Carrots are considered extremely nutritious for us humans. No wonder that many hamster owners ask themselves whether their pets are allowed to eat them. The answer is: Yes, hamsters can eat carrots. You can find out what you should bear in mind when feeding them and everything else you need to know in the following text.

What needs to be considered when feeding carrots?

Before you feed your hamster carrots, you should wash and peel them thoroughly to make sure that there are no chemicals or pesticides on the vegetables.

You should also cut the carrot into small pieces so that your hamster cannot choke on it.

Hamsters like to bunker their food, which can lead to the treats going moldy in their hiding place if they are perishable foods such as fruit and vegetables. You should therefore check the terrarium from time to time and remove the easily moldy snacks.

One more thing: The small rodents are not pure vegetarians. They are happy to eat a variety of fresh food, but it is not part of their natural diet. Therefore, in addition to a mixture of grains, seeds and cereals, you should always provide a source of animal protein, such as dried mealworms, to give your hamster a balanced and healthy diet. Fresh food should not be seen as a staple food, but only as a snack.

The right amount for your hamster

The right amount to feed your hamster depends on its size and breed. As Golden hamster are the largest of their species, they also tolerate the most. You can therefore easily feed a golden hamster a piece the size of a toy cube every other day.

Roborowski hamsters are smaller than golden hamsters, but larger than dwarf hamsters, so you can feed them a piece of carrot the size of half a toy cube every other day.

Dwarf hamsters are the smallest of their kind. They are more susceptible to any diseases and you should always be careful what you feed them and in what quantities. They can eat carrots, but you should not exceed the recommended amount of one piece the size of half a toy cube once a week.

The benefits of feeding carrots to your hamster

The benefits of carrots for humans are well known, but how do our hamsters benefit from this superfood?

Carrots contain a lot of fiber, which contributes to a healthy digestive system. They are also rich in vitamin A which, as with us humans, promotes eyesight and ensures good growth of the small body. The vitamin K1 it contains also promotes bone health and the antioxidants provide protection against cancer and other signs of ageing, for example.

The disadvantages of feeding carrots to your hamster

Although carrots offer so many advantages for our hamsters, the vegetable also has a disadvantage that should not be underestimated. Like any treat, they should therefore only ever be fed in moderate quantities.

100 g of carrots contain approx. 4.7 g of sugar, which makes them very tasty for hamsters. However, sugar can be very harmful to your hamster in the long term, as it can increase the risk of your rodent developing diabetes. If you have a dwarf hamster, you should pay particular attention to the sugar intake in its food, as the small animals are particularly susceptible to diabetes and can quickly become ill.

Can hamsters eat carrots? - Conclusion

Hamsters love carrots and, fortunately, are allowed to eat them. However, always make sure you give your hamster the right amount for its size and breed. Despite the many important nutrients and minerals, overfeeding can quickly damage your hamster's health. Dwarf hamsters in particular are susceptible to all kinds of diseases and especially diabetes, which can be caused by an excessive sugar intake.

In addition, you should only ever serve fresh food as a snack and not see it as your hamster's main food. The small rodents are dependent on animal proteins from mealworms or insect larvae. A vegetarian diet would not be species-appropriate and would only harm your hamster!