Many will be surprised to hear that hamsters are not vegetarians. In fact, meat is important to your furry friend's diet. So yes, hamsters can eat meat. They even have to. Which meat is the right one, why it is important that your hamster eats meat and what exactly you should pay attention to, you will learn from us.

What you should pay attention to when feeding

It should be clear that you should not put a breaded, deliciously seasoned cutlet in a hamster's terrarium. However, a small amount of unseasoned ground beef, chicken or fish is absolutely fine. Do not season or salt the meat, your hamster will not tolerate it.

The right amount of meat for your hamster

In dwarf hamsters, the meat content in their natural diet is up to 40%. However, he does not need so much animal protein in our domestic terrariums, because he does not need to eat winter fat. 10 - 20% food from animal sources is perfectly sufficient to meet the protein requirements. Roborowski hamsters need even significantly less.

What meat should I not feed my hamster?

You should refrain from feeding your hamster pork, as it contains too much fat and this can lead to long-term health problems.

A good source of animal protein...

... are mealworms. Hamsters love mealworms! Many conventional food mixtures already contain dried mealworms. They are rich in protein and a species-appropriate snack. Whether you feed live or dried mealworms is up to you. Feel free to try out which ones taste best to your hamster.

Even though animal protein is essential for the rodent's diet, you should not feed too much of it. Two to three times a week is perfectly sufficient.

Why is animal protein so important?

Grade dwarf hamsters are dependent on animal protein, otherwise the immune system weakens and he becomes more susceptible to disease. The life expectancy of a dwarf hamster that does not eat animal protein decreases drastically!

Other hamster breeds require a lower proportion of animal protein. However, feeding this should not be neglected here either.

Are hamsters allowed to eat meat? - Conclusion

As you now know, hamsters are not vegetarians and need animal proteins for a healthy and species-appropriate diet in any case. You can feed them mealworms, live or dried, a little low-fat beef or chicken. You should avoid feeding pork, as it contains too much fat. If you have a dwarf hamster, it is particularly dependent on animal proteins.