Can hamsters eat snap peas? Can they enjoy them as much as I do?
Well, they unquestionably can! Many veterinarians claim snap peas and other vegetables, as well as fruits, have a place in hamster’s diet, but not as a main course. Does that mean your hamster can enjoy this tasty veggie without you worrying about it – or not?
Here’s the thing:
Hamsters love to work for their food, regardless of what kind it is – be it a veggie or a treat. With snap peas, you can make feeding time something your hammy will crave every day! (More on that later)
In this article, I’ll give you some insights on not only how to feed your hamster snap peas, but how to make it fun, and both healthy and exciting for both you and your pet!
If you’re keen on obtaining new skills on how to feed your hamster snap peas in a totally original way, keep reading!
What Hamsters Usually Eat? – Everyday Diet
The first thing I need to mention is, regardless of veggies or fruits I’m talking about, the main source of nutrition for all hamsters has to be hamster pellets. Pellets contain a healthy balance of vitamins, sugars, fibers, and protein.
Only a portion of your hamsters’ diet needs to be filled with fruits, vegetables, and herbs. This allows them to get used to eating not only pellets but things that hamsters would eat in the wild.
Veterinarians advise hamster owners to base their pets’ diet on pellets, because pellets, in most cases, contain absolutely everything a hamster needs.
Snap peas, also known as sugar snap peas, are an excellent source of vitamin C, which helps to keep your hamster’s blood vessels healthy, vitamin K which plays a key role in maintaining a strong skeletal system and keeping your hamster’s bones healthy and sturdy.
They’re also full of dietary fiber, which is a key component in stool and digestive regulation, making your hamster happier and healthier!
Besides things I’ve already talked about, hamsters should be given some fruits and even some herbs occasionally.
Some fruits that are recommended for hamsters are:
- Apples (without seeds)
- Bananas. Read More: Can Hamsters Eat Banana Chips?
- Blueberries
- Grapes (in small amounts)
- Strawberries
Apples need to be cleared from any seeds first, as they contain a very small, but potentially lethal dose of cyanide, and grapes should be fed in small portions because they contain a high amount of sugar.
You can also feed your hamster some herbs, such as coriander, basil, and parsley. These herbs can also help in improving your hamster’s digestion and keeping its stool regulated.
Even snap peas should be fed to your hamsters in a reasonable amount, knowing they contain 4g of sugar in every 100g serving. But, at the end of the day, can hamsters eat snap peas? Absolutely!
Keeping in mind how much sugar these green bite-sized snacks have, they can be fed to your hamster on a weekly basis. Sugary substances are a great source of energy for hamsters, but can also cause laziness once they “run out of fuel”.
Avoid This At All Costs When Feeding Your Hamster!
There are some foods you should avoid feeding your hamster at all costs!
Foods that should be avoided when feeding your hamsters are:
- Raw beans
- Raw potatoes
- Almonds
- Onions
- Garlic
- All kinds of citrus fruits (oranges, lemons & grapefruits)
- Chocolate & other sweets
Chocolate contains a whole lot of sugar. If your pets have a sweet tooth, you should consider giving them some healthier options and avoid chocolate, candy, or junk food. These foods are bad for your hamster’s dental health, digestive tract, and overall health.
Another thing to keep in mind is the quantity of food you’re giving to your pet. Even with pellets, you need to be careful not to overfeed your hamster. That can make him chubby and lazy, and I can tell you, they won’t use their hamster wheel voluntarily!
Something characteristic of hamsters is that they can store food in their cheeks. This is something they instinctively do, and can not be influenced, but that just means you need to keep an eye out on your hamster if he starts to do this.
Natural foods such as vegetables and fruit can start to rot while kept in hamster’s cheeks, and that can be a problem!
In order to avoid this, you should be careful when dosing snap peas or any other veggies or fruits to your hamsters. If you give them too much, they’ll most certainly store the remaining food inside their cheeks.
To find out how much is too much, I recommend you increase the serving by a few peas every time you give it to your hamster. This way, even if the hamster starts stuffing food in its cheeks, it’ll be a small amount, and you’ll notice right away.
What Do Other Owners Say About Feeding Their Hamsters Snap Peas?
Hamster owners that asked themselves can hamsters eat snap peas can be categorized into two groups in my experience:
- Owners that gave their hamsters some snap peas and are delighted by their hamsters’ reactions
- Those who are keen on feeding their pets some snap peas and seeing their reaction!
One thing that does stand out is that many of your fellow hamster owners suggest feeding your hamsters raw snap peas. It seems that’s the optimal way, instead of boiling or cooking them.
In my long years of caring for hamsters, no hamster of mine has had a negative reaction to snap peas! This certainly leads to a positive conclusion.
Snap Peas For Hamsters? – Pros And Cons
By now, you’ve probably reached the conclusion that snap peas are perfectly safe for hamsters to nibble on and enjoy.
If you are still having doubts about whether you should introduce this healthy and filling food in your hamster’s diet, and still wondering can hamsters eat snap peas, then let’s put its pros and cons side by side!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Full of vitamin C & vitamin K | Has relatively high sugar percentage |
| Has a lot of fibers, helping digestion | Available only in spring/early summer |
| Easy to find and very affordable | There are no more cons! |
The only cons that can be found to snap peas are that they, as we’ve mentioned earlier, contain some sugar. The other one is availability.
Snap peas are best eaten when fresh, and not frozen! But, in order to eat fresh snap peas, you need to wait for spring or early summertime, which is a bummer. You can always use frozen ones, but that’s not even half of the nutrients that fresh ones contain.
Feeding Your Hammy Snap Peas – Making It A Boredom Breaker
Hamsters naturally spend much time searching and collecting food in the wild. This is a genetic imprint, so they like to work for their food even if they have never seen the outdoors.
The simplest way to do this is to move their feeding station around. This stimulates them to make an effort to find the feeding station and get their reward.
Try doing this the very first time you feed your hamster snap peas because this new and fresh snack will make it even more motivated.
Another fun thing to do while feeding your hamster (and snap peas come in handy for this) is something called scatter feeding.
To scatter feed your hamster, you need to distribute his food, leading from his resting place to his food source, stimulating him to collect little green peas along the way, making feeding time much more interesting for your hamster!
Maybe mix things up, even more, making a trail of snap peas to its feeding bowl, where you’ll give him a healthy amount of hamster pellets.
Remember when I told you before how you can make feeding time something your hammy will crave every day
Check this out: My personal favorite boredom breaker and feeding trick are to get some willow balls, and stuff a few snap peas (or even a whole pea pod) inside them.
This is an amazing trick, precisely because it involves making your hamster work for their food, stimulating them to nibble on the willow balls which will grind down their teeth a bit, and you’ll give them something they enjoy eating.
My hammies get crazy about this!
Can Hamsters Eat Snap Peas? – Summation
Having put pros and cons side by side in comparison, it’s easily detectable that there are almost no downsides and disadvantages of snap peas as a regular part of your hamster’s diet.
Undoubtedly, this spring snack is one of the most optimal ways to feed some fibers and sugar to your pet, thus keeping it happy and healthy!
Normally I’d find some relatively big cons to most food when doing research, but this is a big exception. I’ve never come across such positive experiences feeding my hamsters and heard that many positive experiences and stories.
This is definitely something that made my friends try and feed their hamsters snap peas, and I bet it’ll make you try it as well!
