Can Hamsters Drink Milk?

If you are a hamster lover, I am sure you want to give the best diet to the hamsters. When you feed hamsters a good diet, it allows the hamsters to live longer and healthier too. Once they live longer, we can spend a little more time with the hamsters. Hamsters have a poor digestive system, and you should feed hamsters with appropriate meals due to that.

So, one might wonder whether it is safe for you to provide milk for the hamsters. So, in this article, we will be discussing whether you can feed milk or not. Further, we will be covering the risks of feeding milk and what type of milk you should feed hamsters. So, let’s get into the article right away.

Can hamsters drink milk?

To answer the question of whether hamsters can drink milk, yes, hamsters can drink milk. Usually, cow’s milk is not toxic for the hamsters, and hamsters can handle some portions of milk. Feeding the hamsters milk occasionally will not do any harm or result in any long term related health diseases. However, milk is not completely healthy for the hamsters either. Generally, cow’s milk doesn’t contain sufficient calories.  Furthermore, keep in mind that it would be difficult for the hamsters to process large amounts of dairy products, too. As such, you should not use milk as a regular beverage. Instead, try to use it as a rare treat for the hamsters.

Nutrient Value of milk

When it comes to the nutrient value of milk, one cup of cow’s milk would contain 2.4 grams of total fat, 12.2 milligrams of cholesterol, 107.4 milligrams of sodium, 366 milligrams of potassium, etc. In addition to that, it may also come up with 12 grams of carbohydrate, 13 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein. Not only that, one cup of cow’s milk would further contain 2 percent vitamin A, 30 percent calcium, and 5 percent vitamin b-6. Lastly, it would comprise 18 percent cobalamin and 6 percent magnesium as well.

Health benefits of nutrients which are found in milk

In terms of the health benefits of the nutrients for the hamsters, some people believe that cow’s milk has high levels of calcium contained in it. Those calcium levels would be crucial for maintaining the bone health of the hamsters. Consequently, it would make the hamster’s bones strong. Furthermore, milk would be useful to maintain the dental health of the hamsters too. Cows’ calcium sources are natural, and they would provide calcium naturally for the hamsters.

Health risks (disadvantages) of milk

When hamsters grow older, they become lactose intolerant. This literally means they would find it difficult to absorb dairy products as they grow older. So, if you happen to feed milk regularly, chances are that it will result in digestive problems for the hamsters. In addition to that, milk contains high levels of fat and calories. As such, you should only use this as an occasional treat. Hamsters are small creatures, unlike humans. Therefore, you should only feed them milk in small portions. Small portions of milk would provide few calories.

If you oversupply milk, it will provide extra calories for them and turn out to be quite harmful for the hamsters. for example, they would tend to suffer from being overweight and from obesity.  Additionally, you should always keep in mind to feed them only plain milk and not any flavored milk types. You should never feed them chocolate milk, as it would be harmful for the hamsters.

How much milk should a hamster drink?

The amount of milk you should feed hamsters will vary depending on their age. Having said that, generally, hamsters would only want a small portion of milk, and you need to avoid feeding milk in excess.

Cow and goat milk are both edible to hamsters in small quantities, but they are high in calories and saturated fat. Only mother’s milk should be given to young hamsters because it is full of all the nutrients they require.

What milk is good for hamsters?

You should ideally go ahead with skim milk for the hamsters. In fact, they would suit the hamsters the best. Having said that, hamsters may prefer to have whole milk, though it is not the best option for them. In fact, whole milk may contain so much fat that it would be harmful for the hamsters.

On another note, don’t ever think of giving chocolate milk to hamsters, as it may contain too much sugar content. In addition to that, chocolate is poisonous for hamsters. In addition to that, keep in mind that it would be best to avoid other flavored milk types such as strawberry as well. The sugar contents and the artificial coloring contained in those milk types would not be healthy for the hamster’s health.

Dehydration Due To Milk

If you feed milk to hamsters regularly, it would result in more damage for the hamsters. The best type of milk that would suit the hamsters is their mother’s milk. However, if you feed milk continuously to hamsters, it would make the hamsters dehydrated. Dehydration would turn out to be fatal for the hamsters.

So, if you oversupplied milk for the hamsters and if they seem to be lethargic or release foul-smelling urine, chances are that they are suffering from dehydration. In addition to that, if the hamsters have developed swollen tongues, it is very likely that they are suffering from dehydration. If you suspect your hamsters are suffering from dehydration, I suggest the best thing you could do is take them to a vet.

Can hamster drink warm milk?

You could let hamsters drink warm milk without an issue. In fact, if the hamsters are suffering from coughing, you could consider feeding milk with some warm water and honey. That would help them to ease the discomfort they get from coughing. In fact, it would be more like a temporary remedy until you go see the vet doctor.

Can a hamster drink cold milk?

Don’t let hamsters drink cold milk. If you happen to feed cold milk, chances are that it will cause the hamsters’ temperature to drop. Ultimately, it would result in life-threatening conditions as well.

Can hamsters drink powdered milk?

Hamsters can drink powdered milk without any issue. In fact, they will have the same nutritional factors as fresh milk does. In fact, there are both benefits and risks involved. Powdered milk has protein contained in it. In addition to that, it also comes up with oxidized cholesterol as well. This could be a problematic element for hamsters, and chances are that it would result in numerous health-related issues as well. However, what is special about using powdered milk is that you can store these quite easily.

Can a hamster drink fresh milk?

No, I don’t encourage you to provide fresh milk for the hamsters. If you do so, it will probably make the hamsters suffer from diarrhea. In addition to that, it may also result in dehydration.

Can a baby hamster drink milk?

If someone is confused about whether it is okay to provide any kind of milk, keep in mind that you can only provide mother hamsters’ milk for them. The milk that is provided by the mother hamsters has so many nutrients. However, if the mother hamster is not available, you can use milk such as Lactol, which would be a great alternative to the mother’s milk.

Don’t give cow’s milk or goat’s milk, as they won’t suit the requirements of the baby hamsters. In fact, they would not contain the necessary nutrients for the baby hamsters. In other words, these milk types would be in contrast with the hamster’s mother’s milk. If you mistakenly give them it, chances are that they will end up losing their lives as well.

Can hamsters have milkshakes?

I don’t suggest you give milkshakes to the hamsters, as they may contain so much sugar and other flavors that would cause trouble for the hamsters.

Can hamsters drink almond milk?

Hamsters can drink almond milk, but only in small quantities. Don’t provide them with too much almond milk since it contains so much fat. If you let hamsters drink too much almond milk, it would make them obese. Almond milk contains vitamin E. Vitamin E is more like a fat-soluble antioxidant that protects you from oxidative damage. In addition to that, it further contains fortified calcium, vitamin D calcium, etc. Almond milk has low fat and calorie contents.

As such, it would not result in any side effects for the hamsters. It is noteworthy that almond milk is free from lactose and dairy as well. So, if your hamsters have difficulties processing dairy and milk, it would be best to provide these for the hamsters. Apart from that, I suggest the best type of almond milk would be organic almond milk.

Can hamsters drink oat milk?

It is completely fine for the hamsters to drink oat milk. Oat milk is also dairy-free and contains low fat contents. Not only that, but it also contains multiple nutrients that are beneficial for the hamsters too. On another note, oat milk contains high fiber levels too. To sum up, almond milk would be useful for a healthy gut as well as for an effective mechanism in the digestive system.

That said, overfeeding oat milk would result in constipation and diarrhea. As aforesaid, too much liquid would turn out to be unhealthy for the hamsters. So, limit feeding the oat milk to only one teaspoon, and the best would be to feed it twice a week.

Can hamsters drink soy milk?

It is absolutely fine to provide fermented soy milk with kefir, and it is absolutely fine with them. Soy milk is a plant-based milk type. You could produce it by soaking and grinding soybeans. In addition to that, it has low calories and low fat levels when compared with the standard animal-based milk types.

Furthermore, it doesn’t contain the same levels of protein as ordinary milk types do. According to some research, male hamsters can reduce the cholesterol accumulation in the liver. So, over all, soy milk is a healthy option for the hamsters as long as you feed it in moderate amounts.

Can hamsters drink cow milk?

Hamsters can drink cow milk, which is one of their most popular milk types. That being said, overconsumption of cow’s milk would not be healthy for the hamsters. Clearly, cow’s milk contains so many beneficial nutrients, such as protein, vitamins, minerals, etc. However, there is a great potential for them to get sick due to this as well.

Usually, hamsters in adulthood don’t require milk in their diet as they can gain nutrients from other diets. To sum up, I recommend you provide small quantities of cow milk for the hamsters, as they would not pose any harmful effect on the hamsters. On another note, ensure that you provide milk less often for the hamsters too.

Can hamsters drink coconut milk?

Generally speaking, hamsters can handle a tiny quantity of coconut milk. Having said that, I suggest you avoid using them on the hamsters. Coconut milk is crucial to strengthening the hamsters’ immunity. Not only that, but it would further help them battle heart-related issues as well. It is noteworthy that coconut milk may sometimes result in diarrhea. So, always feed it at moderate levels.

Can a hamster drink goat milk?

It is perfectly fine to give goat milk to the hamsters. In fact, it contains small fat molecules and less lactose. Therefore, it would be quite easy for the hamsters to digest goat milk. In addition to that, it also contains more nutrients than cow’s milk. However, you should provide it as part of their healthy diet and not as a regular food item.

Can hamsters drink semi skimmed milk?

Hamsters can drink skim milk, which is the healthier option among all the milk types. But you should not give them a lot of skim milk.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can hamsters drink cat milk?

Hamsters can drink cat formula. But I couldn’t find any detail that says hamsters can drink cats’ milk.

Conclusion

To wrap up, hamsters can drink milk, but only in small quantities and less often. That said, it would always be best to avoid giving milk to hamsters as much as you can. As you may understand, there are several health-related issues that milk would pose for the hamsters, so if you have baby hamsters, always let them have their mother’s milk and not other types of milk.