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Safe and unsafe treats for Hamsters
(note - this post is also combined with the safe and unsafe fruit and veg post as part of the home page article on safe and unsafe foods)
Edible play logs Not good for hamsters
Various companies sell edible play logs - usually made from honey and sawdust - not particularly healthy for hamsters to eat and best avoided. Surprisingly Rosewood make one too and most of their treats are healthy and safe ones (from the Naturals range).
Sugary treats Unsafe for Russian Dwarf hamsters and Chinese Hamsters - not recommended for other hamsters except rarely as a treat
There are commercial sugary treats such as yoghurt drops or "fake" chocolate drops (see chocolate below) which are very sugary and not really necessary when there are so many healthier options. Even for hamsters who can safely have sugar (Syrians and possibly Roborovskis) bear in mind too much sugar is not good for them generally and that hamsters can get tooth decay just like humans. An occasional thing is fine - eg for a hamster birthday or birthday cake - but still not for Russian Dwarfs or Chinese hamsters. Some occasional treats have less sugar - a cheerio, cornflake or rice krispie - these should be rarely as well though. It's better not to use sugary treats as taming treats - there are healthier ones below that they like too.
Cooked or raw pasta, cooked or raw rice - Safe with precautions see below
The precautions being that cooked/boiled rice is unsafe even for humans if it's been at room temperature for more than a couple of hours after it's been cooked as it can start to produce toxins and cause food poisoning. If it's been put straight in the fridge after cooking and within 2 hours, it's fine to keep using cold for a couple of days.
Porridge oats/oatmeal Safe but best cooked with water rather than milk
Oats are good for hamsters and they enjoy a bit of porridge but we recommend porridge or oatmeal should be made with water rather than milk. Hamsters can digest lactose in their pregastric pouch (See 4 below), but it is not something they would normally eat in the wild and the long term effects on the pregastric pouch are not known, so we still advise against giving dairy foods as a regular part of their diet. A tiny bit of milk occasionally probably wouldn't do any harm but it's unnecessary when it can be easily made with water. Porridge shouldn't be too firm and sticky or it's harder for them to eat (and may stick in cheek pouches) so medium or looser is better.
Almonds Depends
There is often some concern over almonds. There are two types of almonds - bitter almonds and sweet almonds. Bitter almonds aren't safe but sweet almonds are considered safe. Like other fruit seeds and pips, bitter almonds contain amygdalin which when digested, turns into cyanide so they are toxic for humans and hamsters, but they are not the type you'd find in shops and supermarkets. In some countries bitter almonds are banned or not for sale commercially. You are unlikely to find bitter almonds for sale. The skins of sweet almonds are very tough to digest for hamsters hence skinless ones are safer for them. If buying them, then a pack of almond flakes is better and just give them one flake. Some people still have concerns about sweet almonds, as they contain a trace of amygdalin which is considered to be safe, or that bitter almonds may get into the sweet almond food chain, so if you're concerned, there are also plenty of alternative healthy nuts which are fine and almonds aren't necessary for hamsters (See 16 below)
Other Nuts The nuts listed below are safe but as they're high in protein, just 2 or 3 times a week maximum really
Half a shelled walnut, half a Pecan nut half a shelled brazil nut, half a plain cashew nut (not salted), hazelnuts, unsalted pistachio nuts, pine nuts, monkey nuts (peanuts in shells), dried unsweetened coconut flakes. For a dwarf hamster, a smaller piece - eg a quarter rather than half. All nuts need to be unsalted.
Hamsters love nuts usually, especially half a walnut. Peanuts in shells are good too as they need to crack open the shell to get the nuts which is good for their teeth. People sometimes "start off" the shell by cracking a small hole at one end so the hamster can actually get the shell open. They can be a protein supplement once or twice a week, as well as a treat (eg if a hamster mix is a bit low in protein). Pecan nuts are high in calories so can be useful if a hamster needs to gain weight/be built up. They're also high in fats but those are healthy fats. Brazil nuts contain selenium and can be good for helping immunity, thyroid issues and inflammation. They also contain healthy fats. For older hamsters with eating difficulties who need building up, crushing some of these nuts so they can be licked up, can supplement their diet.
Pumpkin seeds Safe
Pumpkin seeds seem to be popular with most hamsters, especially Syrians perhaps. They are healthy and can make good taming treats or a few can be scattered in the cage so the hamster can forage for them. Some hamster mixes already contain pumpkin seeds but just the odd one per spoonful maybe. Using more makes them a treat. Even if a hamster pouches a lot of pumpkin seeds, they're not going to get too much as they hoard most of them and don't eat much of them - they eat very small amounts really. Pumpkin seeds can be bought in supermarkets or health food shops in good sized bags so they're fairly economical. Or if you have an actual pumpkin at halloween, you can save the seeds, dry them and give those! Those are white rather than the green ones in bags - because the white is actually a shell around the inner green part but both are safe to eat and hamsters enjoy cracking the white shells open.
Sunflower seeds Safe
Sunflower seeds are also good treats and taming treats. And very popular with hamsters. They also come in a lot of hamster mixes but again a few could be scattered for foraging. Giving too many of these regularly could make a hamster gain a bit too much weight.
Sprays (grains on their stalks) Safe
Millet, dari, flax, wheat and oat sprays are safe and natural treats - some hamsters love them, some ignore them, but the sprays can provide shelter in a cage and look nice, so they add enrichment as well as being a treat to chew and eat.
Insects Safe ones listed below
Dried crickets, grasshoppers and mealworms are safe for hamsters - some like them, some don't. These are a food/protein supplement as well as a treat. Silkworm pupae and dried freshwater shrimps are fine too.
Chocolate Not good for hamsters - toxic in large quantities
Hamsters shouldn't have chocolate. Chocolate melts and becomes sticky and could stick in their pouches. It contains Caffeine as well as Theobromine. There has been much debate about how toxic chocolate is to hamsters, as it is with other animals. It is toxic in large amounts. Chocolate contains theobromine and also caffeine and the combination of the two is an unhealthy food for hamsters. The Theobromine is the component that is toxic to animals. However, research shows that hamsters have a higher tolerance to theobromine than rats and other animals, and that theobromine only becomes toxic to hamsters at 850mg per kilogram of body weight. (See 17 below). That is 850mg of theobromine, not 850mg of chocolate. Which is quite a lot of chocolate. So chocolate should not be given to hamsters, but if a hamster accidentally ate a small amount of chocolate, it isn't going to kill them or cause serious harm.
To give an example of how much chocolate is toxic to hamsters, some calculations and photos are added below.
Hamster chocolate drops are sold as treats but these don't actually contain any chocolate. The hamster chocolate drops are still quite sweet and sugary treats aren't good for hamsters anyway.
(note - this post is also combined with the safe and unsafe fruit and veg post as part of the home page article on safe and unsafe foods)
Edible play logs Not good for hamsters
Various companies sell edible play logs - usually made from honey and sawdust - not particularly healthy for hamsters to eat and best avoided. Surprisingly Rosewood make one too and most of their treats are healthy and safe ones (from the Naturals range).
Sugary treats Unsafe for Russian Dwarf hamsters and Chinese Hamsters - not recommended for other hamsters except rarely as a treat
There are commercial sugary treats such as yoghurt drops or "fake" chocolate drops (see chocolate below) which are very sugary and not really necessary when there are so many healthier options. Even for hamsters who can safely have sugar (Syrians and possibly Roborovskis) bear in mind too much sugar is not good for them generally and that hamsters can get tooth decay just like humans. An occasional thing is fine - eg for a hamster birthday or birthday cake - but still not for Russian Dwarfs or Chinese hamsters. Some occasional treats have less sugar - a cheerio, cornflake or rice krispie - these should be rarely as well though. It's better not to use sugary treats as taming treats - there are healthier ones below that they like too.
Cooked or raw pasta, cooked or raw rice - Safe with precautions see below
The precautions being that cooked/boiled rice is unsafe even for humans if it's been at room temperature for more than a couple of hours after it's been cooked as it can start to produce toxins and cause food poisoning. If it's been put straight in the fridge after cooking and within 2 hours, it's fine to keep using cold for a couple of days.
Porridge oats/oatmeal Safe but best cooked with water rather than milk
Oats are good for hamsters and they enjoy a bit of porridge but we recommend porridge or oatmeal should be made with water rather than milk. Hamsters can digest lactose in their pregastric pouch (See 4 below), but it is not something they would normally eat in the wild and the long term effects on the pregastric pouch are not known, so we still advise against giving dairy foods as a regular part of their diet. A tiny bit of milk occasionally probably wouldn't do any harm but it's unnecessary when it can be easily made with water. Porridge shouldn't be too firm and sticky or it's harder for them to eat (and may stick in cheek pouches) so medium or looser is better.
Almonds Depends
There is often some concern over almonds. There are two types of almonds - bitter almonds and sweet almonds. Bitter almonds aren't safe but sweet almonds are considered safe. Like other fruit seeds and pips, bitter almonds contain amygdalin which when digested, turns into cyanide so they are toxic for humans and hamsters, but they are not the type you'd find in shops and supermarkets. In some countries bitter almonds are banned or not for sale commercially. You are unlikely to find bitter almonds for sale. The skins of sweet almonds are very tough to digest for hamsters hence skinless ones are safer for them. If buying them, then a pack of almond flakes is better and just give them one flake. Some people still have concerns about sweet almonds, as they contain a trace of amygdalin which is considered to be safe, or that bitter almonds may get into the sweet almond food chain, so if you're concerned, there are also plenty of alternative healthy nuts which are fine and almonds aren't necessary for hamsters (See 16 below)
Other Nuts The nuts listed below are safe but as they're high in protein, just 2 or 3 times a week maximum really
Half a shelled walnut, half a Pecan nut half a shelled brazil nut, half a plain cashew nut (not salted), hazelnuts, unsalted pistachio nuts, pine nuts, monkey nuts (peanuts in shells), dried unsweetened coconut flakes. For a dwarf hamster, a smaller piece - eg a quarter rather than half. All nuts need to be unsalted.
Hamsters love nuts usually, especially half a walnut. Peanuts in shells are good too as they need to crack open the shell to get the nuts which is good for their teeth. People sometimes "start off" the shell by cracking a small hole at one end so the hamster can actually get the shell open. They can be a protein supplement once or twice a week, as well as a treat (eg if a hamster mix is a bit low in protein). Pecan nuts are high in calories so can be useful if a hamster needs to gain weight/be built up. They're also high in fats but those are healthy fats. Brazil nuts contain selenium and can be good for helping immunity, thyroid issues and inflammation. They also contain healthy fats. For older hamsters with eating difficulties who need building up, crushing some of these nuts so they can be licked up, can supplement their diet.
Pumpkin seeds Safe
Pumpkin seeds seem to be popular with most hamsters, especially Syrians perhaps. They are healthy and can make good taming treats or a few can be scattered in the cage so the hamster can forage for them. Some hamster mixes already contain pumpkin seeds but just the odd one per spoonful maybe. Using more makes them a treat. Even if a hamster pouches a lot of pumpkin seeds, they're not going to get too much as they hoard most of them and don't eat much of them - they eat very small amounts really. Pumpkin seeds can be bought in supermarkets or health food shops in good sized bags so they're fairly economical. Or if you have an actual pumpkin at halloween, you can save the seeds, dry them and give those! Those are white rather than the green ones in bags - because the white is actually a shell around the inner green part but both are safe to eat and hamsters enjoy cracking the white shells open.
Sunflower seeds Safe
Sunflower seeds are also good treats and taming treats. And very popular with hamsters. They also come in a lot of hamster mixes but again a few could be scattered for foraging. Giving too many of these regularly could make a hamster gain a bit too much weight.
Sprays (grains on their stalks) Safe
Millet, dari, flax, wheat and oat sprays are safe and natural treats - some hamsters love them, some ignore them, but the sprays can provide shelter in a cage and look nice, so they add enrichment as well as being a treat to chew and eat.
Insects Safe ones listed below
Dried crickets, grasshoppers and mealworms are safe for hamsters - some like them, some don't. These are a food/protein supplement as well as a treat. Silkworm pupae and dried freshwater shrimps are fine too.
Chocolate Not good for hamsters - toxic in large quantities
Hamsters shouldn't have chocolate. Chocolate melts and becomes sticky and could stick in their pouches. It contains Caffeine as well as Theobromine. There has been much debate about how toxic chocolate is to hamsters, as it is with other animals. It is toxic in large amounts. Chocolate contains theobromine and also caffeine and the combination of the two is an unhealthy food for hamsters. The Theobromine is the component that is toxic to animals. However, research shows that hamsters have a higher tolerance to theobromine than rats and other animals, and that theobromine only becomes toxic to hamsters at 850mg per kilogram of body weight. (See 17 below). That is 850mg of theobromine, not 850mg of chocolate. Which is quite a lot of chocolate. So chocolate should not be given to hamsters, but if a hamster accidentally ate a small amount of chocolate, it isn't going to kill them or cause serious harm.
To give an example of how much chocolate is toxic to hamsters, some calculations and photos are added below.
- For a hamster of about 120g weight, the toxic level would be about 106mg of theobromine.
- Dark chocolate can contain up to 1000mg of theobromine per 100g of chocolate. (See 18 below)
- The attached photo shows a 100g bar of dark chocolate.
- It has 10 squares so each square is 10g and will contain approximately 100mg of theobromine which is about the toxic level for a 120g hamster.
- The third photo shows 1 square (10gm of this dark chocolate) to give an idea of amount of dark chocolate that is toxic to hamsters.
- It is highly unlikely that a hamster would manage to eat a whole square of this dark chocolate. So if a hamster accidentally ate a very small amount of dark chocolate, it wouldn't be toxic or enough to kill them. Obviously for a very large 240g hamster the toxic level might be up to two squares of this bar of chocolate.
- Milk chocolate only contains approximately 200mg of theobromine per 100g (See 18 below). So an equivalent sized bar of milk chocolate would mean the hamster would need to eat about half a bar of that chocolate for it to be toxic.
Hamster chocolate drops are sold as treats but these don't actually contain any chocolate. The hamster chocolate drops are still quite sweet and sugary treats aren't good for hamsters anyway.
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