Can Hamsters Eat Cabbage?

Those who have furry little hamster pets at home know how delightful it is to feed them a little treat and watch them enjoy nibbling on them. When it comes to feeding your hamsters, you should know that while these tiny creatures eat almost everything, you need to be careful about what you are feeding them. Hamsters are small creatures, and to keep them healthy, you need to feed them safe foods in moderation. If you are wondering ‘can hamsters eat cabbage,’ then the answer is yes, hamsters can eat cabbage!

Here is everything you need to know about whether you can feed cabbage to your hamsters or not, and how much you should feed them to keep them healthy.

Syrian hamsters are a popular species of hamsters kept as pets in many homes. These hamsters are more giant in size and are quite robust and playful. You can feed your Syrian hamsters ½ a teaspoon serving of cabbage about once or twice a week only. Cabbage is a natural diuretic, and too much of this vegetable can cause digestive issues in your hamsters, so feed them cabbage in moderation!

Campbell’s Dwarf hamsters are a smaller species of hamsters or a species of ‘dwarf’ hamsters. You can feed these hamsters a tiny portion of cabbage, approximately one-inch part just once every 10 days. Since the dwarf hamsters are much smaller than the other species of hamsters, you have to feed them a lesser quantity of foods if you don’t want them to get a runny stomach or stomach pains.

Winter whites dwarf hamsters are similar to Campbell’s dwarf hamsters. You can feed them a small portion of cabbage once in ten days, but remember not to overfeed them, as you do not want them to suffer from digestive issues.

Roborovski hamsters are more similar to Syrian hamsters rather than Dwarf hamsters. You can feed your Roborovski hamsters a small portion of cabbage, about ½ a teaspoon serving of cabbage once or twice a week.

Chinese hamsters are another species of dwarf hamsters which make excellent pets! While these hamsters are quite playful and active, you should not overfeed them as it can cause stomach issues. Give them a small portion of cabbage just once in ten days to ensure that they remain healthy.

There are several species of hamsters which still survive in the wild. Here, they are scavengers and mainly have an omnivorous diet, which means that they eat both plants as well as animals. In the wild, hamsters survive on a mixed diet of fruits and vegetables, plants, leaves, nuts, grains and seeds. Of course, they will also eat small insects, frogs, and lizards if they can get their hands on it.

As for domesticated hamsters, you can keep them on a healthy, balanced diet of exceptional hamster food which you will find in pet stores. Other than this, you can feed them the occasional treats such as small pieces of fruits, vegetables, leaves, nuts, and seeds.

Are there any benefits of feeding cabbage to your hamsters?

Cabbage is a leafy green vegetable which has a mild taste and is not toxic to hamsters. You can feed your hamsters this vegetable as a treat every once in a while. Cabbage has a lot of antioxidant properties, Vitamin K and Vitamin C and dietary fibers.

Antioxidants are a compound which can neutralize the harmful free radicals in your hamster’s body, which are responsible for aging, genetic mutations, heart diseases, and even some forms of cancer! Since cabbage has a lot of antioxidants, the vegetable is very beneficial for your hamsters.

Vitamin K regulates the blood calcium levels in your hamster’s body and is also responsible for bone metabolism.

Vitamin C is an excellent compound for boosting your hamster’s immune system, maintaining the bone, teeth, and cartilage and even for formation of collagen.

The dietary fibers in cabbage help regulate your hamster’s bowel movements and digestive system, keeping them healthy and happy.

Are there any risks to feeding cabbage to your hamsters?

While cabbage has these incredible beneficial properties for hamsters, it is not one of those vegetables which you should give your hamsters regularly.

Cabbage can cause your little hamsters to develop stomach pains and aches, diarrhea, bloating, and stomach and digestive issues. Cabbage is also a known diuretic, which means that your hamsters might suffer from excessive urination if you feed them too much of this vegetable.

If you must feed cabbage to your hamsters, remember to keep it in moderation and feed them only as much as you are allowed to.

Can hamsters eat dried cabbage?

Yes, hamsters can eat dried cabbage. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that you should not overfeed this to your hamsters, as it can cause stomach issues, bloating, and diarrhea.

If you want to feed dried cabbage to your hamsters, give them only one small piece of it once a week (for Syrian and Robowksi hamsters) and once in ten days (for dwarf hamsters).

Can hamsters eat cabbage stems?

In general, you should not feed cabbage stem to your hamsters as the stem can be quite hard for them to chew on. However, you could cut off a tiny portion of the step and give it to them just to see how they react to it. They might even enjoy chewing and nibbling on the stem, if not wholly consuming it. Avoid giving the cabbage step to your dwarf hamsters.

Remember to give them only a tiny portion of the stem when you are feeding them.

How much cabbage should you feed your hamsters?

When it comes to your Syrian and Roborovski hamsters, you can feed them a ½ teaspoon of cabbage once or twice a week, but not more, as it may cause stomach and digestive issues including diarrhea and bloat.

As for your dwarf hamsters like Campbell’s dwarf hamsters, Chinese hamsters, and winter white dwarf hamsters, you can feed them a 1-inch portion of cabbage leaf once every ten days.

Conclusion

Cabbage is a healthy option for your hamsters, only if you give it to them in moderation. Keep your hamsters on a healthy diet of exceptional hamster food and the occasional fruits and vegetables as a treat!