Celery

Hamsters often exhibit extraordinary liking for munching on leafy veggies like asparagus and celery. So, if this inference raises questions in your mind including the query of ‘can hamsters eat celery’ you’d be delighted to know the answer. For a start, celery is an extremely nutritious salad vegetable that is rich in vitamins including vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, Riboflavin (vitamin B2), magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, and Folate.

Will hamsters eat celery in raw or boiled form?

Since these cute pets are in the habit of constantly masticating or chewing in order to curb the continuous growth of their teeth, they’d naturally love to munch on the crispy stalk of raw celery. However, before you serve this leafy vegetable, make sure that the same has been thoroughly cleansed in running water. Washing the vegetable in water makes it free from insecticides or pesticides and numerous other toxic chemicals.

Insecticides present in celery might cause diarrhea or gastroenteritis. After you’ve washed the celery, shred it into extremely small pieces that’ll enable the pet to munch or chew it comfortably as well as swallow it. However, do not sustain your hamster on celery alone offer her a balanced diet.

How much do hamsters eat celery and what are its benefits?

Celery is undoubtedly one of the most wholesome and nutritious of vegetables that you can offer to your hamster. For a start, it is a good source of antioxidants like vitamin C, beta carotene, and manganese that can help to drive away free radicals thereby boosting the hamster’s immune system and accelerating metabolism. Celery is laden with phytonutrients that spell a host of health benefits.

Celery contains polysaccharides that help in the controlled secretion of digestive juices from the stomach thereby promoting digestion and preventing the occurrence or delaying the onset of gastric ulcers. Celery also helps to keep blood pressure under control and promotes healthy functioning of the heart. So, there are enough good reasons why you should feed celery to your pet.

Does it come with side effects too?

Offering excess amounts of the same can cause more harm than good. Go for a consultation with your hamster’s vet on the exact amount of celery you can give to the pet. Offering an excessive amount of celery can make your pet regurgitate and/or make it urinate profusely. When you offer celery for the first time, keep a close eye on the pet for any signs or symptoms of diarrhea or allergic attack.

Aftercare if excess amount is consumed

If you observe that the rodent is merrily chewing away on the thin stalks of celery that you’ve offered for quite some time, then there is no apparent reason to worry. In case, she throws up or vomits while nibbling on the stalk or leaves, you can conclude that your pet hamster is allergic to this particular vegetable. Consequently, you should immediately remove all stalks of celery from its cage and make it drink water. Thereafter, inform your vet about the developments, and the steps you’d need to take to bring your pet back to normalcy.

Conclusion

While buying celery, choose short stalks that are crisp, compact and brittle. Never purchase blackheart celery owing to the presence of pests in them. Put the celery sticks in a paper bag before putting it away in a refrigerator and thereafter close the mouth of the bag with a plastic or cotton string.