Can I feed my gerbil fresh coconut? Should it be dried or have meat?

I would not give Jelutong wood to a gerbil as it has gum that may be detrimental to your gerbil. Meranti has been reported to cause eye, throat, and skin irritation, so I am not sure if this would be a good idea for giving to a gerbil to chew. You may try giving him bamboo or coconut shell for a chew toy.

Thanks for reaching out about your gerbil. There are definitely some leaves that could be toxic, but not many household vegetables are toxic. You should avoid any plants from the onion family (onions, leeks, etc.). If using outdoor plants, leaves from apple or fruit with pits (apricot, peach) can contain some cyanide and be toxic. If you can't identify a plant, research it before feeding. Good luck.

There is commercial gerbil food available at the pet store, they also need a water bottle and a warm enough environment. Their cage needs to be cleaned about twice a week at least and food needs to be provided twice a day.

Coconut water can be given as an occasional treat, but water is the only liquid Mila needs to be healthy. As for the coconut skin, yes it is ok for her to have a little, but again only as an occasional treat and she can never have the husk of the coconut.

If you feed a good quality gerbil food it will have all the nutritional requirements. You can supplement the diet with hay, fruit and veg, meal worms etc. If you find that the gerbils are picky about what they eat you could add a vitamin and mineral supplement to their water, but it is not a definite requirement.

Carrots are ok for dogs to eat, as well as a small amount of coconut. Too much of either could cause gastric upset. I do not recommend letting him eat any of the outside coconut shell as there is a chance it could cause stomach upset, as well as an obstruction.

You can feed your gerbil 1/2-1 ml of food at a time. You can do this every 2-3 hours. Don't syringe the food in too quickly because the he may not be able to swallow it quickly. Just place little amounts on the tongue for him to swallow on his own. I hope this helps. Good luck.