Can Hamsters Eat Celery? Better Not — VCA Advises Against It

Why VCA advises against celery

VCA's rodent feeding guidance is short and specific on this point: do not give iceberg lettuce or celery, because they are mostly water with little nutritional value. For an animal as small as a hamster, every bite matters, and celery delivers very little for the room it takes.

The Merck Veterinary Manual says small amounts of fruits and vegetables can be given to hamsters, but treats should be no more than 10 percent of the diet. With so little space for fresh foods, it makes sense to fill it with vegetables that offer more.

Stringy texture

Celery stalks are made of long, tough strings. If celery were given at all, it would need cutting into very small pieces for that reason, although the leaves are softer than the stalk. That extra preparation is one more reason to choose a different vegetable.

Hamsters also tend to carry food away to stash. Merck notes they often store food in their cheek pouches or hide it in the cage, and a long, stringy piece of celery is an awkward thing to pouch. Small, firm pieces of other vegetables are easier for them to handle.

If your hamster ate some celery

There is no need to panic. Celery is not a toxic food. Remove any leftover pieces from the cage and bedding, offer fresh water, and keep the rest of the diet normal.

Watch the droppings for a day or two. A watery vegetable can loosen them, and Merck notes that diet changes make diarrhea more likely in hamsters. If droppings stay soft or your hamster seems unwell, call a veterinarian who treats small mammals.

Vegetables to choose instead

VCA says fresh vegetables can be offered to rodents daily, preferably organic, totaling no more than 10 percent of the diet, and names leafy greens and yellow and orange vegetables as acceptable. Carrot, a small piece of squash, or a darker lettuce such as romaine are good examples.

VCA also notes that hay such as timothy, clover, meadow or orchard grass can be offered free-choice for fiber unless your vet advises otherwise. Keep onions, garlic and chives off the menu entirely; the ASPCA warns these alliums can damage red blood cells in pets.

Hamsters hoard food, so check the corners of their hamster cage for stashed fresh food every day; a large hamster cage with deep bedding makes those hidden stores easier to find.

How the diet should look overall

VCA recommends a high quality pelleted rodent chow as about 90 percent of the diet, and warns against diets where pets pick tasty seeds and nuts over balanced pellets. Merck agrees, saying a rat or mouse pellet with 15 to 20 percent protein meets a hamster's needs and seeds should be limited.

Treats such as seeds, nuts, pasta, unsalted popcorn and whole grain crackers can be offered once or twice a week, VCA says, totaling less than 5 to 10 percent of the daily diet. Fresh, clean water should be available at all times.

Signs to watch and when to see a vet

Merck describes wet tail, the common hamster diarrhea, as wet fur around the tail, low energy, poor appetite and weight loss. A hamster with these signs needs a veterinarian who treats small mammals promptly, and Merck warns that some antibiotics can be deadly to hamsters, so never medicate without a vet.

Also see a vet for a hamster that stops eating, has swollen cheeks that do not empty, or loses weight.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.