Hamsters are small, adorable animals that belong to the Cricetinae sub-family. In the wild, they often live underground to avoid predators. However, they are very common household pets. Their elongated cheeks and small size makes them loveable and perfect as a pet. When looking after your pet hamster, it is essential to take care of its diet and serve the right food to ensure its overall wellbeing. While hamsters can consume several types of vegetables, our question many pet owners may have asked themselves is, can hamsters eat spinach? Let’s find out.
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Let Us Explore What Spinach Is
To determine whether it is healthy for hamsters or not, we should first take a look at what spinach is. Spinach is a superfood. It is full of vitamins and minerals required for a healthy body. Also, the vegetable is rich in fiber and remarkably very low in calories. Spinach is also full of anti-oxidants which purify and cleanse your body.
Centuries of research shows that his vegetable is hugely beneficial for us humans. Spinach provides nourishment to the skin and strength to hair and bones. This is because the vegetable contains protein and tons of iron. However, these studies on spinach only work for human beings in general. So, the real question on the effect they have on hamsters still need to be investigated further.
Spinach Leaves and Hamsters
A recent study conducted by the ASPCA discovered that feeding leaves to hamsters along with other forms of veggies is beneficial for them. Spinach is one of the best kinds of abundant nutrition food for hamsters. However, you should feed it to your pet in moderate amounts. If the hamster does not consume some of the leaves, remove them.
If you find some spinach leaves in the cage, throw them away as they can rot. Generally, bad foods are hazardous for the health of a hamster. Not just spinach leaves, in particular, any sort of rotten fruit or vegetable will severely affect a hamster’s health. Also, you should rinse the vegetable appropriately before serving it to the hamster to avoid any health issues later on.
Benefits of Spinach for Hamsters
A little dosage of spinach leaves will give loads of vitamins to your hamster. These specifically include Vitamin A, C, and K. It will also provide folate, riboflavin, niacin, and potassium to your pet hamster. Even better, spinach will keep a steady blood pressure inside its body and make it less prone to diseases.
Adding spinach to your hamster’s diet will also improve its digestive system and allow it to have more effective bowel functions. Studies also suggest that spinach detoxifies a hamster’s body which helps to take out all the undigested, toxic food particles out of its system. Detoxification also helps them get rid of harmful bacteria which may cause serious diseases later on.
Moreover, spinach intake also ensures better cardiac health for a hamster and increases her life expectancy. Surely, you would want your little buddy to stay around for as long as it takes, right? Lastly, all these benefits mix up and make your hamster pet more energized overall. Higher energy levels inside your pet are essential.
This not only ensures that your pet is healthy but also means that your pet will play with you more often and will always be your best friend.
How to feed Spinach to Hamsters?
As mentioned above, a small proportion of spinach is enough for your pet to digest. A hamster is tiny and cannot take big bites off the spinach leaves. You must break down the leaves into small pieces. This way, your hamster pet will be able to chew it easily. 4-5 small pieces of spinach leaves are enough for a meal.
However, if your hamster is still hungry, you can add more. Keep in mind to never overdose your little pet with something that sounds very nutritious. It is true that spinach contains all the vital nutrients for the healthy growth of your hamster, but overdosing it will bring about a serious of problems as well.
The best and proper way to serve spinach leaves to your hamster is to serve them with water. You should replace your hamster’s water on a regular basis. While feeding a leafy vegetable to your pet hamster, it is essential to provide some water with it too. This is because leafy greens are full of fiber. Fiber requires proper water level in the blood to travel and digest properly.
Also, if it is the first time you are giving some spinach to your hamster, feed him in small portions. Observe if it causes adverse reactions in them and whether your pet wants to eat the same thing again or not. Changes of diet can create stress in animals, so always tread carefully with new diets. This does not only apply to spinach but, any new food in general.
What Happens If You Feed Too Much Spinach To Hamsters?
Overfeeding vegetables to hamsters can cause diarrhea, and spinach is no exception. Spinach is full of iron. Yes, this is an advantage, but too much iron in a hamster’s system can cause severe issues. Spinach may cause constipation and blood pressure could also hike.
Gastrointestinal issues are also a common problem associated with consuming too much spinach. A clear sign of this is excess gas. Be careful and observe your pet hamster check if it shows any symptoms like cramps or bloating. If it does, consult a vet immediately.
Though it is not very likely, too much spinach can also lead to kidney stones as well. Feeding your hamster more than its body’s requirement can cause obesity. Obesity is difficult to manage and could lead to more severe problems in your little furball. Moderation is always the key. Start by giving small proportions to your hamster and increase the quantity gradually if it likes it.
Conclusion
Vegetables, and by extension spinach, are great for everyone. They have their benefits for humans and animals. Adding them to your hamster’s diet will surely benefit the pet. It will improve their overall health and wellbeing, as well as make them livelier.
Just be careful not to overdose any food, in general. Animals cannot speak to you to let you know they’ve had enough. However, they will show some signals, and it’s upon you as a pet owner to read these signals right.
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