The diet of your beloved animal should always be properly prepared. Normally, the body needs all the essential substances: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals. The diet of a wild hamster includes the following foods: berries, pieces of vegetables, grains, greens, larvae, residual carrion, and smaller animals. A pet needs high-quality food, so its menu includes special food mixtures, fruits, vegetables, berries, as well as fermented milk products (yogurt, cottage cheese) and other goodies.
Protein is an essential element for the body, but plant protein, unlike animal protein, will not fully saturate the body with essential amino acids. Can hamsters eat meat and fish, which are so rich in proteins? Which type of meat do you prefer?
Can hamsters eat meat?
There is a widespread belief among the owners of this animal that if you feed it meat, cannibalism will eventually manifest itself. In general, homas are herbivores. Nevertheless, they will gobble up meat products with joy.
Hamsters can have meat, but it must be fresh, lean and always boiled.
What will be harmful:
- pork;
- beef;
- fatty lamb.
Excess fat in the body negatively affects the liver of rodents, causes excess weight, and is also difficult for the stomach. An excellent alternative to meat would be a hard-boiled egg, rich in nutrients and harmless to the animal’s delicate digestive system.
The answer is obvious
Therefore, the answer to the question whether hamsters can have sausage is obvious. Does anyone doubt that sausage is fatty? Salty? Is there sausage without spices? Add here all sorts of substitutes, preservatives and other harmful ingredients. Sausage is poison for a hamster! The fact that some people cannot live without it is their personal choice. But feel sorry for the hamster. He, of course, will not refuse if you slip him a piece of sausage - his instinct of self-preservation does not provide for this. But this is very dishonest on the part of a person. He is smarter and should understand: hamsters cannot eat sausage! Also include sausages and sausages - the difference is small.
Can hamsters eat chicken?
Chicken fillet is even necessary in feeding a hamster, as it contains various microelements (phosphorus, iron, potassium), vitamins of various groups. The healthiest part of chicken is a good diet breast. Chicken meat will only benefit the animal.
Protein is necessary for growth, maintaining the tone of internal organs, affects the regeneration of blood cells and is aimed at the correct functioning of the body as a whole.
Chicken should be given in the morning, as protein is a quickly digestible element. Considering that hamsters are active at night, such light food is perfect for him during daytime sleep.
What about cheese?
The answer, in its obviousness, is similar to the previous one: can hamsters eat sausage? Of course not. It’s only in cartoons that rodents love cheese and have no health consequences. This, as they say, remains behind the scenes. A hamster won't refuse cheese either. But why put him at risk? The cheese is fatty, salty, with spices and additives... what else is needed to make sure that it is harmful to your dear hamster friend. Arguments like “but I give it and it’s nothing” don’t count. Be consistent and prudent, because we are talking about the health of your pet.
Pasta, muesli, and brown bread are also excluded. There are quite a lot of foods that are good for hamsters. It is quite possible to create a diet for a hamster without compromising his health. And it won’t be difficult.
The diet of your beloved animal should always be properly prepared. Normally, the body needs all the essential substances: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals. The diet of a wild hamster includes the following foods: berries, pieces of vegetables, grains, greens, larvae, residual carrion, and smaller animals. A pet needs high-quality food, so its menu includes special food mixtures, fruits, vegetables, berries, as well as fermented milk products (yogurt, cottage cheese) and other goodies.
Protein is an essential element for the body, but plant protein, unlike animal protein, will not fully saturate the body with essential amino acids. Can hamsters eat meat and fish, which are so rich in proteins? Which type of meat do you prefer?
Can hamsters have sausage and frankfurters?
Sausage is a rather specific product for rodents. Human food is usually harmful to pets, but if you still decide to treat your pet, then consider the following:
- Boiled sausage is the best option for a hamster in terms of treats; it is made from lean meats, but contains a complex of spices.
- It is highly not recommended to give raw smoked sausage, as they contain a large amount of fat, starch and a lot of food additives.
- Although sausages are made from lean meat, they also contain a large amount of spices and various additives, which is completely undesirable for hamsters.
The result is that any sausage and frankfurters are harmful to the body of Djungarian and Syrian hamsters.
About the composition of the product
There are several types of this product. On store shelves you can find boiled, smoked, liver, raw smoked and other types of sausages, as well as sausages, wieners, and bacon. The difference between types of sausages lies in the production method, composition, and appearance. Boiled sausage is made from lean meats with the addition of fat, a large amount of salt and food additives. Of all the above, a hamster can only eat meat and preferably chicken breast. Spices and salt negatively affect the baby’s body, destroying the liver, kidneys, and digestive organs. Sausages and sausages are made using the same technology, which means they cannot be included in the hamster’s diet either.
Uncooked smoked products are dangerous not only because of their ingredients, but also because of their manufacturing method. They are not boiled; the natural drying method only enhances the properties of flavoring additives, making the sausage spicier and saltier. The danger is that during smoking, carcinogenic substances can form in the product. A small piece of such a delicacy can be fatal.
Can hamsters fish?
Low-fat boiled fish can be given to little gluttons two to three times a week as a protein component of the diet. If you treated the homa with chicken meat, then you no longer need to give fish, since you need to feed it with one thing containing that amount of protein.
Seafood is rich in vitamins and iodine, and also contains virtually no heavy fats, so fish is a very healthy food. You can also add cod liver and fish oil to your hamster's diet (just one drop from a pipette). And although crab sticks can be classified as seafood, they are not suitable for fat people at all due to the high content of spices and other chemicals.
Benefits of seafood for your pet:
- strengthening the immune system;
- healthy silky fur;
- protection against colds;
- maintaining visual acuity.
Sausage is prohibited for hamsters
Can a hamster have sausage? Of course not. To make it, they use a full range of chemistry, spices and salts. Please take a look at this product. There must be fat content in it; without salt, the sausage would have no taste. Spices are out of the question. Substitutes, preservatives and flavorings make up a large portion of every cheap product. That's why hamsters can't eat it. The animal will not refuse it if offered to it. He refuses practically nothing at all. It even gnaws on wood and cages. Therefore, what your pet will eat depends only on you. Remember, proper nutrition affects not only your health, but also your life expectancy.
Cartoons often depict rodents eating cheese and sausage. Therefore, there is a stereotype that these are their favorite dishes. But that's not true. Both products are harmful. Can hamsters eat cheese? No. Can they have sausage? Also no. Remember, what you feed should not contain a lot of salts, spices, fats and chemicals. The latter may even kill the animal. Sausage can be given extremely rarely and only if it is real, of high quality and, accordingly, expensive. And that's a small piece. Anything cheap has many chemical substitutes, which can quickly lead to the death of a small organism.
A hamster’s diet should consist not only of a food mixture, since with a balanced diet it is important that the animal’s body receives proteins, fats, and vitamins in equal proportions. That is why ratologists recommend diversifying your pet’s diet as much as possible, including vegetables, herbs, fruits, as well as food rich in protein. But, despite the fact that the hamster is practically omnivorous, there is a list of prohibited foods that should not be given to it. This includes fatty, salty, smoked, sour, sweet. Can hamsters have sausage? What harm or benefit can it bring to a small animal? Let's try to answer these questions.
Conclusion
To summarize, meat is a priority product in a hamster's diet. It is important to adhere to a few simple rules.
- Use boiled chicken more often, as this is the safest meat for the animal.
- Do not feed foods that are fatty, salty, peppery, or whose composition takes up more than five lines on the label.
- Boil lean meat and fish in a saucepan, cut into small pieces and put the cooled ones in a feeder.
- Treat your hamster to one type of protein food no more than 2-3 times a week.
Let's sum it up
Finding the right food for a hamster at home is not difficult; you just need to follow the basic rules: natural food should always be fresh and served in reasonable quantities. Products containing protein must be included in the diet daily in small quantities, alternating them with each other: cottage cheese, milk, fish, meat, eggs.
So, can hamsters eat meat? Be sure to feed it to your pet. Moderate consumption of this product will improve the condition of the coat, prevent vitamin deficiency, and have a positive effect on the general condition of the animal’s body.
How to make a hamster's diet
The hamster's menu must be designed so that its body receives proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water in the required quantities. After all, the needs of an animal change depending on age, period of life, and time of year. For example, at the end of winter - beginning of spring, the main menu is supplemented with fish oil (0.3 g), yeast (0.2 - 0.4), salt (0.2 - 0.3 g).
The daily portion of food depends on the size and age of the pet. Small and young hamsters eat more than older ones. For example, if an animal weighs 10–14 g, then per day it must eat a portion of food that is 70–80% of its weight, and sometimes more than 100%. As you age, the amount of food you eat changes.
A hamster's appetite depends on its condition, external conditions, and breed. The gastronomic preferences of each animal are different. Therefore, you need to make sure that he eats all the food in the feeder and does not choose tidbits.
Veterinarians have calculated the daily dose of various products depending on the season:
Feed | Season | |||
Winter | Spring | Summer | Autumn | |
Vegetables | 50 g | 50 g | 50 g | 50 g |
Roots | 15 g | 15 g | 10 g | 10 g |
Dairy | 10 ml | 10 ml | 10 ml | 10 ml |
Cereals | 20 g | 20 g | 20 g | 20 g |
Greenery | — | — | 300 g | 300 g |
Hay | 10 g | 10 g | — | — |
The daily amount of food depends on the age of the hamster:
Products | Adult hamsters | Young animals |
Cereals | 20 g | 10 g |
Roots | 40 g | 20 g |
Bran | 7 g | 5 g |
Dairy | 10 ml | 5 ml |
Greenery | 200 g | 100 g |
Hay | 30 g | 20 g |
The animal should be fed with one type of food at the same time. For example, at 7 o’clock in the morning he eats greens, vegetables, herbs, protein foods, and at 19.00 – grain mixture, boiled cereals, some hay and treats. Pregnant females can eat 3–4 times a day at equal intervals. The evening meal should contain 40% of the daily diet.
Rodents sleep all day, and in the evening, that’s when they are fed. The hamster eats 1 time in the evening or 2 times - in the evening and in the morning.
It is important to follow a diet to avoid metabolic disorders.
If the hamster recovers quickly, then you need to temporarily exclude bread, sweets and fatty foods from the menu or significantly reduce their amount. You also need to make your pet move more.
Important! If your pet starts chewing on everything (including the bars of the cage), then give him special twigs and chalk for grinding down his teeth.
They add a large amount of fat, salt, pepper and other flavoring additives to give the product a piquant, spicy taste. In addition to cooking, they undergo a smoking process, which leads to the development of cancer cells in the body.
We store it correctly
Veterinarians sometimes hear that they fed only ready-made food from a pack, but the rodent has an intestinal disorder. Why? Follow the rules for storing the grain mixture. Damp seeds with signs of mold cause poisoning and painful conditions. And also, you need to carefully monitor the feeder when giving animal supplements - meat, eggs. If you haven't eaten it, you need to put it away so it doesn't disappear. Do not feed grass in bouquets in summer, just a little in the feeder. Hamsters drag greenery into the hole, it rots and gets dirty. A long stalk can get tangled around the paw, pinching the blood vessels until it becomes dead.
Comments from 12 Monkeys
Online store 12 Monkeys
recommends a safe and balanced diet from the Russian manufacturer Laboratorkorm. The company has been supplying food for laboratory animals to research institutes and vivariums of educational institutions for 18 years and knows all the features of feeding hamsters and rats. A balanced composition is prepared in the form of granules from crushed cereals collected during the budding phase; meadow grasses - clover, alfalfa. The food is enriched with vitamins, antioxidants, and essential amino acids.