If you’re a hamster owner, you probably want to let your pet enjoy a variety of foods. While you look for different snacks or foods to add to their diet, you should also find out what is safe for your hamster and what is not.
Hamsters love to eat. But at the same time, they have tiny, sensitive stomachs that can quickly get affected when exposed to toxic substances.
Hence, you need to be super wary about their dietary intake and ensure that they only eat healthy, nutrient-dense foods. A diet consisting of whole grains, seeds, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables is generally advised for these furry little friends.
Today we will discuss the fruit avocado and find out if you can give it to your hamster safely.
Contents
Avocado Nutritional Information
Before you feed any new food to your pet hammy, it’s a good idea to find out what it actually contains. This fleshy green colored fruit has a brown skin and a uniquely sweet flavor. Here is what one medium-sized avocado would approximately have in it.
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 670 kJ (160 kcal)
Carbohydrates 8.53 g
Sugars 0.66 g
Dietary fiber 6.7 g
Fat 14.66 g
Saturated 2.13 g
Monounsaturated 9.80 g
Polyunsaturated 1.82 g
Protein 2 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv.
beta-carotene
lutein zeaxanthin
(1%) 7 μg
(1%) 62 μg
271 μg
Thiamine (B1) (6%) 0.067 mg
Riboflavin (B2) (11%) 0.13 mg
Niacin (B3) (12%) 1.738 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
(28%) 1.389 mg
Vitamin B6 (20%) 0.257 mg
Folate (B9) (20%) 81 μg
Vitamin C (12%) 10 mg
Vit E (14%) 2.07 mg
Vitamin K (20%) 21 μg
Minerals
Calcium (1%) 12 mg
Iron (4%) 0.55 mg
Magnesium (8%) 29 mg
Manganese (7%) 0.142 mg
Phosphorus (7%) 52 mg
Potassium (10%) 485 mg
Sodium (0%) 7 mg
Zinc (7%) 0.64 mg
Other constituents
Water 73.23 g
Fluoride 7 µg
Should Hamsters eat Avocado?
Hamsters can safely eat avocado as they don’t contain any toxic elements. But are avocados nutritious for them? Probably not.
Just like coconuts, avocados are quite high when it comes to fat content. Hence, we can’t recommend avocados as a particularly healthy food for your pet hammy.
But, in a very limited amount, it is possible to feed it to your hamster without major side effects or health risks. But, technically speaking, it can still be possibly risky to feed fatty foods to your hamster.
So, we don’t really advise this.
Risks of Eating Avocados for Hamsters
Avocados have a number of good nutrients present in them. They contain a number of vitamins and minerals that are known to improve health. But then, why are avocados not a healthy choice for hamsters?
Well due to the high percentage of fat, the negatives simply outweigh the benefits.
The high calories present in avocado are the reason we advise against giving this fruit to hamsters. The high caloric intake can easily lead to obesity in hamsters. Plus, if your hamster starts to like this tasty fruit, it will want to eat it in high amounts.
Furthermore, hamsters, being genetically prone to diabetes should be extra careful with what they eat.
Avocados are also not recommended as the fruit contains a substance called persin. This substance can make any rodents’ stomach sick. And we cannot guarantee that it won’t cause any problems in your hamster.
In addition, avocados are of a sticky, flesh-like consistency that also poses a threat. As hamsters love to store food in their cheek pouches for extended periods of time, the fruit might get stuck in there and result in a pouch abcess.
An impacted cheek pouch can create many health complications, and even result in tooth decay as the food begins to rot inside the hamsters’ cheeks.
Like we said before, technically, avocados are not outright harmful. But, there is a possibility of risk involved and there are no substantial benefits that only this fruit can offer to your pet.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, you can decide what to feed to your pet hammy. But we prioritize safety and health and our advice is to steer clear from feeding avocados to your hamster.
You can look for many other fresh fruits for your hamster that are much healthier alternatives. These fruits include bananas, apples, pears, strawberries, grapes, mangoes and blueberries.
However, when feeding fruits to your hamster, try to limit the amount you give. Only 3 times a week, in small portions is considered ideal for hamsters. You should also not give them fruits as a stable food or an alternative to their main diet, consisting of seeds and grains.
Choose wisely for your pet hammy. Always avoid all fruits with high calories or extra sugar as they will negatively impact their health in the long term. We hope this article was useful for you and your furry friend.
