My hamster's eating his/her poo?!

Hamsters eating their poo is a common cause for concern amongst hamster owners everywhere.

- The idea of eating waste that has been digested is disgusting!

But I would like to put your minds at rest. Eating their poo isn't bad for hamsters!

Hamsters are very curious creatures, and their digestive systems do not work the same as humans.

You could say their digestive systems were less efficient, as some of their poo is still filled with nutrients which means that they have not absorbed all the nutrients while being digested. But there is a reason behind this, which is explained below.

As their poo is filled with nutrients, they eat it so they can get the most out of their food. It's simply like putting food through your digestive system twice to get the best out of it. Not gross at all if you think of it like that!

Picture via here.

There are two types of excrement from hamsters:

1. One that's only partially digested and therefore contains lots of nutrients
2. One that's that's just waste with no nutrients at all

Now hamsters are highly intelligent in working out which is which, and they use a skill called coprophagy: the act of eating the nutrient-filled excrement to get the leftover nutrients from it and digest it fully.

Why do hamsters partially digest some, and fully digest others?

This is because in the harsh deserts and environments in places like Syria where hamsters originally come from, food is often scarce. By only partially absorbing the nutrients and the hamsters being able to eat their excretment again, this allows that food to be completely digested so that the hamsters get the most out of it, and they do not go hungry if they go for days without food.
It also helps to keep hamsters' guts balanced, so not too many nutrients are absorbed at once, and also making sure that there will also be a source of nutrients for hamsters to eat.

New sponsor - The Dew Hop Inn!

Animal Tails has got an official sponsor! - The Dew Hop Inn! (On Etsy)

The Dew Hop Inn statement: "We offer natural dried fruits, chew "toys", and other treats for your pet bunnies or other small animals. All of our products come from our 60 acres or other local farmers in Downeast Maine. We take great care in hand picking it all and sun drying most of it. While we cater to pet bunnies and small animals you need not worry as the fruit is safe for humans too!" 

The Dew Hop Inn have kindly sent me a packet of small animal treats for Willow, and Willow loved them! The packet included lots of yummy treats including some chew sticks and various dried veggies. (and fruits?)

There are many treats, which will make the perfect gift for your pets Christmas presents!

This is what was in the bag. ^

Willow absolutely loved her tasty treats. I haven't given them all to her yet, as too much fruit/vegetables at the same time can be bad for your hamster.

So far I have given her a chew stick, some dried banana, and some other dried things. She was curious about the banana at first, but she soon realized it was edible and gobbled it up!

She instantly loved the stick and was kept entertained by chewing it for ages!

I really recommend that you go and check out The Dew Hop Inn, because your pets will truly love the treats sold there - and there are treats available for pretty much all small animals: rabbits, hamsters, mice, gerbils - you get the picture.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE DEW HOP INN ON ETSY

Can hamsters eat banana?

Hamsters can eat banana,but only small amounts.

If you are putting the banana in your hamster's cage, then make sure it is in a bowl, otherwise sawdust sticks to it, and it's not good for your hammy!

If your hamster doesn't eat it straight away, take it out of your hamster's cage because it will go rotten in a few hours and if she/he decides to eat it after a few hours when it is rotten then it will make them ill.

Do not give your hamster fresh fruit everyday, as it puts too much water in their diet and make them very ill. I would say give your hamster fresh fruit once a week at the most.

(though I do not give Willow fruit this often)

I gave Willow dried banana and she loved it!

It was a special type of banana I got from The Dew Hop Inn (on etsy).

I really recommend this shop cause it was really cheap and I got lots of different treats to try out, and Willow loved all of them!

Willow eating the dried banana (which looks like carrot in this pic)

Hamster eating a banana.

This post was inspired by Cavvy Savvy, the blog from the perspective of three guinea-pigs.

Hope you enjoyed this post!