Peppers are humans spice choice for centuries. There is various type of peppers in the world, but bell papers are more popular. Bell papers are famous for their great taste and health benefits. It describes why people ask this question. Can hamsters eat bell peppers? Like always, we should discuss every possible important thing related to this. So, let us start.
The short answer to ‘Can hamsters eat bell peppers?’
As a short answer. I can say you ‘Yes’. But we did not over yet. This answer is coming with some terms and conditions. You need to clear them one by one.
Do not feed too much?
Overeating is often harmful. Foods like pepper always have a limitation. Most times they have bell peppers more than the proper amount by eating foods that include bell pepper. If I list some of them.
- Bell pepper pizza
- Stuffed bell pepper
- Bell Pepper Basics
- Roasted Peppers with Garlic and Herbs
- Ratatouille
- Golden Pepper Soup
Follow these steps to prevent hamsters overeat bell peppers.
- Keep your eye on the hamster while you are eating.
- Bring the pepper food with you if you must move.
- If you want to store it until eat, then store it in a place that hamsters will not find.
- Really careful when you feed them and give them a small amount.
Multiple effects can be taking place in your hamster when it overheats, or you overfeed ball pepper.
The chocking risk
Any object that can block the throat of a hamster call a choking hazard. When you are overfeeding some food, there is always a choking risk because the probability is high to caught something blocking the throat.
Seeds are one of them. Single bell peppers have around 4500 seeds in them. Those can stick in the hamsters relatively small throat and block its both digestive and respiratory system. It will be a death sentence. Most time, seeds are removed when preparing foods but if a hamster eat fresh bell pepper, problems can happen.
Besides seeds, a large piece of bell pepper can also chock it to the dead. Hamsters break their food to very small pieces but there is a risk. Especially with the nature of bell peppers.
danger for Diarrhea
Diarrhea is basically losing water. This can happen in several ways. Most time passed through the rectum and annas. How are hamsters getting this? Overeating bell peppers is one way. Bell pepper is high in fiber and vitamin c. Those consider as health benefits of bell pepper. That is true but high intakes of them can transform this disease to your hamster.
After some hours of diarrhea, hamster dehydration. Also, weaken the hamsters’ body. This includes all systems. The immune system, digestive system, respiratory system, nervous system. All of them. Weaken hamsters can die easily.
Also, their high water content causes dehydration. But did you know, the high water content can lead to bladder issues and kidney failure?
Bladder issues
To store urine, there is a hollow muscular organ in your lower abdomen. It is called the bladder. Even humans get some problems with the bladder. Especially cancers. But what are the issues high water content in bell pepper can cause?
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of them. Bacteria cause this issue. Bacteria entering through the urethra (the tube that carries pee out of the body) and reach the bladder. You could identify if the hamster is infected by the below symptoms.
- It will urinate with great frequency.
- Often traces of blood will in their pee.
- It is painful to infected UTI so you will be able to recognize it.
- The hamster will want to drink more and more water.
It is important to give the hamster, access to water. Keep it hydrate. Use medications like Enrofloxacin (Baytril) because UTI can lead to a kidney infection which is dangerous.
Kidney failure
It is the kidney’s job to pull out toxins from our body. Also, hamster’s body. Just like humans’ kidneys malfunctioning their kidneys can malefaction. When that happened there is no way to remove toxins from the body and they build up in the body. You can recognize it by looking at
Frequent urination and increased lethargy accompanied by weight loss are the symptoms. Once you find out your hamster is diseased, put it on a special diet. This diet includes foods that are lower in protein, sodium, and phosphorus.
Health Benefits
As usually do, first know nutritious in bell peppers. 100g of bell pepper includes these.
| Energy | 84 kJ (20 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 4.64 g |
| Sugars | 2.4 g |
| Dietary fiber | 1.8 g |
| Fat | 0.17 g |
| Protein | 0.86 g |
| Water | 93.9 g |
Vitamins
| Vitamin | Quantity | %DV† |
| Vitamin A Equiv. | 18 μg | 2% |
| beta-Carotene | 208 μg | 2% |
| lutein zeaxanthin | 341 μg | |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.099 mg | 2% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.224 mg | 17% |
| Folate (B9) | 10 μg | 3% |
Minerals
| Mineral | Quantity | %DV† |
| Calcium | 10 mg | 1% |
| Manganese | 10 mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 175 mg | 4% |
| Sodium | 3 mg | 0% |
| Phosphorus | 20 mg | 3% |
| Iron | 0.34 mg | 3% |
Bell pepper is a portion of good food to keep your vision healthy. By feeding bell peppers to your hamster, you can keep macular degeneration and cataracts. The main causes of hamsters’ eye issues are aging and infections. Bell peppers include vitamin A. That is essential for your hamster’s vision. But keep in mind, these nutrients can also be a part of developing these diseases.
Another important nutrition includes in a bell pepper is potassium. Potassium helps to regulate your hamster’s blood pressure. It is a major element of the skeleton which means it can keep your hamster’s bones strong and healthy. These ensure that their health is secure.
Vitamin K helps hamsters to keep their blood as it should be. Bell peppers are rich in vitamin K. Besides blood clotting, bone metabolism and regulating blood calcium levels are other benefits of Vitamin K.
Summery
Hamsters can eat bell peppers, but overfeeding can cause many problems including choking risk and kidney failure. So as a responsible hamster owner, you should know this and act carefully.
I hope this article will help you. There are many other pets related articles we have done. Check them too. Also, stay with us for more. Click here
