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21 Nov 2016

Foods That Are Toxic To Hamsters

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Nutrition | Hamsters | Hamster Food

Hamsters have a lifespan of two to three years but some have been known to live up to four years or longer due to exceptional hamster care and a bit of luck. They are actually pretty good at hiding their illnesses until it's nearly too late, which is why it is important to keep a close eye on any changes in your pet's regular diet or routine. If you notice any signs of illness in your hamster, you need to see a veterinarian as quickly as you can. Most of the ailments associated with hamsters in captivity today can be attributed to the ignorance of modern day man, and our modern way of living. Almost 90% of the ailments of hamsters in captivity are directly or indirectly linked to the diet and the hamster's eating habits. Hamsters will eat or have a go at almost any food that is offered to them. They cannot decide for themselves what is bad or what is good for them, and care must be exercised when it comes to feeding your pet. Their diet is a major contributing factor in their dispositions and a correct diet is crucial for a hamster's health and well being.

The Syrian hamster’s natural habitat is in the dry hot desert borders of Syria. Syria borders Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan and Israel to the south. The terrain is mostly desert and home to many drought resistant plants. There is little wildlife and very little vegetation. The bulk of their diet is dry grasses seed and plant material. The country is mountainous in the south east and south west but otherwise largely flat. Syria is considered one of the most limited water resource countries.

Hamsters in the wild eat a diet of high fibre, low fat foods so we should try to replicate that in captivity. Nearly all rodents feed on plant material seeds in particular. A pet hamster's diet consists mainly of grains and seeds, although a small amount of vegetable fibre can be added occasionally. Hamsters in captivity today are still descendents of their wild counterparts, and their instincts remain exactly the same, as do their nutritional requirements. Although their exact nutritional requirements are still not quite fully understood, we must try and emulate that of their ancestors from what we already know by maintaining a well-balanced diet.

When feeding hamsters keeping their food as natural as possible will increase your pet hamster’s chance of leading a long healthy and trouble free life. Feeding hamsters food that has been processed for human consumption is an absolute no-no! Also bear in mind that processed food contains additives, and processing also reduces the nutritional value of the food. Preservatives are added or created during the processing that can have adverse health effects on your hamster. Food processing is used mainly to produce attractive and marketable food products in which to give it a longer shelf life on supermarket shelves; this is done by adding salts, sugars, colouring, and preserving agents in higher than safe or recommends quantities. When feeding hamsters food that is meant for human consumption please bear these points in mind as processed food have additives that are not suitable for ingestion by animals. These additives can carry high health risks. Theses additives may cause some allergic reactions to your hamsters or reduce their immune system.

Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are called the “Macro nutrients” all of these nutrients are necessary for life. Carbohydrates are needed to fuel the body and protein to keep the muscles and glands healthy. Fats are for hormone production and a healthy nervous system. Nuts, seeds and low starch vegetables are usually the best sources of healthy fats since low starch vegetables are primarily alkaline thus supporting the liver, the main primary organ for cleaning the blood.

An adult hamster can eat around 10 - 12g per day. Most of the nutrients and vitamins that are needed for his well being are to be found in a good balanced diet, with a selected and varied addition of "fresh" human food to help keep your pet interested.

There are many types of hamster food mixes available at pet stores but majority of them contain unhealthy ingredients. We recommend a good quality food such Burgess Hamster Harvest. Hamsters are omnivores, so as well as cereals, vegetables and nuts they need meat too – in the wild, they eat grubs, insects and tasty mealworms. That’s why Burgess Hamster Harvest is a complete food, which combines the finest quality natural ingredients of tasty whole dried mealworms, wholesome grains, plump pumpkin seeds, yummy peanuts and scrumptious banana flakes, with the optimum balance of nutrients. A good quality commercial hamster food such as Burgess Hamster Harvest is carefully formulated by small animal nutritionists to provide a perfect daily balance of fibre and nutrition and is a good base for your hamster’s diet.

Once you are feeding your hamster a good quality commercial hamster food such as Burgess Hamster Harvest as a base diet, you can then supplement it with a limited and selected addition of human food that hamsters are able to eat, such as cheese, cereals, selected fresh vegetables, boiled egg, wheat biscuits, corn-on-the-cob, unsweetened yogurt, nuts, wholemeal biscuits, unsweetened breakfast cereal, (cornflakes etc).

Never Make Your Own Hamster Food Mix

Commercial Hamster food is tested at laboratory to confirm the nutritional analysis of packaged ingredients to ensure it is balanced diet. Many pet owners think it’s a good idea to mix different brands of commercial hamster food or even source their own ingredients for their own homemade hamster food. Sunflower seeds for example can differ greatly in nutritional content from different suppliers.

Making your own hamster mix is not recommended as it is unlikely that you will provide the complete and balanced diet with all the vitamins and nutrients that your hamster needs in the correct proportions. When it comes to feeding your hamster keeping his diet as natural as possible will increase his chance of leading a long and healthy life.

Foods That Are Toxic To Hamsters

Natural foods are foods that have been minimally processed and do not include ingredients such as added salt, refined sugars, refined flours, milled grains, hydrogenated oils, sweeteners, food colours, and flavourings. Nearly all natural foods, cooked or raw have chemicals and nutrients that are essential for growth and health including carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and vitamins. Some natural foods do contain natural and potentially harmful toxins, these are produced by the plant to ward off pests. Most of the foods listed below are commonly eaten foods that may contain natural toxins and rarely cause any problems for humans. But for animals those same toxins can, and may have adverse health issues. Most of the foods in the list below are foods that may contain natural toxins and therefore should avoid being fed to hamsters.

Some toxins may not take an immediate effect, as some may take several weeks or months to accumulate in the body before manifesting themselves. Some of these foods do contain toxins that animals are unable to metabolize or filter out naturally, and can have serious adverse health issues and side effects in the long or short term.

Onions
Onions and garlic contain the ingredient Thiosulphate. Thiosulphate is harmless to humans but is highly toxic to hamsters and other animals. Hamsters will not eat onions by themselves in the raw stage, and no other foods which mask or contain onions should be fed. Things like cheese and onion, or food like pizza that contain onions, dried onions etc: even if cooked or raw feeding onions will cause severe Haemolytic Anaemia; anaemia is the abnormal breakdown of red blood cells. Symptoms of onion poisoning are gastroenteritis resulting in serious bouts of diarrhea. The animal may show no interest in food and may be weak and become breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number, this can eventually lead to heart failure.

Almonds & Other Tree Nuts
Sometimes tree nuts such as almonds, brazil nuts, hazel nuts and walnuts can go rancid and contain deadly toxins. When we bite into a almond that has a bitter taste it means it has gone rancid and contains small amounts of deadly toxin, cyanide. In humans, the amounts are too small to do us any harm, but a hamster that bites into any rancid almond or brazil nut, etc may not be so lucky.

Avocado Pear
The fruit or any other part of the Avocado Pear should never be fed to hamsters, or any other animals. The leaves, branches and fruit of the Avocado pear are toxic to most animals. The Avocado pear contains a cardiac toxin called Persin: Persin is a natural fungicide produced by the plant in which to protect its self from attack by insects and fungus. This toxin has only recently just been discovered, but is generally considered harmless to humans. But there is documented evidence that avocado is toxic to some animals. Many animal organizations now recommend avoidance of all parts of the plant. The symptoms of toxicity include gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress, congestion, fluid accumulation around the tissues of the heart and even death. Birds seem to be particularly sensitive to this toxic compound.

Lettuce
Lettuce has no nutritional value for hamsters and contains about 90% water. A hamster’s digestive system cannot cope with large amounts of water and may cause diarrhea, or loose stools, depending how much is eaten. Sodium nitrate occurs naturally in foods such as carrots etc: But green leafy vegetables like spinach and lettuce contain much higher levels of nitrate than most other foods. Some plants, depending on where and how they are grown, such as lettuce and spinach are very high in nitrates relative to the nutritional contribution they make, and it may be reasonable to use other types of vegetables in their place wherever possible. Sodium Nitrate is converted into Sodium Nitrite by the digestive process once it has been eaten. Studies of nitrate in food have demonstrated that there can be both beneficial and potentially detrimental health effects. The consumption of green leafy vegetables may lead to an increased nitrate intake. Prolonged use of vegetables containing higher levels of nitrate may cause liver damage. Nitrite binds to haemoglobin and can result in less oxygen being carried around in the blood. No carcinogenicity evidence is attached to sodium nitrate intake but studies have reported other effects such as frequent urination, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, blood in stools and urine.

Parsley
Parsley is toxic; as it is high in oxalic acid. Oxalic acid combines with metals such as calcium, iron, sodium, magnesium, and potassium in the body to form oxalate crystals which precipitate and irritate the gut and kidneys.

Chocolate
Can I feed my hamster Chocolate? The answer is No! Feeding chocolate to hamsters is dangerous to them. Chocolate for humans can have some health benefits, but on the negative side it is rich in calories with high saturated fat content. Chocolate to all animals including hamsters if fed in sufficient quantities is deadly. You must never feed chocolate to any hamster, or any other of your pets. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromin which is safe for humans to consume. Animals are unable to metabolize this chemical effectively and it remains in their bloodstream for 24 hours or more. Animals can succumb to theobromine poisoning from as little as a few grams of chocolate and even in small doses can kill a hamster. The symptoms of theobromine toxicity can manifest itself as hyperactivity, epileptic seizures, and heart attacks resulting in the death of the animal. Dark coloured chocolate has about 50% more theobromine than milk chocolate does, and therefore more dangerous for your pet, the darker the chocolate the more toxic it becomes. Other foods that contain chocolate should not be fed to animals, this includes chocolate cake and chocolate biscuits, as these can pose a threat to your pet.

Kidney Beans
Kidney beans contain Phytohaemagglutinin: this is a lectin found in plants. Lectin's are proteins capable of damaging the intestinal mucosa, and is found in the highest concentrations in uncooked red kidney beans. Before they are eaten, the raw bean must be boiled for at least ten minutes to degrade the toxic compound. The lectin Phytohaemagglutinin - found in the bean would otherwise cause severe gastric upset in humans and animals. This compound is present in many varieties of beans but is especially concentrated in the red kidney bean. Only cooking will reduce or destroy most of the poison in the bean. It is not recommended to feed them to hamsters cooked, or uncooked.

Potatoes
It is a less commonly known fact that potatoes produce a natural compound called glycoalkaloids, and this is a toxic compound poisonous to hamsters. These have shown to be toxic to both humans and animals. All parts of the plant contain Solanine, but the leaves and stems contain naturally higher levels of glycoalkaloids than the tubers do. However, when the tubers (potatoes) are exposed to light they begin to turn green and this increases the Glycoalkaloid production. Raw potatoes should never be fed to a hamster. Only cooking at high temperatures will destroy most of these toxins and render them harmless. Once the potatoes have been cooked they can safely be fed to hamsters. Symptoms: of solanine toxicity are, Hypothermia, paralysis, shock, slowed breathing rate, dilated pupils, stomach or abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Rhubarb
Rhubarb contains Oxalic acid and oxalates, theses are mild poisonous effects that some plants can have, the stem and leaves should never be fed to hamsters. Oxalic acid is a strong acid that can irritate the lining of the gut when digested, and may prove fatal if fed to a hamster. The leaves of the Rhubarb plant contain very high concentrations of Oxalic acid, and acid salts.

Celery
Although celery is not generally considered toxic it is very high in Sodium. Sodium is a mineral found in most of the foods we eat. Sodium is an electrolyte whose main function is to control the water balance in the body's tissues. Too much sodium tends to increase the retention of water. Although low in saturated fat and cholesterol it should not be fed to hamsters. A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars. In the case of Sodium the risk lies in excessive intake.

Cabbage
Feeding cabbage to hamsters should be avoided, although cabbage does possess valuable properties for humans by having sulphur, chlorine, and iodine content. The combination of the sulphur and chlorine causes a cleaning of the mucus membranes in the stomach and the intestinal tract and acts as a laxative. Cabbage also acts as a diuretic; a diuretic is a substance that tends to increase the secretion and flow of urine. Broccoli can also have a similar effect. Nitrate occurs naturally in vegetables such as carrotS. But green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, lettuce etc, contain much higher levels of nitrate than most other foods. Some plants, depending on where and how they are grown, such as lettuce and spinach are very high in nitrates relative to the nutritional contribution they make, and it may be reasonable to use other types of vegetables in their place wherever possible. The consumption of green leafy vegetables may lead to an increased nitrate intake. Prolonged use of vegetables containing higher levels of nitrate may cause liver damage, though some may tolerate higher levels than others. Nitrite binds to hemoglobin and can result in less oxygen being carried around in the blood. No carcinogenic evidence is attached to sodium nitrate intake but studies have reported other effects such as frequent urination, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, blood in stools and urine. Nitrates cannot be removed because they occur naturally!

Grapes and Raisins
Grapes and raisins are one and the same fruit; raisins are just simply dried grapes. Raisins are rich in nutrition and extremely high in calories and are a good source of iron and potassium. They also contain a large amount of vitamin A and some vitamin B. Sulphur dioxide is a colourless and toxic gas used as a preservative and in the drying process of most dried fruits. It is also used as a preservative in alcoholic drinks. Sulphur dioxide is used in the drying process of apricots, sultanas, raisins and many other fruits. Although the drying process destroys most of the Vitamin C. This preservative is used to maintain the appearance of the fruit rather than to prevent it from decaying. Raisins also have very high natural sugar content, the natural sugar being fructose, which is 60% by weight . Grapes and raisins are generally not considered to be harmful to hamsters. But here are a few points to consider before feeding this fruit to any of your pets as no one knows for sure yet if they are affected by them. Grape and raisin toxicity in dogs is already well documented, and is still as yet relatively new ground. The consumption of grapes and raisins are known to present a potential health threat to dogs. The toxicity of this fruit in dogs can cause the animal to develop acute renal failure, and as little as 7 grapes or raisins can damage the animal’s kidneys. No one knows for sure why this fruit is toxic to dogs, and if only certain breeds of dogs may be affected by them. It is still not known if this fruit poses a potential health hazard only to dogs or if other animals may be affected by them. Grapes in their fresh or dry form are known to cause the animal to develop acute renal failure (Kidney failure) Most animal centers now advise that grapes and raisins should not be fed to any animal until the toxic substance has been identified. Mycotoxins are thought to be involved. Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi that contaminate plants; mycotoxins are not destroyed by cooking, freezing or drying.

Never Feed Your Hamster Human Food

Many pet owners feed their hamsters way too much food and treats, hence why so many hamsters are overweight. We also need to be careful of hamster treats sold in pet stores, especially those products that have no nutritional analysis and no ingredient composition displayed on label. If you have no idea what the product is made of and what preservatives are being used, then do not take the risk and feed it to your hamster. Preservatives and additives aren’t necessarily mentioned in labels, so in order to find out what ingredients are used in pet foods, it is best to contact the manufacturer.

It's important to remember that food products designed for humans are not meant for hamsters because their digestive system is more sensitive, so we can’t be sure if they are safe. At worst, they could be too much for a hamster’s system and lead to an illness or poisoning, and you won’t necessarily notice the symptoms right after giving the toxic food. At best, a hamster will only get an allergic reaction or not react at all.

By “human foods”, we mean processed food products full of additives, colourants and preservatives, which might have unknown effects in the long term. Even though many people agree that salty, sugared or spiced foods are bad for hamsters, sugar-free (replaced with other sweetener), low salt and low fat factory-made products also aren’t suitable. Even if the hamster survives after eating that kind of food, it might reduce his life expectancy, cause irritating or even serious symptoms, such as diarrhea, bad hair condition, baldness, hyperactivity and heart conditions.

It would be best to stick to feeding your hamster small amounts of a quality commercial hamster food mix such as Burgess Hamster Harvest and supplement their diet with only tiny pieces of safe veggies and natural, unprocessed foods as occasional treats.