Can Hamsters Eat Meat? Revealing The Truth!

So, can these cute, harmless-looking creatures eat meat? Yup, the light turns green on this question. Hamsters are omnivores, and they can consume a variety of foods. Surprisingly(due to their look), hamsters can also eat meat safely. Although there is no compulsion, still, if you feel like feeding meat to your hamster, you can.

Hamsters are tricky to understand. It is because they are unlike other domestic animals, for instance, cats and dogs. Their nutritional needs are pretty different. Therefore, let’s learn how much and how often you should feed meat to your pet.

What Type Of Meat Can Hamsters Eat?

Now, we know that hamsters can eat meat, so should we simply throw a piece of our bacon in their cage? In other words, can hamsters eat all kinds of meat? Absolutely not! Hamster’s digestive systems are designed only to digest light meat. Now, what does this light meat means?

A group of different kinds of meats, including chicken, fish, and shrimp, are termed light meat. As you might have guessed by now, they got this name because this meat group is easy to digest comparatively.

If you were thinking about sharing mutton, beef, or any kind of exotic meat with your hammie, stop right there! Hamsters’ bodies are not designed to break down these kinds of meat. Hence, keep bacon, ribs, and patties away from your hamster’s diet. 

Moving to the serving part. Even the safe meat group can’t be served to the hamsters with seasoning and oil. Meaning that sharing your crispy fried chicken with your furry friend won’t be a good idea. This is because hamsters’ sensitive stomachs cannot deal with spices and excessive oil. 

Safe Ways Of Serving Meat To Hamsters

Okay, now we are aware of the fact that hamsters can eat a particular type of meat. But should we also pay attention to the serving part? Yes, in fact, it’s sometimes more important than choosing the right type of meat. 

For Chicken

When it comes to chicken, you might wonder which part of it will serve the purpose rightfully, right? Every meaty part of chicken is totally safe for your hamster to consume. Just ensure that there aren’t any bones or remains of bones in that piece of meat. 

Moreover, also make sure that no seasoning or salt is added to the chicken before serving. Only bland chicken is perfect for serving.

For Fish

Feeding fish meat to your hamster can be a little tricky. The small bones present in the meat are pretty large in number. Firstly, bake the fish without any kind of seasoning at all. The next step is picking the tiny bones out of fish meat. 

Put the fish meat in your hamster’s bowl only when you are sure that not a single bone is left in it. It is recommended because small bones in the fish meat can cause internal injuries or choking.

For Shrimps

Here’s a little disclaimer, not all of the hamsters like eating shrimps. However, the chances of this happening with you can be reduced by cleaning the shrimps properly. You might not know, but hamsters have a powerful sense of smell. 

On the other hand, shrimp’s scent is more robust than other members of the safe meat group. This is why some of the hamsters will refuse to eat them right away. Hence, you should spend some good time washing shrimp if you want your hamster to consume them.

FAQs  

Meat And Hamsters Concluded

In this thread, we learned that hamsters could eat meat. Although meat’s not a necessity, hamsters won’t mind having it as a treat. The most significant benefit of serving meat is that it will overcome protein deficit in hamsters’ bodies efficiently. 

We also learned that there is a specific group of meat that is safe for hamsters to consume. This group includes chicken, fish, and shrimp. You need to take different precautions while feeding each of these.