There is a unique relation between food and hamsters. They are omnivores, so they love to eat a wide variety of foods. They can safely eat vegetables and fruits and usually enjoy different kinds of human foods. Although they eat regular hamster pellets regularly, they can eat different kinds of foods in moderation.
Yes, moderation is very important to keep in mind when you are feeding your hamster. If you overfeed any food to your hamster, it can get sick. That’s why it is very important to know how much food a hamster can eat. After that, you can feed any food to your hamster in the correct amounts.
Apart from that, you also need to know which food is healthy for hamsters and which food is unhealthy for hamsters before you feed them any food. With that in mind, many hamster owners ask if hamsters can eat quinoa. This is a grain crop and is mainly grown for its edible seeds.
Quinoa is a popular grain that is eaten all over the world. It is also a good source of many vitamins and minerals. Therefore, this grain is considered healthy for humans. However, when it comes to hamsters, the thing is different. Quinoa has a high amount of acidic content that hamsters can’t handle.
So, they shouldn’t eat this food. You should enjoy quinoa yourself and give other healthy sacks to your hamster. But quinoa is not the right choice for hamsters. This article has some specific reasons why hamsters can’t eat quinoa. So read it till the end if you are thinking of giving quinoa to your hamster.
Table of Contents
What Is Quinoa?
First, you need to know what quinoa is and why it is so popular. So, quinoa is a grain or crop that is grown for its seeds. It is basically a flowering plant that comes under the amaranth family. These seeds have a high amount of protein content, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers.
Apart from that, they have a high amount of acidic content & phosphorus and a small amount of sugar, calcium, and fat. All these nutrients make quinoa unsuitable for hamsters. If hamsters eat this seed, then they can get affected by several health problems. Quinoa is now popularly grown in different countries, including India, the United States, Kenya.
This crop has become very popular in many countries because of which its price is increased two times in the last 10 to 15 years. Quinoa can be eaten raw or cooked. If you soak these seeds and sprout them, then they can be eaten raw. But some experts don’t recommend eating raw quinoa.
According to them, quinoa should be eaten cooked only. Once this is cooked, the acidic content in them gets reduced, and it becomes safer to eat. It can be cooked in a few minutes. In ancient times, quinoa was known as the mother of all grains. Quinoa is available in more than 1000 varieties, but the three main varieties of quinoa are white, red, and black.
Quinoa is also called a superfood because it is an excellent source of many minerals. Unfortunately, hamsters can’t eat this food because of their weak digestive systems. But they can get these vitamins from other healthy foods.
Can Hamsters Eat Quinoa?
No, quinoa is not the right choice to include in hamsters’ diets. It is usually rich in acidic content that hamsters can’t handle. Although quinoa is good food and is healthy for humans, it is not safe for hamsters. Hamsters need a low amount of protein, but quinoa is very high in protein content.
It is also rich in other vitamins and minerals, but that is too much for hamsters. It has minerals like phosphorus and magnesium in high amounts. These minerals are very dangerous for hamsters and can make them sick if they consume them in excessive amounts.
Because of this reason, hamsters should be away from quinoa. But yes, there may not be any serious problems if hamsters eat a small amount of cooked quinoa. This doesn’t mean that you can feed quinoa to your hamster as a snack.
Why Can’t Hamsters Eat Quinoa?
Quinoa is a superfood and is very healthy for us. But hamsters can’t eat quinoa. This grain is so nutritious that hamsters’ weak digestive systems can’t handle it. Although they can just taste this food, they can’t eat this as a snack or staple food. Here are some reasons why quinoa is not healthy for hamsters.
-
Quinoa Is High in Acidic Content
The acidic content of quinoa is one of the main reasons why hamsters shouldn’t eat this grain. This food has all nine essential amino acids that are required for our health. This is the reason why quinoa is high in protein content. The protein content in quinoa is better compared to other grains.
In one cup of quinoa, there are 8 grams of protein. This much protein is too much for hamsters. Hamsters can’t digest this food easily. If hamsters eat quinoa in excess amounts, then they can get sick. Therefore, it is not recommended to give quinoa to hamsters. If you consider your hamster’s health seriously and want to keep it healthy, then you should consider feeding it other healthy foods.
-
Quinoa Has a Toxic Substance Named Saponin
It is very important to feed healthy foods to hamsters that contain no toxicity at all. But quinoa has a substance called saponin which can be toxic for hamsters. It can also cause gastrointestinal problems and respiratory problems in humans. So, it can be very dangerous for hamsters.
Hamsters can’t digest this substance and can suffer from digestive problems. Digestive problems in hamsters can lead to diarrhea and dehydration. These diseases are not easy to treat. So, if the hamster gets affected by dehydration, then it can be very dangerous.
Because of this substance, quinoa can’t be absorbed in hamsters small intestines. This can cause malnutrition in hamsters. To keep hamsters safe from these health conditions, they should be kept away from this food.
-
Quinoa Has High Amount of Phosphorus and Magnesium
In general, these two minerals are good for health. But if hamsters consume these minerals in excess amounts, then there can be health problems. Too much phosphorus can reduce calcium in hamsters’ bones and make them weak. This can also deposit excess amount of calcium in different body parts and make them sick.
Excessive magnesium can cause several side effects in hamsters. It can lower blood pressure and cause problems in heartbeat and breathing. This will eventually lead the hamster to die. Quinoa also contains another substance, phytic acid, that can reduce the absorption of these minerals.
As a result, the hamster will not get any health benefits from this food. And it is not a good idea to feed any food to our hamsters that is not at all beneficial for them.
What To Do If Hamsters Eat Quinoa?
Since quinoa is not good food for hamsters, it can be a matter of concern if a hamster eats this food. If your hamster has ingested quinoa, then you might be worrying too much about this situation. However, you don’t need to worry too much if the hamster has eaten only a small amount of quinoa.
Yes, a small amount of quinoa is not harmful to hamsters. If the hamster has ingested a small amount of quinoa, then it may not show any signs of illness. However, you can take it to the vet to confirm if it has any signs of illness. My hamster Taco sometimes eats a few quinoa seeds.
In the beginning, I got too worried when my hamster first ingested this food. But when my vet said that there are no serious problems in the consumption of a few quinoa seeds, I am relaxed now. One thing that I want to mention here is that I don’t feed quinoa to my hamster as a snack.
Healthy Alternatives of Quinoa for Hamsters
Since quinoa is not healthy for hamsters, we shouldn’t feed this food to our hamsters. But there are several other foods that we can feed to hamsters in moderation. Hamsters are omnivores, so they have a wide range of options to eat. The most common snacks for hamsters are fresh fruits and vegetables.
They like this food very much. So, you can give apples, bananas, peaches, cucumber, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, bell pepper, cilantro, spinach, lettuce, corn, etc., to your hamster in small amounts. Sometimes you can also feed nuts and seeds to your hamster in moderation.
Conclusion
Quinoa is highly nutritious and is considered a superfood. It has many nutritional benefits for humans. It is high in protein and other vitamins, so it is widely consumed all over the world. But this food is not suitable for hamsters health. It has some toxic substances that can harm hamsters.
Further, quinoa is so nutritious that hamsters digestive systems can’t handle this food. They can’t digest if they eat an excessive amount of quinoa. So, it is better to avoid feeding this grain to hamsters.
