Can Hamster Eat Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are delicious if you eat them boiled, mashed, or baked. How about sharing them with your pets like hamsters and others pets? This article is about “Can Hamsters Eat Sweet Potatoes?”.
Table of Contents
Can Hamsters Eat Potatoes
Well, yes, hamsters can eat sweet potatoes, and other vegetables in fact, they love eating them. Also, you may know how much sweet potatoes are healthy snacks for your hamsters, so you must give them this treat. But, as they are healthy and rich in nutrients, including calories, here comes the question.
How can you feed your hamster with sweet potatoes? This is something that we are going to discuss today.
And, in this article, I will tell you what quantity of sweet potatoes I feed my Syrian hamsters? So, letβs get into it!
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Can I feed my hamster sweet potatoes?
You can definitely feed Hamsters with sweet potatoes. In fact, sweet potatoes are very healthy for your Hamsters when you keep them in moderation. Sweet potatoes contain proteins, necessary fats, carbohydrates, Vitamin ,C vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium, and a lot more.
However, here is a tip to you. If your Hamster is new to your family, start feeding him with cucumber or other green veggies first of all. And, yes, Iβm talking about Syrian hamsters here and you can do the same with Robo hamsters.
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Which form of sweet potatoes my hamster should eat?
You can also feed sweet potatoes In different ways to Hamsters, and all forms are healthy for them. You can give them sweet potatoes in any form you want. The best form of sweet potato for Hamsters is raw sweet potato or boiled potatoes.
However, if you want to feed your Hamster with mashed potatoes or any other form, you can give them sweet potatoes free from any citric flavor or seasonings.
Can your hamsters really eat potatoes?
Yes, hamsters can eat potatoes. And, hamsters can eat any veggie that is in raw form. However, you can feed potatoes in raw and mashed form to your hamsters. But, take care that your hamsters get potatoes without any syrups, seasoning, or spices added. Also, you can feed your hamsters with cooked potatoes.
Are potatoes healthy for my hamster?
Potatoes are very healthy and nutritious for hamsters. And, contrary to what people think about potatoes, they are low in calories and have a good amount of Vitamin C, niacin, and Phosphorus on them.
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So, you can also feed your hamsters with peeled-off potatoes. However, potatoes with peels on them and boiled still contain more fiber which is good for your hammy.
Can hamsters eat potato peel?
Yes, hamsters can eat potato peels. And, you can feed these peels to Syrian and Robo hamsters. However, as the potato peels contain more fiber, you do not feed them to dwarf hamsters. Also, they are not for teddy bear hamsters as well.
The reason is that these dwarf and teddy bear hamsters have delicate organs as compared to Syrian and Robo hamsters and they cannot stand too much fiber in them. So, it is better to feed them something else instead or to feed them with baked, mashed potatoes.
Can Syrian hamsters eat sweet potatoes?
Syrian Hamsters can eat sweet potatoes and you can feed them one teaspoon of sweet potato once a week. This is a highly nutritious diet and you can feed them as a snack; however, you cannot replace their commercial food when you are feeding them sweet potatoes.Β
The best thing is to remove the skin of the sweet potato by feeding them to Syrian hamsters. Thatβs because there are sometimes bumps on the skin of sweet potatoes that may irritate the throat of Syrian hamsters.
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So, this will be hard to digest by Syrian Hamsters. However, if the peel is clean, then you can boil the potatoes or mash them, or cook or even steam them and give them as it is to use Syrian hamsters.
Can Robo hamsters eat sweet potatoes?
Yes, Robo hamsters can also eat sweet potatoes. And, even though this breed comes next to Syrian hamsters, they can feed on, and digest sweet potatoes. Now, as I said above, you can peel the skin off before feeding your hamster with it.
And, this is the same here as well. However, as I have already mentioned in many articles, Robo hamsters come next to Syrian hamsters, and they are delicate compared to Syrian hamsters. So, it is acceptable to feed your Roborovski hamsters with sweet potatoes.
And, you can read Robo hamsters with 1 teaspoon of sweet potatoes once every two weeks. This is the safest way to feed sweet potatoes to your Robo hamsters.
Can dwarf hamsters eat sweet potatoes?
Dwarf hamsters can eat a small number of sweet potatoes. And, the best way to feed them sweet potatoes is to give them a tiny piece of boiled and peeled sweet potato in the beginning. And, if you witness no side effects, you can give a half-inch size of sweet potato to hamsters.
Can baby hamsters eat sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and something that you cannot feed your baby hamsters. Because baby hamsters only feed on their mother’s milk or Lactol milk that comes in the market. So, once they are 4 weeks, you can feed them small amounts of green veggies like celery, lettuce, or cucumber, but sweet potatoes are only for adult hamsters of all breeds.
Can hamsters eat cooked sweet potatoes?
Yes, hamsters can eat cooked sweet potatoes, and they are still high in fibers for your hamsters.
However, the best thing is to cook them in less oil to avoid choking the hamsters. When we talk about feeding the hamsters with sweet potatoes, especially the cooked ones, you have to get ready to experience different reactions from your hamsters.
For instance, you will see that your hamster may like it sometimes.
Or, some hamsters will not like it. In this case, whatever food you give to your hamster as a treat besides their commercial food, give it by holding it in your hand. And, if the hamster doesnβt eat it, leave it in the food canal and keep checking for 24 hours.
If the food is gone, that means your hamster likes it. And, if the food is still there, could you remove it from there? Because they will not eat it after 24 hours. In this regard, the best testing time for your hamster’s likes and dislikes is 7 hours. You can see if they like it or not within 7 hours.
Also, for sweet potatoes, you have to see if the hamsters are used to eating sweet potatoes or not. If you have already introduced them to sweet potatoes, they can eat cooked sweet potatoes as well. This will help them enjoy the food as well. So, you can give them cooked sweet potatoes if it has less oil and no spices and seasonings.
How to feed sweet potatoes to hamsters?
- Feeding sweet potatoes to hamsters is no rocket science and is easy as well. You can give raw sweet potatoes to your hamsters.
- This is the best idea of all. However, you can also give them steamed sweet potatoes and cooked sweet potatoes that have less oil and no pepper and spices.
- Also, as I said above, you can feed your Syrian hamsters with 1 teaspoon of sweet potatoes every week.
- And, you can feed the Roborovski hamsters with 1 teaspoon of sweeper potatoes every other week.
- Similarly, for every breed of dwarf hamsters, you can feed them with a tiny piece of the above-mentioned forms of sweet potatoes once in two weeks. This is a clear statement to help you understand how to feed sweet potatoes to hamsters.
Now, as we have talked about sweet potatoes, we have to discuss sweet potato leaves. Because this is another critical question:
Can hamsters eat sweet potato leaves?
Yes, hamsters can surely eat sweet potato leaves, and feeding them with small leaves of sweet potatoes is worth it.
This is also a good and healthy snack for them, and you can give them as treats and not as their proper diets or foods. However, except for baby hamsters, you can feed these leaves once a week or two weeks to your hamsters. Make sure to feed them small amounts of small leaves only.
Advantages and disadvantages of sweet potatoes for hamsters
Advantages
Sweet Potatoes Help Improve Immune System
Vitamin C, which helps strengthen and maintain your hamster’s immune system, is abundant in sweet potatoes. Vitamin C will help your hamster recover from illness faster and live longer. All other bodily processes in your hamster will improve when it has a healthy immune system.
Your hamster’s overall health will benefit even more from a strong immune system. For better overall health, try to include a variety of vitamins and minerals in every food supplement you give your hamster.
Sweet Potatoes Can Help Improve Skeletal System
Hamsters are little and delicate animals. You can include sweet potatoes in their diet to help ensure that they have strong bones and a strong skeletal system. Calcium and iron are abundant in sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes will help keep their bones strong and healthy. Hamsters with strong bones typically have stronger muscles and tissues as well. Throughout their entire lives, this can support their continued health and happiness.
Sweet Potatoes Can Increase Energy Levels
You should feed your hamster items that will provide them energy throughout the day if you want them to walk around and be more active. Sweet potatoes are one of the best foods for giving them more energy. Vitamin B, a fantastic vitamin that can boost health and vitality, is abundant in sweet potatoes.
Disadvantages
Sweet potatoes have numerous advantages for your hamster, but there are also some disadvantages. Sweet potatoes pose the greatest dangers to your hamsters:
Obesity
Sweet potatoes contain fat, and feeding your hamster an excessive amount of any fatty food can make them obese. You can avoid this by feeding your hamster small amounts of sweet potatoes.
Choking
If large pieces of sweet potato get stuck in your hamster’s throat, they can cause them to choke. Therefore, to make it simpler for your hamster to swallow the sweet potatoes, it is preferable to cut them into smaller pieces.
Diarrhea
Eating too many sweet potatoes will result in diarrhea in hamsters.
Other Than Sweet Potatoes What Else Can Your Hamster Eat?
We have looked at if your hamster can eat sweet potatoes.
What else could you be giving your hamster besides good hamster food?
Grains
For hamsters, grains are a staple food. Each day, you should give about a tablespoon. Commercially prepared hamster mixes contain grains, which provide protein and carbohydrates. Fattening nuts like peanuts and sunflower seeds shouldn’t be fed to much as they can cause obesity.
Vegetables
The best vegetables for your hamster are organic, fresh ones.
Clean it thoroughly to remove any pesticides if you are not using organic produce.
Despite the fact that the majority of vegetables are generally safe for hamsters, dark green vegetables are the best option, so things like;
- Artichokes
- Broccoli spears
- Carrot tops
- Dandelion greens
- Romaine lettuce
- Spanish
To avoid stomach issues, avoid iceberg lettuce and other vegetables or fruits with a lot of water, like watermelon.
Fruits
Most fruits, like vegetables, are safe for hamsters to eat in moderation as an addition to their usual diet.
Some good options include:
Conclusion
So, if you think can hamsters eat sweet potatoes? Let me tell you, yes, they can! And, giving sweet potatoes to hamsters in moderation is the best way to feed them with balance and protect them from any illness.
So, from today, if you are looking for some snacks to feed your hamsters, you can give sweet potatoes to them whether baked, cooked, or in boiled form.
