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17.07.2018
With the arrival of the warm season, various products that are typical only for the summer period appear on our tables. Almost all of them are replete with a complex of vitamins, important substances, and plant sugars. These foods are full of pulp and juice that quench your hamster's thirst and are great as treats.
The well-being of rodents and their appearance directly depend on the food that we give them to eat. In some cases, when the owner wants to pamper his pet, delicacies are contraindicated for hamsters. Let's find out if hamsters can eat pumpkin.
Benefits of pumpkin for rodents
In their natural habitat, hamsters love to eat not only grains, seeds and nuts. They enjoy searching for new food and nibbling on fresh plants, as well as fruits and vegetables. Among the latter is a rich list of fruits that can be fed to hamsters as their main food.
In the summer, seasonal vegetables appear in the diet of small pets. They contain important and necessary minerals, vitamins, and plant sugars.
These vegetables include raw pumpkin. Its juicy pulp copes well with thirst and is well suited as a treat for hamsters. It contains a complex of vitamins: B, C, E, PP. Rich in phosphorus, iron, potassium and protein.
Pumpkin fruit has a powerful antioxidant - beta-carotene. Experts recommend that everyone include it in the diet of hamsters for the following problems:
- Overweight;
- Diabetes;
- Problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
Pumpkin is a dietary product; its puree is also included in complementary foods even for small hamsters.
Is it possible to give melon?
Melon is a very useful product for humans, but the body of rodents is a little different. High sugar content is harmful to small animals, especially toy breeds, which are prone to developing diabetes.
Among other things, this crop sold on store shelves is always grown using chemical fertilizers, which are absorbed into the peel and penetrate directly into the pulp. For a person, such a concentration is completely harmless, but for a hamster, large doses of melon can be fatal or cause very severe digestive upset, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea.
If you really want to please your pet, you can give your Djungarian hamster dried melon. The piece must be very small or mixed with other delicacies. It is advisable to include raw melon seeds in the menu.
Can pumpkin be harmful?
Contains a large amount of fiber. It is not recommended for daily use by hamsters.
If you feed your hamster pumpkin more and more frequently, changes in the color of the rodent's coat may occur. So, for example, the fur of a white hamster will turn yellow, a cream hamster will turn orange, and a black hamster will turn brown.
Composition and properties
Pumpkin is a very healthy vegetable that contains a large amount of beta-carotene, fiber, vitamins B, E, C, PP and potassium, iron and protein. Pumpkin is a dietary product, so it is included in the diet for gastritis and stomach ulcers, and is also given as complementary food in the form of puree to infants.
Pumpkin juice is used for:
- metabolic disorders,
- obesity,
- diabetes mellitus,
- hypertension,
- cardiovascular diseases,
- colitis,
- cholecystitis.
Can a hamster eat pumpkin? Yes, you can. This vegetable will be indispensable in your pet’s diet, especially in winter. Only in everything you need to observe moderation and not feed the rodent a large amount of such food. An even greater undoubted advantage will be that the vegetable is grown in your city or country house.
How to give pumpkin correctly
The food we feed our favorite animals directly affects their well-being and appearance. Most often, when the owner wants to pamper his pet and treat him to “something tasty,” such delicacies are strictly contraindicated for hamsters.
It is allowed to carefully give your pet a taste of this or that vegetable in small portions and observe the reaction. However, hamsters are quite capable of digesting the pulp of fresh pumpkin.
For variety, furry rodents can periodically include raw or processed pumpkin in their diet. One option is to give hamsters stewed, steamed or boiled pumpkin.
The first step is to wash the product well. Then serve it like this or heat treat it. When you bring a purchased pumpkin from the store, you should definitely wash it well, and it is best to remove the peel in a very thick layer.
It is necessary to cut the peeled flesh into small pieces to make it easier and more convenient for the hamster to eat them. Also, it is important to promptly remove uneaten leftovers from the cage, otherwise they will begin to rot, and the animals should eat only fresh food.
Canned vegetables are never suitable for feeding your furry friend!
The best quality vegetable is always the one that was grown in its own garden, without treatment with pesticides.
Is it possible to have zucchini?
Zucchini should be given to hamsters. This healthy and very juicy vegetable is full of essential minerals and vitamins. But you should follow some rules:
- Only fresh pulp is useful for your pet.
- Zucchini should be alternated with various other acceptable vegetables.
- It is better if it is grown in the garden. Purchased zucchini contains harmful substances.
- Zucchini from the store is washed well, and the peel is removed in a thick layer.
- The product spoils quickly; include it in your diet in small portions.
- Canned zucchini is strictly prohibited.
When can you give watermelon?
If you are still interested in the question of whether Djungarian hamsters can have watermelon, the answer will be disappointing - no. Giving striped berries to animals is not recommended, regardless of the breed of rodent. There is nothing healthy in watermelon except for the sweetness that animals love so much. But excess fluid can lead to problems with the kidneys and genitourinary system.
You can only grow watermelon if it is grown on your site. You are sure that there are no nitrates or pesticides, it is fully ripe and ready to eat. But even in this case, you can only offer the animal a small part of the pulp, and in no case the crust, in which all the harmful substances accumulate.
When asking the country's leading veterinarians whether hamsters can eat watermelon, they answer unequivocally that it is not recommended.
In what form can it be given?
Can hamsters eat raw pumpkin? A tiny rodent will be able to digest the pulp of this vegetable. You can offer a small piece of raw pumpkin pulp or some juice, but not every day.
You can also boil the pumpkin, steam it or cook it in the oven and offer it to your pet in this form or as a puree. Just when preparing food for small rodents, do not add salt, sugar, oil or spices.
To the question whether a Djungarian hamster can have pumpkin, the answer is also in the affirmative. Only portions for such a pet should be much smaller than for Syrian hamsters.
We also want to draw your attention. If pumpkin is consumed in excess, the pet's color may change, namely, yellowness will appear or the saturation of the yellow color in the color will increase. For example, a white hamster can turn yellow, a black one can turn brown, and a cream hamster can turn almost orange.
Vegetables for your hamster
Grain mixtures form the basis of a hamster's daily diet. Grain foods are very nutritious; they contain a large amount of vitamins necessary for the active lifestyle of a rodent. But feeding your hamster grain alone is not recommended. For growth and development, it also needs other nutrients and minerals that are found in vegetables, fruits and berries.
Despite the fact that hamsters are omnivores, you should never give them everything. At home, the diet of rodents should be as close as possible to the diet in the natural environment. In nature, hamsters independently choose their food and determine their daily intake. In captivity, the owner is responsible for feeding the hamster.
Vegetables are not only rich in vitamins and minerals, but also contain high amounts of fiber, which improves digestion and promotes the absorption of food. Some vegetables need to be fed daily, others can be given no more than 1-2 times a week. Also, not all vegetables are equally beneficial for the rodent’s body. Some of them can be harmful to health and have a detrimental effect on the health of the pet, since the digestive system does not digest fibers that are not intended for the hamster's stomach.
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds contain a large amount of fat, protein and dietary fiber, and also contain vitamins A, group B, E, K, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. Due to their high fat content, pumpkin seeds have a high calorie content. It also contains the substance cucurbitin, which has an anthelmintic effect.
Can hamsters have pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin seeds are very useful for the delicate organism of a rodent. They are included in many ready-made foods. If you mix grains yourself to feed your pet, then do not forget to add pumpkin seeds. The hamster will be very happy with such a treat. Including pumpkin seeds in your pet's diet will help protect it from helminths and also improve the appearance of its coat.
But when feeding this product, be careful because pumpkin seeds are rich in fat. For large breeds of hamsters, 2-3 pieces per day will be enough, and for dwarf hamsters, one piece will be enough. It is also worth noting that the seeds must be raw, without salt or other additives.
In their natural habitat, hamsters feed not only on dry seeds, but also love to eat vegetables and other juicy foods. Therefore, most vegetables can be fed to small furries in small quantities, while monitoring the general condition of the pet. We figured out whether a hamster can have a pumpkin, but read this article about what fruits to offer a rodent.
What not to feed Djungarian hamsters
Not every product is safe for the health of a tiny rodent. It is not advisable for hamsters to eat the following foods at home:
Many of these products are not just harmful, but also dangerous to the life of the dwarf. The tiny rodent is very sensitive even to microdoses of strong acids and nitrates. Therefore, he should not eat almonds, watermelons, etc.
Due to the increased risk of constipation, hamsters are prohibited from eating persimmons and other astringent fruits. Seasonings cause diarrhea in Djungarians, which means they should not be fed spicy food from the master’s table. Cabbage and beans are contraindicated for hamsters. They provoke increased gas formation, which leads to the rapid death of animals.
The liver of small rodents is not able to cope with very fatty foods. Therefore, you should not feed your Djungarian hamster avocado, cream, sour cream, butter and large portions of seeds.
Sausages and sausages contain spices, soy and starch. And pasta, although it has a safe composition, can injure the cheek pouches, as a result of which the rodent will require serious treatment.
Djungarians are cute, funny rodents that are often kept as pets. And although ornamental animals do not cause much trouble for their owners, they must eat high-quality and balanced food.
Source
Why can't I have sweet treats?
There is a whole list of products of plant origin that have a very detrimental effect on the health of the animal. This list includes melon and watermelon. Not very careful or lazy owners are not interested in what foods are good for a hamster. As a result, pets develop very serious poisoning, accompanied by diarrhea or constipation.
It would seem that the answer to the question “What to feed a hamster?” very simple. However, in practice, feeding hamsters can raise many questions among inexperienced owners regarding whether this or that product can be given to their pet. Hamsters' diet should be balanced. This means that it will include not only ready-made dry food, which forms the basis of the diet, but also other products. In particular, you can give your hamster the following foods.
Cereals, nuts and seeds. From cereals you can give wheat, oats, barley, buckwheat, rolled oats, lentils. They are given in dry form; Porridges cooked in water without salt or seasonings are fed to sick and weak animals. Nuts you can give are peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews, and walnuts. You can also give your hamster melon, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds.
Vegetables, fruits and berries. Hamsters' diet must include fresh fruits, berries and vegetables - a source of vitamins and moisture. Among the berries you can give currants, gooseberries, strawberries, pitted cherries, and blueberries. From fruits - apple, pear, apricot, melon, peach, banana, grapes, plum (in small quantities). Hamsters also enjoy eating dried fruits - dried apples and pears, raisins, dried apricots, banana chips.
Dry food for hamsters
What do hamsters eat at home? The basis of the diet is dry food. They must always be present in the feeder. Food for rats, parrots, guinea pigs and other animals is not suitable for feeding.
This is due to the fact that vitamin supplements and the composition of specialized food fully meet the needs of the body. If you buy food for another animal, it will differ significantly both in composition and in the amount of nutrients. This can lead to disastrous consequences, since some components of such feeds can have a negative effect on the digestive system and the body as a whole.
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- Why does a hamster's stomach growl?
Rules for organizing “hamster” nutrition
When thinking about the question of whether hamsters can eat melon, many people forget about the general rules for feeding rodents. But a well-balanced diet is the key to the health of your furry pet.
On a note! A balanced hamster diet should contain 65% carbohydrates, 16% proteins, 4.5% fats.
A special feature of hamsters is their small size. Because of it, animals have a very high metabolism. It is strictly contraindicated for them to starve.
Like other pets, rodents require vitamins and microelements. An alternative to melon can be apples, pears, and vegetables.
