What can hamsters eat?
We all craved for a hamster when we were little. As a hamster owner, you don’t have to worry very much about its diet. Because he is not a high maintenance pet and will not require a diverse food diet. But, you have to make sure that you are providing nutritious pellet food, that is high in all those nutrients that your hamster needs. Also, you can also give them occasional treats to bring some colours and variety to their usual diet.
However, treats are only for special occasions and should be given in lesser amounts. Treats should not make up the complete diet of your hamster and should not be given more than ten percent.
It is also noteworthy that your hamster will not overeat any product, so you have to make sure that its bowl is filled all the time. A hamster’s plate should contain a high quality hamster diet that can provide your hamster the ideal amounts of nutrients along with the vitamins and other minerals that the hamster’s body cannot make itself.
Hamsters are well-known pets, and by that time they got so popular in many countries like the USA and Canada. It is a new thing for any new pet hamster owner to learn about What can hamsters eat?. Hamsters are versatile and can eat diverse varieties of food, but on average, they don’t need much, and you can nurture them in full health in an affordable way. They will need three things—green things like fresh vegetables and fruits and some amounts of proteins in their daily diet.
The Best Diet For Feeding Pet Hamsters
The new kind of dry foods available in the market is very beneficial for your pet hamsters as they contain all those necessary vitamins and nutrients that your Hamster needs for a healthy body. Despite that, various varieties of dry food mixes can be given to your hamsters and are readily available at let stores.
What can hamsters eat? Hamster’s diet will consist of a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with dry food. They can also rely on green herbs like dandelions and clover. Fruits like pears and vegetables like carrots, cabbages, or cauliflower are also a great addition to your pet’s diet.
On occasions, you also have to incorporate some amounts of proteins into the daily diet of your Hamster. A boiled egg given in small quantities will be enough for your pet hamster. Hamsters are little, cute, and fluffy creatures with even smaller stomachs, so you do not have to stuff them with food.
The best hamster’s diet:
Hamster’s diet contains all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and proteins, making them omnivores. They eat a lot of plants and insects as well. What is the best diet for your Hamster, and what can hamsters eat? It depends on how effectively you provide them with the food which should synchronize with their wildlife diet.
In the wild, their diet consists of nutritional components like fruits, veggies, and protein packs, such as mealworms.
Hamsters are pure hoarders, and they love to hide and store their food in their cheek pouches. Not only in their cheek pouches, but they store their food in the cage as well.
It is not recommended that you should feed them a diet high in fibers and sugars. What can hamsters eat? Is the question most people asked. They leave the fiber part as it is and munch upon the sugar content. This will make them obese and overweight. Not only this, but it is very harmful to their teeth.
The most perfect diet for your hamster will be :
- The hamster pellets are available in pet stores, but they should not contain fibers and sugars.
- Green content; fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
- A special kind of hay called Timothy hay. It includes a lot of threads and is very beneficial for pet Hamsters.
- Now and then, you should also give them treats like boiled eggs, nuts, and worms to pace up their protein requirements.
- Water is also an essential part of the Hamster’s diet or any pet’s diet. So, fresh water should be available all the time for your Hamster in a metal bowl.
Feeding is interesting:
In their natural habitat, hamsters do not get ready-made food; instead, they have to forage their food. Foraging means they have to search for their food. What can hamsters eat? You should also mimic this process while hamsters are in your captivation. This technique will prevent them from getting obese, and they will also get engaged and therefore, will not sleep. For this you can do these:
- Instead of putting all the diet in the bowl, you can distribute the food around their cage. The scent will attract the hamsters towards the food. This technique also works best for the owners, which have more than one pet hamsters. Therefore, as hamsters are territorial, maybe one of them would not let the other Hamster eat from the same bowl. This will distract them so that others can get a share as well.
- You can also hide the food like hay, pellets and pieces of fruits in small bags and cardboard tubes. Your hamster will have a fun time searching for its food and they may do cute activities during this process.
Healthy fruits and vegetables which are best for your hamster :
What can hamsters eat? Hamsters’ diet contains fresh fruits, vegetables, and some portions of protein as well. In the following section, I will mention all the healthy fruits, vegetables, and herbs that will help maintain the good health of your Hamster.
Veggies for hamsters:
- Courgette
- Spinach
- Cucumber
- Chicory
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Peppers
Fruits for hamsters:
- Pears
- Apples
- Melons
- Peaches
What can your hamsters eat? It is not good to feed your hamsters or let them munch upon citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, or papaya, etc.
Herbs for hamsters:
- Coriander
- Sage
- Parsley
- Basil leaves
Things that hamsters love to chew:
Apart from the question What can hamsters eat? you should also be aware of what they love to chew and gnaw. They are fond of chewing upon the things, and it is their natural behavior. This natural process helps them keep their teeth in shape and prevent the growth of the teeth. This behavior is also a technique so that you can prevent them from sleeping, the activity will provide them something to do, and ultimately they won’t be bored.
They love to munch upon the following things:
- Pumice Stone
- Cardboard
- Hay
- Unbleached loofah
- Seagrass
- Coconut shells
Hamsters are also of gnawing woods. You can also provide them with these, but make sure before giving any softwood to the Hamster, cook them until a boil. This will ensure that the wood is now entirely safe to give to the Hamster. Types of woods that can be given to the hamsters are:
- Apple
- Elm
- Red elm
- Dogwood
- Hazelnut
- Pear
- Hawthorn
- Poplar
- Quince
- Willow ( goat willow, weeping willow or pussy willow)
- Yucca
- Grape
- Grapevine
What can hamsters eat daily?
Any pet needs to provide them with a diet that contains all the vital nutrients, and the menu should also keep them fit and healthy as we all know that hamsters love to fill their cheek pouches with food for eating later on. But their cheek pouches are very sensitive, therefore filling them with sharp and hard objects can damage them, so it is crucial to deliver appropriate food to your Hamster.
Hamster’s diet:
What can hamsters eat? Their diet contains a diverse mix of carbohydrates, fibers, and proteins. Safe fruits and veggies include apples, bananas, black and blueberries, broccoli, carrots, dates, figs cucumber, grapes, beans, kiwi, celery, mango, melons, peach, pear, parsley, strawberries, turnips, swede, sweetcorn, watermelon, raspberries, lettuce, mint, peas, cranberries, asparagus, cooked potatoes, and baked beans.
Hamsters Gifts:
Hamsters will love treats, but they shouldn’t be fed a lot of gifts. What can hamsters eat? Remember, balance is the key. Excessive treats will make your hamsters deal prone and obese as well Brazil nuts, biscuits, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, pecan nuts, pistachio, prunes, raisins, walnuts, sultanas, coconuts, cheese, bread, acorns, and some cereals.
Hamsters Timings:
Your Hamster’s diet should be fresh. But do not feed them more than twice a day. As we know that hamsters are tiny creatures, so you don’t have to stuff them with a lot of food.
What can hamsters eat fruit?
Your Hamster’s diet needs fresh fruits and vegetables for their excellent nourishment. The fruits which are healthy for your hamsters include apples, grapes, pears, peaches, banana, berries, kiwi, mangoes, etc. But don’t let them have the citrus fruits.
What can hamsters eat?
The list for your hamster’s diet include:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Herbs
- Treats
You should play with your Hamster’s diet so that he doesn’t get addicted to the same food. Putting diversity in your Hamster’s menu is very beneficial for them. Don’t overfeed the treats and proteins to your Hamster.
Can hamsters eat watermelons?
What can hamsters eat? There are varieties of foods available in the pet stores, which are effective diets for your hamsters. But you can give them fruits and vegetables as well. Watermelon wouldn’t have the least adverse impact on your Hamster. However, it may contain high amounts of sugar, which shouldn’t be given daily.
Can hamsters eat cheese?
Hamsters can eat cheese, but remember, it shouldn’t be a part of their daily diet. Also, remember that the cheese you feed your hamsters should not be high in fats and mild. You can seldomly give your Hamster a piece of cheese like once in a week.
Can hamsters eat lettuce?
Giving your fresh hamster vegetables is very good. Hamster’s diet should mimic what they would eat in the wild. Raw vegetables like carrots, squash, broccoli, roman lettuce are very healthy options to feed your hamsters.
Can hamsters eat celery?
Fresh vegetables are always a good and healthy option to feed your Hamster. Hence lettuce contains a lot of fiber, which makes it a most appropriate diet to give to your Hamster.
Can hamsters eat bread?
Hamsters can eat bread, but it should only be given as a treat and not as a daily diet. Feeding them meals daily will make them obese because it contains high amounts of sugars. Moreover, it will make your Hamster addicted, so it may leave a healthy diet and rely only on the treat.
Can hamsters eat bananas?
Bananas are safe to give to your hamsters. Many pet foods that are bought from the stores also contain bananas. Hence bananas are rich in magnesium, Vitamin B6, and other fibers, so they make a good and healthy option to feed your pet hamster.
Can hamsters eat oranges?
The Hamster diet is a mix of fresh fruits, vegetables, and some treats that are given to fulfill the protein requirements. But some people may get confused while we talk about fruits and vegetables. Do not give them citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, papaya, grapefruits, and all the tangerines, etc. Any citrus fruit is not at all recommended to provide to your Hamster. Why should they not be giving them citrus fruits? Because they contain high amounts of acid. Acid can cause stomach distress due to acid flush in the stomach. The situation can lead you to diarrhea and stress in your Hamster.