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Yes, gerbils can eat apple as a treat. The RSPCA, Burgess and PetMD all name apple as a safe fruit. Give a thumbnail-sized piece once or twice a week, and always cut out the core and every pip first: the Gerbil Care welfare site calls apple seeds highly toxic. The skin is fine once the apple is washed.
| Safe? | Yes, flesh and skin; never the pips |
| How much | A thumbnail-sized piece per gerbil |
| How often | Once or twice a week |
| Best served | Fresh, washed, cored, cut small |
| Watch out for | Pips, sugar, stashed pieces going off |
Is apple good for gerbils?
Yes, in small amounts. The RSPCA lists apple among fruits that can supplement pellets, and Burgess and PetMD include it in their safe fruit lists. A sweet, crunchy piece is a good taming treat.
The limit is sugar. Burgess says fruit should be given in tiny portions because it is high in sugar, and PetMD says fruit should be fed in smaller amounts than vegetables to prevent weight gain. PetMD also says all extras together should be no more than 10% of a gerbil's daily diet.
How much apple, and how often?
One thumbnail-sized piece, about 1 cm (0.4 in) across, per gerbil, once or twice a week. That matches Gerbil Care's guide for all fresh food: about one thumbnail-sized portion per gerbil, around twice a week. If your gerbils also get other fresh food that week, apple takes one of those slots, not an extra one.
How to prepare apple
- Wash the apple. Rinse well to remove dirt and spray. Peel it if it has a waxy coating.
- Cut out the core. Take out the whole core and every pip. Gerbil Care says apple seeds are highly toxic.
- Cut small pieces. One thumbnail-sized piece per gerbil.
- Scatter or hand-feed. The RSPCA suggests scattering food to encourage natural foraging.
- Clear leftovers. Gerbils hoard. Check the bedding and remove any stashed apple before it goes brown and spoils.
Apple pips (seeds) are toxic to gerbils. If yours has eaten some, ring your vet for advice and watch for breathing trouble, weakness or refusing food.
Skin, pips, dried apple and juice
- Skin: fine once washed.
- Pips and core: never.
- Dried apple: a crumb only, plain and unsweetened. Drying concentrates the sugar.
- Apple sauce and juice: no. Too sugary, and often sweetened.
- Apple wood: yes, as a chew. Burgess suggests untreated apple wood for teeth.
Who should skip apple?
Overweight gerbils and gerbils with loose droppings should have apple rarely or not at all until they are well. Young gerbils should be eating dry food well before any fruit is added, and then only a crumb at first.
Other treats to rotate with apple
Try a blueberry, a small piece of strawberry or a sliver of banana, or a lower-sugar piece of carrot. Our safe food list for gerbils, gerbil diet guide and complete gerbil care guide cover everything else.
Apple questions
Are apple seeds poisonous to gerbils?
Yes, treat them as poisonous. The Gerbil Care welfare site calls apple seeds highly toxic and says never to feed them. Cut the core out completely before you serve apple, and check that no pips have fallen into the bedding.
My gerbil ate an apple pip. What should I do?
One pip is unlikely to cause serious harm in most cases, but ring your vet for advice, especially if several were eaten. Remove any other pips, then watch your gerbil closely for the next day for breathing trouble, weakness, wobbliness or refusing food, and go straight to the vet if you see any of these.
Can gerbils eat apple skin?
Yes. The skin is fine and adds a little fibre. Wash the apple well first. If you cannot wash off a waxy coating, peel it instead.
Can gerbils chew apple tree wood?
Yes. Burgess suggests untreated apple wood as a chew to help keep a gerbil's teeth worn down. Use only wood from trees that have not been sprayed, and wash and dry the twigs before use.
Can gerbils eat dried apple or apple sauce?
Dried apple is much sweeter by weight, so give only a crumb, and only plain unsweetened kinds. Gerbil Care lists organic dried fruit with no sweeteners as a moderate treat. Skip apple sauce and apple juice, which are sugary and often have added sugar.
