Can hamsters eat mealworms – Yes, hamsters can eat mealworms along with their balanced diet. Their sensitive digestive systems can’t digest a high intake of mealworms. So, you have to check the number of mealworms that your hamster consumes in a day.
If you have no knowledge of feeding mealworms to hamsters, then don’t worry. After reading this post, you’ll learn everything about feeding mealworms to your hamster, benefits, side effects, safe amount, etc.
Are Mealworms Safe for Hamsters?
Yes, mealworms are completely safe for hamsters because they are rich sources of proteins. They act as a quick dose of energy for your hamster due to the presence of many beneficial nutrients. However, while giving mealworms to your hamster, make sure they are dried.
If you feed live mealworms to your hamster, they can bite and harm your hamster. So, it’s better to affirm that mealworms are dead before adding them to your hamster’s food bowl.
Benefits of Feeding Mealworms to Your Hamster
Mealworms are an excellent meat alternative. Dried mealworms contain 53% protein, 5% water, 28% fat, and 6% fiber.
Being packed with so many essential nutrients, they provide the following benefits to your hamster:
Promote Growth
Mealworms promote growth because they are rich sources of proteins and help in boosting your hamster’s energy levels. Protein is required to develop cell structures that form organs and then the whole body. In the growing phase, a sufficient amount of protein is necessary for the proper growth development of your hamster.
Improve Heart and Other Organ’s Health
Mealworms contain fat, potassium, and iron. Fat protects against heart diseases and significantly improves the mood of your hamster. Potassium is required to lower blood levels to safe limits by reducing the tension in the blood vessels. Iron is essential for protecting the vital organs of your hamster’s body. This increases the overall lifespan of your hamster.
Enhances Performance
Monounsaturated fat is present in mealworms which enhances performance. It does so by improving insulin sensitivity and making your hamster’s bones strong.
Harms of Feeding Mealworms to Your Hamster
There are no risks associated with feeding mealworms to hamsters, except overeating. Even if the essential nutrients exceed the required limits, they become a curse for the body. The same is the case with mealworms too.
The safe amounts of meals are absolutely essential, but you have to check the total amount your hamster consumes. If you’re giving too many mealworms to your hamster, he won’t eat anything else, which will lead to other nutrient deficiencies. Moreover, as mealworms contain a sufficient amount of fat, they can make your hamster obese, which is a leading cause of many health issues in hamsters, including heart diseases.
FAQs
Yes, hamsters like mealworms if they are dried well. If you give properly dried mealworms to your hamster with his regular diet, it will be a treat for him. Mealworms can serve as a healthy snack for your hamster if you make a little effort in frying and baking them. Then, give them to your hamster, and your pet will love them.
To provide all the nutritional benefits of mealworms, you can give 3 to 4 mealworms per day to your hamster. If you give more mealworms than this amount, they will keep them full and decrease their craving for other food items. As a result, a nutritional imbalance can occur.
Mealworms and Hamsters Wrapped Up
Hamsters can eat mealworms because they contain many essential nutrients required for improving your hamster’s health. You can add the required amount to your hamster’s diet. Keep a check on your hamster, and he must not overfeed on mealworms!
