Proper Pet Nutrition for Small Animals
Hamsters, Rabbits, and Guinea Pigs Need Healthy Diets to Thrive
Nov 14, 2009
Just like dogs and cats, hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs need good nutrition to stay healthy. There are many different small animal pet foods on the market, and it can be hard to choose one that will give your furry little critter the nutrition it needs. Here is a look at fillers, by-products, sugars, and preservatives commonly found in small animal diets, and what the healthy alternatives are.
Fillers and By-Products
Foods for hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs often contain fillers and by-products that are cheap, and have little nutritional value for your pocket-pet. Fillers and by-products often lead to obesity, and too many in a diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies that will shorten the life of your small animal.
Common fillers found in small animal diets are oat and soybean hulls. Corn distiller's grain are by-products that are also used as fillers. Since these fillers are basically the shells of food items that have been used for another purpose, there is almost no nutritional value in these items.
A good small animal diet contains whole grain corn and oats, versus the hulls of these ingredients. Whole grains provide carbohydrates for energy, and well as vitamins for health.
To raise the protein levels of small animal foods that consist mostly of fillers, manufacturers use corn gluten meal. Corn gluten is a cheap source of protein, but can cause obesity and allergies in small animals if fed regularly.
Instead of these fillers, look for foods that contain timothy hay, orchard grass, and brome grass. These items provide a small animal with the fiber, vitamins, and minerals they need to stay healthy. Alfalfa provides these nutrients as well, plus, is also a source of protein.
Sugars
Many small animal diets contain a lot of dried fruit. Though fruits are not necessarily bad, they are too high in sugars. This leads to obesity. A small animal diet that contains a lot of dried fruit may lead to selective feeding, meaning that the animal may eat all the fruit, but leave behind the other ingredients it needs to stay healthy. Fruits are best fed as treats, not part of a regular diet.
A small animal diet should consist of more vegetables than fruits, vegetables such peas and carrots. These vegetables provide a small animal with vitamins and antioxidants.
Preservatives
Small animal diets may contain BHA, BHT, or Ethoxyquin as a preservative. These preservatives are thought to be harmless in small doses in large mammals (though this is controversial), but in small animals, are known to cause problems with liver function. Foods should be preserved with vitamin E (mixed tocopherals), as this is a natural, harmless preservative.
Other Ingredients
Other ingredients to stay away from in a small animal diet are artificial colors. These are put into foods for the consumer, not the animal, who could care less about the color of its meal. Processed sugars, as well as too many seeds, will both lead to obesity in small animals.
A top quality food will contain natural sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These ingredients help support the immune system of your pet, and will give your hamster, rabbit, or guinea pig a bright shiny coat.
Another good ingredient for a hamster, rabbit, or guinea pig diet is Yucca extract. This cuts down on the bathroom odor of small animals, which makes the small animal owner happy.
Small animals are less work and more inexpensive to care for than cats and dogs, which has lead to their popularity. Just because they are less work to care for, though, does not mean they deserve a lesser quality of life. Healthy, long-lived small animals start with good nutrition.
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