Can Hamsters Eat Meat?

Hamsters can consume meat, but only in moderation. In fact, hamsters are omnivores, which literally means both vegetation and meat. When the hamsters are in their natural habitat, their diet will consist of insects such as crickets, grubs, and other worms. So, in this article we have looked at the uses the hamsters may have for consuming meat, the risks it may pose, and the types of meat you can provide and the types of meat you need to avoid feeding the hamsters. So, keep reading this article to gain more information with regards to this subject.

A wild hamster’s diet

Hamsters usually get their protein from hunting down chickens they come across in the wild. If not, they would fulfill their protein requirement by going fishing. In addition to that, they would hunt crickets and grasshoppers occasionally as well. Not only that, but they would also pounce on mealworms as well. However, they would happen to eat mealworms less often as these protein sources would tend to hide from their predators. In addition to that, they would gain nutrients from grains, seeds, and veggies as well.

So, can hamsters eat meat?

To answer the question briefly, hamsters can eat meat, but not in excessive amounts. Hamsters are not carnivores like cats or dogs. One might be surprised to hear hamsters can eat meat, as they don’t look like they would. Having said that, hamsters can also survive their entire lives without having any meat items.

However, if you offer some meat , they will never say no to that. That said, hamsters cannot have any kind of meat. Furthermore, there are ways of processing them and then feeding them too. Usually, hamsters can eat light meat only. Hamsters are not the type of animal that would eat snake meat or alligator meat.

Health benefits to your hamster eating meat

There are so many health benefits to feeding meat to hamsters. Firstly, it would act as a great source of protein for the hamsters. As you may already know, animal meat consists of a great amount of protein and it is something that would help the hamster’s muscles grow to its mature size. In addition to that, it would be crucial to strengthen the immune system of the hamsters as well. Feeding hamsters with healthy meat would be beneficial for the overall growth of the hamsters.

Risks of your hamster eating meat

If you happen to feed meat incorrectly to hamsters, it will not do any good for the hamsters. In fact, if you feed heavy meat to hamsters, they will have difficulty digesting the food. Hamsters can digest meat such as chicken or fish, but not other red meat or hard meat. Apart from that, I don’t recommend feeding raw meat to your hamsters either.

Should I feed my hamster meat?

You can consider feeding meat to hamsters as an occasional treat. However, if you are uncertain whether you can feed meat to hamsters, the best thing you could do is to go to a vet doctor and then get their advice on feeding meat to the hamsters.

Meat is a nutritious food for hamsters and a good source of protein. You could give your hamster live or dried crickets or mealworms because hamsters in the wild eat insects. Hamsters can also eat some cooked meats if handling insects makes you queasy. Hamsters can safely be fed cooked beef and chicken.

Can hamsters eat cooked meat?

It is absolutely fine to feed cooked meat to the hamsters. However, make sure that you provide those in small quantities only. Once you provide the meat in small quantities, it would help the hamsters gain sufficient protein levels.

Can hamsters eat meatballs?

Hamsters cannot eat meatballs or even cold cuts if you happen to cook them using additives .

What kind of meat can my hamster eat?

As aforesaid, hamsters can eat only light meat. In fact, you cannot feed the hamsters every type of meat. So, ideally, you need to go ahead with light meat items such as chicken, fish, and shrimp. In fact, I suggest you provide chicken as the best meat item for the hamsters. When you provide chicken, you need to ensure that you provide it only after cooking it thoroughly. If you happened to provide uncooked chicken, it would make the hamsters sick. For example, it would result in diseases such as Salmonella among the hamsters.

On another note, when you feed chicken to hamsters, make sure that you cook them without adding any addictive too. To further elaborate on this, you should refrain from adding salt, pepper, or any other spices to the hamsters’ chicken meals. Furthermore, it would be best if you could use only a small amount of oil when cooking these for the hamsters. For example, you could consider either boiling the chicken or baking it.

In addition to chicken, hamsters are big fans of eating shrimp as well. It has a distinct smell, which would be very attractive to the hamsters. However, you should also cook shrimp in the same way that you do with chicken. If you come across any canned dog meat items, you could make use of them as well. Hamsters can have chicken, fish, or shrimp as these are light meat. Irrespective of what meat item you use, you always need to ensure that you are providing only unsalted, unseasoned meat for hamsters. Don’t give them fried meat as well.

When you provide fish for hamsters , always go for light fish that you have only baked. That said, if you want to have fish, you might consider adding some garlic or lemon to it, which you cannot do for hamster meals. Besides, it is noteworthy that you need to remove whatever small bones are available in the fish as well. Unless it would result in the choking of the hamsters. So, always go ahead with hamster-safe food so that they will enjoy having it and it will help them to gain the health benefits as well. That said, you always need to be mindful of the meat portions you should feed the hamsters as well.

What kind of meat can’t my hamster eat?

Hamsters are unable to consume red meat, venison, or any other large bird meat. This literally means that you should not feed your hamsters beef, pork, turkey, goose, deer, or duck meat. In fact, hamsters cannot process these meat items as their digestive systems are not that efficient when we compare them with the digestive systems of humans. Furthermore, I don’t recommend feeding sea food items such as surimi, crab meat, octopus, and calamari rings as well.

How to feed meat to hamsters

You should always feed hamsters with cooked meat items only. In addition to that when you cook them , ensure that you don’t add any seasonings as well. Needless to mention that you need to avoid feeding them with raw meat too. Furthermore, always feed meat items in moderate levels and not in excess.

Can hamsters eat sausages?

There are certain sausages which you could provide for hamsters but not all types of sausages. In fact you may come across many sausage varieties and not all sausage types would suit for the hamster’s consumption. If it is homemade sausages you could consider feeding those for hamsters as you know what they contain. So, if you haven’t put any salt or any other additives I suggest you feed them with a little piece of sausages. Having said that, it is best to avoid using store bought sausages as it is very likely that they contain a lot of salt.

Can hamsters eat ham?

One might think that it is okay to feed ham for the hamsters as their name start with ham. However it is a myth and it is best to avoid feeding the hamsters with ham. Ham is a processed meat item and they may contain high contents of salt, nitrates and so many other additives which would be unhealthy on the hamsters. So, to put simply hamsters cannot eat ham.

Want to learn if hamsters can eat ham? Read on to find out more.

Can hamsters eat pepperoni or salami?

Hamsters cannot consume pepperoni or salami as these are highly processed meat items. It is very likely that they will contain so many additives such as salt, fat etc.

Can hamsters eat beef jerky?

If someone is wondering whether it is okay to let hamsters eat beef jerky, I don’t think it is a good idea. The reason for that is that it is very salty and it doesn’t contain the nutrients that ground beef does. Therefore, it is safe to avoid feeding beef jerky to hamsters.

Can hamsters eat steak?

If you enjoy eating steak and want to feed it to your hamsters, you are welcome to do so. In fact, hamsters can handle a small piece of steak occasionally. However, those steaks need to be thoroughly cooked. Unless it would result in unnecessary trouble for the hamsters. Furthermore, don’t add any sauce, salt, or any other additives to them. Steak is another meal that has a high fat content. So, serve them in small portions.

Can hamsters eat lamb?

Hamsters can eat lamb as long as it is thoroughly cooked. To repeat, you need to avoid adding seasoning or salt sauce to them.

Can hamsters eat pork?

Generally speaking, it is best to avoid letting hamsters eat pork. Pork has a high content of fat and it would not be healthy for the hamsters. However, you can provide a small portion of well-cooked pork and that would not be harmful to the hamsters.

Can hamsters eat bacon?

No hamsters cannot eat bacon. In fact bacon is something which contain so much fat and once you feed hamsters with bacon it would make them obese. Obesity is a condition which would make the hamsters suffer from so many other issues. Furthermore bacon contains high salt and when the hamsters eat them it would make them dehydrated. So, overall you need to avoid letting hamsters eat bacon.

Read more Can Hamsters Eat Bacon?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can dwarf hamsters eat meat?

Dwarf hamsters can eat meat, but in small quantities when compared with the rest of the hamsters.

Conclusion

So, trust me, now you have a much clearer idea of what kind of meat you should provide for hamsters and what kind of meat item you need to avoid feeding them. I am certain that your hamsters would love to feast on chicken and on eggs as well. So, try this out with your beloved hamsters and get them to enjoy a variety of foods.