Any owner wants his pet to live as long as possible. The key to a healthy and, most importantly, long rodent life is an adequate and balanced diet. Everyone knows that special rodent food should be the main part of the diet, but you still want to treat your hamster with something tasty. Owners often offer their pet hamsters different delicacies, which are completely unsuitable for rodent stomachs.
A hamster can eat any type of bread and this food can be part of their diet as a treat! You can offer your hamster whole grain bread, whole wheat bread, and white bread, but it is preferable you offer it to them in the morning or early afternoon.
The Hamster’s diet should be composed of special granules and special seeds, which you can buy from pet shops. They should also always have access to clean water. Besides their regular food, hamsters also love vegetables and fruit but these should be consumed in moderation. You should provide your hamster with a balanced and healthy diet that does not contain too many unhealthy treatments.
That is why you should know what food is safe for hamsters and what foods may be harmful. In this article, I will talk about bread and its impact on the health of a hamster. Is bread safe for hamsters or can it be poisonous? Read this article and you will find out, but first I’ll tell you a little more about bread as a human essential meal.
More about bread
Bread is a basic feed that is made by baking a dough made of flour and water. There are many types of bread, depending on the type of dough used. Some kinds of bread are healthier than others.
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Bread can also be prepared in different sizes, textures, and shapes. Most people eat bread every day and it is used worldwide as the most important basic food. It is not recommended to eat large amounts of bread because it can lead to some cardiovascular problems and weight gain. But, have you ever tried to feed your Hamster bread?
Do hamsters like bread?
Everybody knows that bread is delicious, and most hamsters love it. You should always respect the recommended quantity, even if your hamster asks for more.
Is bread safe for hamsters?
If you are a Hamster owner, you surely ask yourself if your hamster can eat bread. It is known that most pet owners enjoy sharing food with their pets. If you want to share your bread with your hamster, we have good news for you. It’s safe to feed your hamster bread, but you need to be careful and consider a few things, like the amount of bread you give it and at what moment of the day.
What are the health benefits of bread for hamsters?
White bread is rich in nutrients and vitamins like:
- Calcium helps your hamster’s cardiovascular system and is good for bones;
- Iron boosts its immune system.
Whole wheat bread is known to be rich in protein and magnesium.
- The proteins will help your hamster’s immune system, but they are also a structural component for their muscles to develop well.
- Magnesium is good for the proper functioning of their cardiovascular and neurological systems.
How much bread can I feed to hamsters?
It’s best to try very small amounts of whole wheat bread and watch the reaction of the hamster carefully. If any side effects are observed, stop feeding your hamster bread and take it to your veterinarian. If there are no side effects, you can feed the hamster with a piece of bread from time to time.
You shouldn’t be worried if your hamster eats some bread crumbs once a month. On the other hand, you shouldn’t make a habit of giving him bread every day.
The recommended quantity of bread offered to a hamster is a 1-centimeter slice once or twice a month.
How often can a hamster eat bread?
If the bread is homemade, it is perfect, and you can easily offer it once or twice a month. But, if it is a commercial bread, you should offer it less than once a month, and cut the sugar-based treats for that day.
If you feed your hamster bread more frequently and give it large amounts of bread, it will cause many problems to your hamster’s gastrointestinal tract, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or gas. All these happen because most breads have a high glycemic index, which transforms the nutrients into sugar.
How to feed bread to your hamsters?
Hamsters love the crunchy part of the bread so you can feed them the crust alone. Stay away from giving it the fluffy part because it might cause indigestion. When you feed your hamster the crusts make sure they aren’t too crunchy, or else they might hurt its cheek pouches.
You can offer milk-soaked bread to weaker and smaller hamster babies, to old hamsters, or to hamsters recovering from a disease and to pregnant females.
You should avoid feeding your hamster with white bread because it contains large quantities of sugar and it can lead to obesity. It is best to choose whole wheat bread, which is a healthier option for both people and pets.
It is also important to avoid bread that is too salty and seasoned. You can put whole wheat bread into milk to soften it. Your Hamster will certainly enjoy it. Bread is not the best option for your hamster, so you should think carefully before adding it to your hamster’s diet.
How much bread can hamsters eat?
Hamsters can’t eat too much bread but they surely prefer as much as they get rather than none.
For hamsters, bread is not a healthy treat, it’s just wasted calories, so think twice before offering it.
What are the side effects of bread for hamsters?
White bread
It is known that white bread contains flour, yeast and water. As the flour contains starch, which is a heavy carbohydrate, the consumption of white bread by rodents can lead to bloating and fermentation in the stomach, as well as persistent metabolic problems and digestive disorders.
It will be useful to know what diseases hamsters have. Besides, the appearance of such diseases is inevitable when large amounts of white breast are consumed:
- Kidney necrosis;
- Pancreatic pathology;
- Thyroid problems.
Another dangerous component of white bread is yeast, which increases gas production and even alcohol poisoning as a result of its fermentation. A number of such consequences are not excluded:
- Flatulence;
- Complete denial of food;
- Diarrhea;
- Heart disease;
- Loss of orientation in space.
Bread is a large source of carbohydrates, and its frequent ingestion will lead to obesity, which hamsters are already prone to. And, as you know, excess weight affects negatively the bones, the joints, and even the heart.
Black bread
The components that make up the black bread are as follows: Rye flour, yeast, and water. Regardless of the fact that such a flour is good for people, it harms hamsters.
As mentioned above, starch is harmful to animals, and in black bread, even in small quantities, it is still present.
In addition to indigestion, frequent consumption of black bread can lead to the emergence of stomach diseases such as:
- Ulcer;
- Gastritis;
- Chronic colitis;
- Stomach burns.
Other negative consequences are possible:
- Constipation;
- Bloating;
- Behavioral changes.
The yeast contained in the black bread results from a fermentation process in the intestines.
Nutrition Stats of Bread
Bread is made from a dough which contains flour and water, and is popular all over the world. Because it is so easy to do, it comes in surprising combinations, to the pleasure of every person’s preference: white, black, with different types of flour, in different proportions, forms, or with different methods of preparation.
Nutritional characteristics and values:
A portion of 100 grams contains 266 calories
But let’s see on a slice of bread (25 grams):
- Calories: 66
- Fat calories: 7
- Total fat: 1 g…….1 % of the recommended daily dose
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Trans fat: 0
- Cholesterol: 0 mg……0 % DZR
- Sodium: 170 mg……7 % DZR
- Carbohydrates: 13 g……4% DZR
- Dietary fiber: 1 g……2% DZR
- Sugars: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Calcium: 4 %
- Iron: 5%
Pros: Bread is low in saturated fats and cholesterol and it is a good source of thiamine and folates.
Cons: Bread is rich in sodium.
Can hamsters eat breadsticks or croutons?
Croutons are finely chopped and dried bread, while breadsticks are dried finger sliced bread. The home version of the product contains fibers as well as a number of other beneficial elements such as calcium, iron and magnesium. Unlike ordinary bread, the ingestion of croutons and breadsticks does not lead to fermentation in the stomach, does not cause flatulence, and carbohydrates are easily absorbed by the organism.
In addition, the use of such type of bread-based food restores the gastrointestinal tract and normalizes metabolism. This food can also be used to sharpen the increasing teeth of hamsters.
All this does not apply to purchased breadsticks or croutons containing flavorings and other substances harmful to the organism that may damage the hamster, causing heart, kidney, intestine, and stomach diseases.
Important! For feeding hamsters, you can only use dry croutons or breadsticks, not fried ones. The burned crust contains carcinogens, which have the properties to accumulate in the body and release toxins that poison the animal. Another important thing is to pay attention to whether the hamster hurts its cheek pouches while eating.
Conclusions
Once you have read this article, you need to decide whether you will feed your hamster bread or find another healthier option. As I have already said, you can feed your hamster bread, but in small quantities and only occasionally. Bread can be an occasional snack for hamsters, but it should not be a regular part of their diet. Although bread is safe for hamsters if consumed in small quantities, it is preferable to feed hamsters with other healthier snacks like fresh fruit and vegetables.
