We often hear the saying, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. Apples make a perfect snack for us. Along with its amazing taste, it also has many healthy benefits for us but can we share this fruit with our Hamsters? Is it safe for them? Let’s find out!
Hamsters can eat apples without any worries. Apple skin is edible too. However, avoid serving them with apple seed, apple core, apple juice, or apple sauce. A small slice of the fruit once a week is perfect for them. Overeating apples might lead to health problems such as diarrhea, obesity, and mouth sore.
Adding apples to our Hamster’s diet is an excellent choice, but we need to be careful with some key points while serving it to our little ones. Not all kinds of apple are suitable for consumption by our Hamsters.
Hamsters love to munch on refreshing fruits, but before feeding them apples, you need to know about some benefits and hazards of feeding them apples. So, let’s get right into it.
Nutrition In Apples
Let us look in detail the nutritional values of 100 grams of apples.
| Nutrients | Amount |
|---|---|
| Water | 85.56 g |
| Energy | 52 kcal |
| Protein | 0.26 g |
| Total lipid (fat) | 0.17 g |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 13.81 g |
| Fiber, total dietary | 2.4 g |
| Sugars, total including NLEA | 10.39 g |
| Calcium, Ca | 6 g |
| Iron, Fe | 0.12 g |
| Magnesium, Mg | 5 g |
| Phosphorus, P | 11 g |
| Potassium, K | 107 g |
| Sodium, Na | 1 g |
| Zinc, Zn | 0.04 g |
| Copper, Cu | 0.027 g |
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | 4.6 mg |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.041 mg |
| Folate, total | 3 µg |
| Vitamin A, RAE | 3 µg |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 2.2 µg |
Apples are packed in Vitamin C, fibers, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients required by our Hamsters. Although apples have a sweet taste but that does not add to the weight much.
The glycemic index is low in apples, which results in lower blood sugar in the body. Also, the decent amount of fiber present in apples, proves to be excellent for our Hamster’s body.
Phosphorus present in apples helps to keep our Hamster’s teeth strong and helps to flush out all the toxins out of their body.
Apples contains traces of calcium in them. Calcium helps our Hamster’s body to make their bones stronger. However, there are some limitations that needs to be followed for consumption of calcium. This is because because overfeeding of calcium can lead to kidney stones in out little ones.
To overcome all kinds of diseases, our Hamsters need to have a sound immunity system. Apples are extremely helpful in maintaining a robust immunity system.
Are Hamsters Allowed To Eat Apples?
Yes, our Hamsters can eat apples without any worries. Apples are packed with Vitamin C, which makes them a perfect snack for our Hamsters.
However, not all types of apples are safe for consumption by our Hamsters. You must do your research before feeding the same to your Hamsters.
A few of the kinds of apple are quite acidic, which can prove to be harmful for our Hamsters in the long run. Red ripe apples are perfect for our Hamsters. Unripe or rotten apples can be poisonous for our Hamsters.
To learn more about the fruits and vegetables you can and cannot feed your Hamsters, refer to the articles linked below:
- What Fruits Can Hamsters Eat? (Complete List, Serving Size & More)
- What Vegetables Can Hamsters Eat? ( List, Serving size & More )
Are Apples Good For Hamsters?
Apples are a perfect choice for our Hamsters when serve in small quantities. This fruit contains a decent amount of fiber, which is very important for the health of our Hamsters.
Due to the presence of Vitamin C in apples, it helps to prevent diseases such as scurvy in our little ones.
Antioxidants present in apples is a bonus point for our Hamsters. It helps to keep their immune system strong and healthy.
If you serve your Hamsters the correct amount of apples, nothing will go wrong. However, overeating of apples can be harmful for them in the long run.
Apples are quite sweet and acidic, which makes them a limiting factor for our Hamsters. Overeating can even lead to diarrhea, obesity and sore mouths in our Hamsters.
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Can Hamsters Eat Fresh Apples?
Yes, our Hamsters can eat fresh apples without any worries. However, never serve your Hamsters anything more than the advised quantity. Fresh apples make a perfect treat for our Hamsters.
Can Hamsters Eat Apples With Skin?
Our Hamsters can eat apple with skin without any problems. It is seen that most Hamsters are interested in the skin of the apple than the fruit itself.
Wash the apple properly if you are are serving your Hamsters with the skin. Home-grown apples are best for our Hamsters. Fruits brought from the local markets are sprayed with pesticides and chemicals. Also, they are often coated with wax in order to enhance the color of the fruit.
I personally prefer to let the apple sit in mild warm water for 10 minutes or so in order to get rid of all the substances. However, serve the fruit only when it comes back to the normal room temperature.
Recommended Reading:
- How Often Should I Feed My Hamster? (Owner’s Guide)
- Why Does My Hamster Stare At Me? (This Is What You Must Know)
- Are Hamsters Affectionate? How Do They Show Affection?
- How To Entertain A Hamster: 15 Fun Things To Do
- Why Is My Hamster Always Hiding? (Reasons+What To Do)
How Often Should We Feed Apples To Our Hamsters?
Apples should not be served more than once a week to our Hamsters. Do not serve them more than the advised quantity or else your Hamster might have to face health problems in the long run.
It is advised to make your Hamster’s feeding schedule in advance to avoid any kind of problems later.
Besides blueberries, you can also try serving your Hamsters with other fruit such as peaches, apricots, cantaloupe, etc. A variety in food will help them to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
How Much Apple Can I Give My Hamsters?
Serving a small slice of the fruit once in a week or so is best for our Hamsters. Also, the serving size depends upon the age, lifestyle and gender of your Hamsters.
You can serve a comparatively bigger slice of apples to young Hamsters than to the old ones. This is because older Hamsters will not be able to digest sugar properly therefore a small slice would be ideal for them.
Excessive consumption of apples can have a bad impact on our Hamster’s health in the long run. Also, the fruit will do good to our little ones only when served in limited quantities.
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Correct Way To Feed Apples To Our Hamsters
It is very easy to prepare apples for our Hamsters. There are a few things you must keep in consideration. Follow the steps listed below to easily prepare apples for your little ones:
- The first step involves choosing the perfect apples for our Hamsters. Do not pick any unripe apples as they are excessively acidic for our Hamsters. Ripe ones are perfect for our Hamsters.
- After that, wash the fruit thoroughly in order to git rid off the all unwanted chemicals from their skin.
- The third step involves slicing the fruit in small sizes. Do not forget to deseed the apple before serving it to your Hamsters. Also, do not serve your Hamster more than a tablespoon of apple at a time.
- The last step is to remove all the uneaten fruit from our Hamster’s cage after a few hours of serving them. This step will make sure that the cage does not get any bacterial infection.
Related Queries:
Can Hamsters Eat Red Apple?
Red apples or the regular apples are completely safe for our Hamsters to consumed. However, keep the quantity in consideration. Excess consumption of red apples can lead to health complications in our Hamsters.
Can Hamsters Eat Green Apple?
Our Hamsters can eat green apples but in small quantities only. Green apples are somewhat bitter in comparison to the regular apples.
These kinds of apples are acidic. Therefore, do not feed your Hamsters more than a small slice at once. Serving them with green apples once a month would be ideal.
Can Hamsters Eat Apple Cores?
Apple core or seeds are toxic for our Hamsters. They contain traces of cyanide, which can be poisonous to our Hamsters.
These seeds can lead to choking hazards in our Hamsters. There have been cases in which Hamsters are known to lose their lives on consuming apple cores.
Therefore, you must be cautious before serving apples to your Hamsters. Never forget to deseed the fruit before serving it to your little ones.
Can Hamsters Drink Apple Juice?
No, we should never provide our Hamsters with apple juice. All kinds of fruit juices are unsuitable for consumption by our Hamsters.
Fruit juices contains five times more sugar than the regular fruits, which makes they unfit for our Hamsters. Consumption of huge amounts of sugar can lead to health problems in our Hamsters.
Hamsters have a weak digestive system. On consuming fruit juices they might start showing symptoms of diarrhea, obesity or even diabetes. Therefore, it is best to avoid serving apple juice to our Hamsters at all costs.
Can Hamsters Eat Apple Sauce?
Apple sauce is not at all suitable for consumption by our Hamsters. Most apple sauces available in the market contain an excessive amount of sugar, which is super toxic for our little ones.
Even if you have made apple sauce at home avoid feeding it to your Hamsters. It is always better to be on the safer side and not put our Hamsters’ life at risk.
Most cooked foods act as a poison for our Hamsters. Therefore, it is best to avoid it as much as possible.
Can Hamsters Chew On Apple Tree Branches?
Yes, apple tree branches are absolutely safe for our Hamsters to chew on.
You must prepare the branches properly before serving it to your Hamsters. Dry the branches properly before serving them to your Hamsters. Apple tree branches are poisonous for our little ones when attached to the tree.
Remove all the sharp edges of these branches before serving it to your Hamsters. These edges can easily hurt the inner part of our Hamster’s mouth. Also make sure that branches are free from any kind of attached pesticides or chemicals.
Learn More: Can My Hamsters Chew On Tree Branches? (Safe Wood+Unsafe Wood)
Can Hamsters Eat Apple Tree Leaves?
Apple tree leaves are totally safe for consumption by our Hamsters. However, you must know that not all tree leaves are safe for our Hamsters therefore you must do your research before serving it to your Hamsters.
Do not serve your Hamsters more than a small leaf once in a while. Also, serve them with tree leaves only when you are fully sure that those trees were grown without the use of any kinds of chemicals and pesticides.
Chemicals and other pesticides are extremely toxic for our Hamsters. It may have a bad impact on our Hamster’s health in the long run.
