gerbils eat, you will usually find celery in the list.

Conversely, if you research on what foods are poisonous to gerbils, you will not find celery in that list.

So this means that celery is largely alright for gerbils, as long as they don’t overfeed on it.

Still, there are people who have doubts on whether, in the first place, gerbils are capable of eating celery. So we have to start by answering that question: on whether gerbils are capable of eating celery.

Are Gerbils Capable Of Eating Celery?

When you give gerbils celery, they will usually sniff it a bit – and then proceed to eat it with relish.

Sometimes, if you leave your celery close to your gerbils, you may actually find that they have eaten it: without your permission.

This means that celery is indeed a food that gerbils are capable of eating.

Even in the wild, when gerbils find the naturally-growing celery, they waste no time in starting to eat it.

So in terms of basic edibility, celery is definitely something that gerbils are able to eat.

Is Celery Safe For Gerbils?

As long as they don’t eat too much of it, celery is largely safe for gerbils.

None of the chemical compounds we find in celery is actually toxic to gerbils.

On that basis, we can say that celery is safe for gerbils.

Pet gerbils often eat celery. And most of the time, they don’t seem to experience any ill effects on account of eating it.

Based on that experience, we can say that celery is a safe vegetable for gerbils.

But with regard to the safety of celery for gerbils, there is one caveat: too much celery can indeed harm gerbils.

There are two things in celery that can harm a gerbil, if the gerbil ingests too much celery.

The first thing in celery that may harm a gerbil is the celery’s high moisture level.

And the second thing in celery that may harm a gerbil is the celery’s high fiber level.

Due to these, a gerbil that ingests too much celery at once may end up with a bloated tummy. It may also end up with lots of gas. And it may develop diarrhea, which can then cause potentially fatal dehydration.

If eaten in small amounts (and just once in a while), celery is safe for gerbils.

Is Celery Good For Gerbils?

As long as they don’t overfeed on it, celery is quite good for gerbils.

The celery has anti-inflammatory qualities, which can help a gerbil’s health in the long run.

Further, the celery has antioxidant qualities, and can be helpful to the gerbil’s health in the long run.

Among the nutrients that a gerbil can get from celery are several vitamins and minerals.

The crunchy texture of the celery is also very beneficial to gerbils. It gives the gerbil an opportunity for ‘filing’ its sharp and ever-growing teeth.

But we do have to keep on pointing out that there is a very high level of moisture in celery. There is also rather much fiber in celery.

This can cause issues to a gerbil, in case the gerbil happens to ingest a great deal of celery at once.

Due to the high moisture and fiber content, a gerbil that ingests too much celery in too short a period of time may develop diarrhea.

Such a gerbil may also develop stomach bloating, with lots of gas.

Thus consuming too much celery in too short a period of time can cause a gerbil lots of discomfort. It can even cause potentially fatal diarrhea.

But in modest quantities, celery has nutrients that a gerbil’s body would benefit from.

Can Gerbils Eat Celery?

Gerbils can eat celery: but only in modest amounts.

Celery – in modest quantities – is quite safe for gerbils. Moreover, celery is a foodstuff that is edible by gerbils, and one that they relish. And celery’s nutritional composition is good for gerbils.

The only event in which celery can be bad for gerbils is if the gerbils overindulge in it. Symptoms that may follow gerbils’ overeating of celery are things like stomach bloating, gas and diarrhea.

But if eaten in modest amounts, celery is a very good food for gerbils.

Which Parts Of Celery Can Gerbils Eat?

A celery plant has leaves, a stem and roots.

Now with regard to the subject of feeding gerbils on celery, a question that often comes up is on which parts of the celery plant are good for gerbils.

We will thus proceed to look at several of the celery parts, to see if they are good for gerbils.

Can Gerbils Eat Celery Leaves?

Celery leaves are good for gerbils – as long as the gerbils eat just a few of them at a time.

From the celery leaves, gerbils can draw vitamins, minerals, moisture, good quality fiber and much more.

You only need to be aware of the fact that these celery leaves are moisture-heavy. Thus a gerbil feeding on too many of the celery leaves may be left with gas, bloating, diarrhea and other problems.

But a few celery leaves at a time should be safe and beneficial for a gerbil.

Can Gerbils Eat Celery Stems?

In principle, yes, gerbils can eat celery stems.

But you need to understand that the fiber in the celery stems is very dense. When gerbils feed on celery stems, the fiber in such stems often keeps on sticking in their teeth, irritating them.

It can even present a choking hazard.

If you really have to give your gerbils celery stems, it is best to first chop those stems. This way, you reduce their tendency to stick to gerbil teeth and cause irritation there.

Chopping also makes the celery stems less of a choking hazard for gerbils.

In a similar manner, if you were wondering, can gerbils eat celery sticks, that is the general answer. If you have to give the gerbil celery sticks, you first chop them.

Otherwise you end up with a gerbil that has celery fibers sticking in teeth, causing irritation. Or, worse still, you end up with a choking gerbil.

Can Gerbils Drink Celery Juice?

Ideally, you shouldn’t give your gerbils celery juice.

Gerbils’ digestive systems often struggle greatly, when presented with drinks like juices. If you give your gerbil celery juice, it may suffer a very bad stomach upset.

You also need to remember that the concentration of sugar in celery juice is usually too much for a gerbil.

Thus it is best to stick to giving your gerbils actual fresh celery, rather than celery juice.

Which Forms Of Celery Can Gerbils Eat?

Celery can take many forms. It can be in the form of raw celery, for instance. Or it can be in the form of cooked celery. It can be dried celery. Or it can be frozen celery.

In the context of feeding gerbils on celery, which of these forms (of celery) are suitable?

Let’s look at some.

Can Gerbils Eat Raw Celery?

Gerbils can eat raw celery. In fact, we can go as far as saying that gerbils should only ever eat raw celery.

In raw celery, all the various nutrients are in their intact form, un-tampered with.

So the best form of celery for gerbils will always be the raw form.

Can Gerbils Eat Cooked Celery?

No, gerbils should not eat cooked celery.

When you give a gerbil cooked food (like the cooked celery in question here), it often experiences stomach upsets.

Cooked food is very strange and hard to handle for a gerbil’s digestive system.

You therefore should resist the temptation to share your cooked celery with your gerbil.

Can Gerbils Eat Frozen Celery?

If the celery was frozen while raw, then it may be suitable for the gerbil to eat. But you need to thaw the said celery properly first.

Once that celery thaws completely, you may have the gerbil eat it.

Otherwise if you give a gerbil celery straight from the fridge, it may be too uncomfortable to eat.

How Much Celery Can Gerbils Eat?

Gerbils can only eat a little celery at a time.

Understanding how to feed celery for gerbils in moderation is very important.

In most cases, one tablespoonful of celery may be enough for a gerbil.

How much celery is too much for gerbils? In most cases, you find that anything above 2 tablespoons of celery may be too much for gerbils.

Remember, as we said, celery has very much moisture, which can cause bloating, gas, diarrhea and other issues in gerbils.

Thus understanding how to stop gerbils from eating too much celery is very important.

The frequency with which you feed gerbils on celery is also important. For instance, can gerbils eat celery daily? The answer is ‘no’.

Gerbils should only eat celery twice or thrice per week at most.

Final Verdict – Can Gerbils Eat Celery

Gerbils can eat celery, but only in modest quantities.

In modest quantities, celery is very safe for gerbils. It also has vitamins, minerals, quality fiber, antioxidants and other compounds that are helpful to a gerbil’s health.

Celery also happens to be one of those crunchy foodstuffs, providing a means for filing down a gerbil’s ever-growing teeth.

But celery’s moisture and fiber contents are exceptionally high. Consequently, a gerbil that has too much celery may be at risk of suffering from a bloated stomach, gas, diarrhea and other issues.

One or two tablespoons of celery in a day may be adequate for a gerbil. And a gerbil should only have celery twice (or thrice at most) per week.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet gerbil a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️