Secrets to a Healthy Hamster Diet
Hamsters are omnivores and in the wild their diets
consist of vegetables, seeds, roots, fruits and berries, insects and
other small animals. So in order to maintain optimal health, pet
hamsters need to have a broad mixture of foods, including proteins,
fruits, vegetables and grains in their diet on a daily basis.
Meats are a subject of contention among hamster lovers. Some people feel that feeding meat to hamsters contributes to the tendency toward cannibalism. Other people believe that there is no correlation between feeding meat to hamsters and their tendency to eat their young in overcrowded conditions.
One thing is certain, though, your hamsters will need a source of protein. So if you choose not to feed them meat, then supply them with enough mealworms or insects for their protein needs. And make sure that if you do feed them meat, that it is beef, mutton, lamb, poultry and never pork or any pork products (which could make them very ill).
Fresh vegetables can include all sorts of greens (like endive, kale and chard), celery, squash, corn, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, and many others. Be sure to avoid the garlic and onion families, eggplant, raw potatoes, raw kidney beans, and raw rhubarb.
Fruits to include in your hamsters diets are apples (without the seeds, which are toxic), bananas, berries, cantaloupes, and mangoes. Fruits to avoid are citrus fruits, watermelon, and the stones of fruits like apricots, peaches, cherries and plums.
It is a good idea to do some research and print out a list of foods that are healthy, and which foods to avoid, because some foods humans commonly eat can be extremely toxic to hamsters. So it is important to educate yourself and become knowledgeable about the components of a healthy hamster diet.
Fish liver oil (just a few drops added to grain) can be fed to your hamster about once per week to maintain a balance of healthy fats in the diet.
Milk is not a good food for hamsters since is spoils so easily when it is left a room temperature in the cage.
Hamsters also need to gnaw to keep their teeth the proper length (otherwise their incisors can grow into the roofs of their mouths, which would be extremely painful for them). So provide hard dog or cat biscuits for them to maintain good dental hygiene.
One word of caution about feeding treats. Never ever feed you hamster chocolate, candy or other human “junk food”. Chocolate is toxic, and sugars can cause diabetes in hamsters (just as is can in humans, only it happens faster in hamsters). Think of if this way: if it is not something that hamsters would eat in the wild in their natural habitats, don’t feed it to them.
Remember that feeding them a healthy diet is probably the most important thing you can do to ensure that you have healthy pets.
