Hamsters are voracious eaters who like to nibble on many different snacks, including vegetables. If potatoes are widely available in your area, you may wonder whether it’s safe to give potato snacks to your pet.
Hamsters can eat small amounts of cooked potatoes or sweet potatoes. However, because these vegetables are so starchy, limit the treats to no more than 1/2 teaspoon (1.45 grams) 1–2 times a week. Raw potatoes are toxic to hamsters, and fried potatoes will cause digestive upset, so avoid these.
Hamsters, especially Syrian hamsters, can eat potatoes in moderation. In this article, I will cover how safe potatoes are for hamsters, how much they can eat, and considerations for sweet potatoes.
Are Potatoes Safe for Hamsters To Eat?
Potatoes are safe for hamsters to eat in small amounts. Giving your pet more than one teaspoon or 2.9 grams of cooked potato can cause digestive upset.
A hamster’s natural diet typically consists of grains, seeds, fibrous vegetables, and sometimes insects. These foods are all forageable, nutrient-dense, and high in fiber.
Because of their diet, hamsters’ digestive systems are designed to break down tough seeds and grains and digest them slowly. Foods that are high in starchy carbohydrates, like potatoes, will have a dramatic effect on their digestive system.
Potatoes and all tubers are very high in starch and will cause digestive upset in your hamster if fed in large enough quantities.
Additionally, starchy vegetables provide large amounts of calories, leading to weight gain in hamsters who consistently consume them.
How Much of a Potato Can Hamsters Eat at a Time?
Generally, you should only feed your hamster 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (0.7 to 1.45 grams) of cooked potatoes 1–2 times a week. More than this amount can lead to weight gain and digestive upset.
However, the species of hamster, and its size, will impact the maximum serving size.
Syrian hamsters are the largest breed and can eat up to half a teaspoon (1.45 grams) serving of potatoes twice a week. These hamsters will have the greatest energy requirements and be better able to digest starches.
For most dwarf hamsters, I recommend about half the serving and frequency. These hamsters will do well with a quarter teaspoon (0.7 grams) of cooked potatoes once a week. Roborovski dwarf hamsters, which are a bit larger, can have 1–2 servings weekly.
I caution against giving cooked potatoes to Chinese dwarf hamsters, even in small quantities, because these hamsters are prone to diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is the inability to process sugars and starches and is very common in Chinese hamsters.
Can Hamsters Eat Raw Potatoes?
You should never feed your hamster raw potatoes, as they may contain solanine, a toxic compound.
Solanine is toxic to all mammals, including humans and hamsters, and is commonly found in green potatoes.
Potatoes normally grow underground, but when exposed to light, they produce chlorophyll and turn green. Solanine is a byproduct of this process, which causes stomach aches, diarrhea, and digestive distress for mammals who consume it.
While solanine is present in more significant quantities in green potatoes, it’s still present in all raw potatoes and harmful for your hamster to eat.
Additionally, raw potatoes are tough to digest and will likely cause digestive upset for your hamster even without solanine.
Can Hamsters Eat Fried Potatoes?
In addition to raw potatoes, you should never feed your hamsters potatoes that are fried or flavored in any way.
Hamsters have delicate digestive systems that will be upset by processed oils and seasonings. There’s no way to know if other ingredients, such as oils or seasoning, were added to fried potatoes that could affect your hamster’s health.
Can Hamsters Eat Sweet Potato?
Syrian and Roborovski hamsters can eat up to 1 teaspoon (2.9 grams) of cooked sweet potatoes per week, divided between 1–2 servings. Dwarf hamsters can safely eat about a quarter or half of this amount. Sweet potatoes are nutrient-dense but have many starches, which may cause digestive upset.
For hamsters, sweet potatoes have the same considerations as russet potatoes and are slightly healthier. Overall, they have lots of starches but are much more nutrient dense.
Because of the high amount of starches, sweet potatoes can cause the same digestive upset as other potato types.
For this reason, you should stick to the same serving sizes with sweet potatoes as regular potatoes and ensure you don’t give your hamster too many starches.
However, sweet potatoes are very nutrient dense and have significant amounts of vitamins C, antioxidants, beta-carotene, and calcium. Overall they are a more nutritious option than russet potatoes if they are available.
Can Dwarf Hamsters Eat Sweet Potatoes?
Dwarf hamsters can eat sweet potatoes in minimal amounts, about a quarter to half a teaspoon (0.7–1.45 grams) per week. Because they are smaller hamsters, they cannot handle as many starches as larger breeds, such as Syrians.
Dwarf hamsters can still eat sweet potatoes but can’t eat up to 1 teaspoon (2.9 grams) per week like Syrian hamsters because it will likely overload their digestive systems. A quarter or half a teaspoon (0.7–1.45 grams) per serving, depending on your hamster, is okay once a week.
Chinese dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes mellitus, which prevents them from creating insulin to transport the sugars and starches they consume. Eating high-carbohydrate foods without insulin will cause those sugars to stay in their bloodstream, affecting their health. You shouldn’t feed sweet potatoes to Chinese hamsters, which are very prone to diabetes.
Can Hamsters Eat Raw Sweet Potato?
Hamsters cannot eat raw sweet potatoes. While sweet potatoes don’t contain solanine in their raw form, they are too tough for a hamster’s digestive system to break down. Raw starches, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, or yams, may cause stomach aches or diarrhea in your hamster.
While sweet potatoes don’t contain solanine, which is the main issue with russet potatoes, they still can create digestive upset in your hamster. The same applies to yams and other tubers that are high in starch.
Cooking starches partially breaks them down, making them easier to digest and gain energy from. For animals that didn’t evolve with starches as part of their diet, these foods in their raw form will cause digestive problems.
Conclusion
Hamsters can eat cooked potatoes in small amounts, no more than 1 tsp (2.9 grams) a week. Syrian hamsters can eat more than dwarfs because of their larger size. Avoid giving your hamster raw or processed potatoes, which can cause digestive upset.