Hamsters or cricetinos are rodents that come from the Cricetinae family. Today there are 19 species of these small rodents, which are mostly native to the Middle East and different regions of the United States. These are characterized by being omnivorous animals, which usually eat a fairly balanced diet. If you want to know more about these rodents and their diet, here in this article we will show you what Hamsters eat, how they feed and other details.
What do hamsters eat?
As we mentioned before, hamsters have a very healthy diet which helps them lead a full and uncomplicated life. In different markets you can find bags of prepared foods made specifically for them, all these foods are made from different cereals, seeds, nuts, and also dehydrated fruits. All of these foods are the foundation of your entire diet; however, these small animals must supplement their diet daily with different foods, such as fresh fruits or vegetables.
Additionally, hamsters can eat other types of food which provide them with extra protein. The correct and healthy diet of this rodent is one of the most important things so that our pet can enjoy a healthy and great life and, in addition, can live as long as possible.
How to feed hamsters?
It should be taken into account when feeding your small pet, certain behaviors that these rodents have. These are nocturnal animals and most of their physical activity takes place at night. For this same characteristic, they must have the adequate portion of food and hydration throughout the day, but especially in the late afternoon and early evening.
Later you will find a lot of information about the foods that are prohibited for these small rodents, because, although they can supplement their diet with vegetables and fruits, it is not recommended in absolutely all cases.
Foods with high levels of fat and sugars should be avoided as much as possible within their diet, all this because hamsters are quite predisposed to suffering from obesity and different diseases such as diabetes, which is a consequence of high consumption of foods with large amounts of sugar.
The portion that the hamster should eat every day will depend entirely on the breed that it is, since using the hamster breed as a reference, a greater or lesser amount of food should be provided. A great example of this is the Harlequin Hamster, it must consume a much smaller amount of food than the Syrian Hamster, since it is much more lazy and inactive than its relative. It is quite important to take this into account, since this greatly increases your chances of being overweight, as well as any other type of disease.
What do baby hamsters eat?
After the pups are three weeks old, they are completely ready to leave their mother's nipples and start consuming solid food and generating the necessary enzymes for a healthy diet in the future. By the time these little pups reach this stage of their life, they can calmly consume the prepared food, specially designed for them, which can be easily found in markets or specialized stores.
Despite all this, it is well known that these pups can reject the largest pieces of food, since at this still young age they have not fully developed their teeth as in adulthood. It is also very important to consider that the hatchlings must have the correct amount of food and enough water available at close range.
Feeding a Pregnant Female Hamsters
Around the entire pregnancy and after it, female hamsters need a characteristic diet designed especially for them, this in order to properly feed these young. Taking all this into account, you should increase the portions of food and water in his cage, in turn, supply him with food with much more protein and vitamins.
If this female at any time has a deficit in the amount of daily food, she can even eat her own babies to guarantee her own survival. For this reason, it is very important that in the first two weeks of the life of these little pups, large amounts of food and hydration are administered to the mother hamsters, to avoid any type of risk, it is also very important to give them different types of food that provide you with a greater amount of nutrients and proteins.
A great way to increase the protein level of a pregnant hamster can be to supplement their regular diet with different extra foods, which have high levels of protein, these can be boiled eggs, very soft cheeses or vegetables. With all this, you can ensure that the female has all the extra nutrients that she needs in her pregnancy and thus ensure her good health and a prosperous life for her offspring.
Hamster feeding during the winter
Throughout the winter season, low light and low temperatures can cause hamsters to enter their hibernation stage, although not all of them undertake this stage, all of them can present the first symptoms of their early hibernation. In this season our small pets will be very cold and will be quite disoriented and will present much less physical activity until they adapt.
The best way to prevent them from dying from the amount of cold or from malnutrition is to make sure that they do not go through their hibernation process during this time. There are different ways to achieve this, one of these ways has a lot to do with feeding the hamsters during the months when the lowest peak temperature is reached.
If our hamsters are showing symptoms of having started their hibernation process, it is best to provide them with a diet with more calories, this is achieved with different foods with higher levels of fat, and also, maintaining the constant administration of food and sufficient water. Thanks to this, our hamsters will not show so much weakness due to the increase in their calorie levels, this means that they can warm up and thus increase their temperature.
Common Hamster Food List
The most common breeds of hamsters are the Russian Hamsters, Chinese Hamsters and the Roborovski, however, below you can see a fairly detailed list of all the most recommended foods for all types of hamster breeds:
- Seeds, nuts and cereals: These can be oatmeal, popcorn, cooked pasta, pumpkin seeds without salt, soybeans, lentils, dry toast, flaxseed, alfalfa, brown rice, wheat germ, chestnuts, cereals without sugar, among others.
- Vegetables: There is a wide variety of vegetables, but the most recommended to feed our small rodents are carrots, endives, celery, chard, cauliflower, corn on the cob, turnip, watercress, kale, clover, cucumber, among many other vegetables
- Edible fruits for hamsters: Not all fruits can be good for our pet, the most advisable fruits to feed hamsters can be strawberries, grapes, raspberries, apples, cherries, bananas, plums, blackberries, mango, melon, among others plus
- Proteins of animal origin: The best known are cooked chicken, cod, grasshoppers, bread soaked in milk, soft cheese, mealworms, tofu, cooked turkey, among other proteins.
All these mentioned foods should be supplied to our little hamsters in fairly small portions and only as an extra to their regular diet. You must make sure that all fruits and vegetables are completely washed and hygienic before feeding our pet.
Forbidden foods for hamsters
As mentioned above, there are different types of food that in no case can be supplied to our little pet, because otherwise this could result in something very harmful to its health, right now you can read a detailed list of prohibited foods for hamsters:
- Forbidden fruits for hamsters: These fruits could be watermelon, avocado, lemon, eggplant, tomato, raw beans, apricot pits, also citrus fruits such as orange or tangerine can be extremely harmful to them.
- Forbidden vegetables for hamsters: These are all foods that contain starch and vegetables such as eggplant, onion, parsley, chives, garlic, raw beans, tomato leaves, potatoes, tomato, leek, raw rhubarb.
- Prohibited foods of other classes: Most of the foods below have very high levels of fats and sugars, and are also sausages or dairy products; All this kind of food can be very bad for our pet, because they are quite prone to obesity and they do not usually digest dairy products well. Prohibited foods can be: chocolates, almonds, candies, sweets, among many other foods high in sugar, French fries or any other food which is fried, coffee in any of its possible presentations, very fatty meats, dairy products, different sausages.
Although many foods such as sunflower seeds are part of the regular diet of hamsters, it is a food with high levels of fat, all foods of this nature must be supplied with care to avoid any weight problem. of our rodent.
If you want to expand your knowledge about the different animals of the world, do not hesitate for a second to read these interesting articles, of which we leave you their links: