Can Hamsters Eat Raisins

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can hamsters eat raisins

Raisins are dried grapes that are produced across several countries in the world. Popular among them all are the likes of New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, a few Asian countries, etc. They can be consumed in the raw form and are also used for baking and brewing as well. Raisins are also a popular ingredient for several alcoholic drinks. They are sweet in taste and loved by many animals. However, the question here is that “can hamsters eat raisins?” A lot of experts and pet owners would say yes, but it’s important to know in what quantities and if at all its feasible to treat your hamsters with one.

Related Read : The Best Hamster Cages

can hamsters eat raisins

A Healthy Diet For Your Hamster

Hamsters like other omnivorous animals prefer to have a wide range of veggies, seeds, nuts and fruits. When in wild, they are known to hunt in packs but as a pet, it is the pet owner to ensure that he or she offers the right diet. Proper care is very important when it comes to offering a particular kind of food to your pet. It is advised to have a strict go through and refer credible sources when it comes to choosing the kind of diet you are about to offer.

Can Hamsters Eat Raisins?

Raisins are sweet and hamsters sure love to have anything sugary. They are safe for your hamster only in moderation. You can definitely give raisins to hamsters but make sure that you do not offer more than a single raisin a day. Surprisingly, the smell of raisins are enough to make your hamster shoot and jump to have it. However, raisin being a dried fruit can be too sticky for your pet, especially if it is the Dwarf hamster. Some of the other alternatives which you can offer includes fruits like blackberries, cherries, figs, honeydew, lychee, papaya, pear, raspberries, strawberries, or melon.

The Dwarfs are known to be diabetic and it is better to avoid offering food that is high in sugar content. But for the other hamsters as pets such as the Syrian cousins, offering a raisin that is mixed in a trail mix once in a while might not be dangerous.

Important Facts About Raisins

Raisins comprise of high sugar content i.e. fructose (approximately 60% of the entire weight). In terms of nutrition, raisins are high in calories and is known to be a good source for iron and potassium. It has high content of Vitamin A as well as Vitamin B. In most of the drying processes for fruits, Sulphur dioxide is used which has high content of toxic gases and is colorless.

While in most cases, it is advised to avoid offering dried fruits to pets, there are exceptions as well. Raisins are a potential threat when it comes to dogs, but in case of hamsters it is safe when offered in limited quantities. Being toxic in nature is something that poses a threat to the dogs and can be a concern if you offer just too many to the hamsters.

Threats Of Feeding Raisins To Hamsters

As mentioned above, raisins are only safe when offered in limited quantities. There are a few threats Raisins pose when offered more than a single piece a day or may be on a daily basis. Raisins are dry fruits which have the possibility of leading to acute renal failure. It is acute and can appear all of a sudden. In case of hamsters, raisins can stick inside their mouth or within their belly if served in large quantities. Other impacts can include the likes of developing diabetes, especially among the dwarfs who are prone to be highly diabetic. In many animal centers, experts advise the pet owners to feed their pets with raisins only once the toxic substance gets identified.

Thus, it highly depends on the pet owners to ensure that the right food diets are maintained and the hamsters are kept at a safe distance from raisins.

What if your Hamster doesn’t Like Raisins?

Hamsters would just love to have anything which is sweet and sugary. Raisins have 60% sugar content which would make any hamster jump on them when presented. Hence, there is very rare possibility that your hamster would not love to eat raisins. However, in case they do opt to do so, don’t worry since sugary foods are not good for hamsters anyways. Less sugar is best for your hamster. It’s even recommended to avoid dried fruits altogether.

Conclusion

One raisin occasionally wouldn’t harm your hamster but this is not the food that you should give your pet regularly. High sugar content in raisins only pose health risks to your hamster. Once in a while it’s okay to treat your hamster with it but not more than that.

 

 

References:

http://animals.mom.me/fruits-dwarf-hamsters-eat-1264.html

http://www.hammysworld.com/index.php?p=grapes

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/hamsters/tips/hamsters_as_pets.html?referrer=https://www.google.co.in/

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