Last updated on January 22nd, 2023 at 07:34 pm
Keeping hamsters means constant care and attention so our pets can be healthy and happy. Nutrition is undoubtedly part of that attention; therefore, we must be careful what we feed our hamsters.
You must sometimes wonder if you should give some sweet potatoes to your pets.
Can hamsters eat sweet potatoes? Yes, hamsters can eat sweet potatoes, but in moderation to reap the benefits of this vegetable. By eating sweet potatoes, hamsters will get a large number of vitamins and minerals that will improve their health and extend their lifespan.
In today’s article, you will find out how much sweet potato hamsters can eat and the benefits and risks of this vegetable.
What do you need to know about sweet potatoes?
The sweet potato is not actually a potato; it is a root vegetable from South Africa.
Sweet potatoes are now grown all over the world, and most of 70 percent are in China.
Sweet potatoes contain many nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are excellent for the health of hamsters, so they should be included in their food menu.
Can hamsters eat sweet potatoes?
Yes, hamsters can eat sweet potatoes; they are entirely safe for eating, as long as they eat moderate amounts of this vegetable.
Hamsters can eat sweet potatoes and use the benefits of this vegetable to improve their health.
When you give sweet potatoes to your hamster you need to remove the skin because is not healthy and can contain chemicals that are bad for your pet.
The flesh inside the sweet potatoes is suitable for eating for your hamsters.
In order for hamsters to eat sweet potatoes, they should be cooked without any additives such as salt or other sweeteners.
Will hamsters like to eat sweet potatoes?
Yes, hamsters will want to eat sweet potatoes or eat as much as you give them, but you should be careful that the amount is moderate.
Although most hamsters will like to eat sweet potatoes, it can always happen that one of them refuses to eat this vegetable.
But that should not worry you, there are a number of other types of vegetables that hamsters will love to eat such as carrots, artichokes, spinach, and many others.
How many sweet potatoes can hamsters eat?
As we said, hamsters can eat sweet potatoes, but depending on their breed and the amount they can consume is different.
Syrian hamsters can eat the most sweet potatoes, while dwarf hamsters the least.
So let’s see in more detail which breed of hamsters can eat how many sweet potatoes.
How many sweet potatoes can Syrian hamsters eat?
Syrian hamsters are the largest breed of hamsters; therefore, they can always eat the most sweet potato and any other food.
Syrian hamsters should eat one teaspoon of sweet potato per week, or half a teaspoon twice a week.
Their strong digestive system can process this amount of sweet potato and make the most of the nutrients.
How many sweet potatoes can Robo-hamsters eat?
Since Robo hamsters are smaller than Syrian hamsters, they can eat smaller amounts of sweet potatoes.
Robo hamsters should eat a teaspoon of sweet potato once every two weeks.
It may seem like a little, but it’s just enough to allow this breed of hamster to absorb the nutrients from the sweet potato to improve their health.
How many sweet potatoes can dwarf hamsters eat?
Dwarf hamster breeds including Campbell, Russian and Chinese hamsters are very small, and therefore they cannot eat large amounts of food, whether it is sweet potatoes or any other food.
Dwarf hamsters can eat 1/4 tablespoon of sweet potato per week, that’s quite enough for them.
Although this amount is too small, they will get the nutrients they need to be healthy even with this amount.
How to give sweet potatoes to hamsters?
First and foremost is to wash the sweet potato before cooking it, thus removing any chemicals that may have been used in growing it.
When cooking, you should not add salt or other additives, which can only harm your hamster’s health.
When you cook the sweet potato, 10 minutes is enough, because if you boil it longer, some of the nutrients of this vegetable will be lost.
In the beginning, when he needs to try a sweet potato for the first time, it is best that you, as the owner, give him a small amount to try.
In this way, you will encourage your pet to try the sweet potato, because, by nature, hamsters are timid, and at the same time, you will strengthen the trust between owner and pet.
When you give him a small piece to try, watch his reaction to seeing if he likes it or not.
If he likes it, fine, and if he doesn’t like it, don’t give him more, he doesn’t need to eat something he doesn’t like.
Can hamsters eat sweet potato leaves?
Yes, hamsters can eat sweet potato leaves, but always in moderation.
Eating small pieces of leaves can adjust hamster health, so these sweet potato leaves are a good healthy snack for your hamsters.
You can give hamsters just small amounts of sweet potato leaves once a week, but do not give them to baby hamsters, they cannot eat sweet potato leaves.
Can hamsters eat sweet potatoes skin?
No, hamsters cannot eat sweet potatoes skin because of molds.
Molds are often found in the skin and can harm hamsters’ digestive systems.
So you always must remove the skin from sweet potatoes before you give them root vegetables from the inside.
What to do if hamsters eat too many sweet potatoes?
If the hamsters overeat sweet potatoes, you should not panic, there probably won’t be any terrible health consequences, which does not mean that the same thing should be repeated in the future.
Please give it a more significant amount of water, so that it is easier to cook the excessive amount of this vegetable.
In such situations, diarrhea may occur, which should pass within 24 hours, otherwise take your pet to the vet.
Also bloating and stomach pains can be other bad effects when hamsters overeat sweet potatoes.
read more: Can Hamsters Eat Garlic?
Can baby hamsters eat sweet potatoes?
No, baby hamsters should not eat sweet potatoes for the first few weeks of their lives.
They should eat special food, water, and breast milk in the first weeks.
After prior consultation, you can start giving small amounts of sweet potato to the baby hamsters.
read more: Can Hamsters Eat Sesame Seeds?
What are the benefits of sweet potatoes for hamsters?
Sweet potatoes offer excellent health benefits to hamsters, as long as they are consumed in moderation; in fact, the same is true of almost all types of food.
Here are some of the benefits for hamsters of eating sweet potatoes:
- vitamin C – is the most important vitamin for the health of hamsters, which they cannot produce on their own and therefore have to get it through food. A deficiency of this vitamin causes the appearance of a dangerous disease, scurvy, which can be fatal for your pet.
- Proteins are the primary source of energy for hamsters, so by eating sweet potatoes, they can play and run all day.
- calcium – is an excellent mineral in the composition of sweet potatoes that allows proper growth and development of bones in hamsters.
- vitamin B5 – which is also known as pantothenic acid helps to process food into energy more easily, which is of great importance for hamsters, and not only that, this acid improves the formation of blood cells.
- fiber – present in the sweet potato allows better digestion of food and overall better work of hamsters’ digestive system.
- iron – this allows hamsters to have healthier blood and prevents anemia.
- low fat – which allows hamsters to have good cholesterol levels and reduce the chances of disease.
- vitamin D – helps hamsters have healthy bones and teeth, and we know that teeth are very important for properly processing food when they eat it.
- vitamin A – is a very important vitamin for hamsters, especially for improving their vision, because they naturally have very poor vision.
What are the side effects of sweet potatoes for hamsters?
If hamsters eat too much sweet potato, their health will have many side effects, so moderation is essential when feeding any food to hamsters.
Here are some of the possible side effects on their health:
- weight gain – if they eat too much sweet potato, hamsters will gain weight and have problems with movement and coordination of their body.
- diarrhea – if they eat too much sweet potato, the hamsters will ingest too much fiber, which will result in diarrhea.
- Choking – can occur if hamsters eat large pieces of sweet potato, so always give them small pieces to eat.
- digestive problems – too much sweet potato will be difficult to process in their digestive system, and your pet will get stomach aches and diarrhea.
- stomach pains and flatulence – because the sweet potato contains the carbohydrate beta D-fructofuranoside, which is not digested in their stomach, but ferments in the large intestine, causing pain and flatulence in hamsters.
Conclusion
Hamsters can freely eat sweet potato, it is completely safe for them, as long as they eat it in moderation.
One teaspoon per week or less depending on the breed of hamster is quite enough to meet their nutrient needs.
If they eat moderately sweet potatoes, hamsters will have better digestion, protection from scurvy, a healthier heart, lower cholesterol, and other benefits.
If they eat too much sweet potato, diarrhea, weight gain, choking and other health problems may occur.
Give moderate amounts of sweet potatoes to your hamster and watch them enjoy eating this healthy vegetable.
