Many hamster owners naively believe that they know how to feed hamsters, and that it’s easy.
Just throw in some bread, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots; the hamster eats it, and all is well. This is not quite true. These rodents were domesticated almost a century ago, and during this time some of their instincts have degraded. Modern hamsters will eat almost anything. This causes great harm to the animal and will shorten its life. Hamsters are very fragile. A small draft and the animal can die of pneumonia. An excess of sugar, and it can suffer from metabolic disorders. To prolong the life of your dear little pet, you need to carefully monitor their diet. So, how to feed hamsters properly?
How to Feed Hamsters in General
Hamsters should be fed once or twice a day. Their main food should be a quality hamster food that is sold in pet stores in boxes tagged “for hamsters”. The mix is usually composed of oats, wheat, dried legumes, sunflower seeds, herbal pellets, and millet. Hamsters should get two to three teaspoons of this mix daily.
Hamsters also need constant access to clean, fresh water. It’s best to use automatic pneumatic water bottles. Keep in mind that water cannot be substituted with fruits or vegetables – these are not enough to quench the hamster’s thirst. Just one day without enough fluids can lead to dehydration and possible death of the animal.
How to Feed Hamsters with Fruits and Vegetables?
To learn how to feed hamsters with fruits and vegetables, you need to learn which of them are safe. Watermelon, melons, and cucumbers can lead to food poisoning in hamsters. Cabbage, potatoes, onions, and garlic are too heavy for the animal’s digestion. Citrus fruits and exotic fruits and vegetables are also very unsafe for hamsters. Even if the hamster has eaten any potentially unsafe foods without any consequences for some time, something can happen to them the next time they eat any of these. Even a good veterinarian may not be able to save a hamster with food poisoning.
Most other fruits and vegetables can be given in small quantities. When treating the hamster to a piece of a juicy fruit, don’t forget to remove the pits. Fruit pits contain prussic acid and are often the cause of death in hamsters. The safest fruits and vegetables for hamsters are carrots and apples (in small amounts). Don’t give apples to babies under two months old, because of the risk of fatal ascites in babies.
How to Feed Hamsters with Greens?
So, how to feed hamsters with greens safely? Hamsters need greens. You can give them lettuce and celery, but in limited quantities. You can give them clover and dandelion leaves, but these should be thoroughly washed first. Remember that many houseplants are poisonous to hamsters.
You can treat it to raw seeds and nuts (except almonds!) as a delicacy, but give them in moderation. Be extremely cautious with dairy. Give only plain, low-fat dairy products (yogurt or cottage cheese), and not more than once a week. Hamsters also need to eat food containing animal protein. As such, you can treat the animal to some boiled egg or a piece of boiled chicken once or twice a week.
To learn how to feed hamsters properly, you also need to know what foods to avoid. Avoid the following foods: fatty, salty, spicy, fried, smoked, canned, as well as honey, mushrooms, and chocolate. Remember the golden rule: not everything that tastes good to the hamster is good for the hamster.