Can hamsters eat lettuce? Lettuce is one of the most popular leafy vegetable that is known to be a good source of vitamin A. Though hamsters can eat lettuce, one must avoid its regular consumption. Feeding your hamsters with excess amount of lettuce can cause health problems for them and affect their internal organs.
Can Hamsters Eat Lettuce And Why Its Excessive Usage Can Be Harmful For Them?
Giving lettuce to your hamster once in a while in lesser quantities is allowed but it should never be included in their regular diet. Consuming leafy vegetables that have a high water content affects the hamster’s health and causes bladder problems, gastritis, kidney and liver infections. If you start giving them lettuce on a regular basis then it will affect their kidney and liver. In fact, iceberg lettuce is a big no-no for the mammal as it causes infections and does not provide proper source of nutrients to your pet. Romaine lettuce can be given to hamsters but only as a treat and tiny quantities.
Lettuce Facts
These low calorie vegetables contain huge amount of phyto-nutrients and help in preventing various life threatening diseases. In case of humans, this is considered to be one of the best source of nutrients. However, when it comes to hamsters, one must have proper knowledge of these vegetables so that it does not cause any inflammation to them. There are different variants of lettuce that includes:
Loose leaf lettuce: This group of vegetables include red oak leaf, green oak leaf, lolla-rosa and valeria. They are known for their flavourful and tender leaves.
Butter-head: As the name suggests, these leaves have buttery texture and come in loose heads.
Celtuce: These are Chinese varieties of lettuces that are tapering and are long in size. It is a bit different from its other counterparts and is known for its long stem size.
Summer crisp: It has a crunchy texture and loose leaves. They have dense heads and are one of the best sources of essential nutrients.
Romaine lettuce: This form of vegetable has firm ribs that grow until the extreme tip of its leaves. It is grown in different parts of the USA and has a sturdy texture.
Lettuce has various disease prevention properties and it has been found that they can help humans fight Alzheimer’s disease. But in case of these small omnivorous animals, the case is different and it tends to cause infection in their internal organs.
Foods Considered Safe For Hamsters
Including fresh vegetables and fruits in your hamster’s diet can give them a strong immune system to fight with diseases. But it is important to have an idea of the food that is good for them and does not cause any kind of infection or inflammation in their body. You should also make sure that you provide them these foods in the right quantities as excess of anything is bad.
Nuts and seeds are enjoyed by hamsters and they are known to be the best in all aspects. But even while feeding seeds you must keep the positives and negatives in mind. Seeds have huge fat content and this can cause the hamster’s body to heat up. Providing seeds in very small quantities is good enough but its excessive usage will increase the fat content in the body and cause inflammation.
Green vegetables are considered to be treats for your pet hamster but before providing it to your hammy make sure that you have full knowledge of the quantity that is best suitable for them. Cucumber has good amount of water content and it can keep the body hydrated. But make sure you cut it and feed very small slices to avoid excessive consumption.
Avoid sticky food and only feed those food materials that are easy to digest. If the hamster is not able to digest anything properly then it gets stuck in their stomach or their dry mouth pouches that affects the internal lining of their body. If the animal faces such problems then you should take them to the vet without wasting much time.
Steps To Be Taken When The Hamster Faces Internal Infection Or Inflammation
The best step to be taken during any kind of infection is to take them to a vet and ask them for the best solution. Providing them with proper amount of water and the medical solution given by your vet would help the hamster in recovering fast. Whatever you feed them should be given in room temperature and while providing boiled food products, you must make sure that they cool down before the hamster consumes it. These small mammals are known to be prone to infections and diseases like gastritis, diarrhoea, liver problems, etc. You should also make sure that you don’t feed them food that has high glucose content as it can cause diabetes to your pet.
References:
http://www.petwebsite.com/hamsters/hamster_fruit_vegetables.asp#.VcID4_mqqko
https://www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/small-furries/diet
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/lettuce.html
Leave a Comment