Can Hamsters Eat Pickles? Vet Reviewed Dangers

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Hamsters are cute pets that like to stuff their cheeks stuffed with something that they will get their little paws on. Proudly owning a hamster means realizing what sort of meals they need to eat and whether or not you can provide them the occasional deal with.

There are a couple of protected meals for hamsters, however on no account must you ever give them pickles! The spices and vinegar in pickles will be poisonous. Right here, we disclose why these critters mustn’t eat pickles and what snacks are protected and wholesome to your hamster.

A Little About Pickles

Cucumbers are the most typical type of pickles, however many alternative greens and fruits can be pickled, akin to asparagus, cherries, ginger, and onions.

Cucumbers will be fermented or unfermented to turn into pickles. Fermentation is often carried out by inserting the cucumbers in saltwater or brine and letting them relaxation for as much as 2 weeks.

For unfermented pickles, vinegar is added to the pickling brine, creating that distinctive tang, along with pickling spices.

Most pickles that you simply decide up on the grocery retailer are unfermented pickles in a vinegar brine. The cucumbers soak within the brine and spices however retain that satisfying crunch.

Why Hamsters Shouldn’t Eat Pickles

It’s necessary to notice that one small pickle spear (about 35 grams) comprises 283 milligrams of sodium. Even a pickle slice that’s roughly 7 grams comprises about 57 milligrams of sodium. Both is a dangerously excessive quantity of salt that has the potential to kill your hamster! Hamsters are naturally very reluctant to ingest NaCl (sodium chloride).¹

Dehydration

Consuming one thing with an excessive amount of salt can result in dehydration,² which may shortly result in demise in a small animal like a hamster.

One of the best take a look at for dehydration is the pores and skin tenting take a look at. Seize a few of your hamster’s pores and skin from between the shoulder blades (the pores and skin is looser right here) along with your fingers, pinching it gently collectively.

Whenever you launch the pores and skin, if it instantly springs again, your hamster isn’t probably dehydrated. But when it takes a second to renew its regular place, your hamster is dehydrated.

In case you suspect that they’re mildly dehydrated, provide them with clear and recent water, and allow them to drink as a lot as doable. But when they’re severely dehydrated or aren’t consuming sufficient water, you must take them to the vet, the place your hamster can be rehydrated with IV fluids.

Diarrhea

Vinegar is very acidic, with a pH of two–3, which is a bit more acidic than lemon juice. Such a acidity can wreak havoc on a hamster’s gastrointestinal tract and trigger diarrhea.³

In flip, diarrhea can shortly trigger dehydration, so it is a case of getting your hamster to a vet immediately.

Are Cucumbers Protected for Hamsters?

Completely! However like every snack meals that isn’t a staple a part of a hamster’s eating regimen, cucumbers must be eaten carefully.

How A lot Is Okay?

About 90% of a hamster’s eating regimen must be made up of hay and hamster meals. The final 10% is for treats, which may embody little bits of cucumbers.

One hamster can have about 1 teaspoon’s value of cucumber, however when you’ve got a small or dwarf hamster, you must intention for about 1/2 a teaspoon of cucumber.

You need to solely give cucumbers to your hamster as soon as every week and by no means two days in a row.

Getting ready Cucumber for Your Hamster

Begin by washing the cucumber as totally as doable to take away any pesticides and micro organism. When you’ve got a choosy hamster, you may wish to peel it, but it surely isn’t vital.

The seeds are slippery and might make a large number, so that you may wish to take away them, however as with the pores and skin, it isn’t a required step. Reduce the cucumber into small bite-sized chunks or skinny slices.

You should definitely take away any uneaten cucumber out of your hamster’s cage a couple of hours after serving it. This fashion, it gained’t have an opportunity to rot and for micro organism to colonise.

Meals to Keep away from for Hamsters

As a hamster proprietor, you need to be accustomed to the meals which can be good to your hamster and those that you must by no means feed them.

Converse to your vet when you’re uncertain what to feed your hamster and what human meals you must keep away from.

Protected Snacks for Hamsters

Meals for a pet hamster must be much like what they eat within the wild. Hamsters are omnivorous, which implies they eat each greens and protein, normally within the type of bugs.

Protected snacks to your hamster can embody the next.

Greens:

Fruits:

Herbs:

The Finest Weight loss program for Hamsters

One of the best eating regimen for hamsters will make up 90% of what they eat daily, and treats ought to solely make up 10% of their eating regimen.

Present them with fixed entry to recent and clear water in a water bottle with a stainless-steel nozzle. Change the water daily to maintain it recent.

Conclusion

Whereas cucumbers are good for hamsters, pickles are unhealthy! Among the spices in pickles are dangerous, however the actual injury is completed by the immense quantity of salt and the extreme acidity of the vinegar. Any acidic meals gained’t be good to your hamster.

Seek the advice of your vet when you’re ever uncertain about what’s wholesome and what’s not wholesome to your hamster. Solely give treats carefully. The higher you handle your hamster, the higher high quality of life they are going to have.

Featured Picture Credit score: PhotoMIX-Firm, Pixabay