Celery has become a staple in many households because it’s an essential ingredient in making the best sauces and soups. Celery can also be used in smoothies as it contains many vitamins, which can improve your gut health and reduce inflammation. And while celery is generally safe and healthy for humans, will it have the same effect when given to your hamsters?
The short answer to the question posted in this article is: yes, you can feed your hamsters with celery. Celery is a nutritious vegetable that can offer the following health benefits to your pets:
Fiber
Your hamsters’ diet should contain fiber as this supports healthy teeth. When your hamsters get sufficient levels of fiber, they can keep their teeth filed down and reduce any pain and discomfort caused by their constantly growing teeth.
Fiber is also essential to ensure that your hamsters’ digestive system stays healthy. Fiber works by breaking down the food in your hamsters’ stomachs, making it easier for their bodies to digest the food and absorb nutrients from the foods. Fiber also regulates the rate of sugar absorption in your hamsters’ bodies, reducing their risk of blood sugar spikes.
Low On Calories
Because of their size, hamsters are prone to gaining weight and being obese. Aside from adversely affecting their life expectancy, obesity can also make your hamsters susceptible to various health conditions, such as diabetes and heart issues. This is one of the reasons why you should limit the calorie intake of your hamsters.
Fortunately, feeding your hamsters with celery won’t be a problem as this vegetable is very low in calories. Celery only contains 14 calories per 100 grams.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is very important to your hamsters’ diet because deficiency of this vitamin can prevent your hamsters’ bodies from healing properly and quickly. This can increase their risk of getting infections.
Vitamin A
The ability of your hamsters to see deteriorates with age. By incorporating celery into their diets, you can minimize the effects of aging on your hamsters’ eyesight. Vitamin A helps maintain the eyesight of your pets to ensure that it continues to function even as they age.
Vitamin A also keeps your hamsters’ skin in tiptop condition. Your hamsters’ muscles and nerves also require sufficient levels of vitamin A to function properly.
Potassium
Your hamsters need potassium to keep their red blood cells, muscles, and bones healthy. Potassium is also necessary to maintain the bone health of your hamsters and provides energy to your hamsters.
Antioxidants
Celery is an excellent source of antioxidants that can prevent damage to your hamsters’ internal organs, body cells, and blood vessels. Antioxidants can also strengthen the immune system of your hamsters, keeping them safe from common illnesses and infections.
What Happens When You Overfeed Your Hamsters With Celery?
Hamsters can feast on celery but in very small amounts only. When you overfeed your hamsters with celery, they can experience the following health risks:
Indigestion
Feeding your hamsters with too much celery in one sitting can upset their digestive systems. Keep in mind that hamsters have very delicate digestive systems and are used to munching dry foods, such as grains and seeds.
When your hamsters eat too much celery at once, they can experience stomach pains. In worse cases, overfeeding your hamsters with celery can also cause diarrhea and constipation. While these conditions aren’t fatal, these can bring pain and discomfort to your pets.
Frequent Urination
Celery is made mostly of water. A single cup of celery contains about 115 grams of water. Because of its water content, feeding your hamsters with a lot of celery can lead to over-frequent urination. This will cause your hamsters’ litter to smell bad.
When left untreated, over-frequent urination can also cause dehydration in your hamsters. Over time, your hamsters will be at risk of kidney failure and even death.
Choking And Blockages
Feeding too much celery to your hamsters can cause them to choke or even block their intestinal tract. This will likely happen if you give celery in larger chunks.
Are There Any Feeding Guidelines To Follow When Giving Celery To Hamsters?
The key to making sure that your hamsters stay safe and healthy as they eat the vegetable is to pay attention to the quantity and frequency. As mentioned, feeding your hamsters with too much celery or feeding it to them too often can lead to several health risks.
In general, you should never offer celery to baby hamsters. This vegetable is only ideal for adult hamsters as their bodies can already chew and digest the vegetable.
When it comes to the quantity, ensure that your hamsters are only getting a teaspoon of celery at a time. The celery should be chopped finely to prevent your hamsters from choking.
Refrain from feeding your hamsters with celery every day. This vegetable should be given to your hamsters no more than two times a week. Take note that celery should be treated as a snack or treat, not as a meal replacement to be consumed every day.
What’s Better For Hamsters: Cooked Or Uncooked Celery?
Hamsters love to nibble on anything crunchy, which is why it’s better to feed them raw celery. Cooking or even steaming celery will lose its fibrous nature, meaning your hamsters will get lesser nutrients from the vegetable.
Can Hamsters Eat Celery Leaves?
Yes! Your hamsters can nibble on celery leaves. These are packed with tons of nutrients and can help your hamsters stay active and healthy. Just make sure that the leaves are washed properly before serving them to your pets.
How About Celery Stalks?
Yes, your hamsters can eat celery stalks. This part of the vegetable is firm, perfect for filing your hamsters’ overgrown teeth. However, when feeding celery stalks to your hamsters, make sure that these are sliced in small pieces as giving them the stalk whole can result in choking.
Can Hamsters Eat Celery Roots?
Celery roots are actually edible, but it’s best to remove them from your hamsters’ diets. Celery roots contain high amounts of starch, which can cause several health problems, such as digestive issues and weight gain. When given in large amounts, starch can also be fatal to hamsters.
Additionally, celery roots contain a lot of fertilizers. Feeding your hamsters with vegetables with fertilizer residue can have adverse effects on their overall health in the long run.
Can Hamsters Eat Celery Sticks?
Yes, you can serve celery sticks to your hamsters. The texture of celery sticks—rough, hard, and chewable—is good for your hamsters’ teeth. Celery sticks can help grind down your hamsters’ growing teeth and prevent any discomfort as their teeth continue to grow.
Reach Out To A Vet
Your hamsters’ bodies aren’t programmed the same way as humans’. Humans can easily digest and absorb nutrients in celery even when taken in large quantities, but the bodies of your hamsters can’t. In fact, overfeeding them with celery can also lead to health risks.
To ensure that your hamsters stay safe and healthy as you add celery into their diets, talk to their vet first. A vet can provide pieces of advice to help you incorporate the vegetable into your pets’ diets in the safest way possible.