Can hamsters have milk, cottage cheese, sour cream and kefir (dairy products for Dzungarian and Syrian breeds)

The nutrition of domesticated rodents should be varied, be beneficial to the body. Wishing only the best for the pet, the owners are trying to feed him with dairy products, not knowing whether milk, cottage cheese, sour cream and kefir can be given to hamsters. We will figure out if they are doing the right thing, and also give recommendations to the owners of hamsters of the two most common breeds – Dzungaria and Syrian. We will answer whether milk is good for the Djungarian hamster, and whether this product should be offered to the Syrian.

What kind of milk to give to whom

The ideal food for the young of any mammal is the milk of his mother. The composition of this amazing liquid gives the baby all the components necessary for growth and development. Tiny hamsters also drink the milk produced by the glands of lactating females, with great pleasure and benefit for themselves. With growth, the need for such nutrition disappears. There is no need to offer milk to an adult healthy hamster., especially since the product that we buy in stores has been processed and does not contain as many useful ingredients as fresh.

You can give milk to hamsters if it:

• a pregnant or lactating female whose body needs support;
• motherless cubs who are not yet able to feed on their own (in this case, it is better to use infant formula, which a specialist will advise);
• specimens weakened by a serious illness (only under the direction of a veterinarian).

To feed these groups of rodents, an exclusively low-fat product should be used – no more than 1,5% fat. It is better to buy cow, because goat is much fatter. Hamster livers are very sensitive to excess fat, so the leaner the food, the better.

Boil well and then cool the milk before offering it to the rodent. It is better to discuss the feeding regimen of pregnant or very small animals with a doctor.

Cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir, yogurt

Before giving a hamster cottage cheese or other dairy products, you should carefully study their composition. Immediately it is necessary to exclude products containing sugar, salt, flavorings, stabilizers and other “chemical” additives. The body of a hamster is not adapted for the assimilation of such substances. The baby will get sick, become lethargic and unhappy. The pet’s digestive tract, urinary system, as well as the heart and blood vessels will suffer.

If you have purchased a natural product that does not contain harmful ingredients and want to try giving your pet this delicacy, you should pay attention to some more points. The most important thing is the fat content.

Let’s see if hamsters can have sour cream. Since the fat content of this product is never below 10%, and small rodents are not able to absorb such an amount, it is undesirable to offer sour cream to a hamster.

Many people believe that kefir is very useful and should be consumed every day. With regard to domestic rodents, this statement is absolutely false. Kefir hamster will only harm.

This product will not only negatively affect the baby’s liver, but can also cause diarrhea or constipation (if the kefir is not very fresh).

Yoghurts, even natural ones, should also not be included in the diet of animals. Yet again high fat content of the product will cause a painful reaction of the body.

If you are thinking about a protein supplement for the daily diet of an animal and are wondering if hamsters can have cottage cheese, then the right decision would be to introduce this complementary food, following some rules:

• use only skim cheese;
• buy the freshest product in a trusted place, because dairy product poisoning is extremely dangerous;
• give cottage cheese no more than 2-3 times a month.

When using cottage cheese in this mode, the baby’s body will take everything it needs from it, without receiving any negative load on the gastrointestinal tract.

Owners of Syrians and Dzhungars

The owners of dwarf pets, wondering if Djungarian hamsters can have milk, can safely follow the recommendations outlined above. Since the body of these pets is very delicate and sensitive, milk can only be offered to dzhungars skimmed and only to those individuals who really need it.

Cottage cheese should also be given to jungars with a low fat content, no more than 1 time in 10 days.

Syrian hamsters will also not benefit from milk, so, based on the general recommendations for all domestic rodents, you can feast on them only on the recommendation of a veterinarian. Cottage cheese can be offered to representatives of this breed, also guided by the rules for all rodents.

Other dairy products should not be given to animals of these two most common varieties, so as not to risk the fragile health of pets.

Be sure to consult a doctor to make a decision about supplementary feeding of pregnant females and orphaned babies.