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Like us, hamsters are omnivores, which means that their diet in the wild is traditionally a mixture of plants, seeds, berries, stalks, and small insects that they scavenge. When kept as pets, the selection of food that you give your hamster should be similar to what they eat in the wild, which means providing a selection of fresh fruit, vegetables and food that is high in protein. Today’s blog is all about nuts hamsters can eat.
As you are probably aware, one of the best ways to get an excellent source of protein into your little fluffball’s diet is by giving them nuts. It turns out that Hamsters really love delicious nuts and given in moderation, they can be a fantastic addition to your pets’ diet. Nuts often contain lots of protein, fibre and essential vitamins that help to keep your hamster healthy. Nuts also contain fats, which help to keep their skin and hair healthy (amongst other things). Nuts are low in unhealthy saturated fats and mainly contain beneficial monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Feeding your hammie nuts every so often will also help control their cholesterol levels as many nuts actually help to reduce the build up of cholesterol.
Nuts Hamsters Can Eat
Like humans, hamsters love a wide range of nuts and there are many types that you can feed them, including; peanuts, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts and pistachios. We’ve found that hammies especially love walnuts and they can’t get enough of monkey nuts!
Nuts Hamsters Cannot Eat
There are a few types of nut that are bad for hamsters and should certainly be avoided. Firstly, almonds should not be fed to your pet as they contain amounts of cyanide which unfortunately can lead to poisoning and death. You should also avoid any nuts that are salted, have added sugar or other human flavourings or oils. When it comes to nuts for hamsters, they should be unsalted, unseasoned and unsweetened. Plain is usually always best.
Giving your Hamster Nuts in their Diet
As with any treat, nuts should only be served to hamster in moderation and the amount that you give them will depend on the size of the hamster that you own. Syrian hamsters are larger and may be able to have slightly more than smaller dwarf or Chinese hamsters. Whatever the size of your hamster, nuts should only be given as a treat and should be balanced with other foods to form a healthy diet. You should also be aware that nuts can be choking hazards for hamsters and again, depending on their size you may want to chop larger nuts into smaller pieces when you feed them to your pets.
Hamster Enrichment!
There’s lots of things you can do with nuts to help keep your hammie entertained and enriched. Why not break a nut into pieces and scatter it around their cage or tank for them to find, or put a few pieces into a cardboard box or tube and let your hamster work out how to get to them! This enrichment keeps your pet from getting bored, and the exercise is great for their body and mind.
Best Nuts for Hamsters that you can Buy Online
If you own a hamster, you’ll want to take a look at the following range of products that contain healthy nuts which we think your little friend will really enjoy:
Maltbys’ Stores Premium Peanuts In Shells (Monkey Nuts)
Why not give your cute little friend a whole monkey nut with shell included and watch them have some fun gnawing through the case to get to the edible nut inside! These bags contain only the highest quality peanuts and have been selected so that they don’t contain aflatoxin, which can sometimes been found in lesser-quality peanuts.
Seedzbox Ultimate Deluxe Hamster Food Seed and Nut Mix
This fantastic hamster mix contains lots of tasty foods for your pet to enjoy, including peanuts. Even picky eaters will love the mixture of different seeds, maize, barley and other foods.
Beaphar Nibbles for Rodents
This great-value mix includes a colourful blend of nuts, cereal, vegetable and fruit pieces. Giving this mix to your pet as a treat can really help with training and bonding.
Vitakraft Hamster Nut Sticks
These tasty and nutritious sticks are packed with high-quality ingredients and they’re strong so won’t separate as soon as your hammie starts tucking in! The sticks are sugar- free and the crunchy consistency helps keep your hamsters’ teeth healthy.
Johnson’s Vet Hamster Harvest Feast Treat
A wonderful combination of harvest treats that keeps hammies entertained for hours! There is a hole in the middle, meaning you can hang it from your pets’ cage or tank, this ensures they’ll have to work a little harder for their treat, keeping them occupied for ages and helping to reduce boredom.
If you enjoyed this blog on nuts Hamsters can eat then you might also like to read can hamsters eat popcorn?
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