How to Make Hamster Treats

Last Updated: December 22, 2022 References

If you don't feel like buying treats for your hamster, and you have a minute or two to spare, then you could have fun making it a special treat. This treat does not need to be complex or time consuming to make, as hamsters are thrilled by simple grains, fruits, and vegetables. In addition to being easy to make, homemade hamster treats have the additional advantages of being relatively cheap to make and good for your hamster.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Giving a Hamster Simple Treats

1
Pick ingredients that are good for hamsters. Supplementing your hamster's basic diet with treats is fine, as long at the treats you give it are good for it. These are foods that your hamster shouldn't eat on a daily basis but that are good to give it every once in awhile. Some treats that are good to give a hamster include:^{[1]
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- Sunflower seeds
- Alfalfa pellets
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Apples
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
2
Avoid ingredients that are toxic to hamsters. There are some foods that we keep in our kitchens that can be very bad for hamsters, as their digestive systems are not able to process them. Foods to keep away from your hamster include:^{[3]
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- Chocolate
- Candy
- Junk food
- Onions
- Uncooked beans
- Potato
- Avocado
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3
Make sure your hamster has a balanced diet. While it is very fun to give a hamster treats that it is excited to eat, your hamster needs to eat a variety of foods. Your hamster's main diet should be a commercial mix that is specially formulated to its dietary needs. Treats, on the other hand, should be given as a small supplement to its main diet.
- Give your hamster treats sparingly. There is a reason they are called "treats."
- Try giving your hamster just one or two treats a day to supplement its normal diet. For example, this means only a small chunk of apple and a small piece of carrot in a day. They really don't need much!^{[4]
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  Trustworthy Source
  The Humane Society of the United States
  National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
  Go to source}
4
Remove uneaten treats. If your hamster doesn't eat all of its treat, you should take it out to the hamster's cage. Your hamster is likely to hide it, where it can become moldy and spoiled.
- Hamsters like to hide their food, so an empty dish does not mean that they have eaten everything. When you clean your hamster's cage, be sure to be on the lookout for spots where they have hidden pieces of their food.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Baking Whole Grain Treats

1
Gather ingredients. When making treats for hamsters, it's a good idea to combine their usual food with a few additional ingredients. This recipe as it is should make enough treats to feed to a hamster for several weeks, because they should be fed a limited amount of treats. A combination of these items will give your hamster a little thrill while also giving it excellent nutrition:^{[6]
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- 1 teaspoon sunflower seeds
- 3 tablespoons hamster food, including pellets and seeds
- 3 table spoons wholegrain flour
- 3 tablespoons hot water
2
Mix all ingredients. Add all your dry ingredients into a small bowl and stir until well combined. Then add the hot water and mix all of this together until it forms into a sticky consistency.
- The mixture should be stiff enough to mold into a loose shape. If the mixture is too watery, add in another teaspoon of wholegrain flour.
3
Mold into the shapes you want. Remember not too big, as your hamster will have difficulty munching on a treat that is too big. Depending on the size you make, this recipe should make at least a dozen treats. Put all your small treats on a microwaveable plate when you are done shaping them.
- Try shaping the mix into cute little shapes, such as hearts. This will make watching your hamster eat its treats even cuter.
4
Put the treats in the microwave for 4 minutes. At the halfway point (2 minutes), make sure you turn the treats over. This will assure that they are fully cooked on both sides.
- Cooking the treats cooks the flour and makes the treat solid.
- Be careful when turning the treats over and removing the plate from the microwave. It will be hot!
- Alternately, you could bake the treat on a baking sheet for a few minutes at a low temperature. Keep a close eye on them while they are in the oven, as the goal is for them to solidify but not to brown.
- Let cool! And then you're done!

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Baking Egg Treats

1
Gather ingredients. The ingredients for this treat recipe can vary quite a bit. Basically, you need an egg and a combination of fruits, nuts, and vegetables that your hamster loves to eat. Combining several types of veggies will make the treat extra exciting for the hamster.
- Fruits you could use include: apples, bananas, and cantaloupe.
- Nuts you could use include: Chestnuts, cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.
- Vegetables you could use include: broccoli, celery, corn, cucumber, and dandelion leaves.
2
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Because you are using eggs with this recipe, it's important to cook the treats thoroughly. A well cooked treat will hold its shape and will not create a gloppy mess when the hamster tries to eat it.
3
Grate veggies. Choose 1 cup total of 2-3 veggies you have picked out for your hamster. Shred or grate them so that they become very small pieces. This will allow them to combine with the egg easily and will be easier for the hamster to eat.
- Use whatever type of grater you have. If you don't have a grater, take the time to chop the veggies until they are very, very small.
4
Beat one large egg in a cup or bowl. You need to beat the egg until the yolk and the whites are thoroughly combined. This will give your hamster egg treat the right consistency.
- You do not need to use an egg beater to beat the egg, although this does get the job done very quickly. Instead, just use a fork to whip the egg until it is combined.
5
Put approximately one tablespoon of veggies per cup in a mini muffin baking tray. The baking cups that work the best are made for baking "mini cupcakes," because they only hold about two tablespoons per muffin cup.^{[7]
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Research source} These baking cups will make your treats small enough to be "hamster sized."
- It is best to use a non-stick baking tray, as it's not a good idea to give your hamster a lot of oil or butter, which would be used to grease a traditional pan.
6
Pour beaten eggs over veggies. Cover the veggies completely with the egg. However, you should leave some room at the top of the cup, as the eggs will puff up when cooked.
- Feel free to give each cup of veggies and eggs a little stir so that the eggs and the veggies are thoroughly combined.
7
Bake for 15-20 minutes. The egg treats are done when the egg is thoroughly cooked. This may be hard to gauge but can done by sticking a toothpick or skewer into the center of one of the cups. If the skewer comes out clean, then the cups are cooked.
- Let cool and serve, but remember to give your hamster a limited amount of treats every day.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making Peanut Butter Treats

1
Collect ingredients.^{[8]
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Research source} Peanut butter treats combine peanut butter, the hamster's regular food, seeds, and a hamster chew stick. These sticks can be bought at almost any pet store.
- Hamster chew sticks are made to wear down the hamster's teeth, so that they don't get overgrown. This is important for your hamster's health.
- The amount of ingredients you will need varies. If you just want to make one or two hamster treats, then you will only need one or two chew sticks, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and one or two tablespoons of seed and food mixture.
2
Apply peanut butter to the chew sticks.^{[9]
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Research source} This can be done simply by dipping the chews into a container of peanut butter or by using a knife to apply the peanut butter onto the chews. This can be a messy process, so keep that in mind before starting.
3
Roll the peanut butter covered sticks in seeds and regular food.^{[10]
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Research source} Combine all the seeds and food that you are using for this project on a plate or other dish that will give you enough surface area to roll the sticks around. Then place the peanut butter covered sticks into the seeds and food, making sure to cover the whole surface.
- You may want to lay the sticks onto the surface of the seed mixture, then grab some mixture in your hand, and then sprinkle the mixture onto the top side of the stick, this will allow you to make sure that all surfaces are covered evenly.
4
Place sticks in freezer.^{[11]
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Research source} Place the seed and peanut butter covered chewing sticks on a plate or pan that will be ok in the freezer. Then place the pan in the freezer until the treats are hard. This usually takes an hour or two, depending on your freezer.
- Freezing the treats will make them easy to handle for your hamster. Otherwise, they would be a gooey mess!
5
Give one of the treats to your hamster! To make treat time more stimulating, you can tie the treat up so that it dangles in your hamster's cage. The hamster then has to do a little bit of work to get to it. This could mean the hamster has to be on its hind legs to get it or it has to climb in the cage to reach the treat.^{[12]
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- If you have made multiple peanut butter treats, keep the extras in the freezer! You want them to stay firm for the next time you want to give your hamster a treat.