If you are a hamster pet lover, questions always come into your mind, do hamsters eat insects? Are they safe for hamsters to eat and much more?
First of all, We would tell you that all types of hamster breeds eat insects. But the question is which types of insects do hamsters eat?
So, in this article, you will get knowledge all about these insects, which are hamsters eat.
You can give insects to your hamsters with the mix in their commercial foods, fruits, and veggies.
Do you know that hamsters can eat fruits, If don’t know read our hamster food guide?
Do hamsters eat insects?
Yes, it is right, hamsters eat insects because they are omnivores rodents.
But they do not eat only insects. With these, they eat fruits, seeds, and veggies too.
Eating a lot of insects can make them ill because all insects are not safe for them, some might contain harmful bacteria for the hamsters.
In the wild, hamsters run miles and miles for their food, if they do not find vegetarian food for them, then their last option is eating insects.
In the food-searching task, if they get any insects in their way they eat them.
However, wild hamsters do not hunt insects for their food purpose. Most hamsters depend on veg food items.
So, you should not give a pet hamster a lot of insects to eat.
Most people think that hamsters are omnivorous, why they do not have too many insects. But the truth is that hamsters do not eat a lot of insects.
Now, that it is clear that hamsters eat insects then you should need to know, which insects hamsters eat usually.
Below we provide a full list of insects. You read this and make your furry pet diet mix with insects.
Let’s, Know…
What kind of insects do hamsters eat?
It is most important to know what type of insects hamsters eat.
Wild Hamsters eat small bugs, grasshoppers, spiders, and even worms, etc.
We have researched and found some common insects listed below, which are a good source for a hamster diet, but in moderation.
| S.No. | Insects Name |
| 1 | Mealworms |
| 2 | Crickets |
| 3 | Earthworms |
| 4 | Grasshoppers |
| 5 | Caterpillars |
| 6 | Silkworm Pupae |
| 7 | Waxworms |
| 8 | Ants |
| 9 | Termites |
| 10 | House Fly |
#1. Mealworms
Occasionally, hamsters enjoy their meal with mealworms, and wriggly creatures provide hamsters with nutritional snacks.
What type of nutrition do hamsters get from eating mealworms? Let us know…
Mealworms are the full house of protein and Fatty Acids.
When hamsters eat them they get a protein diet with insects, that help maintain hamsters muscle mass.
Fatty acid is beneficial for hamsters’ fur and healthy skin care.
All of these mealworms have Vitamin B12, and minerals copper, iron, etc.
So, if you made up your mind to feed insects to your little buddy, mealworms are a perfect balance treat for them.
You can easily buy mealworms from the Amazon Store.
#2. Crickets
Some People want to pet hamsters with a natural plant-based veg diet.
On the other side, some people balance their hammies diet by feeding them some live insects, which might be a good option too.
Because almost all types of hamster species eat insects. So why not feed them occasionally insects?
So, you can feed your hamster with crickets.
Crickets are relatively easily available and a full protein source. Which provides a strong muscle mass to your lovely pet.
If you search on the internet you will find that in the world, there are many places, where people eat crickets just because crickets are a good source of protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and fiber and may benefit gut health.
A 100-gram serving of crickets contains 60 grams of protein. Which is more than twice a chicken.
So, When you feed crickets to hamsters, be careful, not to feed them too much. Otherwise, excess feeding might be harmful to your pocket friend.
#3. Earthworms
Most people are familiar with earthworms. Earthworms are humble creatures on earth.
They are beneficial for our environment and the food cycle.
People also called earthworms are nature friends, because they increase soil fertility, improve soil structure, get deep root growth, and repair damaged soil.
With all these qualities, earthworms have a good source of protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and a range of vitamins, including niacin.
Niacin is a Vitamin B3, which is a water-soluble vitamin.
It helps to improve circulation and keep your nervous system, digestive system, and skin healthy.
If you want to provide your hamster with a good diet, earthworms may be a good idea.
Earthworms might be vital to your hamsters in breaking down food and repairing body tissue, with all of these they are beneficial for the digestive system too.
You can buy earthworms or if you have a backyard, just digging down on the soil, you will get easily.
#4. Grasshoppers
The Grasshopper is one of the most common insects in the food chain. It is essential to our ecosystem function.
The grasshopper speeds up the flow of energy and nutrients cycle from plants, with these facilitating plant decomposition and regrowth.
With all these ecosystem abilities, the grasshopper is full of protein, fat, and dietary fiber.
In US regions like Mexico and Central America, people eat the grasshopper into their snacks. Same as in Washington D.C. restaurants, the grasshopper taco is on the popular menu.
In Japan, a famous traditional dish called “inago”, is also made with grasshopper.
So, all around the world, people eat it.
If you are planning to give small insects to hamsters, you can feed grasshoppers to your hamsters, which improves your little buddy’s blood cholesterol levels and eases inflammation.
#5. Caterpillars
Before serving your hamster a caterpillar, identify whether it is poisonous or not.
Because some caterpillars are poisonous.
Most caterpillars are herbivorous, so the main dietary food of caterpillars is plant leaves.
Caterpillars are houses of protein and some minerals.
When you give a caterpillar to your hammie, be careful because their hair can be harmful to your skin.
#6. Silkworm Pupae
In China, people eat Silkworm Pupae. Silkworm Pupae is a premium source of animal protein, iron, and calcium.
Silkworm Pupae is an antioxidant, antibacterial, blood pressure reduction, weight loss, blood glucose regulation, and liver protection function.
Obviously, you can give your pocket friend, silkworm pupae as a meal.
#7. Waxworms
Waxworms are similar to caterpillars. They have black and brown color heads and black-tipped legs.
Some fishermen use these waxworms as bait to catch fish. Other than this it is famous for as complementary food for small pets.
Waxworms are small white-colored worms filled with fat. If you give excess waxworms to hamsters, they may become obese.
Give these waxworms in small quantities.
#8. Black Colored Ants
If you are going to give your hamster ants food, be careful or consult with Vet before feeding ants.
There are different types of ant species in the world, and all of them some ants are poisonous. So, it is necessary to take care.
Not every type of ant is good for hamsters. Even if you want to give them, you need to consult an expert, and then feed them.
Ants could be a good option for natural food for your hamster.
#9. Termites
People commonly know termites as “White Ants”. Many people use termites in traditional medical cures such as influenza, asthma, bronchitis, etc.
The role of termites in our ecosystem is to recycle waste materials such as wood, feces, and plants.
Termites are high in nutrition and protein levels.
Furthermore, if you want to add termites to hamster food, you need to calculate a proper diet plan for it.
#10. House Fly
Housefly is commonly found in every region of the world and could be a good food source for hamster.
Houseflies are packed with high protein and lipid content. You can buy houseflies from different pet stores or you can catch them yourself.
Before serving you just wash them.
A Complete List of Insects and Their Nutrition Content
In this list, we added all the above insects’ nutrition content percentages per gram. Before serving insects to your hamster, check how many insects you need to feed them.
| S.No. | Types of Insects | Protein Content Per 100g | Fat Content Per 100g | Carbohydrates Per 100g | Fiber Content Per 100g |
| 1 | Mealworms | 53.00% | 28.00% | 11.50% | 6.00% |
| 2 | Crickets | 60-70% | Up to 33.44% | 2.5-47.2% | 0.5-13.4% |
| 3 | earthworms | 60-70% | 6-11% | 5-21% | 1.90% |
| 4 | Grasshoppers | 40.00% | 43.00% | 2.5-3.2% | 11-14.5% |
| 5 | Caterpillars | 25-53% | 15.00% | 17.00% | 9.41% |
| 6 | Silkworm Pupae | 21.50% | 25%–30% | 6.70% | 6.00% |
| 7 | Waxworms | 14.10% | 24.90% | – | 3.40% |
| 8 | Ants | 39.79-44.64% | 42.07-49.77% | 30.86% | 1.46% |
| 9 | Termites | 38.00% | 44.82–47.31% | 0.72–8.73% | 2.20% |
| 10 | House Fly | 50-60% | 20.00% | – | 11-13% |
Sources:
- Some research from Wikipedia.
- Edible Crickets (Orthoptera) Around the World – National Institute of Health
FAQs
1. Do hamsters eat insects?
Yes, mostly hamsters eat insects such as crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, ants, etc.
2. Do insects are harmful to hamsters?
No, insects aren’t harmful for hamsters but excess feeding could be dangerous for them.
3. Can I feed Houseflies to our hamster?
Yes, you can feed houseflies to your hamsters, houseflies are a good source of protein and fiber.
4. Should you feed your pet hamster with insects?
Absolutely, you should feed your pet hamster with insects, because hamsters are commonly omnivorous rodents, and they like to eat small insects. But don’t feed insects nor a regular basis or in excess quantity.
5. Can hamsters eat other small animals?
I think the answer to this question is, NO for household pets. Obviously, hamsters are omnivorous but they eat small insects only if you provide them in their diet.
6. Do hamsters eat each other?
Sometimes hamsters eat each other if another hamster tries to occupy another hamster’s place, they both fight and the final result is one death.
7. Do hamsters eat lizards?
In the wild, if hamsters do not find their food after many tries, in the end, they could hunt small animals like frogs or lizards.
8. Do hamsters Need Insects?
Basically, Pet hamsters don’t need insects in their diet. Commercial food is also full of nutritional values, which is sufficient for them.
9. Should You Feed Your Hamster With Insects Daily?
No, you shouldn’t feed your hamster with an insect daily diet because insects are a high-level source of protein and fats, if you feed your hamster insects daily, the hamster feels stomach diseases.
Final Thoughts
I hope you understand very well do hamsters eat insects or not.
There are many misconceptions in the market, some people are told hamsters don’t eat small insects and some are told they can eat.
In this article, we tell you in deep research, that hamsters can eat insects, but you need to feed them in moderation.
Because if you start feeding small insects to your hamster daily, your hamster could suffer from stomach infections or diseases.
