Hamsters are famous for hoarding food and stuffing their faces full of it. However, there are some foods they dislike, including those with strong scents. In addition, these animals can sometimes tell which foods can be dangerous for them, depending on the smell.
Hamsters cannot eat pickles because they dislike the strong smell of vinegar. More importantly, brine pickles can lead to excessive salt in their diet and cause severe health conditions, such as dehydration, kidney failure, and even lung damage.
In the rest of the article, I will explain why pickles are toxic to your hamster. I will also explain the health risks of pickle consumption and share a safer alternative to pickles that your hamster will surely enjoy. Read on!
Are Pickles Toxic to Your Hamster?
There are various ways to make pickled cucumbers, but all of them are toxic to your hamster. Some common ingredients used to make pickles include the following:
- Salt: At healthy levels, salt can help hamsters with water absorption and normal body functions. Conversely, too much salt can lead to kidney problems.
- Vinegar: This ingredient doesn’t have health benefits for hamsters and should, therefore, be avoided.
- Lime: This ingredient is often rinsed off of cucumbers after 24 hours. Still, part of its calcium content is incorporated into the cucumbers. At healthy levels (approximately 6 g per kg or 0.2 oz per 2.2 lbs), calcium helps with bone development and teeth health. In contrast, too much can lead to kidney stones.
- Garlic: Some pickled cucumber recipes use calcium for added flavor. However, this spice is toxic to furry pets like hamsters.
- Sugar: Hamsters need carbohydrates for energy and growth, but too much sugar can lead to obesity and other associated diseases, including diabetes and kidney problems.
Health Risks Associated with Feeding Pickles to Hamsters
All the ingredients listed above are toxic to hamsters at high concentrations. Check out the list below of health issues hamsters can develop from consuming pickles:
Kidney Disease
Under normal conditions, hamsters are repulsed at consuming salt (sodium chloride). However, aggressive chewers love nibbling on things around their cage, including salt licks and mineral blocks.
There’s an alarming increase in the number of hamster enthusiasts who place such items in their hamster cages. Sadly, these items contain too much salt and other minerals that can lead to kidney stones, a painful and fatal condition for hamsters.
Similarly, brine and lime pickles have high salt and calcium content. A slice of a pickle (7 g or 0.25 oz) contains 84.7 mg (0.003 oz) of sodium.
On the other hand, a 25-g (0.88 oz) piece of sweet lime pickle contains 20 mg (0.0007 oz) of calcium and 420 mg (0.015 oz) of sodium.
A healthy adult hamster needs 10–15 grams (0.35 oz) of food per day. The daily dietary allowance requires 0.6–1% calcium and only trace amounts of salt (less than 0.01 mg).
Considering the values present in pickles and the small size of hamsters, it’s easy to imagine how harmful the salt and calcium contents of brine and lime pickles can be. In addition to kidney stones, hamsters fed with high-sodium diets are likely to get dehydrated.
Obesity and Diabetes
It’s no secret that hamsters hoard and store food for later consumption. However, it’s not rare to see some of them actually overeating. As a result, they’re likely to gain unhealthy weight. This is especially true when they have too much carbohydrates or sugar in their diet.
Studies have shown that high levels of fructose or sugar in fruits tend to lead to higher mortality rates among hamsters. On the other hand, sucrose or table sugar results in lower mortality rates. Nonetheless, excessive consumption of sugar can lead to obesity and diabetes.
On average, a healthy Syrian hamster can live two to three years. However, with poor diet and health conditions like diabetes, they can fade in less than a year. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to your hamster’s diet and eating habits.
Hemolytic Anemia
Some pickled cucumber recipes, like the Hungarian pickles, use garlic as an additional spice. While it may be delicious and healthy for humans, it can be fatal to animals like dogs and cats due to a condition called hemolytic anemia. Smaller animals like hamsters and other rodents are likely to suffer the same.
Symptoms of the said condition include the following:
- Weakness
- Faster heartbeat
- Loss of appetite
- Lack of energy
- Death
Pulmonary Edema
Research has shown that in addition to hemolytic anemia, garlic oil or extract can also increase the risk of pulmonary edema in rats. Another study also showed damage in the liver and lungs of mice due to the consumption of high doses of diallyl sulfide (DAS) from garlic.
Therefore, it’s safer to avoid garlic-flavored or garlic-infused food or liquid when feeding your hamsters.
Are Cucumbers Safe for Hamsters?
Cucumbers are safe for hamsters. Raw cucumbers are among the healthiest foods you can feed your hamster. A 10-gram (0.35 oz) slice of cucumber contains 9.5 g (0.33 oz) water. It also has trace amounts of the following nutrients:
- Calcium
- Fiber
- Sodium
- Potassium
- Protein
- Fat
- Carbohydrates
- Iron
- Zinc
- Copper
- Selenium
- Vitamins A, B, C, and E
However, despite being packed with essential nutrients your hamster needs, remember that cucumbers should only be served as a snack, not a full meal. Hamsters should still get most of their dietary needs from high-quality pellets.
You can feed your hamster at most 1 gram (0.04 oz) of cucumber once or twice a week.
Although cucumber seeds are generally safe for hamsters, they can pose a choking hazard. You can also peel the cucumber and feed your hamster only the fleshy cucumber slices the size of their paw.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of healthy food options available for hamsters. It’s easy to avoid sour and salty food like pickled cucumbers because they can be fatal to your pet, even in small amounts.
Invest in high-quality hamster pellets and go for healthy foods like fresh cucumber and carrot slices if you want to give your furry friends a treat. They are easier to prepare and significantly more hamster-friendly.