What Foods Do Hamsters Like and Dislike?

Hamsters survive based on the diet they are fed. Like humans, hamsters enjoy the occasional treat, but these treats should never take the place of basic hamster dry food, which gives them the proper nutrients they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

  1. Nuts and Seeds

    • Hamsters love natural foods, and nuts and seeds are favorites. Dry nuts and seeds make up the bag of feed you find in a pet store. If you're going to feed them nuts and seeds like those humans enjoy, such as peanuts or sunflower seeds, find ones that are not salted. If they are salted, do not over feed them to hamsters because they will gain too much weight. Sunflower seeds are high in fat as well so be sure not to overfeed with these either.

    Fresh Vegetables and Fruits

    • Feed hamsters fresh vegetables, such as young grass, peas, clovers or carrots, cut into small pieces. Apples and banana's cut up into small dime pieces are fruits that they enjoy for a snack. Small amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits can be given to a hamster two or three times per week as an extra snack in addition to their dry food. Too many fruits and vegetables can give hamsters a stomach ache because of the high amounts of sugar and water. Fruits and vegetables provide nutrients to the hamster that contribute to a well-balanced diet.

    Sweets

    • Feeding hamsters foods high in sugar, such as sticky small candy or chocolate, can get stuck in their pouch that could cause damage that may be difficult or impossible to treat by a veterinarian. Hamsters generally don't have a sweet tooth, so leaving out the sugary treats won't hurt their feelings. There are specialty chocolates sold in pet stores that are safe for hamsters.

    Lettuce

    • Lettuce, especially green leaf lettuce, contains a lot of sugar that can give hamsters loose stools and diarrhea. Spinach, cucumbers, dandelions, leaves and young grass is all right for hamsters because they do not contain as much sugar as regular lettuce. Fruits and vegetables should be fresh and washed with most of the water dried off before giving it to the hamster.