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Yes, gerbils can eat a little celery now and then. Supreme Petfoods lists it among fresh vegetables gerbils can have in small amounts. It is mostly water with little goodness, and VCA Animal Hospitals tells rodent owners to avoid it for that reason, so keep it occasional. Give a thin slice of stalk with the stringy fibres pulled off, or a small leaf.
| Safe? | Yes, in small amounts |
| How much | A slice about 5 mm (0.2 in) thick, or one small leaf |
| How often | Every week or two at most |
| Best served | Raw, washed, strings removed |
| Watch out for | Long strings, loose droppings |
Is celery good for gerbils?
It is safe, but not especially good. Celery is not poisonous to gerbils, and Supreme Petfoods names it alongside carrot, peppers and courgette (zucchini) as a vegetable to offer in small amounts. VCA Animal Hospitals, on the other hand, advises avoiding celery in rodents because it is mostly water with little nutritional value.
Those two views fit together. A small piece will not hurt, and many gerbils enjoy the crunch, but celery takes up a fresh-food slot that a more useful vegetable could fill. Gerbils are desert animals, and the Gerbil Care welfare site warns that too much fresh food can cause diarrhoea, which can be fatal.
How much celery, and how often?
A slice of stalk about 5 mm (0.2 in) thick, or a leaf about the size of your thumbnail, per gerbil, every week or two. Gerbil Care's guide for all fresh food is about one thumbnail-sized portion per gerbil, around twice a week. Celery should be the odd one of those, not a regular.
How to prepare celery
- Wash it well. Celery holds dirt at the base of the stalks.
- Pull off the strings. Snap the stalk and peel away the long fibres down its back. No source we checked covers this for gerbils; we suggest it because long strings are hard for a small rodent to chew through.
- Cut a thin slice. About 5 mm (0.2 in), across the stalk.
- Clear leftovers. Check the bedding the same day and remove anything soft or wilted.
Stalk, leaves and cooked celery
- Stalk: fine in a thin slice, strings off.
- Leaves: fine, a small piece.
- Celeriac (celery root): not covered by our sources, so we would skip it.
- Cooked celery: no benefit. Never give it from soups or stews, which may contain onion and garlic, both poisonous to gerbils according to Burgess.
- Celery salt and celery seed: no.
If your gerbils ignore celery, do not worry. There is nothing in it they need that carrot, broccoli or a slice of pepper cannot give them better.
Who should skip celery?
Gerbils with loose droppings, very young gerbils still settling in, and any gerbil that is not eating its dry food well.
Better vegetables to try
Burgess suggests carrot, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber and sweet peppers in small slices or cubes. Try a sliver of carrot, a small broccoli floret or a thin slice of cucumber. Our safe food list for gerbils, gerbil diet guide and complete gerbil care guide cover the rest.
Celery questions
Can gerbils eat celery leaves?
A small leaf or two is fine. Celery leaves have no strings, which makes them easier to serve than the stalk. Wash them well, give a piece no bigger than your thumbnail, and treat them as part of that week's fresh food, not an extra.
Why do some vets say not to feed celery?
VCA Animal Hospitals advises rodent owners to avoid celery because it is mostly water with little nutritional value. It is not poisonous, and Supreme Petfoods lists it among vegetables gerbils can have in small amounts. We follow both: a little now and then is fine, but better vegetables should come first.
Can gerbils eat cooked celery?
Plain cooked celery is not harmful, but there is no benefit and soft pieces spoil quickly in bedding. Never give celery from soups, stews or stock, which often contain onion, garlic and salt. Burgess lists onions and garlic as poisonous to gerbils.
