No, your hamster cannot eat guinea pig food. Having one guinea pig meal will not affect your hamster in any way. However, your hamster should not eat guinea pig food regularly. It is because guinea pigs being herbivores, have entirely different nutritional needs than hamsters which are omnivores.
In this article, we will break down the facts about why your hamster should not eat guinea pig food. So, let’s jump in!
Why Should Hamsters Not Eat Guinea Pig Food?
The first thing you should know is that guinea pigs are herbivores and hamsters are omnivores. Both are rodents, but there is a hell of a difference between their nutritional requirements. Being omnivores, hamsters eat grass, fruits, veggies, grains, and meat. On the other hand, guinea pigs only need plant food to flourish. Their diet does not encompass any meat content.
Since both species’ habitat is different, their nutritional needs also differ. Hamsters are subjected to cold weather, and that’s why they need proteins to keep themselves warm, whereas guinea pigs are prone to moderate climate and grassland; consequently, their diet consists of plants only.
Suppose you give guinea pig food to your hamster. In that case, it will suffer from protein deficiency that could cause various health complications ranging from the weakening of muscles to reproductive inefficiency.
What Should Hamsters Eat?
There is some similarity in the diet of hamsters and guinea pigs. Since protein plays an essential role in hamsters’ nourishment, you should formulate their diet appropriately. The hamster diet should comprise of following elements:
Protein-Based Diet
Meat is the primary source of proteins for hamsters. If your hamster gets enough proteins from high-quality plant sources like grains and nuts, they don’t need to eat meat. However, there is no harm in giving a small piece of chicken, steak, or ham as a special treat. In fact, they will enjoy this very much. Meat should be cooked properly before serving since hamsters are prone to foodborne deceases like diarrhea as humans.
Make sure your meat is cooled down thoroughly before you serve it to the hamster so that they do not harm themselves by burning their hands, feet, or mouth.
Fruits and Vegetables
They encompass a large portion of the hamster’s natural diet. Fresh fruits and veggies should be given to hamsters every day since they constitute a large part of the vitamin and minerals required for their growth and proper body functioning. Hamsters like to eat small pieces of carrots, cucumber, roman lettuce, sweet potato, banana, blueberries, and oranges.
You can feed your hamster any fresh vegetable or fruit according to her preferences in a restrained amount. The recommended amount is a chuck of two fruits and veggies a day to avoid any digestive system anomaly. You can also consider feeding dry Fruits to hamsters but with caution.
Commercial Food
You should feed quality commercial food as their primary source of nutrition to your hamster. This food contains a correct mixture of proteins, fibers, fats, and carbs that are necessary for a healthy body. In addition, many commercial foods contain dried fruits and veggies to enhance flavor and texture. You can buy any high-quality commercial foods from any pet store.
FAQs
Yes, your hamster can eat gerbils’ food since they have fundamentally similar dietary needs. However, it is recommended that hamster should be served their specified commercial food.
One Or two meals may not affect a hamster, but regular feeding can be dangerous for your hamsters since it contains high levels of Vitamin C that could be harmful to hamsters. It can also harm the inner side of the hamster’s mouth as the pellets are not designed to be kept in a pouch.
Hamsters and Guinea Pig Food Summed Up
Hamsters cannot be fed guinea pig food as their nutritional requirements are very different from guinea pigs. Give your hamster an adequately balanced diet that includes commercial food, meat, fresh veggies, and fruits. However, healthy treats like peanut butter and crackers can also be served but in limited amounts and frequency.
Stick to your hamster’s natural diet, avoid experimentation with her diet, and try to be consistent as possible because it is the question of your little friend’s health and well-being.
