You might not know this but cockroaches are pretty nutritious and are slowly starting to pop up in all kinds of weird diets all around the world. The Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in India (inStem) has conducted a study that has shown that cockroach milk is one of the best superfoods of our time.
During this particular research, it has been proven that milk produced by the Pacific beetle cockroach to feed its babies is packed with protein crystals, healthy fats, sugars, and amino acids. Yes, you’ve read that right, some cockroaches have a mammal-like ability to make their own milk.
Yes, hamsters can eat cockroaches, although they aren’t recommended as a regular food type for hamsters.
You will usually find in 100 grams of cockroaches about 24 micrograms of vitamin B12 and around 10 times more RDA. B12 is known to help with the development of new blood cells and keeping the nervous system healthy, but it also enables the creation of the genetic material in cells, the well-known DNA.
The bad aspect about roaches is that, although nutritious, they will contain chitin, a bad compound for hamsters.
You might also like my articles on the Syrian Hamster and on whether hamsters can eat bread or oranges.
Chitin helps decompose the nutrients in digestive juices before the pet’s body has a chance to make use of them.
When ingested in considerable amounts, it will open the road to malnutrition for the animal, or, in some extreme cases, even starvation. You might think that you are feeding it with roaches, but your tiny pet might actually starve from the inability to digest any nutrients it receives.
If you want to feed your pet some insects, then you should go for mealworms instead of cockroaches for your pet hamster, because these come with everything a roach will bring to the table, without the side effects of chitin.
Mealworms also come with less fat and protein, another reason to pick them over cockroaches in a balanced diet.
When trying to figure out foods to add to a hamster’s diet or treats to give it from time to time, consider these:
You will not only have to know what to feed your pet but also foods that you should avoid to ensure the safety and healthy development of your pet hamster. The foods below can become harmful to your pet, so make sure you avoid them.
Try to keep your pet away from peanuts, sunflower seeds, or other fatty nuts, because these can lead to obesity. These should only be offered occasionally, as a treat.
Feeding your hamster with cockroaches occasionally or it finding a cockroach in its cage shouldn’t be a problem, but make sure this only happens from time to time and isn’t a common occurrence.