Can you feed hamsters cheese

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This is at no extra cost to you. Because hamsters are omnivores, they appreciate animal fat and protein as part of their diet, which is sometimes missing from commercial hamster cereals and pellet foods. So alternate giving your hamster cheese with other protein sources such as boiled egg and mealworms from the pet store. And remember that hamster portions are truly tiny — a couple of pieces of cheese each the size of a raisin is plenty!

Hiding little morsels of cheese in a paper bag or cardboard box will create the added element of having to gnaw their way to it. Lots of fruit and vegetables are great for your ham! So, we know that hamsters can eat cheese. But how much? The amount of cheese that a hamster can eat depends on their breed.

Syrians can eat more than Robos. Dwarfs can only eat a tiny amount! This is typical for almost all treats that we talk about, the breed of the hamster really does matter! Dwarfs simply cannot handle cheese in large amounts. Cheese is delicious and your Syrian Hamster is bound to enjoy eating it! Give your Syrian Hamster around 3 tiny cubes of cheese every fortnight. Think of the sized cheese that you get on sticks at parties.

That size. We will discuss the dangers of overfeeding cheese later, but it can be dangerous! Feed Robo hamsters around 2 tiny cubes every fortnight. Winter White dwarf hamsters, Chinese hamsters and Campbell Dwarf hamsters can only eat one tiny cube every fortnight. This is due to the size of them. Too much cheese can seriously impact their health. Cheese has quite a lot of studies that show that it can actually be quite healthy!

With that being said, cheese is not essential to their diet. A hamster can have a healthy and balanced diet without cheese. Although your hamster may love cheese, their body may not react well to it. This is quite normal as in nature this species tends to feed on vegetables and, occasionally, on some insects or small reptiles. Cheese, on the other hand, is a man-made dairy product. Therefore, it's understandable if your hamster has trouble digesting dairy products once they've stopped being breastfed by their mother.

This is because milk contains a component called lactose which requires the intervention of an enzyme called lactase to process and digest it.

However, this enzyme is not produced by all bodies in the same way or same amount. This is why there are some animals that cannot successfully break down lactose, leading to digestive issues. These animals are, therefore, lactose intolerant. For this reason, when introducing cheese into your hamsters diet, it's important to do it in a progressive matter and observe how they react. If they have diarrhea or throw up, clearly, it's best to avoid this product in the future.

If your hamster turns out to be lactose intolerant, fear not. You can always give them other healthy treats. Cheese is definitely not essential to their diet.

Learn more about a hamster's diet in our article about toxic food for hamsters to avoid. Given the high amount of lipids in the cheese, you should not offer your hamster this food every day, but rather between 1 or 2 times a week to prevent them from being overweight and having health issues. When it comes to choosing the amount to give them at a time, it should be very small and proportionate to the size of a pea.

Hamsters are omnivores that can enjoy a variety of foods. In the wild, hamsters tend to eat seeds, grain, grasses, and occasionally insects. Fortunately, complete and balanced commercial diets are available to ensure pet hamsters get everything they need. Hamster food usually comes in pellets or mixes and typically contains grains, seeds, vitamins, and minerals. Many fresh raw vegetables are good for hamsters, including kale, spinach, dandelion greens, and broccoli.

They can eat small quantities of fruit like apples and bananas. Other healthy treats include pasta, rice, and seeds. Small quantities of unsalted nuts can be given and well. Hamsters do not need high amounts of fat, sugar, or salt in their diets, so foods with these should be avoided. They do not require any dairy products in their diets, so there is technically no need to ever offer cheese to a hamster.

Many hamsters love the taste of cheese, but its high fat and sodium content is not especially healthy for hamsters. If your hamster enjoys cheese and seems to tolerate it well, you can offer it occasionally in small amounts. Hamsters should get no more than a pea-sized amount of cheese just once or twice a week. Choose a cheese that is low in fat and salt, like low-fat cottage cheese or mozzarella. Avoid fatty or salty cheeses like aged cheddar, parmesan, and processed cheese products.