Soaking almonds overnight and then munching on them in the morning is certainly healthy for us. But, can hamsters eat almonds safely? Can you pass one of these to your pet hamster while you take a break from your workday?
Thankfully, the answer to the question above (the very topic of this article) is, yes, your pet hamster can eat almonds. In this article, we have discussed the answers to a whole motley of questions that might strike your mind when thinking about feeding almonds to your pet hamsters. Keep reading to understand how you can include this nutritious seed in your pet hamster’s diet for its benefit!
What are almonds?
Almonds are a nutrient-dense, low-carbohydrate food that may be cooked with or consumed raw. You can get salted, unsalted, raw, or roasted almonds. They can be processed into almond meals, converted into almond butter, or made into almond milk.
Almonds, both raw and roasted, are salt-free, which is beneficial for persons who have a history of hypertension or who want to reduce their sodium consumption for other reasons. They have also been proven to be healthy for pet hamsters.
Almonds are essentially are calorie-dense seeds that are comprised of healthy calories.
With that said, it is vital to remember that excessive calorie consumption can lead to weight gain, which is a massive risk factor for a number of ailments, including type 2 diabetes in humans and cardiovascular disease.
As a result, when feeding almonds to your pet hamster, you should limit its almond intake.
Can Hamsters Eat Almonds?
Yes, hamsters can eat almonds. However, you cannot blindly feed all types of almonds to your pet hammies. Ideally, you should only offer almonds to your pet hamsters if they are entirely unflavored and organically grown.
Offering salted almonds or almonds with any other form of flavoring can prove to be harmful to your pet hamster. Moreover, you should only offer almonds as an occasional snack and not as a part of its regular and daily meals!
The number of almonds that you can offer to your pet hamster will also vary based on what kind of a hamster it is. For example, you could probably feed a few more almonds to a Robo hamster than you could to a dwarf hamster.
Almonds Nutritional Facts
Here are some facts about the nutrition that your pet hamster can source from almonds –
Carbohydrates
While almonds do offer a significant amount of carbohydrates in a single serving, your hamster will benefit from the fact that almonds have a fairly low glycemic index. This means that by eating a few almonds, your pet hamster’s blood sugar won’t shoot up instantly.
Protein
Almonds are almost a complete source of protein. Not only do they ensure that your pet hamster’s regular protein requirements are met, but they also ensure that your hammie consumes non-essential and essential amino acids on eating it!
Although almonds aren’t a food that you can include in your pet hamster’s diet on a regular basis, it still makes for a healthy snack from time to time!
Healthy fats
Almonds are rich in monounsaturated fat. While they can still cause your hamster to become obese if eaten in excessive amounts, they are known to protect the heart against chronic diseases.
Essential vitamins and minerals
Almonds are extremely rich in micronutrients such as vitamin E and D and dietary iron! Vitamin E has anti-oxidant qualities and helps your pet hamster’s immune system work efficiently.
Calcium or vitamin D is necessary for the proper construction and strengthening of teeth and bones, and iron aids in the creation of hormones and the delivery of oxygen to muscles.
Health Benefits Of Almonds For Hamsters
Almonds are undoubtedly one of the healthiest snacks that you can offer to your pet hamster. Here we have discussed some of the most common health benefits that your hamster will enjoy if you include moderate amounts of almonds in its diet!
Improves your pet hamsters digestion
Almonds are high in dietary fiber, which is one of the many nutrients they contain. Almonds include 12.5 grams of dietary fiber. Consuming enough dietary fiber is critical for your pet hamster’s digestive health.
Not only does this dietary fiber help in keeping your pet hamster’s digestive tract clean and healthy, but it also improves the way your hamster digests its food and absorbs the nutrition in it into its body.
Once you start including fiber-rich foods such as almonds into your pet hamster’s diet, you’ll also note that when your hamsters eat a high-fiber diet, they don’t get constipated.
Keeps your pet hamster’s cholesterol levels in check
It’s a good idea to feed your hamsters almonds every now and again because almonds have been shown, in hamsters, to prevent a rise in cholesterol levels. The seed lowers cholesterol levels in hamsters, preventing them from developing cholesterol-related illnesses.
Regulates your pet hamster’s blood sugar levels
Almonds also have 26 milligrams of vitamin E. This is one of the most well-known nutrients for lowering blood sugar levels. Vitamin E causes insulin sensitivity in hamsters, which aids in blood sugar control and protects your hamsters from developing diabetes.
Vitamin E also protects hamster cells against oxidative damage, which can be a serious health hazard if you don’t address it in good time.
Helps your pet hamster to maintain its weight
A few almonds will help hamsters who are struggling with weight gain. Satiety, often known as contentment, is a common result of eating nutritious and protein-rich foods such as almonds.
Essentially, it helps ensure that your pet hamster does not feel the need to hoard and overeat (the most common cause of obesity in hamsters).
The almond diet is believed to be one of the most effective strategies for hamsters to lose weight. This is because almonds contain roughly 21 g of protein.
Improves your pet hamster’s immunity
Vitamin E, along with playing a crucial role in maintaining your pet hamster’s blood sugar levels, also boosts its immunity.
This is because the vitamin E found in almonds also behaves as potent anti-oxidants, which ensure that your pet hamster’s body stays free of free radicals and harmful toxins!
Risks of Almonds for Pet Hamsters
The flip side of feeding almonds to your pet hamster is essential to understand. There are certain risks that your pet hamster will face if you don’t feed it almonds in the right quantities.
Risk of obesity in pet hamsters
While it is true that the high protein content in almonds ensures that your hamster’s appetite stays satisfied, it is also true that almonds are extremely rich in fats. Almonds have a lot of fat in them, which might lead to weight gain.
Obesity, which comes with a motley of health hazards, might result from this extra weight. Almonds should be fed in moderation as a treat rather than as part of a daily diet. Therefore, you should give your hamsters almonds in proportion to their sizes as treats.
In fact, a maximum of one almond per day should be consumed by medium and giant hamsters. At the same time, only half an almond should be fed to the smaller hamsters per day.
Risk of cyanide poisoning
Almonds are available in both sweet and bitter types; the bitter variety includes a cyanide component that is so strong that even one almond can cause death if swallowed.
This is primarily why you must be extremely careful about the variety of almonds you feed your pet hamster!
Risk of choking on almonds
Given their size and structure, almonds could very easily go from being a nutritious snack to being something stuck in your pet hamster’s windpipe.
Therefore, you must preferably crush the almond before feeding it to your pet hamster, especially if you’re offering it for the first time. Further, you should also closely observe your pet hammy for any signs of choking until it has finished eating the almond.
Can Hamsters Have Almonds?
Yes, hamsters can have almonds. In fact, almonds, when fed in moderate amounts, make for nutritious and delicious snacks for your pet hamster!
Can Baby Hamsters Eat Almonds?
While there is nothing in the almond itself that would make it toxic or unhealthy for you to feed your baby hamster, it is best to avoid offering baby hamsters almonds.
The reason is that given the structure and the size of almonds, your baby hamster could end up choking on it.
Can hamsters eat salted Almonds?
No, hamsters cannot eat salted almonds. Salt is easily one of the worst foods to include in your pet hamster’s diet. Salt, by itself, takes a heavy toll on your pet hamster’s digestive system by causing severe dehydration coupled with diarrhea.
Can hamsters eat flaked Almonds?
Yes, hamsters can eat flaked almonds! Flaking the almonds and removing the strings from them is one of the safest methods to feed some almonds to your pet hamster!
Can hamsters eat blanched Almonds?
Yes, hamsters can eat blanched almonds. Taking the skin off almonds ensures that your pet hamster does not end up choking due to the texture of the skin itself!
Are Almonds Safe For Hamsters?
Yes, almonds are safe for hamsters when fed in the right amounts. You should be mindful about not feeding excessive quantities of almonds to your pet hamster. Else, your hamster could end up becoming obese.
Do Hamsters Like Almonds?
Yes, most hamsters enjoy almonds because of their high percentage of fat, along with the hard texture which they have to bite into. However, this does not mean that all hamsters enjoy almonds.
Every hamster’s preference might vary when it comes to almonds. But, it’s helpful to remember that almonds should only be included in your pet hamster’s diet as a snack and not a meal or a regular source of nutrition.
Therefore, even if your pet hamster doesn’t seem to enjoy almonds much, it won’t be missing out on any nutrition!
Can dwarf hamsters eat Raw Almonds?
Yes, dwarf hamsters can eat raw almonds. However, you should feed almonds to dwarf hamsters in extremely restricted quantities else. It could lead to obesity and other resultant health issues in your dwarf hamster.
How Many Almonds Can A Hamster Eat?
A safe and simple rule to follow is never to exceed two to 5 almonds in a week, regardless of what kind of a hamster you own. However, depending on the size of your pet hamster, this could change a bit.
How many almonds should Syrian hamsters eat?
Being the largest species of hamsters, you can feed your Syrian hamster one almond every other day.
How many almonds should Robo hamsters eat?
Robo almonds should have roughly one almond every three days or so.
How many almonds should Dwarf Hamsters eat?
Dwarf hamsters should eat lesser almonds than a Robo hamster eats. 2 almonds in a week is a safe amount for these hamsters.
Do Almonds Affect The Digestive System Of Hamsters?
Yes, almonds affect the digestive system of hamsters but in a positive manner. The fact is that almonds are a healthy source of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber plays a crucial role in ensuring healthy bowel movements in your pet hamster.
FAQs
Can hamsters eat pistachios?
Yes, hamsters can eat pistachios as long as they are offered without the shell. Further, the pistachios that you feed your pet hamster should be free of added ingredients such as preservatives, spices, and salt. While these may make pistachios more palatable for humans, these ingredients can be harmful to your pet hamster.
Can hamsters eat popcorn?
Yes, hamsters can eat popcorn quite safely. But, you should make sure that the corn kernels are fully popped since the kernels could end up choking your pet hamster. Further, you can only feed plain popcorn that is free of flavoring material such as cheese powder, pepper, butter, and so on to your adorable hammie!
Can hamsters eat raisins?
Yes, hamsters can eat raisins, but only in restricted quantities. The reason is that raisins contain large amounts of sugar. Thus, overeating them could make your pet hamster obese or even damage its kidneys. While feeding raisins to your pet hamster, make sure that they are free of additives and that you only offer them in small numbers.
Can hamsters drink almond milk?
No, hamsters cannot eat drink almond milk. Almond milk is often made using bitter almonds. Now, the fact is those bitter almonds contain large percentages of cyanide in them. While eating a bitter almond itself can prove to be fatal to your pet hamster, drinking almond milk can cause extreme damage to its health.
