Are hamsters allowed to eat zucchini? This is a question that hamster owners ask themselves all the time. Maybe this question has crossed your mind too and we can give you the answer. Yes, your hamster can eat zucchini. But even with this food for your pet, there are a few things you need to know before giving your hamster zucchini.

How do I feed my hamster zucchini?

Before you give your hamster the zucchini, you should wash it thoroughly with lukewarm water. With the lukewarm water you ensure that existing dirt is easily dissolved and any pesticides that may be present do not penetrate into the vegetables due to too much heat. However, we recommend that you use vegetables from controlled organic cultivation.

Your hamster should only eat small amounts of zucchini. The ideal portion size for a golden hamster is a cube with an edge length of 1 cm, for a dwarf hamster you should reduce the amount. Here a cube with an edge length of 0.5-0.7 cm is sufficient. It does not matter if there are seeds or shell, these tolerate the hamsters without problems.

What to consider when feeding zucchini for the first time?

Especially young hamsters that are fed vegetables with a high water content for the first time may react with flatulence, abdominal pain or diarrhea. Therefore, you should at least halve the amounts given by us for the first feeding. After feeding, watch your hamster carefully for any of the symptoms listed above.

If your hamster walks through his enclosure completely normal 2 hours after feeding, then you don't have to worry. He obviously tolerates the zucchini very well and you can offer him zucchini regularly. Note, however, that the feeding amount should increase slowly. This means that you increase the amount of food over several weeks until the maximum amount is reached.

You're probably wondering now why over several weeks. Hamsters rarely find vegetables with a high water content in the wild. Therefore, the body must get used to it slowly and you should feed the zucchini to your animal maximum once or twice a week.

Also observe if your hamster might carry the zucchini to a hiding place and deposit it there. The zucchini would go bad within a day or two, possibly grow mold, and your hamster could get sick from eating it. Therefore, if you don't see the hamster eating the zucchini right away, search the enclosure the next day to remove any leftovers.

How much zucchini can a hamster eat?

Here, the size of your hamster is crucial, because it goes without saying that a dwarf hamster should not eat too much like a golden hamster. Therefore, the amount of food must be adapted to the body size and also to the age of your hamster. As we have already described above, a cube with an edge length of 1 cm is ideal as a portion size for a golden hamster.

However, this size should only be given if your hamster is already familiar with zucchini as a food. Otherwise, please follow our feeding recommendations, which we have explained to you in detail in the section "First feeding". In general, you should always consider any fresh food such as vegetables, fruits or grasses for hamsters only as an admixture.

In its normal habitat, the hamster rarely finds fresh green food and so its food sources are usually seeds or even small animals that it can catch.

Are hamsters allowed to eat zucchini leaves?

Yes, zucchini leaves may also be offered as supplementary food. Not all hamsters like the leaves, but there are a large number of animals for which the leaves of zucchini is a real treat. They leave almost every other food and devote themselves only to these leaves until they are eaten. But here, too, you must pay attention to the amount, because too much can also cause diarrhea.

Therefore, the same applies here as with the normal zucchini, observe exactly how your animal reacts to the possibly unfamiliar food.

Are hamsters allowed to eat zucchini flowers?

Yes, your hamster may eat zucchini flowers. The same applies here as we described above for zucchini leaves. Start with a small amount and observe how your animal reacts to it.

Should hamsters eat zucchini?

For this there have been the wildest discussions in the forums and it is still partly advised against that zucchini is not a natural diet for the hamster. However, we see this a little differently. Because suppose a Syrian hamster lives near a vegetable garden and visits it at night. Here we are sure that if he stumbles upon a zucchini, he will certainly not leave it unattended.

Therefore, for us there is only one answer, yes, hamsters can eat zucchini. However, what we as owners must pay attention to is the amount of zucchini that we offer our animals. Should we be conscientious about this, then feeding this vegetable is possible without any problems.

What are the advantages of zucchini for the hamster?

In the zucchini are many vitamins and minerals and in nutritional physiology, they are classified as low carb foods. Especially for hamsters, which are sometimes very susceptible to diabetes, so zucchini can be fed to the animals without hesitation.

• Anti-inflammatory: In addition to vitamin C, zucchini contains a large number of antioxidants. These have an anti-inflammatory effect and so small injuries can heal better and the general condition of your animal is more stable.
• Minimize the risk of cancer: Here, too, antioxidants play a major role, because the anti-inflammatory effect also significantly reduces the risk of developing cancer.
• Good for the eyes: The lutein and zeaxanthin contained in zucchini are substances that belong to a subgroup of carotenoids. The intake of these two substances can significantly reduce impaired vision and lens opacities (cataracts).

How healthy are zucchini for the hamster?

The zucchini have a healthy mix of vitamins and minerals. The fiber content is less high, but can be optimally balanced by giving the zucchini leaves. So that you can see what contents the plant has, we have broken them down here. The information refers in each case to 100 g.

• Vitamin C 17.9 mg
• Vitamin B1 20 mg
• Vitamin B2 9 mg
• Sodium 3 mg
• Potassium 152 mg
• Calcium 30 mg
• Phosphorus 25 mg
• Iron 1.5 mg

Supplementary to the vitamins and minerals still the nutritional composition per 100 g.

• Calories 17 kcal
• Protein 1.2 g
• Carbohydrates 3.1 g
• Dietary fiber 1 g
• Sugar 2,5 g
• Fat 0,3 g

Are hamsters allowed to eat zucchini? - Conclusion

Zucchini is one of the best vegetables you can offer your hamster. Feeding once or twice a week with the amount we recommend should be fine. However, every animal is different and therefore you should carefully observe how your hamster reacts to the zucchini.