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Hamster Nutrition: Safe Food and Plants

What fresh foods, plants & more are safe?

Leaf

Ever wondered what fresh foods, plants and more you can give to your hamster? This list of safe foods and plants for hamsters is not exhaustive. There are many foods that are safe or unsafe for hamsters that may not be included in this document.


Any fresh items should be given alongside a complete, species-specific diet. Where applicable, we also advise following an age and species-specific diet. Providing hamsters with access to fresh water through bowls and water bottles is also vital.


High sugar items, such as fruits, should be given in moderation.



Fruits (In moderation)

  • Acai

  • Apples (no seeds)

  • Apricot

  • Banana

  • Blackberry

  • Blueberry

  • Cantaloupe

  • Cherry (no pit)

  • Coconut

  • Cranberry *

  • Dates

  • Dragon Fruit

  • Elderberries

  • Figs

  • Goji Berry

  • Grapes **

  • Guava

  • Honeydew Melons

  • Kiwi

  • Lychee (no seeds)

  • Mango

  • Papaya

  • Passion fruit

  • Peach (no pit)

  • Pear

  • Pineapple ***

  • Plum (no pit)

  • Pomegranate

  • Raspberry

  • Starfruit

  • Strawberry

  • Tomatoes ***

  • Watermelons

* Dried untreated cranberries are safe. However, dried cranberries often include fruit juices to make them less bitter, which can make them very high in sugar. ** Raisins, however, are unsafe due to high sugar contents and sticky nature, which may pose issues when pouched. *** These can be quite acidic, so feed in minuscule amounts. Tomatoes should be ripe, with no leaves or stems. Do not feed dried unless verifying what parts of the tomato were dried.


Vegetables

  • Artichoke

  • Asparagus

  • Beansprouts

  • Beetroot

  • Bell Peppers (no seeds)

  • Bok Choy

  • Broad Beans

  • Broccoli

  • Cabbage

  • Carrots

  • Cauliflower

  • Celery (remove strings)

  • Courgette

  • Cucumber

  • Green Beans

  • Kale *

  • Khlorabi

  • Mange Tout/Sugar Pea

  • Parsnips

  • Peas

  • Potatoes (cooked)

  • Pumpkin

  • Spinach *

  • Sprouts

  • Squash

  • Swede

  • Sweet Potato

  • Sweetcorn

  • Turnips

  • Zucchini/Courgette

* Small amounts only due to containing sulforaphane, which can interfere with their endocrine system.


Herbs, Forage and Flowers

  • Alfalfa *

  • Artichoke

  • Basil

  • Cat grass/Wheat grass

  • Chamomile

  • Chickweed

  • Chicory

  • Clover *

  • Coriander

  • Cornflower

  • Daisy flowers

  • Dandelion

  • Dill

  • Echeveria succulents

  • Green oats

  • Fenugreek **

  • Hibiscus

  • Marigold

  • Mint **

  • Oregano

  • Parsley ***

  • Peppermint **

  • Plantain

  • Rose petals

  • Ryegrass

  • Safflower/Cardoons

  • Spider plants ****

  • Sunflower petals

  • Thyme

  • Watercress

* Microgreens fed as baby plants are safer. Adult plants may be fed in very small amounts - these contain phytoestrogens, which act as a weak estrogen-regulating agent. ** Small amounts only due to the naturally occurring oils or strong scent. *** Small amounts only due to being a natural diuretic. **** Flowers are unsafe, so remove them when the plant is flowering.


Leaves

  • Birch

  • Blackberry

  • Blueberry

  • Dandelion

  • Dock

  • Echinacea

  • Fennel

  • Hazelnut

  • Linden

  • Nettle

  • Plantain

  • Raspberry

  • Strawberry



Sprays

  • Amaranth (Gobe)

  • Amaranth (Green)

  • Amaranth (Red)

  • Barley

  • Broom Millet

  • Canary Grass

  • Carthamus

  • Celosia

  • Chicken Millet

  • Delicha

  • Flax Linseed

  • Foxtail Millet

  • Japanese Millet

  • Millet (Red)

  • Millet (Yellow)

  • Oats

  • Paigma (Green)

  • Panicle Millet

  • Pearl Millet

  • Rose

  • Schelli

  • Sorghum/Dari (Black)

  • Sorghum/Dari (Red)

  • Sorghum/Dari (White)

  • Statice

  • Strawflowers

  • Sudan Grass

  • Sunflower

  • Wheat

  • Yarrow


Nuts, Seeds, Legumes

  • Barley

  • Brazil nuts

  • Buckwheat

  • Canary grass

  • Cashew

  • Chia seeds

  • Chickpeas (cooked)

  • Flax/Linseed

  • Hazelnut

  • Hemp seeds

  • Macadamia nuts

  • Millet

  • Oat

  • Peanuts

  • Pecan *

  • Pine nuts

  • Pistachios

  • Plain Popcorn

  • Pumpkin seeds

  • Quinoa (cooked)

  • Rye

  • Safflower/Cardoons

  • Sesame

  • Split peas (cooked)

  • Sunflower seeds

  • Sweet almonds

  • Walnuts

* Small amounts only due to high sugar content.


Proteins

  • Black Soldier Fly Larvae/Calciworms

  • Blood Worm

  • Chicken (plain boiled)

  • Cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, Marble, Parmesan, etc.)

  • Crickets


  • Cod (plain cooked)

  • Eggs (cooked)

  • Grasshoppers

  • Gammarus Shrimp

  • Haddock (plain cooked)

  • Mealworms

  • Pollock (plain cooked)

  • Salmon

  • Shrimp (Freshwater)

  • Silkworm Pupae

  • Turkey

  • Wax Worm



Unsafe Food Items

Some items may seem safe and may even be present in hamster food or treat mixes! However, these items are considered unsafe to feed and are best avoided:


  • Citrus: food items such as oranges, mandarins, etc are considered not safe (including juices) due to high acidity.

  • Lentils: these are not safe raw due to phytohaemagglutinin, which impacts thyroid function and is an anti-nutrient that can prevent the absorption of nutrients from their food.

  • Rapeseed: contains high levels of uric acid. Latest cultivations have been trying to reduce this, but there are no nutritional benefits to feeding or taking this risk.

  • Quinoa raw: Raw quinoa isn't toxic, but it can be hard for hamsters to digest, as it contains saponins, and the jury is out on whether these are harmful.

  • Soya flakes and roasted edamame: these are young soy beans, and while they're not toxic, they're especially bad for dwarf hamsters because they can trigger diabetes, and they can cause hormonal imbalances.

  • Mung bean: these contain lectins, including galactose-binding lectins, which are biologically active compounds. While not all lectins are harmful, some have been shown in animal studies to interfere with cellular processes, including cell division and tissue repair.


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