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Apart from giving your hamster their staple diet of commercially produced hamster food, you should add in healthy fruits and vegetables as an occasional treat. That said, not all foods that are healthy for humans are good for your hamster—including several varieties of fruit.
But what about oranges? Are oranges safe to feed your hamster? While oranges are non-toxic for hamsters, it’s best to keep them off the menu. In this article, we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about feeding this delicious citrus fruit to your hamsters. Let’s get started!
Potential Benefits Contained in Oranges
We all know that oranges contain a large amount of vitamin C, and that humans need to consume vitamin C from food to prevent scurvy. However, hamsters can synthesize their own vitamin C, so it is safe to say that oranges have no benefits for hamsters.
Are Oranges Good for Hamsters?
No, oranges are highly acidic, so they are not good for your hamster’s sensitive digestive system. Oranges and all other citrus fruits have high acidity levels that can cause serious stomach issues, digestive issues, and even diarrhea. This acidity can also cause serious dental issues and may rapidly degrade your hamster’s teeth. Moreover, acidic juices can irritate the delicate tissues of your hamster’s mouth and pouch lining, leading to discomfort or secondary infections. The same goes for other fruits in the citrus family, including lemons, limes, tangerines, and grapefruit. All these fruits are highly acidic and should be left out of your hamster’s diet entirely.
Oranges also have high sugar content, and too much sugar can cause obesity and even lead to diabetes in hamsters.
What About Orange Peels?
Some hamster owners give their hamster dried orange peels, as they are a tasty fibrous treat for them to chew on. However, there is no clear answer on whether orange peels offer any real benefit to hammies.
While dried peels are certainly better than fresh oranges and far less acidic, we still recommend avoiding any citrus altogether, just to be safe. There are plenty of other treats you can give to your hamster.
What Fruits Can Hamsters Eat?
After discarding citrus fruits like oranges and lemons which are highly acidic, many other fruits are safe and healthy to give your hamster as an occasional treat. Just remember that all fruits contain high amounts of sugar, and too much sugar can swiftly cause obesity or diabetes in hamsters, so be sure to give any fruit to them in strict moderation. Also, make sure the fruit is as fresh as possible and washed thoroughly first. Safe fruits to occasionally treat your hamster with are:
- Grapes
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
- Bananas
- Pears
- Mangoes
That said, it is best to avoid these sugary treats if there’s any history of diabetes. Special precautions should be taken in dwarf breeds. Dwarf hamsters, especially Campbell’s dwarf hamsters, are genetically predisposed and therefore at higher risk of developing diabetes, as are hybrids of dwarf species.
How Often Can Hamsters Eat Fruit?
As most fruits are high in sugar and should not be a staple part of your hamster’s diet, you should limit their intake of fruit to a maximum of three a week for Syrian hamsters and once a week for Dwarf species of hamsters or their hybrids. Be sure to remove any fruit in their cage that hasn’t been eaten for 2 hours, as it can quickly go rancid and cause stomach issues. Again, make sure the fruit is as fresh and clean as possible.
Final Thoughts
While oranges are non-toxic to hamsters, they are best left out of your hamster’s regular diet. This is because oranges, like all citrus fruits, are highly acidic, which can cause both digestive and dental issues, and they are high in sugar, which no hamster should have too much of. Since hamsters can synthesize their vitamin C, they won’t be missing out on anything by not eating oranges!
Featured Image Credit: Jennifer Hyman, unsplash
