If you have a little hamster pet at home, then you might spend a lot of time on the internet trying to find new little treats to feed them every once in a while. It is essential to know which foods are safe for your little hamsters and which ones might be dangerous for them. If you are wondering ‘can hamsters eat pistachios,’ then the answer is yes, hamsters can eat pistachios!
However, keep in mind that the packaged pistachios contain high salt content, which is terrible for your hamsters. If you are thinking of feeding pistachios to your hamsters, then make sure you give them only raw, unsalted pistachios and not the packaged, salted ones! Here is everything you need to know about feeding pistachios to your hamsters.
Syrian hamsters are a more extensive variety of hamsters growing up to 6 inches in size. These hamsters are also more robust and can digest a variety of foods. If you are feeding pistachio nuts to your Syrian hamsters, give them only raw, unsalted pistachios, just about one or two nuts, once a week as a start.
Campbell’s Dwarf hamsters are a smaller species of hamsters, as the name ‘dwarf’ hamster suggests. These little hamsters cannot digest as many foods as their larger cousins. If you want to feed pistachio nuts to your Campbell’s dwarf hamsters, give them just one raw, unsalted pistachio nut only once in 7 to 10 days.
Winter White’s Dwarf hamsters are also another species of dwarf hamsters. If you want to give your Winter White’s Dwarf hamsters pistachio nuts, give them only the raw, unsalted variety of nuts. Start off by giving them just one nut once a week or once in 10 days.
Robowski hamsters are the larger species of hamsters, just like the Syrian hamsters. These hamsters can also digest a little more amount of foods, just like their Syrian hamster cousins. If you are thinking about giving your Robowski hamsters pistachio nuts, then you can give them one or two pieces of pistachio, only the raw and unsalted variety, once a week.
Chinese hamsters are another species of dwarf hamsters, so they too cannot digest too much food like the other smaller hamsters. You can give your Chinese hamsters one raw, unsalted pistachio nut just once a week or once in 10 days as a start.
There are several species of hamsters which still survive in the wild, where they mainly live as scavengers. These wild hamsters feed on a variety of different foods such as plants, leaves, wild berries and fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, and sometimes, even small frogs, insects and lizards.
Your pet hamsters have a much more balanced and healthy diet than these wild hamsters. Domestic hamsters eat exceptional hamster food which you will get in pet stores. With that as a regular meal, you can sometimes give your hamsters little healthy treats, such as small pieces of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains. Of course, it is essential that you know what kind of foods are healthy for your hamsters and which ones would be toxic for them.
Pistachios are a great occasional treat for your little hamsters as they contain a lot of great nutritional benefits. Pistachios have fibers, Vitamin B6, antioxidants, and potassium.
The fiber content in pistachios are great for your hamsters gut, digestive health and also helps encourage healthy bowel movements.
Vitamin B6 in pistachio nuts are vital in maintaining healthy skin, nerves, and red blood cells in your hamster’s body. The vitamin can also help in preventing the risk of related nerve disorders and issues.
Antioxidants are a compound which destroys the harmful free radicals in the body, which can damage the healthy cells. Since pistachios contain a lot of antioxidants, it helps to keep your hamster’s body fit and active.
Finally, the potassium in pistachios is excellent for bone and muscle growth and strength in your hamsters. It also helps to prevent constipation, fatigue, and even lowers high blood pressure.
The most significant risk of overfeeding pistachio nuts to your little hamsters is the high fat and cholesterol that these nuts have. Of course, if you feed your hamsters pistachio in moderation, this will not be an issue.
Too much pistachio can also cause bloating, stomach and digestive issues, and even diarrhea and constipation.
Your hamsters also have a habit of hoarding away little pieces of food into their cages. However, this can cause the pistachio nuts to rot, which will be dangerous for your hamsters if they eat the nuts later on. Make sure you always clean out your hamster’s cage and remove any uneaten pieces of food from their cages regularly.
As long as the dried pistachios do not contain any additives or salt, you can feed them to your hamsters in moderation. However, make sure that you do not feed them too much of this, maybe just one little piece of dried pistachio once a week.
It is better that you do not give the pistachio nut shells to your hamsters. In fact, most packaged pistachio nuts contain excessive salt, in the nuts themselves as well as the nut shells. Give your hamsters only raw pistachio nuts without any salt as too much salt is harmful to your little hamster pets.
As for your Syrian hamsters and Robowski hamsters, they can eat about one or two pieces of unsalted pistachio nuts just about once a week.
Your smaller hamster species such as Campbell’s dwarf hamsters, Winter White’s dwarf hamsters, and Chinese hamsters can eat just one piece of unsalted pistachio nuts only about once in 7 to 10 days.
When you are introducing a new food into your hamster’s diet, especially something like raw nuts, start off with minimal quantities just a few times a month. Do not overfeed these little treats to your hamsters. Instead, keep them on a healthy diet of exceptional hamster food and these occasional little treats.