Broccoli belongs to the cabbage family with a solid resemblance to the cauliflower. Thanks to its high nutritious content, broccoli has become the first choice of most health professionals. As we want to feed our pet hamsters the most nutritious vegetables, hamster owners wonder whether they can serve broccoli to their pets. But before adding broccoli to the diet of your hamster, you need to know whether it is safe for them to consume.
Yes, broccoli is a safe vegetable for Hamsters. Broccoli is packed with nutrients which makes it an excellent addition to your hamster’s regular diet. However, you need to wash the vegetable thoroughly before offering them. Hamsters can eat both steamed and raw broccoli in moderation without developing any health issues.
Can hamsters eat broccoli regularly?
Broccoli is one of the most wholesome vegetables available to us, as well as safe for your pet hamster. But that does not mean that you can go overboard in feeding the vegetables. If you want to reap the maximum benefit of broccoli, you need to keep in mind that moderation is the key. Also, you need to check whether your pet hamster likes the taste. If they do, yes, you can feed your hamster broccoli regularly.
Nutritional Facts
Broccoli contains some of the essential antioxidants that help to protect yourself and your hamster as well. It contains vitamin A, K, C, B6, folate, potassium, calcium, manganese, and phosphorus. All of these vitamins and nutrients are important for your pet.
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B6
- Folate
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Manganese
- Phosphorus
Do hamsters like broccoli?
There is a catch. Like humans, the tastebuds of hamsters varies from one animal to the next. While some hamsters love to nibble on broccoli, others hate it. You have to offer broccoli to your hamster first to check whether they love it. Offer a tiny bit of broccoli, and see if it’s love or hate.
Feeding Amount
Humans can eat as much broccoli as they want. But your pet hamster cannot. Not only broccoli, but too much of anything can create serious health issues for your hamster. It would be best not to feed broccoli to baby hamsters; you will need to wait until they reach adulthood. If your pet hamster loves the taste of broccoli, you can offer an inch-long floret to a Syrian hamster and half that in size for a dwarf hamster.
- Syrian hamster – Inch long floret
- Dwarf hamster – Half an inch floret
First Time
Suppose it’s the first time your feeding a pet hamster a piece of broccoli. You will need to keep a watchful eye on them. Since sudden changes in diet can cause severe dietary issues for your pet, you must gradually introduce broccoli into their diet.
How Often
It is alright to give broccoli two to three times per week. Do not feed your hamster both broccoli and other vegetables on the same day. If you do, it can produce gas and cause dietary issues.
- 2 – 3 times per week
Ease A Hamster Into A New Diet
If you have just brought your hamster home from the rescue centre or the pet store, do not offer them broccoli just yet. Instead, start with some fewer complex veggies, like a slice of cucumber or a bit of celery, and see how it goes.
Keep offering easy-to-digest vegetables on alternate days for a week. After that, increase the frequency and offer veggies every day next week. Once your pet gets accustomed to the new diet, you can slowly introduce other fruits and vegetables. Introduce broccoli after your hamster gets habituated to nibbling on different fruits and veggies happily. All his might seem a bit over the top, but there is nothing wrong with taking extra precautions when it comes to your pet. This precautionary measure will also help you to keep your Hamsters digestive tract healthy.
Raw Broccoli Or Cooked
You can give raw broccoli to your hamster. But it is always better to boil or steam it, to be on the safe side. The steaming process helps to get rid of pesticides or insecticides sticking on the florets of the vegetable. It also helps to kill any harmful bacteria that thrive inside of the vegetable. If you offer raw broccoli to your hamster, make sure to wash it properly. Create tiny pieces of the florets before offering them to your pet. Most Hamsters get bored from chewing on pet food. In this scenario, broccoli brings a welcome change.
Best Practises Cooking Broccoli
While steaming or boiling broccoli for your hamster, make sure you do not add any pepper, salt, or garlic. All these elements are not suitable for your hamster and will create problems like diarrhoea. Accumulation of these toxic matters can also lead to other serious health issues. The best way to serve broccoli is plain. Also, before serving cooked broccoli to your hamster make sure its cooled to room temperature.
Why doesn’t my Hamster like the taste of broccoli?
Like us humans, not all hamsters like certain foods. If your hamster does not like to eat broccoli, do not worry. There are a lot of other food items that can provide the same nutritional benefits as broccoli. For instance, the hamster pellets themselves contain all the necessary nutrients that your hamster needs to stay healthy.
Other Fruits and Veggies That Your Hamster Can Eat
Even if your hamster does not like the taste of broccoli, you can offer other vegetables, like cucumber, squash, spinach, carrot, lettuce, or peppers. However, never provide raw potato to your hamster, as it can cause serious health issues. You can offer them blueberries, apples, melons, pears, bananas, grapes, or figs other than vegetables. But, as fruits contain a lot of natural sugar, you should control the portion strictly and only offer a small amount once or twice a week.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that you need to feed your hamster many fresh vegetables and fruits to keep it happy and healthy. Broccoli is one of the super veggies that you can give your hamster. However, make sure to maintain the portion sizes. Also, do not hesitate to take the help of veterinary professionals if you think anything is amiss.
