Can hamsters eat rabbit food? Being the owner of both a hamster and a rabbit, you often wonder if both of them can share their meal. Or sometimes, you purchase excessive rabbit food and want to save money by offering extra food to your hammy. But is it safe to serve hamsters your rabbit food?
Can hamsters eat rabbit food? Well, the answer is NO but sometimes yes! Hamsters can eat rabbit food only in case of food shortage.
Feeding them rabbit food for longer is unsafe as both belong to different species, body sizes, and nutritional requirements. Keep reading the blog to learn more about feeding hamsters with rabbit food.
Rabbit Food Is Not Good For Hamsters, Why?
Some reasons make rabbit food an unhealthy alternative for hamsters. Some of them are:
- High Fiber Content
Rabbit food is rich in fibres to solidify their stool as they consume fruits and leafy vegetables that make watery stools making them difficult to eliminate.
On the other hand, hamsters have beneficial gut micro-biota that facilitate the digestion of animal fats and protein and pass solid stool. Rabbit high-fibre food exceeds the hamster’s tiny body’s requirement and leads to gastrointestinal problems.
- Different Requirements Of Minerals And Vitamins
Since hamsters and rabbits are distinct species, their requirements for minerals and vitamins differ. Rabbits are mostly kept as indoor pets, so they can easily get vitamin D deficiency because of a lack of sun exposure.
Hamsters are nocturnal animals, and their vitamin D synthesis is not dependent on sunlight. Therefore sun deprivation is not a problem for little hammy.
Because of these differences, hamster and rabbit food contain distinct types of vitamins and minerals that fulfill their body requirements.
Food That Both Hamster And Rabbit Can Share
Can hamsters eat rabbit food? Typically No but with few exceptions. Rabbits are herbivores, while hamsters belong to omnivores, so their meal is slightly different. But don’t worry; there is a certain type of food that both your furry friends can enjoy. Let’s discuss the following:
- Grass Hay
Most types of grass hay are equally safe for rabbits and your little hamster. Grass hay has various beneficial effects for your hamster buddy, for example:
- Promote natural foraging behavior
- Excellent source of soluble fibres
- Wear down the hamster’s teeth
Orchards, oat, meadows, and timothy hay are the best grass hay for hamsters. Hamsters can also eat alfalfa hay which is not suitable for rabbits.
Do You Know?
Hamsters can eat a variety of foods, and we have researched lots of them. Check out this One: Can Dwarf Hamsters Eat Grapes?
- Vegetables
Hamster love to eat all the green leafy vegetables suitable for rabbits. For example, broccoli, kale, romaine lettuce, cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, Bok Choy, and herbs such as rosemary, basil, parsley, etc. All of the veggies mentioned above should be given in moderate amounts.
- Fruits
Hamsters can perfectly eat fruits like bananas, strawberries, and apples without seeds, blueberries, pears, and raspberries.
Again we recommend offering limited quantities of fruits to your hamster friend. Avoid any fruit and vegetable with high water content, as it will cause diarrhea in your hamster.
Rabbit Food That Hamsters Should Avoid
Can hamsters eat rabbit food? Sadly, there are certain rabbit foods that you cannot serve your hamster partner. Let’s find out what food you need to stay away from your hammy.
- Potatoes
- Garlic
- Onions
- Eggplant
- Iceberg lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Citrus fruits
- Watermelon
- Seeded grapes
Are Rabbit Pellets Safe For Hamsters?
Hamster and rabbit pellets are quite different because they are synthesized according to the specific dietary requirements of the animal. Hamsters cannot eat rabbit pellets at any cost. Rabbit pellets have many ingredients that pose serious health hazards to hamsters.
As omnivores, hamsters need higher protein content in their pellet than rabbits. Hamster pellets should contain at least 15-20% protein and high fibre for proper digestion.
What If Hamsters Eat Rabbit Food?
A handful of rabbit food at once is usually not lethal for the hamster. However, a hamster’s body reaction to rabbit food depends on the following factors:
- Amount of rabbit food that the hamster ate
- Age
- Other health issues like diabetes
- How many times hamster has given rabbit food
Consuming too much rabbit food will cause the hamster to develop diarrhea and constipation because of the high fibre in rabbit food.
Rabbit food does not contain essential nutrients for hamsters’ overall health, so it may lead to nutritional deficiencies that badly affect pregnant female hamsters as they need a higher protein content than usual to survive their pregnancies, which rabbit food cannot provide.
Conclusion – Can hamsters eat rabbit food?
Can hamsters eat rabbit food? Usually, no, but yes, on rare conditions. Both of your furry partners have distinct diet requirements depending on their species.
But certain grasses, fruits, and veggies can be given to your hammy in moderate quantities. Beware of several rabbit food that your hamster must avoid; otherwise, it will lead to serious health complications.
