Can Hamsters Eat Granola?

Any hamster owner knows how much consideration goes into planning and controlling their pet’s diet. From water intake to dietary choices, you must be informed about the type of food and its ideal quantity that suits your hamster best. Many owners want to know if they can give granola to hamsters or not.

Can Hamsters Eat Granola? You can give granola to your hamster, depending on its breed. Eating granola occasionally in small quantities does not cause any harm to the hamsters. But, never feed granola to certain hamster breeds, such as Campbell’s Dwarf hamster, Chinese hamster, and Russian Dwarf. Granola has high sugar content, so it is not a recommended food for those breeds as they are more prone to diabetes.

Can Hamsters Eat Granola

In this article, we will talk about the nutritional value, health risks, and other essential information about granola and hamsters.

Can Hamsters Eat Granola?

You can feed a tiny amount of granola to your hamsters. Besides that, occasionally eating a small spoon of granola is not poisonous for hamsters. But, providing in high amounts will result in numerous and severe health issues.

Granola is a snack food that comprises different ingredients like oats, seeds, nuts, and dried fruit. However, depending on the brand, some have honey, sugar, while others have chocolate. Granola is a high-carb food and has considerable amounts of fiber and sugars. Before giving granola to the hamster, check the ingredients. Avoid the granola that contains chocolate because it could become toxic to your pet.

If you want to give granola to your pet, make sure to put a tiny amount in its food bowl so it would not get hurt. Also, do not include granola in its daily diet and never replace the hamster’s original diet.

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Nutritional Value Of Granola

Granola is a food rich in calories as well as protein and fiber. As there are many brands available, the nutritional content in granola often varies according to the ingredients used. However, here is a breakdown of what Kelloggs Low Fat Granola contains:

  • Calories – 195
  • Protein – 4.4 grams
  • Fat – 2.9 grams
  • Carbs – 40.5 grams
  • Fiber – 3.5 grams
  • Sugar – 14.2 grams

Granola is rich in calories, fiber, protein and also contains micronutrients. In addition to that, this food can offer considerable amounts of iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, B vitamins, and vitamin E.

Some brands of granola may be higher in carbs and sugar, while others may have more protein and fiber with higher calories and fat intake. Keep in mind that you can always choose the healthiest option by opting for ones with fewer fats, sugar, and calories.

Is Granola Safe For Hamsters Of All Breeds?

No, granola is not a safe food for all hamsters. Make sure not to feed granola to your hamster if it belongs to the following breeds:

  • Chinese hamster
  • Russian Dwarf 
  • Campbell’s Dwarf hamster

These three hamster breeds are more vulnerable to diabetes. Granola is rich in calories from added fats, and it contains high sugar levels. Because of that, if you feed granola to these hamsters, they might get diabetes. Other risks include obesity, and sometimes your pet might suffer from severe health dangers. 

If you have a Syrian or a Roborovski breed hamster, tiny amounts of granola are safe. You can put a small portion of granola in their food bowl as an occasional treat.

Is Granola Bad For Hamsters?

In general, eating granola in small quantities would not do any bad to your hamsters. But, make sure not to offer this food for particular hamster breeds.

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Firstly, granola contains high levels of sugar, which is not good for your pet. Besides that, eating sugary food increases the risk of diabetes in hamsters which can sometimes lead to death.

Granola has different types of nuts and dried fruits. Your tiny hamster can not chew on the big nuts at once, and also the sharp pieces increase the risk of choking. Plus, most of the nuts contain high amounts of fat and calories. Because of that, granola is not a recommended food for hamsters.

Based on the brand, a few granolas have high salt levels. You should not give foods that are rich in sodium to your pet. Sodium can result in severe dehydration issues in hamsters because their original diet does not contain much amount of water. Also, the total phosphorus content is dangerous to your pet’s health.

How Often Can I Give Granola To The Hamster?

In short, occasionally feeding granola in tiny amounts to your hamster is good, for example, once in a month or two months. But, you should look at the ingredients and make sure that it does not contain harmful substances such as chocolate, bitter almonds, peanuts, chemicals, and excessive artificial preservatives.

The hamster’s diet should generally contain the following foods:

  • Hamster pellets, fresh fruits, and vegetables (blackberries, peaches, mango, and leafy greens)
  • Protein (hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, tofu, and tiny pieces of lean chicken) 
  • Cereals and grains (oats, whole wheat crackers, plain bread, and healthy cereals)

If you are feeding granola for the first time to your hamster, give only a minor amount. After that, keep an eye on your pet for the next 24 hours. If the hamster releases soft stools, make sure not to feed granola to your pet again and contact the local veterinarian.

Do Hamsters Like To Eat Granola?

Yes, many hamsters like to eat granola. Some of them even refuse to consume their natural diet, which could become dangerous. Because of that, you should not give granola to your pet too often. Besides that, make sure to limit the amount as well.

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Can I Give A Granola Bar To The Hamster?

It is better not to give granola bars to your pet. These bars are prepared from various components, such as rolled oats, seeds, nuts, dried fruit, coconut, honey, and chocolate chips. Based on the brand, a few granola bars have butter, sugar, oils, and even sugar syrup. Some granola bars also contain gluten.

Most of the above ingredients are not healthy for the hamster. Some of them could lead to serious health conditions. Considering all these reasons, it would be better if you did not feed granola bars to your pet.

Can Baby Hamsters Eat Granola?

No, you should never feed granola to a baby hamster. Compared to the grownup hamster, a baby hamster has a delicate digestive system. Due to that, they can not digest granola properly, which leads to severe digestive problems.

You can only give high protein foods to the baby hamsters because it is healthy for them. Also, a baby hamster has a higher protein requirement than an adult pet.

Bottom Line 

Granola is a healthy snack for humans, but it does not have many health benefits to hamsters. You can feed granola to your pet that does not contain chocolate, peanuts, and other harmful substances. Remember that only a few hamster breeds can eat granola.

Stop feeding granola to your hamster if it has become sick after eating that, and make sure to take your pet to the veterinarian. To summarize this article, you can give a tiny amount of granola to your hamster without any problems. But, keep in mind that granola is not a recommended food for hamsters. Besides that, it is not safe for all breeds of hamsters.