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Because hamsters are omnivores, meaning they eat both animal- and plant-based foods, they are able to enjoy a variety of foods in their diet. That being said, their main diet should be a high-quality commercial pellet containing all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients they require to meet their nutritional needs. In addition to their daily pelleted food, hamsters love an occasional treat—and it’s always fun to watch your pet enjoy a variety of tasty snacks. Just remember that treats should never make up more than 10% of your pet's overall diet and all diet changes should be made gradually. Rapid changes to a hamster’s diet may cause stress, resulting in them eating and developing diarrhea—commonly called wet tail.
Your hamster’s nutrition should generally come from commercially available pellet food or mixes that include ingredients like oats, seeds, nuts, corn and legumes.
Many also include timothy or other kinds of grass hay which are important to this pet’s digestion. You can also provide the fruits and dark, leafy greens mentioned below as treats.
Most hamsters love leafy greens as a treat in addition to their regular pellet or seed diet. These include spinach, broccoli spears, romaine lettuce, dandelion greens and artichokes, but they can also have carrot tops, cauliflower, sweet potato, squash and yellow peas.
These should be fed in moderation and avoid iceberg lettuce as it has little nutritional value for hamsters.
Dwarf hamsters—including Chinese, Djungarian, Russian and Roborovski hamsters—have very similar diets to the golden (Syrian) hamster, in smaller quantities. Commercially available pellet or lab block food will provide the nutrition these small rodents need to stay healthy and support their higher energy levels.
Apples, bananas, strawberries and pears make good, occasional treats for dwarf hamsters as well as golden hamsters. The same preparation guidelines apply for dwarf hamsters, although you may want to cut them into smaller pieces to make them easier to eat.
Remove any uneaten fruit from your dwarf hamster habitat after 24 hours to prevent bacteria from forming.
Like their larger counterparts, dwarf hamsters enjoy leafy greens as well as cauliflower, squash, carrot tops and sweet potato to supplement to their regular diet. Make sure any vegetables you serve your dwarf hamster are washed thoroughly and cut into small pieces to prevent choking.
When your hamster deserves a little treat, consider some of the following:
Grains make up a large part of a hamster’s diet. They offer protein and carbohydrates and can come from prepared hamster mixtures or from fresh foods such as unsweetened whole grain cereal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta and unsalted, unbuttered popcorn. If offering a prepared hamster mix as a treat, be sure that it doesn’t include a large amount of high-fat nuts and seeds, as these foods promote obesity.
Fresh, organically grown greens are best. Romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, cauliflower, carrot tops, broccoli spears, spinach, sweet potato, squash, artichokes and any other dark green veggies are great choices. Avoid iceberg lettuce and other veggies or fruits—such as watermelon—that are high in water content and have little nutritional value. Remember to wash the vegetables thoroughly to remove traces of harmful pesticides and feed only small amounts of produce at a time.
Hamsters love apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, grapes and bananas. Fruit should be offered in moderation, as a supplement to their regular pelleted diet. Remove any vegetables or fruits that are not eaten within 10-12 hours so they don’t spoil.
Hay is a great gnawing food that can help keep your hamster's continuously growing teeth at a healthy length and in good condition.
As omnivores, hamsters can have some animal-based protein in their diets, such as hard-boiled eggs, cooked chicken and an occasional live mealworm or cricket. Hamsters love these high-protein treats—be sure to offer them in moderation so that they continue to eat their base diet of pellets.
Water should be available to your hamster at all times and changed daily.
Just as important as knowing what is safe to feed your pet is also knowing what not to feed your hamster. The following foods should never be offered to hamsters, as they are toxic and can cause serious medical problems:
It's important to remember that this is not an exhaustive list. So while we all want to show our pets some extra love, we need to do so in a safe and healthy way. If you have more questions on the best foods to feed your hamster, stop into your local Petco to ask a knowledgable team member for more tips.
Petco’s ACE team is a passionate group of experienced pet care experts dedicated to supporting the overall health & wellness of pets. The ACE team works to develop animal care operations and standards across the organization and promote proper animal care and education for Pet Care Center partners and pet parents, while also ensuring regulatory compliance.
