Are you wondering if you should feed sunflower seeds to your hamster? Yes, in fact, sunflower seeds are one of the most nutritious items that are easily available all around. Due to their high nutritional value and benefits for the hamsters, they are often added to hamster pellets. However, the excessiveness of anything can turn into a hazard pretty soon. Therefore, you first learn what amount of sunflower seeds are healthy for your hamster.
It is clear that sunflower seeds are nutritional for hamsters. But what are the benefits of feeding sunflower seeds, and what are the cons of feeding excessive sunflower seeds? Let’s find out!
Benefits Of Sunflower Seeds For Hamsters
There are numerous benefits of adding sunflower seeds to your hamster’s diet. These seeds are loaded with favorable minerals and vitamins that boost the overall health of your hamster.
Down below is the list of nutrients found in the sunflower seeds and their benefits:
Vitamin E
Starting with the best of all vitamins, Vitamin E. The presence of this vitamin in the sunflower seeds makes them an ideal treatment for skin and eyes. Hence, if your hamster is affected by any skin diseases or has bulging eyes, you should feed him sunflower seeds.
Iron
You might be aware that hemoglobin is responsible for blood circulation in all red blood animals. For proper functioning, hemoglobin needs a certain level of iron in the body. Sunflower seeds are rich in iron. Hence, they improve the circulation of blood in the body of your hamster. Moreover, iron also contributes to making the bones of your hamster stronger.
Magnesium
Another beneficial nutrient found in the sunflower seeds is magnesium. This mineral helps in maintaining the blood pressure of your hamster.
Calcium
Everybody knows that calcium is essential for keeping the bones and teeth of any animal healthy. Sunflower seeds are loaded with calcium. This makes these seeds an excellent diet for hamsters suffering from bone or teeth problems.
Potassium
Last but not least, sunflower seeds also contain potassium. A certain amount of potassium is necessary for the body of hamsters for the proper functioning of kidneys and heart.
All of these nutrients make sunflower seeds a wholesome diet for the hamsters, packed with several benefits.
Drawbacks Of Feeding Sunflower Seeds To Your Hamster
After reading the benefits of sunflower seeds, you might be wondering about making sunflower seeds an all-time diet for your hamster. Hold your horses right there! Along with numerous benefits, there are also some drawbacks of feeding sunflower seeds to your hamster.
Down below are the cons of feeding sunflower seeds to your hamster, especially in high amounts:
- High-Fat Content- The biggest flaw of sunflower seeds is that they contain loads of fat. Consumption of fat above a certain level leads to obesity which shortens the lifespan of the hamsters.
- Presence Of Vitamin C- Where Vitamin E helps your hamster in getting better skin, Vitamin C causes diarrhea in the hamsters.
- Fill-up The Hamsters- Even consuming small amounts of sunflower seeds can make your hamster feel filled up. This means that he won’t be eating anything else. It results in the consumption of only one food item, whereas diversity is very important in hamsters’ diet.
How To Feed Sunflower Seeds To Your Hamster
Sunflower seeds shouldn’t be a part of your hamster’s main course. Instead, you should feed sunflower seeds as a treat after he has finished his food bowl. The number of sunflower seeds your hamster should eat depends upon its breed.
Below you will see the safe number of sunflower seeds per day according to their breed:
- Syrian Hamsters- 4 Sunflower seeds per day
- Robo Hamsters- 2 Sunflower seeds per day
- Dwarf Hamsters- 1 Sunflower seed per day
As the size of the breed of hamster decreases, the amount of nutrition they need also lessens. Therefore, you should stick to the list given above before giving sunflower seeds to your hamster.
FAQs
A big no! You should not give salted sunflower seeds to your hamster as they can cause severe dehydration in them.
Shelled sunflower seeds have additional benefits over their unshelled counterparts. Shelled sunflower seeds not only provide nutrition to the hamsters they also keep their teeth in shape.
Feeding Sunflower Seeds To Hamsters Explained
Sunflower seeds are packed with some extraordinarily beneficial nutrients. Due to this reason, they are regarded as one of the best hamster feeds. However, due to the same reason, it is recommended to feed sunflower seeds as treats instead of regular food.
The number of sunflower seeds your hamster can enjoy safely solely depends upon its breed.
