Everybody wants to give a properly balanced nutrient diet to their pet. So, before serving fruits to your hamster, you should know it, can hamsters eat fruits?
And if they eat, then what fruits are safe and which are unsafe?
In my case,
When I brought a hamster at home, I first decided to choose a perfect name for the hamster.
After that, in front of me, the main problem was what food the hamsters eat.
So, I decided to serve them fruits, because fruits are often available at home.
I started to feed fruits directly without knowing their side effects.
Sadly, that was the wrong choice.
The result was, that my hamster facing health problems such as hair loss, obesity, and stomach upset.
Then I realized that if ‘Stephen’ didn’t get their proper fruit, there could be some health problems.
So, I researched and consulted with the Veteran to make my hamster diet healthy and properly nutrient-balanced.
With that, I found a completely safe, and unsafe fruit list that hamsters can eat that I have shared with you.
So, let’s check in deep…
Can Hamsters Eat fruits? A Simple Answer
Yes, Hamsters can eat fruits.
But not every fruit is ok for your hamster. You should be very careful to serving fruits to your hammy.
Often hamsters can eat the majority of fruits except citrus fruits because citrus fruits are acidic to the hamster gut.
(So, except for citrus fruits such as oranges, tangerines, mandarines, kumquat, clementines, grapefruit (all kinds), lemon, and lime.
you can serve other types of fruits that your hamster can eat. The complete list is given below.)
Safe Fruits For Hamsters
In fact, there are lots of fruits available when hamsters are in the wild, and they can eat their choice.
But as a pet, it is our responsibility that provide the safest fruit as like as possible.
For this, here is the safe fruit list that your hamster can eat.
| Safe Fruits | How to Serve |
| Apple | cored and peeled |
| Apricot | pit removed |
| Banana | peeled |
| Blueberry | |
| Blackberry | |
| Coconut | unsweetened |
| Cranberry | |
| Cantaloupe | rind removed |
| Cherry | pit removed |
| Date | seed removed |
| Elderberry | |
| Guava | |
| Lychee | rind and seed removed |
| Papaya | rind removed |
| Peach | pit removed |
| Pear | |
| Plum | pit removed |
| Pomegranate | peeled |
| Raspberry | |
| Strawberry | |
| Watermelon | rind removed |
Unsafe Fruits For Hamsters You Should Avoid Them
All of these fruits, there are some unsafe fruits you should avoid serving for your little furball as a treat because some are citrus and some become toxic if they eat.
A list of these unsafe fruits are:
| Unsafe Fruits | Why you should avoid them? |
| Citrus | They can cause gastrointestinal issues. |
| Dragon fruit | Grapes have the highest amount of natural sugar, so you should avoid serving them. |
| Dried fruit | Dried fruits are a concentrated form of sugar. Too much sugar can cause your hamster to develop diabetes as well as have gastrointestinal issues. |
| Mango | Mangoes are high in sugar. |
| Grape | Grapes have the highest amount of natural sugar, so you should avoid serving them. |
| Star Fruits | They contain a neurotoxin that can cause kidney problems. |
How Much Fruit Should a Hamster Eat?
Hamsters are omnivorous rodents, they eat protein, fruits, and veggies diet.
Sometimes they eat insects too.
If you calculate their daily diet then you will find that,
A hamster’s daily diet should be about 75% protein from fortified hamster pellets, 5% treats, and the remaining 20% from vegetables, greens, and fruits.
Source: – The Spruce Pets
In fact, the vegetables, and greens are 20% is ok, but you should not feed fruits more than a teaspoon.
With it, treat and fruits are given to hamster occasionally to keep hamster healthy and give them a long lifespan.
How to Introduce Fruit to Your Hamster’s Diet
First of all, you should make pellets your hamster’s main diet. After that, you should give another kind of fruit as a treat.
First, give a small piece of fruit to your hamster alone, not mix it with other fruit.
Identify it carefully, Did the hamster eat it properly, Did their food bowl fully empty?
If the hamster eats it completely then it is confirmed that your hamster loves to eat that fruit, and you can make it their special treat.
Sometimes hamster eats a little bit and the leftover remains in their food bowl, you should remove them after 10-12 hours, otherwise, they could be moldy and smelly.
It indicates that may be hamster not interested in eating it, so don’t feed it again.
#1. You can use fruits as a treat for your hamster
Obviously, some fruits are safe for hamsters to eat but commercially balanced pellets are good for their daily diet.
You should never mix fruits in a hamster’s daily diet. If you do this, your hamster’s health could deteriorate.
Fruits are high in sugar and minerals that cause diabetes, diarrhea, and upset stomach.
So, every time keep in mind, that fruits given in moderation are the best way to keep hamsters healthy.
#2. Make Special Fruit’s Treats
It is a good way that you can make some fruit treats for your hamsters at home.
For this, you can make banana and peanut butter biscuits, chewing sticks, and chips.
If you have no extra free time to do that you can use their alternatives. These are available in the market.
#3. You Can Feed Some Fruits Alternative
Not only special treats, you can use some fruit alternatives that are available in the market for your hamster.
Your hamster can enjoy these tasty treats occasionally.
There are different options available:
A. Crunchy Banana Chips Treat
Crunchy Banana Chips come in different types of fruits. You can choose one of these like banana, pineapple, banana-strawberry, and cinnamon chips.
These are perfect “slowly baked without oil and added sugar”, so could be the perfect treat for your little furry friend.
Not even hamster, you can eat it and enjoy both tasty treats.
You can buy it on the Amazon Online Store.
B. Granola Bites with Superfoods Spinach and Carrot Treat
Granola Bites are purely packed with natural prebiotics and probiotics that are good sources of dietary fiber too.
These come in a round shape, so this encourages the hamster to explore and play with them.
These come at a reasonable price, you can buy them on Amazon Store.
FAQs
Can Hamsters Eat Pineapple?
Yes, hamsters can eat pineapple but you should avoid feeding it due to its acidic properties.
Can Hamsters Eat Watermelons?
Yes, hamsters can eat watermelons. You should feed watermelons after removing seeds otherwise they can choke hamsters’ throats.
Does a Hamster Like Fruit?
Yes, hamsters like to eat fruits.
Do Hamsters Like Grapes?
Yes, hamsters can eat grapes but only one or two in a week because grapes are rich in sugar content.
Can I Feed My Hamster Fruit Every Day?
No, you should avoid feeding fruits to your hamster every day.
Final Words
It’s every pet owner’s responsibility that they take care of their pet hammy as much as possible.
Even giving a homemade treat, they must know that hamsters can eat fruits too.
So, including fruits in their diet is a good source of providing them extra nutrients and makes hamsters’ diet versatile.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you will understand that hamsters can eat fruits.
If you have any queries or suggestions, just comment below.
I will do it as well as better.
