Maybe you have a hamster and a bunny, and you’re wondering if they can share meals. Or perhaps you bought rabbit chow by mistake and are unsure whether you can feed it to your hamster.
Do hamsters have access to rabbit food? The quick answer is yes, but there are a few restrictions. While certain rabbit chow is acceptable for hamsters, you should NOT feed your hammy other varieties. We’ll examine what rabbit food is suitable for your hamster’s health and what is not.
Diet of a Hamster
The German term “hamstern,” which means “to hoard,” is where hamsters get their names. Given their habit of filling their cheek pouches full of food, these tiny creatures were appropriately named.
Hamsters were first seen in Syria, but they are native to Greece, Romania, and northern China (one of the most popular kinds of hamsters is the Syrian). They were introduced to North America in 1936 and thrive in warm, dry environments including savannahs, sand dunes, and the margins of deserts.
The hamster is an omnivore, which means she consumes both meat and various vegetation. Various grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and insects are included in this. Pellets designed exclusively for hamsters often satisfy the dietary requirements of domestic hamsters. They can also consume a range of seeds along with a limited selection of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
After establishing a standard hamster diet, let’s compare it to a rabbit’s diet to have a better understanding of how they differ.
A Diet for Rabbits
Rabbits have been around for a while and were believed to have been domesticated as early as the Middle Ages, both as a food source and as family pets (but possibly even longer ago). Although there are many different kinds of domestic rabbits, all of them descended from the European rabbit. Domestic rabbits come in roughly 70 different breeds, and there are about 305 of them worldwide.
Because they are herbivores, rabbits consume exclusively plant-based foods and no meat at all. About 80% of the diet of domestic rabbits consists of high-quality grass hay, such as oat, Timothy, wheat, meadow, paddock, pasture, and ryegrass hays, or grass. Avoid lucerne (alfalfa) and clover hays since they are heavy in calcium and protein and can cause kidney stones. In addition to various goodies (fruit, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.) and rabbit pellets, the remainder of their diet consists of vegetables and leafy greens (bok choy, Brussels sprouts, celery, broccoli, etc.).
Is Hamster Food Safe for Rabbits?
After examining the diets of hamsters and rabbits, we’ll discuss the types of rabbit food that hamsters can consume without harm.
We’ll look at some of the diets that are suitable for both hamsters and rabbits in this section.
Hay
The majority of grass hay varieties that are secure for rabbits are secure for hamsters as well. It encourages foraging behavior, increases the fiber in your hammy’s diet, and helps keep their teeth clean. Your hamster can consume Timothy, orchard, oat, and meadow hays without any problems. Alfalfa hay is another form of grass hay that they can consume, despite the fact that rabbits cannot.
Nearly all of the vegetables that rabbits can consume, hamsters can also.
While both rabbits and hamsters can safely consume all of these veggies, some of them should only be consumed occasionally.
Several fruits are also suitable for consumption by both rabbits and hamsters.
Fruit should be given to the rabbit or hamster in moderation, much as vegetables. Additionally, you want to stay away from anything that contains a lot of water, such as watermelons and iceberg lettuce. Your hamster may experience diarrhea as a result of these things.
We’ll examine the types of rabbit diets that hamsters should not consume next.
Hamsters should not consume rabbit food
Unfortunately, some rabbit diets shouldn’t be consumed by hamsters. We’ll examine the foods you should stay away from and why.
Hamsters shouldn’t be exposed to some foods since they pose health risks.
You should keep your hamster away from certain vegetables, which includes rhubarb. Keep a watch on your hamster to make sure she is okay if she manages to nibble on one of these.
Both rabbits and hamsters can eat most fruits, however there are a few that you shouldn’t offer to your hamster.
The majority of other fruit is acceptable, however it should only be served occasionally as a treat and in moderation.
Pellets
Pellets for hamsters and rabbits are available; shouldn’t they be effective for both? The answer is simply no. The dietary requirements of each unique animal are considered when making pellets. Because the hamster and the rabbit are so dissimilar to one another, they should only consume pellets designed for their particular species.
The components in different brands of rabbit pellets may not be healthy for your hamster. Remember that hamsters consume more meat than a herbivore rabbit does, so their pellets must have more protein. The ideal protein content for hamster pellets is 15–20%, and they also need to include the necessary quantity of fiber to facilitate digestion (a lot of rabbit pellets are higher in fiber than what is appropriate for hamsters).
Conclusion
The lesson you should take away from this article is to limit your diet to things that hamsters are only supposed to eat. In addition to having differing nutritional requirements (hamsters are rodents, whilst rabbits are lagomorphs), they also differ in size and species (hamsters are omnivores whereas rabbits are herbivores) (while rabbits can be small, hamsters are clearly much smaller). Your hamster should be healthy if you heed our recommendations and speak with your veterinarian before introducing new foods to its diet.
Just be sure to observe your hamster closely whenever she consumes a new meal, and if you see any signs of discomfort or illness, take her to the vet as soon as you can. Your hamster will not only enjoy a delightful new treat, but she will also benefit from the many health advantages as long as you stay away from rabbit pellets and feed her the occasional vegetable or fruit.
Credit for the Featured Image: PardoY, Shutterstock
