The natural food of small rodents living in nature are seeds of cereal plants, legumes, berries, fresh stems and leaves, and insect larvae. Animals kept at home are forced to eat what their owner feeds them. The principle “proper nutrition is the key to health” should apply not only to people, so before getting a pet, you need to think about its diet. For example, you need to understand whether hamsters can eat seeds? In what form is it better to offer your pet a treat? There are several possible answers to these questions.
Sunflower
Sunflower seeds are a component of specialized food mixtures for rodents, because they are part of the animals' natural diet. The seeds contain beneficial substances that have a positive effect on the heart, blood vessels, and nervous system of the baby’s body. This:
- vitamins (A, E, D and group B);
- minerals (iodine, zinc, calcium, iron, etc.);
- amino acids;
- polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Therefore, the answer to the question whether it is possible to give your pet sunflower seeds will be positive. You even need to give these seeds to your hamster. But there is a limitation. Since sunflower grains contain 30% vegetable oil, they are very high in calories. It is not recommended to feed your pet them often. This will lead to health problems associated with obesity.
In what form is it better to give the vegetable?
In its natural form, the pulp contains the maximum amount of vitamins and nutrients.
Hamsters are quite capable of digesting raw pumpkin. However, this product may be too much of a burden for the small organism of a domestic rodent, so it is not worth offering it every day. Important! Long-term consumption of orange treats will affect the color of the hamster - yellowness will appear or the saturation of the natural yellow tint of the fur will increase.
Pet pumpkin can be boiled, steamed or baked in the oven. A boiled or baked dish can be served in pieces or as a puree. During heat treatment, the use of salt, sugar, spices and oil is prohibited in order to avoid additional stress on the animal’s liver.
Canned vegetables should not be offered to your pet.
Pumpkin
Can hamsters have pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin seeds are also a source of valuable nutrients. A whole complex of beneficial components of these grains helps lower cholesterol levels, maintain blood composition within normal limits, and establish proper functioning of the heart and vascular system. In addition to vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, selenium, zinc, magnesium and potassium, pumpkin seeds contain the substance cucurbitin. It has an anthelmintic effect. Including pumpkin seeds in your baby’s diet will protect him from parasites, maintain health, and prolong life.
Vegetable products
Vegetables have a rich vitamin and mineral composition, but not all of them are suitable for feeding hamsters. Some of them can cause indigestion or allergies in your furry friend. Therefore, let's find out what vegetables can be given to a hamster, and in what quantities.
Suitable for daily nutrition:
- Carrots and bell peppers are the best source of carotenoids, which are necessary for the prevention of senile cataracts in animals. They also contain ascorbic acid, which strengthens the immune system.
- Green peas and beans contain a lot of protein and B vitamins, responsible for proper metabolism, rich in silicon, phosphorus, potassium and other elements.
- Squash, eggplants, zucchini and cucumbers will help maintain the body's water balance. The peel contains a lot of magnesium, potassium, copper, vitamin C, and phylloquinone.
Sometimes a hamster’s diet can be diversified with cauliflower, turnips, beets and tomatoes, and fresh broccoli. 2 times a week you can treat your pet to fresh pumpkin. Hamsters should not be fed it often, because it contains a lot of sugar.
It’s also worth remembering which vegetables you can’t treat homa with:
- leaves and stalks from white cabbage can cause diarrhea;
- horseradish is too spicy food for a hamster;
- garlic and onions contain many essential oils that can cause allergies in fluffy;
- raw potatoes can also lead to indigestion, but boiled potatoes can be offered to your pet occasionally.
Vegetables should be cut into small pieces so that it is convenient for your pet to hold them in his hands. If the hamster has not finished eating, for example, a cucumber, then the next morning it should be removed from the cage.
Melon and watermelon
What seeds are best to offer to your pet? Watermelon or melon? The seeds of both of these melons can be fed to hamsters. Melons will especially benefit pregnant females because they contain folic acid, which is necessary for the proper development of the offspring. Components such as vegetable proteins and fats are necessary to build the muscle tissue of the animal.
Watermelon seeds are rich in vitamin D, polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as other elements necessary for a full life for an animal.
Food norm
Rodents are predominantly nocturnal, and their main meal of the day occurs in the evening. The amount of food depends on the size of the animal. It is advisable to feed your hamster at home twice a day. At the same time, “Syrians” should be given one tablespoon of the mixture in the morning and evening, and dwarf breeds (Djungarians, Campbell’s) should be given one teaspoon of the mixture. In the evening, you can put vegetables or fruits in the feeder, and in the morning you can remove uneaten leftovers from your pet’s home.
It is important to understand that food for a hamster is not only a nutritional element, but also an object of strategic reserves. If the food offered to your pet quickly disappears from the feeder, this does not mean that the hamster is eating too much
He hides some products for a rainy day. From time to time, it is necessary to inspect the “fluffy”’s home and remove excess food, especially that which quickly spoils. And so that your pet is not so upset about parting with “supplies”, you can leave a few grains or seeds in the “pantry”.
Heat-treated seeds
Roasted sunflower seeds (often salted) are often present on our table. They are easier to peel and have a more pleasant taste than raw ones. But this is for people. Can hamsters eat roasted plant seeds? Yes, but little by little. Due to the effects of heat, most of the beneficial substances were destroyed, but a lot of fat remained, which, if consumed in large quantities, will cause obesity. You cannot treat your pets to food containing salt, so fried salted seeds are contraindicated.
It is better to feed your pet raw seeds, which rodents eat in nature. This is a familiar, healthy food that is guaranteed not to cause problems with your well-being.
Do not forget that grain mixtures should make up only part of the animal’s diet, because with all the variety of useful components, they cannot provide the body with everything it needs. Be sure to feed your baby fresh grass (grown in an environmentally friendly place), pieces of vegetables, fruits, and berries.
Zucchini for a hamster - benefit or harm?
Zucchini is a fairly affordable vegetable in season. It has beneficial nutritional properties. This product contains vitamins of groups PP, C, B. It contains minerals: copper, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and many more macro- and microelements.
Zucchini is rich in fiber and other dietary fibers, which actively remove waste, toxins and excess fluid from the body. It lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, which is good for blood vessels, and also stimulates the gastrointestinal tract.
Zucchini is a low-calorie vegetable. It does not contain fat - indispensable for the diet of people with extra pounds. It is recommended for diabetes. It is also a hypoallergenic product recommended for the first feeding of newborn babies.
Due to its easy digestibility and hypoallergenicity, you can safely treat your hamster with it.
In what form can you give your pet zucchini?
The hamster will be very happy to crush the fresh zucchini pulp. Of course, the vegetable must be fresh and well washed. There is no need to cook it, everything is eaten raw. It is good to add other juicy vegetables to the menu with zucchini - beets, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, carrots and pumpkin.
What portion is optimal?
Zucchini doesn't stay fresh for long. This is a quickly perishable vegetable. A small portion of zucchini is placed in the feeder. Make sure your hamster eats it right away, otherwise remove any leftovers from the cage. Because the hamster will hide them in his bins, and he will begin to rot there. Your hamster can get food poisoning and even die if it eats stale food.
It’s good if the vegetables are seasonal, grown in your own gardens, without the use of harmful pesticides. When buying a product on the market, make sure that the zucchini peel has not been subjected to special treatment, which gives the vegetable a beautiful appearance.
For the safety of your pet, if you don’t know anything about this vegetable, wash it thoroughly before feeding it and peel the skin well. They contain the highest concentration of harmful chemicals.
Important! You should not give canned zucchini to your pets . For the marinade, you always use a large amount of spices, hot seasonings, vinegar and salt.
For newborn hamsters, you can offer zucchini puree as complementary food. This dish is recommended for feeding babies up to six weeks of age and sick/weak hamsters.
Depending on the breed, the portion should be dosed. Miniature Djungarian hamsters should be given smaller, juicy portions to avoid digestive problems.
Zucchini seeds - is it possible or not?
Zucchini seeds are similar in composition to pumpkin seeds. They are suitable for eating with the main diet. But since they contain a high fat content, this should be done carefully: No more than two or three seeds per day.
Djungarian hamster
This breed of dwarf pets. Their length is no more than ten centimeters. Weight up to 50 grams. The coat is very short and thick. The spine area is gray-brown, with a black stripe in the middle from head to tail. The eyes are just as bulging. The limbs are white along with the belly. Caring for it is much easier, but there is one rule. Each Djungarian hamster has its own home. You cannot put two individuals in one cage
Movement is vital for them, equip the cage with a running wheel
Feeding is carried out with a special mixture of food. Special mineral stones are purchased for teeth.
Pits from apples, cherries, peaches, apricots and plums
Apple seeds contain a very dangerous substance - amygdalin glycoside. The glycoside amygdalin is broken down by gastric juice and forms hydrocyanic acid. This acid is classified as a very strong poison - cyanide. One seed contains a small amount of this substance and it is not dangerous for humans. But for a small rodent this will be a lethal dose.
Cherries, peaches, apricots and plums also contain a toxic substance called cyanide in their pits. If you give your pet such a bone and he gnaws it, chews it, or otherwise damages the bone, the animal will be exposed to hydrogen cyanide.
Therefore, pits from apples, cherries, peaches, apricots and plums are strictly contraindicated for a hamster.
Can a hamster eat melon seeds?
Here! Finally, something good in our article - seeds. In terms of the content of useful substances, they are almost 100% the same as melon pulp, but cause almost no negative consequences.
What is useful in seeds:
- Vitamin C - general strengthening of the immune system.
- Vitamin D - for beautiful fur and skin.
- Vitamin B3 - to improve metabolic processes.
- There are also many useful minerals and vitamins. You can write a whole report.
The only unpleasant consequence that can be noted is the size of the seed itself. Small breeds, such as the Djungarians, may have problems extracting reserves from their cheek pouches. It is better to cut the seed in half before serving.
Here for about a week. Everything else is your personal responsibility.
Eat the melon yourself and give the seeds to the fluffy one. Just keep in mind that these seeds are quite high in calories. Even for people, the recommended amount is no more than 100g per day. How much does a hamster need? You shouldn’t give them in handfuls, but we think about 10 a day, as a kind of delicacy. Dried seeds are hard. Just what you need to keep busy and grind your teeth. Well, it turns out to be pure usefulness.
Dangerous treat
For a rodent, among the many useful seeds, there are dangerous and even fatal ones. Prohibited seeds: pits of cherries, cherries, plums, apples, almonds and apricots; they contain hydrocyanic acid, which is very dangerous for small animals even in small quantities. Only fruit pulp is allowed to be fed.
In addition to the dangerous contents of fruit seeds, improperly stored food mixture can cause harm to the health of a small pet. Moldy, rancid seeds can cause poisoning. Do not allow food to contain sugar, salt or flavorings.
Can Djungarians have sesame seeds?
WHAT IS POSSIBLE
OR SHOULD OUR HAMMERS NOT EAT?
2. Seeds: sunflower (not roasted), pumpkin, melon, sesame
.
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When does a hamster need meat?
Sausage and frankfurters should not be given to hamsters.
Well, we have learned that, despite their vegetarian nature, hamsters love and can feast on meat. So, it’s really possible to give it to them periodically. However, there are situations when a hamster really needs to be fed meat products. What content points are we talking about?
- If it is necessary for the hamster to receive a more nutritious diet, since you are skipping the next feeding for objective reasons. And, although it is not recommended to disrupt the rodent’s feeding schedule - feed it 2 times a day, morning and evening, preferably at the same time, but if you skip evening feeding or are a little late with it, in this case you can include it in the morning menu only boiled vegetables, succulent food, greens, but also a source of protein - meat or even fish, boiled and without salt. You can also give a small piece of lard, but without spices. This energy charge is enough for the rodent to wait for the next feeding. However, you should not abuse such a one-time diet. This negatively affects the health of the pet, whose body is accustomed to eating at least 2 times a day, and if the hamster is young, then the frequency of feedings should be increased, and the breaks between them should be reduced.
- Meat should be included in the diet of weakened, sick rodents (about diseases of hamsters), females during pregnancy and during the period of feeding cubs. By the way, sometimes it is the lack of protein food that causes mother hamsters to eat their offspring.
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