?imgeng=/w_auto,140/h_53 "svg-icon"){kind=logo}
Questions
- A Balanced Hamsters Diet
- What Do Hamsters Eat?
- What Type of Fruits Can Hamsters Eat?
- Vegetables Your Hamster Will Love
- How Often Do Hamsters Need Feeding?
- Foods to Avoid Giving Your Hamster
Hamsters rely on their owners to provide them with a nutritionally balanced diet to support their growth and maintenance throughout their lives. They require a specialist diet made specifically for their species to help them live healthy and happy lives. As their eating habits can be rather strict, we’ve done all the research to get the key information you will need all about the best foods for hamsters to help them live a long and happy life.
A Balanced Hamsters Diet
In the wild, a hamster's diet consists of a mixture of cereals, seeds, and insects. Hamsters are in fact omnivores and not herbivores as it’s commonly assumed, so they need a source of protein in their diet. Wild hamsters will incorporate things like insect larvae and crickets as part of a balanced meal for the protein they contain.
)
When keeping the species as a pet, an important part of their care is to provide them with a diet that replicates what they would usually be eating in the wild.
Luckily, there are lots of commercially made, balanced diets to feed to your hamsters that cover almost all their needs so there’s no need to go into the garden and start catching crickets. You only need to worry about adding 20% of fresh food to their diet for the boost of vitamins and to keep it interesting for them daily.
What Do Hamsters Eat?
Most of a hamster’s diet will consist of a pellet or seed diet that you can buy in convenient bags. When getting a premade hamster diet, you can be sure that it will be balanced and tick off all the boxes your hammy needs to stay fit and healthy.
There are two different types of hamster food. The first is a diet packed with all different seeds and biscuits that your hamster can have fun picking through. Diets like Supreme Harry Hamster Food help to mimic a hamster’s natural foraging behaviour.
There is one downside to this mix of food and that is, if you have a fussy pet, they may pick out the parts they like and leave what they don’t like. If they continuously do this, their diet may become unbalanced and if they keep leaving the same pieces, they may be lacking specific nutrients from those elements.
For fussy eaters, a diet like Burgess Hamster, Gerbil & Mouse Nugget Dry Food might be better for your fluffy companions, as all the nuggets are of uniform shape, colour, and flavour. It’s also pre blended to make sure they get all the nutrients they need in every bite.
)
For the rest of their diet, understanding what fruit and vegetables are safe for hamsters is key to giving them a good variety to keep them nice and busy. Even if they have a diet that doesn’t have a selection of different foods, you can encourage their foraging behaviour by adding fresh fruit and veggies.
What Type of Fruits Can Hamsters Eat?
Hamsters should eat fruits in moderation as the sugar content can be quite high, so you want to limit how much they get. Fruit should not be considered as part of their 20% of fresh food daily and should only make up a very small portion of their diet. Think of fresh fruits more like treats than part of a staple diet. They can enjoy small pieces of fruits like:
Apple
Banana
Pear
Melon
Strawberry
Blueberry
Most berries are safe for your hamster to have a little nibble on however you should stay away from giving your pet any citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit should all be avoided and not incorporated into their diet at all. Fruit should be fed fresh and avoid giving them anything frozen. Fruits should be enjoyed just once or twice a week.
Vegetables Your Hamster Will Love
Hamsters absolutely love fresh vegetables, and a portion should make up 20% of their daily food intake. It’s a great opportunity for them to forage and discover what they do and don’t like and when paired with a pellet diet, keeps them healthy and strong. Hamsters can eat most veggies safely but some of the best to include in their diet are:
Carrot
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach
Cabbage
Bell peppers
Cucumber
Courgette
Kale
Most vegetables that are healthy for us are also just as healthy for hamsters. You can even mix it up with the seasons and offer vegetables like sprouts at Christmas time!
All old and uneaten vegetables should be removed from their cage after a few hours to make sure they’re not feasting on wilted or rotting vegetables and only consuming fresh food.
How Often Do Hamsters Need Feeding?
Hamsters will need feeding daily but feeding them just once in the morning will be ample to last them throughout the day. They tend to graze when it comes to feeding and will also take food away and store it for later to keep it safe. Even if you notice that their dish is empty during the day, it’s likely they’ve just moved their food elsewhere.
)
Treats are fine occasionally but should be given in small amounts and not every day to avoid throwing off the balance of their nutritionally complete diet. Treats are a great way to build up being able to handle your hamster to reward them.
Foods to Avoid Giving Your Hamster
There are certain foods that should be avoided when feeding a hamster. Some food is just not beneficial towards their health while others can be damaging and toxic to them. Food to avoid feeding your four-legged friend includes:
Raw potatoes
Red meat
Garlic
Citrus Fruits
Onions
Chocolate
Almonds
Apple seeds
Hamsters should also not be consuming any kind of junk food made for humans like sweets. Foods that are high in salt or sugar should be avoided to make sure they stay healthy. If you suspect your hamster has consumed anything that might be toxic to them, a trip to the community pet clinic may be needed.
For all your hamster essentials, look at our vast range of products available in-store and online to keep your beloved pet well fed and happy!