Are you having second thoughts about feeding your pet hamster scrambled eggs for breakfast? Maybe you should check out this article before you actually do it.
Surely, there are people out there that let their pets eat everything they do. No matter how time-saving this may seem, it’s not always such a good idea. Let’s take breakfast time, for example. You have a pet hamster, and you’re wondering – can hamsters eat scrambled eggs? Sorry, but no.
Stay with us, and find out why your hamster shouldn’t eat eggs prepared in a certain way, although it is an omnivore.
Scrambled Eggs – More Cons Than Pros
Unfortunately, your hamster shouldn’t share the breakfast with you – especially if that breakfast includes scrambled eggs. Although for you, this is a nutritious meal to start the day, your hamster’s stomach is not too happy about it.
If hamsters are omnivores, why can’t they eat this ordinary ingredient?
It is primarily because scrambled eggs are prepared with a list of unhealthy ingredients – milk, butter – all the things your hamster’s stomach will struggle to digest.
These small animals are not exactly able to endure strong food such as this.
What about other forms of eggs? Don’t worry. You can still feed your hamster:
- Eggshells (source of calcium):
It would be best if you were careful to cut the shells into small pieces so that your hamster doesn’t choke.
- Boiled eggs (extremely nutritious):
Please don’t give your hamster this too often, and it might initiate sudden weight gain.
- Raw eggs (danger of biotin deficiency):
If you decide to feed your hamster raw eggs, you should only give him the yolk, not the white.
- Poached eggs (fresh):
You are allowed to feed your hamster poached eggs as long as they are freshly made. Try adding a hint of vinegar cider (for health benefits).
Be careful, apart from scrambled eggs, and your hamster shouldn’t have a taste of:
- Fried eggs (strong ingredients):
You shouldn’t feed your hamster fried eggs, mainly because they have been fried in oil. This powerful ingredient can be toxic to your hamster.
We have listed almost every way of preparing the eggs, but we haven’t mentioned their nutritional value. Since eggs are acceptable food in a certain form, here are the nutrition facts you need to back this up.
One larger egg (50 grams) contains:
| Calories | 77 |
| Carbs | 0.6 grams |
| Total fat | 5.3 grams |
| Saturated fat | 1.6 grams |
| Monounsaturated fat | 2.0 grams |
| Cholestrol | 212 mg |
| Protein | 6.3 grams |
Now, let’s mention some vitamins that eggs offer:
| Vitamin A | 6% |
| Vitamin B2 | 15% |
| Vitamin B5 | 7% |
| Vitamin B12 | 9% |
| Phosporous | 9% |
| Selenium | 22% |
Health Benefits
If prepared in the right way, your hamster can benefit from consuming eggs. We are here to back up this theory by providing you with five benefits that can be applied both to humans and hamsters.
And so we begin.
- Extremely Nutritious: We mentioned this already; eggs are packed with vitamins (B12, B5), saturated fat, and selenium. You can say that they contain a small amount of everything an organism needs.
- High In Good Cholesterol: There is a difference between bad and good cholesterol, and eggs are packed with good ones. This significantly lowers the risk of heart disease, especially with tiny animals like hamsters.
- Contain Choline: One essential nutrient that can be found in eggs is choline. This is usually grouped with vitamin B, and it strengthens cell membranes.
- Packed With Antioxidants: Eggs are foods that are packed with antioxidants that are beneficial for overall health. These ingredients can increase blood levels quickly.
- High-Quality Protein: If you’re looking for a pure source of protein, then you should go for eggs. The amount of protein that eggs contain can optimize bone health, increase muscle mass, etc.
Danger of Salmonella
Unfortunately, besides all of the health benefits that come from consuming an egg, there is one risk that overwhelms them. It’s called salmonella.
Salmonella is a food disease – a poisonous disease, to be more precise. Salmonella won’t make the hen that laid the egg sick, but it will definitely influence the health of someone that consumes it.
Research and inspection show that 1 in every 20.000 eggs are contaminated with salmonella.
When it comes to eggs, it is most common with raw or undercooked eggs.
A disease like a salmonella can be very dangerous, especially for hamsters.
If you feel like you’ve given your hamster a bad egg, pay attention to the following symptoms:
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Sudden weight loss
- Rough body coat
- Lethargy
- Dehydration
- Abdominal pain
- Distended stomach
The simplest way to diagnose this would be by examining the physical symptoms yourself, but it wouldn’t hurt to take your hamster to the vet if you’re not too sure.
After the vet has diagnosed the disease, you are left with two treatment methods. He will either give your hamster some medication (in terms of antibiotics), or he will insist on supportive therapy followed by fluids.
The question is – how do you prevent your hamster from getting salmonella?
There are a few steps you can take:
- Keep your eggs at 40°F or at a colder temperature
- Buy your eggs from trusted suppliers in your neighborhood
- Consider using pasteurized eggs
- Cook eggs until the yolk and the white are firm
- Wash everything that you use when preparing eggs (kitchen utensils)
- Do not taste raw eggs
Although the chances of salmonella in eggs are pretty high, and you can never be too sure, you can still consider some cautious measures.
If you are the first one that notices the symptoms, do not let your hamster get near those eggs.
Turn To Veggies and Fruits
If you’ve had a bad experience with feeding your hamster eggs, why not turn to something a bit healthy? You can always throw some fruits and veggies into their daily meals.
If you’re having a hard time deciding what to give your hamster, here is a brief list of top ingredients:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Cucumbers
- Bok choy
- Sweet potatoes
- Apples
- Cherries, strawberries, raspberries
- Peaches
- Mango
Including such nourishments in your hamster’s diet will definitely boost its vitamin intake, and this is precisely what it needs after a bad experience with scrambled eggs.
Of course, the recommended food list doesn’t go on forever. There are a couple of ingredients out there that you should avoid if you want any additional trouble.
We are talking about:
- Apple seeds
- Grape seeds
- Almonds
- Eggplant
- Onions
- Chocolate
There are three ways in which you can prevent food poisoning, especially caused by common ingredients like eggs and other veggies.
| Avoiding toxic ingredients: | – The safest way to avoid toxic food is to simply ask your vet to provide you with a list of forbidden ingredients or to give you some guidelines on how to notice bad food. – Another thing you must do is thoroughly wash your hamster’s food before you feed it to them. |
| Removing poisonous ingredients: | – You should get used to checking the food that you feed your hamster twice and remove any poisonous ingredients that might come with it. – For example, scrambled eggs are packed with additional poisonous ingredients like milk and butter. This means that you must figure out something else to give your hamster. |
| Treating a poisoned hamster: | – If you have noticed that your hamster might have eaten something that was bad, you should immediately take it to the vet. – It would also be beneficial to bring the toxic substance or ingredient with you. In that way, your vet will be able to give you a more precise diagnosis. |
If you’re wondering about the food quantity that you should give your hamster, you should know that they eat from 1-2 teaspoons over the course of 24h.
This goes for commercial food.
If you decide to leave them with some fruits like mangos or sweet potatoes, it might be a couple of days before they finish their “meal.”
CAUTION: Don’t let your hamster eat rotten food. So, if some peaches seem to be too long in your hamster’s cage – throw them out. You don’t want another food poisoning.
Keep Your Hamster Healthy
Here are a couple of tips that will help your hamster get its health back on track:
1. Throw In Some Whole-grain Pieces Of Bread And Cereal
You should know that hamsters absolutely love whole grain foods. That’s why you should throw in some whole-grain pieces of bread and cereal into their daily meals. This food is pretty nutritious, and your hamster will be full in no time.
2. Trim Your Hamster’s Teeth
Teeth are your hamster’s most precious weapon. They might be small in size, but their teeth work fast, and they grow incredibly fast. Also, a lot of food and food remains can get stuck in between their teeth. This is why you should trim them every once in a while.
CAUTION: This is not something you should do on your own, so it is advisable to visit a professional.
3. Clean Their Food And Water Bowl Regularly
No matter what you feed your hamster (vegetables and fruits or plain commercial food), you should keep their food and water bowl clean at all times. These animals are messy eaters, and bits of food can end up everywhere.
Although it might sound boring, you must make it a habit of checking and cleaning your hamster’s food and water bowl at the end of the day – after their last meal.
4. Choose A Good-quality Commercial Food
From what we have learned today, sometimes home food can be detrimental to your pet’s health. For those who haven’t done well with eggs, for example, it would be good to turn to a safer option – commercial food.
Thankfully, pet shops today offer a wide variety of quality hamster food that will surely satisfy your pet’s nutritional requirements. Also, these packages are pretty big, so you won’t have to worry about using up supplies any time soon.
