Can Gerbils Eat Raisins? Treat Vs Regular Food – 5 Clear Facts

Fruit is a perfect choice for gerbil owners to treat their pets. Although most fruits are fine for gerbils because they have nutritional benefits, some fruits make gerbils ill.

It’s essential to check what fruits are safe to eat before you give them to gerbils. When we talk about raisins, we need to understand its benefits and harmfulness to small animals.

Can gerbils eat raisins? Gerbils will enjoy eating raisins because of their sweet taste and chewy texture. Raisins are good as a treat because they are not high in fat but high in calories. Pay attention to how many servings of raisins you serve to gerbils, so they get the health benefits of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

Knowing about raisins for gerbils will help you know the benefits of raisins and how much to serve for your pet. Let’s read the details in this article.

Can Gerbils Eat Raisins?

Gerbils can eat raisins and will not harm their bodies. Raisins are dried grapes made by drying in the sun. The taste of raisins is sweeter than grape because of the concentrated taste. Gerbils can enjoy dried fruit, but you give it as a treat, not as a primary diet.

Raisins have a much lower water content than grapes due to the drying process and can be reduced from 80% to 15%. Grapes are not recommended as food for gerbils because they have high water content, but if they have been dried like raisins, they will be safer for your pet.

Can Gerbils Eat Orange Raisins?

Orange raisins or golden raisins have less water content than grapes, so they are safer for gerbils. But raisins can be an unhealthy treat for gerbils if too much is due to being too high in sugar. All dried fruit will have a concentrated taste and make more sugar content.

Too much sugar in the pet’s body can provide a lot of energy but can increase weight gain drastically. If you offer raisins to gerbils too often, they are prone to obesity and diabetes. Gerbils can eat it, but you have to be wise in giving healthy treats to them.

Can Gerbils Eat Black Raisins?

Black raisins are one of the foods that are always in the kitchen. They’re healthier and sweeter than other snacks. Gerbils love eating black raisins and want to keep asking for pieces of raisins until they are full. You can overfeed gerbils with raisins if you can’t control them.

Raisins are sweet and sugary treats and are considered fatty foods. It’s because raisins can provide energy and gain weight quickly. In the case of sugary treats, weight gain cannot be said to be healthy because animals cannot process high levels of sugar at one time.

Can Gerbils Eat Raisins Every Day?

Don’t give gerbils raisins every day. As pet owners, you must pay attention to nutrition and the portion of food you give to gerbils. Not all foods that gerbils love will be good for their health. Raisins are chewy and sweet, making gerbils love eating them.

Raisins can prevent gerbils’ teeth from growing too long because they have to nibble and gnaw at them, but the sugar content makes raisins should only be served in moderation.

Can Baby Gerbils Eat Raisins?

Baby gerbils are not recommended to eat sweet dried fruit because they need a lot of nutrients for their body development. Raisins are not poisonous to baby gerbils, but some gerbils can show allergic reactions.

Many pet owners try to give raisins to gerbils without any ill effects. Make a feeding plan for baby gerbils with raisins, and give it only as a rare treat once a week or less often than that.

We don’t want baby gerbils to have health problems because we want to provide food with high sugar content but don’t pay attention to the risks.

Can Gerbils Eat Raisins In The Wild?

Wild gerbils can find raisins in the grape tree. Grapes can be dried naturally on the vine when the fruit is not harvested, not physically touched, or not eaten by animals. Although some raisins are produced, it is possible that wild gerbils feed on raisins from trees but not from their natural habitat.

Grapes don’t exist in gerbils’ natural environment. In most cases, gerbils will find grapes from the garden. Pet gerbils have more access to eating raisins than wild gerbils.

Do Gerbils Like Raisins?

Gerbils like grapes and raisins because they enjoy the sweetness and chewy texture. Raisins can be a healthy treat with a better taste than other fruits if pet owners can serve them in the right amount. Gerbils who are used to living in the desert cannot eat fruit with a lot of water content.

Raisins are not included in the fruit with a lot of water because the drying process from the sun can reduce the water content by up to 15%. The fruit contains more nutrients which can increase the weight level.

Can Gerbils Have Raisins?

Pet gerbils can have raisins in moderation. There are no studies showing gerbils have side effects after eating raisins. They can enjoy eating raisins until they run out without any digestive issues. Buy raisins from the store and clean them with cold water before giving them to gerbils.

There are different reasons when you want to give grapes and raisins. You can’t give gerbils too many grapes because of the water and acidic content, but you also can’t give too many raisins because of the higher sugar levels.

Experience Feeding Gerbils Raisins

Keep raisins or two near the gerbils until they are interested in eating them. You can see the faces of the gerbils enjoying the sweet taste and chewy texture of the raisins. Gerbils’ tiny hands will hold the raisins, and their mouths will nibble and gnaw the food until they run out.

There are no ill effects after eating raisins, but you must give this sugary fruit once a week to prevent overeats. Gerbils cannot overeat sugar content to maintain their weight level.

Raisins Nutrition Value

Knowing the nutritional value of each food given to your pet will help you determine whether your pet can eat lots of it or not. Raisins are dried fruit, so they’re concentrated. The table below is the nutrition value of raisins per 100 g.

If we look at the data in the table, we know that raisins are a highly nutritious food that provides lots of energy, and gerbils will enjoy them. Raisins contain too many carbs to be a primary diet. A healthy diet for gerbils is 80% carbohydrate, 15% protein, and 5% fat. Raisins have very little fat and not much protein.

Are Raisins Safe For Gerbils?

Both raisins and grapes can be given to gerbils only in moderate quantities. Grape and raisin are not poisonous to gerbils, although they will bring cautionary effects to some pets such as dogs. Several pet food companies in the US and Europe use raisins as one of the gerbil food ingredients.

If there are well-known pet food brands using raisins for gerbil food, at least show that raisins are safe for your pet and no side effects will be caused when gerbils eat raisins or food made from it.

How Many Raisins Can Gerbils Eat?

If you decide to give any dried fruit such as raisins, you should give it as a treat rather than a staple food. Every guideline for giving dried fruit to pets is always the same, only in moderation. The common way to treat gerbils is a tablespoon per serve.

If you want to give raisins with high sugar content, you can give between half to one tablespoon of raisins. That way you can provide an enjoyable snack and something nutritious to your pet.

How To Prevent Gerbils From Overfeeding On Raisins?

Preventing pet gerbils to eat snacks or treats depends on the pet owners. If the pet owner can know the schedule every time they want to give raisins, then the pet can control how much they will eat raisins. Do not give more than one tablespoon per serve, and do not give more than once per week.

Giving gerbils a treat such as fruit or dried fruit must know the nutritional value. Grapes and raisins have their advantages and disadvantages for gerbils. Neither should be given too often to these small animals. It can be a good reason to prevent you from giving too much grape or raisins.

Final Verdict

Raisins are one of the safest dried fruits for gerbils. Many pet owners think raisins may be poisonous for all pets because of their concentrated taste and high sugar content, but not for gerbils. You can give raisins moderately with no problems.

Raisins have a high carbs value, but not protein or fat. Raisins are slightly safer than grapes for water content because of the drying process in the sun and can be reduced by 15% but still unhealthy for gerbils because of their high sugar content.

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! ❤️