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The Forum Hamster of the Moment Winner! Information for Hamster Owners: |
Safe and Unsafe Foods & TreatsTip: Use the "find" function on your webbrowser to search for a food Some fruits and vegetables that are safe for hamsters to eat, but please read the notes next to the foods, include: Alfalfa - usually given dry. High in calcium. Use caution when feeding as too much calcium may cause health problems. Apple (seedless) Asparagus Avocado (skinned and seedless) Banana Basil - herb, hamster may not like it. Blackberries Blueberries Broccoli - related to cabbage, feed occasionally. Brussel Sprouts - small amounts occasionally - not all hamsters like the strong taste. Also related to cabbage. Calabrese - Also known as summer broccoli or the usual broccoli everyone is used to. Related to cabbage so feed occasionally. Cabbage - should only be fed in small amounts occasionally as too much can cause health problems Carrots - can include greens if they're fresh looking and clean. Cauliflower leaves and stalks - small amounts occasionally as it's in the same family as Cabbage. Celery Chard, Swiss - also known as leaf beet, silverbeet or perpetual spinach. Cherries - stones should be removed as they can be dangerous if gnawed Chestnuts - sweet chestnuts only, the ones you would eat, not horse chestnuts Chicory Chinese Leaves Coriander - green leafy herb, not all hamsters will like herbs. Corn-on-the-Cob Corn Salad - a kind of winter salad lettuce Courgettes Cranberries Cress Cucumber Curly Kale - should only be fed in small amounts occasionally as too much can cause health problems. Related to cabbage. Dates - remove stones before giving to hamster. Only very small amounts as these are sticky-sweet. Endive Fenugreek - limit to no more than 15 seeds a day if giving to a diabetic hamster. Not all hamsters like it. Feijoa Figs Grapes Green beans Kale - should only be fed in small amounts occasionally as too much can cause health problems. Related to cabbage. Kidney Beans (cooked) Kiwi Fruit Lettuce - small amounts occasionally - in excess it can cause liver problems Logan Berries Lychee Mange Tout - flat podded peas normally used in stir fries. Mango Marrow Melon Mint - herb, not all hamsters will like this but is generally liked. Mung - I assume the bean sprouts. Make sure you have a good source of these that is very very clean. Okra Pak Choi - Also known as bok choy. Also related to cabbage so small amounts only. Papaya Parsley - a good tonic Peach - Do not give the peach pit to a hamster Pear - again, no seeds are to be given. Peas Plums - stones should be removed as can be dangerous when gnawed Potato (cooked) Radish - stick to mild varieties such as mooli or daikon. Only feed occasionally as it's related to cabbage. Raspberries Raspberry Plant leaves - beneficial for diarrhoea, make sure they aren't the rough part of the leaf before giving to hamster. Rhubarb (cooked) Rocket Sage - herb, hamster may not like it. Sorrel Squash (summer or winter varieties) Star Fruit Strawberries Sugar Cane - small amounts very occasionally. Too much sugar can cause tooth decay in hamsters. Sweet Potato Soybean Sprouts Swede - also known as rutabega Sweetcorn Sweet Peppers Turnip - related to cabbages, limit amounts given. Water Chestnuts Watermelon Water Spinach These are field greens that can be fed to hamsters. Only feed items you are absolutely sure of what they are (there are a lot of unsafe to eat look-a-likes out there) and not from near roadsides where the plants can pick up high concentrations of heavy metals. Be sure to wash them and dry them well before offering the hamster. Alyssum Asters Bramble (Blackberry) leaves Burnet, salad Chickweed Clover Coltsfoot Cornflowers Cow Parsley - Be absolutely sure you can tell the difference between Cow Parsley and Poison Hemlock! They look very similar, see this page Crosswort Dandelion - leaves and flower, use with caution, can be a diuertic (increases urine output). Dock Groundsel Hawthorn leaves Hedge Parsley Knot Grass Mallow Marigolds - Only applies to Calendula which has yellow/orange daisy-like flowers, not French or African marigolds which are round and ruffly in shape usually. Michaelmas Daisies Nasturtiums Nipplewort Phlox Plantain Roses Salvias Shepherds Purse Sow Thistle - I'd recommending blanching before use due to the spines Sweetpeas Trefoil Vetch Wallflowers Watercress Young grass Miscellaneous other things you can feed to hamsters: Acorns - ripe without bugs in them. Limit quantity as they're high in tannic acid. Almonds (shelled) Beechnuts Biscuits - avoid amaretti biscuits as they contain bitter almonds Brazil Nuts - small amounts. High in fat. Bread (fresh or stale) Breakfast Cereals - small amounts, stick to low sugar varieties. Cake - but not chocolate cake. Avoid almond flavoured cakes as they are sometimes contain bitter almonds. Cashew Nuts Chicken (cooked) - unseasoned Cheese Coconut - small amounts, high in fat. Crickets - preferably from a clean source such as a pet shop. Currents Dog Biscuits - avoid the black charcoal ones and check the ingredients list Egg (scrambled or boiled) - avoid giving too much egg yolk to older hamsters. High in fat. Egg white, cooked, is fine for all ages. Fish (cooked) - deboned and unseasoned. Not all hamsters like this. Hazel Nuts Mealworms - Preferably from a clean source such as a pet shop. Meat (cooked) - choose unseasoned lean pieces. Millet - either on a "spray" or loose. Nuts - limit these due to high fat. Pecan Nuts - limit these due to high fat. Peanuts (shelled or unshelled) - limit these due to high fat. Pistachio Nuts - limit these due to high fat. Pumpkin seeds - Generally give dried and toasted. A slightly healthier alternative to nut treats as it's lower in fat. Prunes Raisins Sweet Chestnuts Sultanas Toast Walnuts These should not be fed to hamsters: No Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, kumquats, limes) Kidney Beans (raw) Onion or any other onion family member such as chives, spring onion, leeks, shallots, garlic, etc. Potato (raw) Potato tops/greens - poisonious to humans if consumed as well as to hamsters. Green potato - poisonious to humans if consumed as well as to hamsters. This is potatoes that have been exposed to too much light. Rhubarb (raw) Rhubarb leaves - poisonious to humans if consumed as well as to hamsters. Tomato leaves - poisonious to humans if consumed as well as to hamsters. Bindweed Bluebells Bulbs Buttercups Clematis Crocus Deadly Nightshade Elder Evergreen Plants Hemlock Henbane Horse Chestnut Laurel leaves Oak leaves Privet Ragwort Scarlet Pimpernel Speedwell Toadflax (there are probably many many more wild plants out there you shouldn't feed to hamsters) Buttercups Chocolate Garlic Rabbit Mix (containing antibiotic ingredients) Sweets - boiled, sticky, gummy, etc. - can get stuck in cheek pouches. Causes tooth decay. Toffee - can get stuck in cheek pouches. Causes tooth decay. |