Strawberries are a popular fruit rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. It is the most delicious, and we certainly enjoy its taste, but can our Hamsters eat strawberries? I did some research and fed it to my little one, and here is what I have learned.
Hamsters can eat strawberries but in moderate quantities. Strawberries contain the right amount of vitamins and other minerals required by our Hamsters. However, it also contains an excessive amount of sugar and calcium. Overfeeding can lead to several health problems like diabetes, bladder stones, obesity, diarrhea, etc.
Strawberries have an excellent supply of antioxidants and vitamins but should be served in moderate quantities only.
So, now that we know you can feed strawberries to our Hamsters, one might be wondering how many strawberries should we feed?
How often can we feed it, and what are the hazards we should be aware of?
Nutrition In Strawberries
Let us look in detail the nutritional values of 100 grams of strawberries holds.
| Name | Amount | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 90.95 | g |
| Energy | 32 | kcal |
| Protein | 0.67 | g |
| Total lipid (fat) | 0.3 | g |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 7.68 | g |
| Fiber, total dietary | 2 | g |
| Sugars, total including NLEA | 4.89 | g |
| Calcium, Ca | 16 | mg |
| Iron, Fe | 0.41 | mg |
| Magnesium, Mg | 13 | mg |
| Phosphorus, P | 24 | mg |
| Potassium, K | 153 | mg |
| Sodium, Na | 1 | mg |
| Zinc, Zn | 0.14 | mg |
| Copper, Cu | 0.048 | mg |
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | 58.8 | mg |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.047 | mg |
| Folate, total | 24 | µg |
| Vitamin E | 0.29 | mg |
| Vitamin K | 2.2 | µg |
Strawberry is one such fruit that has an abundant amount of Vitamin C in it. Vitamin C is essential for the healthy growth and development of our Hamster. Also, it helps to strengthen their immune system.
Strawberries also contains a decent amount of fiber in it, which is good for our Hamster’s digestive system. It helps them to keep away with health problems like loose stools or constipation.
Our Hamsters require a well balanced diet to live a healthy life and strawberries just make a perfect snack for them. It contains the right amount of vitamins and other minerals required by our Hamsters.
The right amount of protein, magnesium, iron and other essential minerals make it a perfect treat for our Hamsters.
Also, strawberries are packed with antioxidants, which is an important element of our Hamster’s diet. These antioxidants helps in the prevention of several diseases. It also helps to flush out the toxic waste for their body.
Folic acid (folate) is essential for the body in the growing stage to prevent vascular diseases and strawberries has just the right amount of folate in it.
Besides everything, the fruit also has some downside to it (discussed in the latter part of the article). Therefore, it is important to learn everything about the fruit before serving it to your Hamsters.
Do Hamsters Like Strawberries?
Strawberry is my Hamster’s favorite treat. Each Hamster has a different taste bud and preference for food. However, most Hamsters love to munch on this fruit.
This red color food is very tempting for our Hamsters. They find it something different from their day-to-day meals, which makes it a fantastic treat.
You can check out this’ Strawberry Hamster Hideout’, your Hamster will surely love it.
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Can Strawberries Kill Our Hamsters?
No, strawberries will not kill our Hamsters. However, overfeeding of the fruit will have some negative impact on their health.
Strawberries have a good amount of sugar in them, which is a matter of concern for our Hamsters. Excessive sugar in our Hamster’s diet can lead to several health complications such as diabetes, obesity, upset stomach, etc.
Another major concern is that strawberries are acidic. It contains a decent amount of natural acid in it, which can often lead to sore mouth and other dangerous health diseases in our Hamsters.
Besides this, strawberries also contain a high amount of calcium. Although calcium is essential for the development of bones and teeth in Hamsters, excessive calcium can lead to health problems such as bladder stones and sludge.
What Part Of Strawberries Can Hamsters Eat?
Not all parts of the fruit is safe for consumption by our Hamsters.
Therefore, we must be very careful about the fruit we serve our Hamsters.
Can Hamsters Eat Strawberry Leaves?
Hamsters can eat strawberry leaves without any problem. Strawberry leaves provide a lot of health benefits to our Hamsters.
These leaves have abundant antioxidants in them, which makes them ideal for our Hamsters. Also, strawberry leaves are known to treat diseases like diarrhea and other vascular diseases in our Hamsters.
After consulting my vet friends, I did not find any negative impact of strawberry leaves for our Hamsters.
You can also learn about the nutritional benefit of strawberry leaves here.
Can Hamsters Eat Strawberry Tops?
Yes, Hamsters can strawberries top without any problem. Strawberry tops make a better addition than the fruit itself.
The top has minimum amount of sugar in it. Also, it has a great fiber content. The presence of Vitamin C in the top adds cherry to the cake.
When I have strawberries, I often toss a few of the fruit tops in my Hamster’s cage. My Hamster loves them!
Can Hamsters Eat Strawberry Seeds?
Yes, Hamsters can eat strawberry seeds. There are only a handful of fruits and vegetables seeds that are edible for our Hamsters, strawberry seed being one of them.
Strawberry seeds are extremely tiny and soft, which makes it no hinderance for our Hamsters to chew.
Unlike many other fruit and vegetable seeds, strawberry seed is easy to digest without causing any choking hazard for our Hamsters.
How Much Strawberry Can A Hamster Eat?
It is highly advised to not overfeed strawberries to your little ones. Hamsters have difficult time digesting the food if we overfeed them.
Do not feed them more than a slice of the fruit (or a tiny strawberry) at a time. Serving the correct quantity makes it both, delicious and beneficial for our Hamsters.
How Often Can My Hamsters Eat Strawberries?
Hamsters can be served strawberries once in a week or so. A small slice of the fruit once in a week is ideal for them.
Although strawberry is an excellent fruit rich in essential minerals and vitamins, overfeeding can be dangerous for our Hamsters.
Sometimes we might get tempted to serve them more. However, it is important to control our emotions and serve them the right quantity only.
You can hand-feed them or serve them in their food bowl.
Correct Way To Prepare Strawberries For My Hamsters!
It can be a challenging task for some Hamster owners to prepare strawberries for their little ones.
Today, this step-by-step guide will help you to learn to prepare strawberries for your little ones the perfect way.
- Firstly, it is essential to choose the correct strawberries for our little ones. The strawberry you choose must be ripe and fresh. Old or even unripe berries does not have the same nutritional value as that of the fresh and ripen ones. Therefore, it is important to serve only fresh berries to your Hamsters.
- The second step involves washing the strawberries properly. Most fruits are sprayed with chemicals to keep away the pests. Not washing the fruit properly could be dangerous for our Hamsters.
- The next step is to cut the strawberry into small pieces. This will make for our Hamsters to nibble on it. Hamsters are more comfortable in eating small pieces rather than small chunks. Also, it reduces the chance of choking.
- The last step involves removing the uneaten food from their cage after a few hours of serving them. Soiled fruit can lead to bacteria buildup in our little one’s cage.
Can Hamster Eat Dried Strawberries?
No, our Hamsters cannot eat dried strawberries at all. It is something which we should never serve to our Hamsters.
Also, dried strawberries are much sweeter than normal ones, which makes it even more harmful for our little ones.
Can Hamsters Eat Strawberry Jam?
No, we should not feed strawberry jam to our Hamsters. Fruit jam contains excessive amounts of sugar in it, which is toxic for our Hamsters.
Also, as jam goes through the severe cooking process, it is not a fit food for our Hamsters.
Have a look at these amazing hideouts. You can either get a wooden made hiding spaces for your Hamsters or fleece made snuggle bed, which they can get into and feel at home. These are some of my favorites.
Conclusion: Hamsters And Strawberries
After all the discussions, we come to the conclusion that Hamsters can eat strawberries. However, it is important to monitor the quantity of the fruit being served.
We can serve our Hamsters with fresh and ripe strawberries. As Hamsters have a weak digestive system, unripe or spoiled food can easily upset their stomach.
Also, we need to be very careful while introducing a new fruit to our Hamster’s diet. Any changes in their stool will tell us that there is a health emergency.
Lastly, it is important to understand that strawberries cannot be a part of our Hamster’s staple diet. It should be served only as a treat.
