Hamsters are technically omnivores, but their great love is for greens and fresh produce.
But can hamsters eat nectarines
Can hamsters eat nectarines?
Nectarines are one fruit that hamsters may indeed sample safely! In fact, the sweet flavor and juicy texture make nectarines a real treat for the little guys. However, be careful of the amount you feed to your hamster due to the high sugar content and diabetes.
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How Often Can Hamsters Eat Nectarines?
When feeding your hamster nectarines, what you must be aware of is the sugar content, mostly. Hamsters, like many rodents, have digestive systems that are quite sensitive.
Diabetes is also something they can be prone to.
To avoid health problems like this, one of the main actions you can take is feeding your hamster with care.
Feed your hamsters small pieces of nectarines no more than twice a week.
Proper feeding is integral to keeping your hamster healthy and treats like nectarines are a great way to keep them happy.
Following are some common fruits that hamsters can consume, and how to feed these to them the right way.
1. Hamsters like Nectarines and can eat them Safely
When feeding your hamster any fruit, there are a couple of things you must do initially. First, wash the produce thoroughly.
Pesticides are not good for anyone, but the dose is much larger for hamsters and can affect them more harmfully. Nectarines can be fed to hamsters in a couple of pieces, small enough they can hold them in their paws comfortably. This is ¼-⅓ tsp, roughly.
Testing
Allergic reactions are not especially common with hamster safe foods but this will help to eliminate the risk entirely.
To see how your hamster handles a particular food, give them a sliver, to begin with.
Before offering the food to them again, wait for an adverse reaction for a couple of days. You are likely in the clear if there is none.
Simply remove the pits from nectarines and you may treat your hamster to a couple of minuscule slices, once or twice a week.
2. Apples make a sweet Hamster snack
Apples are another fruit hamsters can enjoy safely!
However, apples pose more of a risk than some fruits, due to their seeds, which contain cyanide.
This is poisonous to most animals, but as hamsters are so small, the seeds give them a very big dose.
This can do them real harm. With this in mind, before offering an apple as a snack, remove the seeds completely.
Apples are actually very healthy for hamsters, as they contain fiber in great quantity. Fiber makes up the majority of what hamsters eat, ideally.
With this in mind, apples are not only tasty to hamsters, but they can make a good supplement dietarily.
Still, like nectarines, apples are high in sugar!
This means that no more than a couple of thumbnail-sized slices should be administered, and once or twice weekly.
3. Hamsters go bananas for Bananas
Bananas tend to be a hamster favorite! This is no doubt due to the honey-sweet taste and rich texture. Bananas are however extremely high in natural sugars.
This means that your hamster should consume no more than ¼ tsp once or twice weekly, so your hamster can indulge without risk.
Read “ Can hamsters eat Bananas ” for more details.
4. Hamsters can eat Blueberries up to twice weekly
Hamsters like all kinds of berries!
They can eat many safely as well. One such fruit is blueberry. This vibrant, nutrient-rich fruit can be fed to your hamster in servings of 1-3 berries. Base the portion on your hamster’s size individually.
Blueberries can be a very cute thing to watch hamsters eat, as each berry is the size – or bigger – than a paw.
5. A Hamster will thank you for a Blackberry
Hamsters may have a small blackberry or half of a large one. Hamsters waste no time munching on these.
They will likely dye their chin with juice temporarily – a rather adorable effect of eating colorful fruit, for these guys.
6. Hamsters find Melons tasty
Funnily enough, hamsters can eat melons, even though it is doubtful they would be able to naturally.
The enormous size and hard shell of melons make them, for hamsters, an inaccessible luxury.
Access to fresh fruits like this is one of the things that, for hamsters, make captivity worthwhile.
Feed your hamster melon in ¼-½ tsp portions, 1-2 times weekly.
7. Hamsters really like Strawberries
Strawberries are a truly delicious fruit, that humans and hamsters both enjoy.
Your hamster may have the flesh of a strawberry in ¼-½ tsp amounts, up to twice weekly. Strawberries are one of the foods that hamsters eat in a pretty cute way!
They will often color their mouths and cheeks as they munch contentedly.
8. Peaches are nice Hamster treats
Like nectarines, peaches are a great hamster snack – minus the pits. Remove these before offering any peach to your hamster, in case there are leftover pieces.
Peaches can be fed to hamsters in ¼-½ teaspoon servings 1-2 times a week.
The fuzzy fruit is toothsome and nutritious, making it a hamster favorite.
9. Hamsters can munch on Pears
Pears, like nectarines, are another tree fruit containing seeds. In order for your hamster to consume pears, the seeds must be removed promptly.
This will leave the skin and flesh of the fruit munch-ready.
10. Mangos are okay for Syrian Hamsters
As fruits go, mangos are particularly sugary. This means that they can cause diabetes and obesity, potentially. Advised is to feed mangos, bananas, and other especially sweet fruits to Syrian hamsters primarily.
Dwarf hamsters are so small that diabetes and obesity become even more of a risk.
Remember, base the servings off of your hamster’s size. Some hamsters are smaller than others, even regardless of breed. Judge wisely.
Hamsters can have very tiny cubes of mango, once weekly, ideally.
11. Grapes are a great Hamster snack
To hamsters, grapes are the size of apples, making them a fun snack for them to hold and munch on. They savor the skin and flesh of the fruit alike.
Sometimes, hamsters like to store things in their cheeks. They may try this with grapes, which is funny to observe.
A single grape makes for a fine hamster snack. If you have a Dwarf hamster, half a grape will suffice.
Treats Perfect For Hamsters
Conclusion: Can Hamsters Eat Nectarines?
As you can see, there really are many types of fruit a hamster can sample along with nectarines.
Simply test them out and see which agree best with their body, and which are their favorites.
Spoil your hamster buddy with a variety of treats, this will make them feel loved, and supplement them nutritionally.
Fruit is chock-full of vital energy. It will help keep your hamster’s eyes bright and keep them perky.
This is, of course, if they are fed properly. A hamster overfed with fruit and other sugary, carby foods will become sick, and worse.
Moderation is key! Feed your hamster correctly, so they can reap this benefit of captivity – access to food that is fresh and healthy.
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Image credits Photo: Katinka Bakos/Shutterstock
