Guinea pigs and hamsters are popular pets. So that you can enjoy the cute little animals for a long time, you should feed them healthily. This also includes the question of whether and how many apples the animals are allowed to eat.
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Hamster
Regardless of whether golden hamster, teddy or dwarf hamster: the small rodents cannot tolerate a lot of fructose and are also prone to diet-related diabetes. Therefore, the animals should only be given fruit on rare occasions and as a small treat. In this context, rare means that you can give the little animal a quartered apple every two weeks – that’s quite enough in terms of quantity. However, hamsters and Campbell’s hamsters should not be given any apples (and no other fruit either!): These species are particularly susceptible to diabetes and are therefore better fed only low-sugar vegetables. Hamsters like to eat
- carrots
- Cauliflower and Broccoli (raw)
- fennel
- cucumbers
- Paprika
- Saddlery
- Zucchini
Guinea pig
For guinea pigs, on the other hand, pieces of apple are less of a problem, and the fruit also has a positive effect on digestion and is well tolerated. However, due to the high sugar content, you should not feed them apples every day, but only a quarter to a maximum of half a piece every few days. You don’t have to remove the apple’s skin and core, because they like to eat them. However, you do not have to worry about the hydrocyanic acid contained in the apple cores. In such small amounts, it has no harmful effect on the animals.
Instead of fruit, feed your guinea pig plenty of vegetables, herbs and leaves. Twice a day it should be given enough pieces of fresh vegetables to correspond to around ten percent (approx. 200 to 300 grams) of the animal’s own weight. For example, the following are particularly healthy:
- Iceberg lettuce, lettuce and other salads
- fennel and chicory
- Kale , cauliflower, and broccoli (raw)
- Cucumbers and tomatoes (without greens)
- Root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips , parsley root
- radish leaves
- Kitchen herbs such as parsley, basil, thyme etc.
The rodents feed mainly on fodder rich in crude fiber such as grass, herbs, hay as well as seeds, grain and water-rich vegetables. Apple and other fruit serve more as an occasional snack.
