Hamster Food

Can Hamsters Eat Live Crickets?

Here are the 6 real facts about hamsters eating live crickets. In this article, we have explained methods to feed insects to your pet.

Can Hamsters Eat Live Crickets? Yes, Hamsters can eat live or dried crickets. A menu containing insects is a treat for them. You will amaze by knowing the fact that they love to eat live crickets in the wild. 

It is always safe to use alive insects as a dietary option for your pet. They are omnivores, depend on mix menu as humans do. Thus they eat meat happily, also eat fruit and vegetables. There is no such nutrient in them that can be harmful to them.

Can Hamsters Eat Live Crickets?

Live or dried crickets are available in pet stores; this meal is similar to their natural diet. 

Crickets are similar to grasshoppers. They belong to the biological family Gryllidae. They consist of cylindrical shaped bodies, antennae and their heads appear round. 

Bull crickets are the largest in the family that includes Brachytrupes can be 5cm in length. 

There is a bizarre myth in our community that you have to kill cricket or crush their head parts before presenting to a pet. It is due to the danger of biting.

If providing suitable and optimum sized living bugs to hamsters, frankly, you do not have to concern about the risk of an attack or bite. 

A proper size prey can easily be captured and digested. Appropriate size and live prey options include crickets, dried mealworms, small or medium locusts, silkworms, and waxworms.

What type of insects will better for hamsters?

Many pets do not enjoy dried insects, like to capture alive instead. You can also provide them in dried form. It is just fine because they are not dependent on them for their whole nutrition.

Live bugs are preferable on dried insects because they are gut loaded before presenting to pets. In this way, they enhance the nutrition level of hamsters and prove beneficial for their health. 

If you want to offer freeze-dried bugs as a special treat, you will have to put them in hot water or microwave for only ten seconds. 

This process will make them like popcorn. Generally, the microwave makes them like overcooked chicken and look crunchy. Canned bugs that still have moisture probably contain some nutrients. They also like to eat Zucchini seeds.

There is variation in the behavior of hamsters. Some cannot figure out what to do, while others apprehend by taking little time. When you place crickets near their mouth, they get the clue that these are their food.                

Why are crickets better than mealworms for hamsters?

Crickets are considered better than mealworms. There are two reasons for this. When live crickets are there, hamsters chase them to eat. In this way, they get exercise while mealworms show little mobility, show no activity.

Calcium content is low in mealworms. Calcium is useful and provides bone strength. When they eat mealworms in a high amount, their calcium balance can disturb and it can make them poop a lot.

Healthy live insects make hamsters happy and healthy. Thus it necessary to take care of living bugs to get proper nutritious content from them. You should provide appropriate food and living place to stay healthier.

Good food for worms include vegetables, fruits. You can also offer them powdered vitamins, calcium in a bottle cap or bowl.

The idea of providing bugs to your beloved pet hamster can make you sick. You are not alone who feel nausea by getting this thought. Even I do not feel good when thinking of providing live or dried bugs to eat.

However, keeping hamsters is not an easy job. You have to blend your choices and lifestyle with their needs. You consider many things like, what would be their food routine, what they love to eat, and how to maintain their nutrition level.

When you closely observe them, you think they are always searching for food. They need food for satisfaction.


Live crickets are rich in protein content that is important for development. It is full of nutritious meals containing fats, proteins, and minerals. Gut-loaded insects are even more beneficial. 

In this case, we can place live food in an enclosure containing powdered calcium and vitamins. 

After placing it, shake it well to cover it with powder, and then present this powder-covered meal to hamsters. Living bugs contain more percentage of protein and fats as compared to freeze-dried ones.

The idea of offering live bugs, making hamsters chase their meal, motivate them, and give them a feel of the natural environment. To avoid digestive problems, you can offer a small size living food. Not all hamsters require an equal amount of this protein-rich food. It depends on their size and age.

Daily dosage of crickets for hamster

The age and size of crickets decide either they fulfill the dietary requirement. Young hamsters require a low amount of protein, while adults require comparatively larger content.

If babies leave some portion of food behind you, Adults will clean that food. It contains high-fat content. A healthy pet needs not more than one insect per month.

If you are determined to fulfill the needs of pets and want to provide authentic dietary elements, you will have to add crickets, mealworms, and other bugs to the list.

It is not fair with your pets if you deprive them of their beneficial dietary components just for the sake of your comfort. It is not suitable for you to keep such a pet that has a natural diet of insects.

Generally, there is a balanced diet for hamsters that contain three components. The first component is a seed food that replaces natural dietary options.

The second component consists of fresh food that includes vegetables and fruit, usually offered 1 to 2 times a week. Third and last part of a balanced meal is protein-rich food such as living or dried bugs and other insect types.

If you are feeding Raspberry leaves to your hamster, then there is no chance of malnourishment

Are Crickets harmful to hamsters?

Adding alive crickets to the hamster’s diet leads to some risks. They may have parasites that can be harmful and badly influence their health. There is always a risk of contamination with pesticides and other dangerous chemicals.

If you want to add them live, free of parasites and harmful chemicals in their eating menu, you will have to look for pet stores that provide special reptile feed. Crickets, mealworms, and other bugs are breeds that we use to feed small lizards.

During purchase from a pet store, make sure that insects have not contaminated with insecticides or any other poisonous chemical. 

These live insects can also bite. They can bite in their nose or paw and may draw blood. The wound of biting can lead to some infection. Thus, moving around look appetizing to pet but can cause them harm also.

You will have to place the hamster in a large cage or aquarium tank to feed alive bugs so that it may not escape out.

Can hamsters be used as pest control?

You cannot count hamsters as a part of your pest/crickets control strategy. It can be dangerous for your pet to keep them to make your house free from insects.

Hamsters are prone to any disease or harm by eating insects present in the wild. They are susceptible to get parasites present on crickets.

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