It’s important for hamster owners to know what foods are good and what foods are potentially harmful for their pets. That’s because hamsters will munch on just about anything that’s given to them!
While cucumbers are a great option for an occasional fresh-food treat for hammies, pickled foods are not OK. Any vinegar-based food can be lethal to hamsters because they are too acidic and very high in sodium.
Read on to learn more about why you shouldn’t feed pickles to your hamster.
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Nutritional Information of Pickles and Fresh Cucumbers
There is a whopping 283 milligrams of sodium in one pickle spear. A hamster-sized serving of one pickle slice (7 grams) would give your hamster 56.6 milligrams of sodium. That is a dangerously high level of salt that could kill your hamster.
Pickles also contain spices, vinegars and other flavors that are very harmful to hamsters.
All the good nutrition of a pickle comes from the cucumber itself. So why not feed your hammy a fresh vegetable instead of something loaded with salt and vinegar? This also goes for olives, which are just as bad.
A 7-gram slice of cucumber contains the following nutritional values:
- Water: 6.77 grams
- Calories: 0.7
- Protein: 0.041 grams
- Fat: 0.011 grams
- Carbohydrate: 0.151 grams
- Fiber: 0.049 grams
- Sugars: 0.097 grams
- Calcium: 0.98 milligrams
- Iron: 0.015 milligrams
- Phosphorus: 1.47 milligrams
- Potassium: 9.52 milligrams
- Vitamin C: 0.224 milligrams
- Vitamin B-6: 0.004 milligrams
- Vitamin A: 0.28 micrograms
- Vitamin K: 0.504 micrograms
- Sodium: 0.14 milligrams
There is an incredible difference in the sodium content between a pickle and a fresh cucumber. A pickle contains over 404% more sodium than a fresh cucumber! Wow!
Health Concerns of Pickles
Salt dehydrates hamsters. The amount of sodium in pickles is at a dangerously high level and could potentially lethally dehydrate a hamster.
Vinegar is highly acidic. On the pH scale, it’s actually even more acidic than lemon juice!
Vinegar causes gastrointestinal upset and creates dangerous imbalances in hamsters’ tummies. Highly acidic foods like vinegar cause hamsters to have diarrhea.
Diarrhea in Hamsters
For an animal as tiny as a hamster, diarrhea can be very dangerous. It can very quickly dehydrate a hamster. If dehydration is bad enough, a hamster could die.
If your hamster is experiencing diarrhea, make sure it replaces its lost water. Provide it with an ongoing supply in its water dish. If your hammy isn’t drinking water on its own, use a water dropper, and take it to the vet as quickly as possible.
The double-effect of dehydrating salt and dehydrating diarrhea caused by vinegar is the reason why pickled foods are lethal for hamsters.
Feeding Fresh Cucumbers to Hamsters
Large hamster breeds (Syrians and Roborovskis) can have one to two slices of fresh cucumber each week. Limit dwarf hamsters to no more than one slice a week.
Keep your hamster healthy and happy by never feeding them pickled cucumbers or any other pickled foods!
