What do hamsters eat at home: proper nutrition for pets

What does a hamster’s diet consist of in nature?

To organize the proper nutrition of a pet in captivity, you need to bring its diet as close as possible to the natural one.

Most of the menu of rodents is plant foods. With great pleasure, hamsters eat cereals, fruits, vegetables, grass. At the same time, hamsters cannot be classified as herbivores: they consume caterpillars, worms, spiders, beetles. Rodents do not disdain fresh meat, bird eggs.

What absolutely can not be given to rodents at home?

It is absolutely contraindicated to feed a hamster with dishes prepared for people. Should be excluded from their menu:

• salty;
• smoked;
• fatty;
• roast;
• sweet;
• acute;
• canned;
• food intended for other animals.

It is a mistake to believe that cheese is useful for a pet from food from the human table. This stereotype is not true. In nature, cheese is not found in a hamster, so it is impossible to feed an animal with it.

List of products contraindicated for rodents:

• butter;
• vegetable fats;
• fresh milk;
• milk porridge;
• sour cream;
• cream;
• cheeses;
• fat meat;
• Salo;
• dried and dried fish and meat products;
• fresh bread;
• pasta;
• pastries, cakes, cookies, pies;
• salty crackers;
• candies;
• sugar;
• bee products;
• chocolate;
• chips.

There are exceptions for hamsters and among natural plant foods. This issue is discussed in more detail below, in the sections on vegetables, fruits and greens in the diet of animals.

How to feed hamsters at home?

The correct diet of a rodent consists of a grain part, greens, succulent feed and protein foods. A mandatory component is clean fresh water.

So that pieces of food, garbage, waste products do not get into the pet’s drink, and it remains free of impurities, does not spill, it is best to use a ball drinker in the cage.

Feed mixes for hamsters

The easiest way to organize proper pet nutrition is to purchase food developed by specialists at pet stores. It usually includes:

• dried peas;
• lentils;
• beans;
• oats;
• millet;
• wheat;
• peanut;
• cashew;
• hazelnut;
• walnuts.

Seeds are also included.

• sunflower;
• pumpkins;
• flax;
• sesame.

In some mixtures, herbal granules, dried fruits as a treat and vitamins, calcium are added.

Fresh food

Restricting an animal to only a dry mixture is an unforgivable mistake. Be sure to feed your pet with greens, juicy food, giving about 50 grams of vegetables and fruits per day. Fruits can be given in large pieces or crushed. Young animals need to grind their teeth. Therefore, it is better for them to put large pieces in the cage. But it is difficult for elderly individuals to gnaw hard vegetables. For them, it will be more useful to eat chopped fruits.

Vegetables

From vegetables, rodents are useful:

• pumpkin;
• broccoli;
• Chinese cabbage;
• carrot;
• eggplant;
• vegetable marrow;
• bell pepper;
• a tomato;
• asparagus;
• cucumber.

There is a group of vegetables called conditionally acceptable. They are not poisonous to hamsters, but in large quantities they can harm their body. These include:

• white cabbage;
• red cabbage;
• beets;
• potato.

Cabbage contains a lot of vitamin C. But it causes strong fermentation in the intestines, provokes diarrhea. Therefore, it can be given only if the animal suffers from constipation, in a very small amount, without leaving the pet unattended.

Beetroot also has a strong laxative effect, it contains a lot of sugar, which is harmful to animals.

As for potatoes, the opinions of experts differ. On the one hand, it contains many vitamins and microelements, there are antioxidants that strengthen the walls of blood vessels and slow down the aging process of the body. On the other hand, raw potatoes can cause fermentation and diarrhea. Therefore, this root crop should be given carefully, observing the condition of the pet. Potato peel accumulates poisonous corned beef, which leads to the death of the animal. When giving a hamster the vegetable it needs, cut off the thick top layer.

Some experts suggest feeding rodents boiled vegetables. But hamsters in nature do not meet boiled potatoes, which means they should not eat such a product. An exception is made for elderly animals. They have boiled potatoes in the diet, but in combination with raw pumpkin, cucumber. Boil vegetables without salt.

Boiled cabbage and onions can also be offered to pets. And in raw form, these products are given to animals no more than 2-3 times a month.

Fruits and berries

Hamsters like tasty, fragrant fruits. When keeping a pet at home, you can and should give them, because they have a lot of vitamins and minerals. However, caution must be exercised here as well. Not all fruits and berries are suitable for hamsters.

It is useful to feed rodents:

• apples;
• apricots;
• pears;
• plums;
• bananas;
• grapes;
• raspberries;
• peaches;
• blueberries
• cherry;
• strawberries.

They are contraindicated:

• citrus;
• kiwi;
• watermelon;
• a pineapple;
• pomegranate.

Persimmon is a conditionally acceptable fruit. It contains a large amount of tannins and sugar. If you decide to treat your pet with this fruit, you should choose the least sweet variety. Give persimmon to the animal male no more than 1-2 times a month.

Greenery

Although dry mixes often contain herbal granules, pampering your pet with fresh herbs is never superfluous. Of the beneficial herbs, hamsters love the most:

• nettle;
• Dill;
• Clover;
• plantain;
• leaf lettuce;
• parsley;
• dandelion;
• beet and carrot tops;
• alfalfa;
• shiritsu (red spotted);
• rabbit cabbage.

Despite the juiciness of the plant, you can not feed hamsters with celandine – it is poisonous for the animal.

Due to the strong smell, hamsters do not like the greens of onions, garlic, leeks. They may refuse fragrant mint, dill and parsley. But if the latter are not contraindicated for rodents, then experts do not recommend onions and garlic to animals because they contain a large amount of sugar.

Sorrel contains many acids that are harmful to rodents. Therefore, you can not give this herb that is useful for people to animals.

Hamsters are also given twigs of trees and shrubs. They contain many vitamins. Hamsters clean and grind their teeth by gnawing them. It is not necessary to offer aspen and poplar to animals – they have a bitter taste. Oak branches contain tannins that can cause constipation.

Meat, dairy and eggs

Proteins are an important part of the hamster diet.

From meat products, they can be offered boiled chicken breast without skin and salt. Insects and worms will be healthy delicacies on the pet’s menu.

From dairy products, animals can be offered fat-free cottage cheese, kefir, sugar-free yogurt with the lowest fat content.

Hamsters love to feast on boiled eggs. Give them to your pet peeled, and leave the eggshell in a cup: the hamster uses it as a biological supplement rich in calcium. Before boiling, the egg should be thoroughly washed with soda so that there are no germs on it. The product is given to the pet once a month, no more than half.

Portions and number of feeding hamsters per day

You can give dry food to pets at home 1-2 times a day. Don’t be afraid to overfeed your hamster. This animal will never eat too much. A thrifty animal will simply hide part of the food.

Check your hamster’s cage daily, especially if your pet’s diet includes perishable foods. Lying in a secluded place even for a day, they are able to poison a pet.

Portions of food for hamsters vary depending on their species. Dwarf breeds include Dzungarian, Siberian dwarf, Campbell, Taylor, Roborosky hamster. They need 1 tablespoon of dry feed mixture per day. For larger species, such as the Syrian, the portion is doubled.

When keeping hamsters, one more rule should be observed. It concerns conditionally acceptable foods in the diet. Since dwarf species have a very low weight (up to 45 grams in total), it is better to exclude these products altogether. For example, Dzhungars should not be offered raw potatoes and persimmons.