guess who's mad about sherbet fountain?

[minnieandhammy]

I had a sherbet fountain a few days ago with the tube with sherbet in it and the stick of liquorice. Yum!

When it was empty I absent mindedly proffered it to my hamster to gnaw on the tube as she is very chewy. She went crazy! Like it was the best most exciting thing she had ever chewed. So I tossed the tube in her cage and it kept her occupied for ages chewing the empty packet. It must have had a hint of sherbet left on it. The next day I found the lid all chewed in her nest, She'd taken it to bed with her. She is still chewing it days later.

Hamsters are mad about sherbet!

[Cotton]

May I very politely ask what it means to "absent mindedly" give something to a hamster to chew on? Do you mean you weren't mindful of what you gave to her? What was it? Cardboard? Plastic?

[Thin Lizzy]

Cotton, If it's what I'm thinking it is, then it's cardboard.

Minnie, did you mistake your hamster's cage for the bin? You shouldn't give your hamster sherbet, it's high in sugar. It's hardly surprising she took it to her bed. I know if I eat too much sugar, it can make me feel tired.
Please think before you act.

[AprilPearl]

Oh gosh, please don’t do this again. Sherbert is not good for hamsters at all. Keep an eye on her for a few days and if she starts to get sick take her to the vet asap.

Here are a list of a sherbert fountain’s ingredients:

Sugar - NOT GOOD
Treacle - don’t think this can be good
Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin),
Cornflour,
Sodium Bicarbonate - don’t think this can be good
Acids (Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid) - NOT GOOD
Natural Colour (Plain Caramel) - don’t think this can be good
Liquorice Extract - don’t think this can be good
Anti-Caking Agent (Tricalcium Phosphate) - unsure
Flavouring - probably not good
Aniseed Oil - unsure

Even a little of something bad can be very harmful to a hamster as they are so small.

[AmityvilleHams]

It definitely isn't safe Some ingredients would be okay,but there are several ingredients which are quite unsafe or seriously questionable at best.The wheat flour,cornflour,citric acid(debated but generally safe as a preservative,would cause stomach upset in very high amounts but the same applies to many other foods,this is also naturally occuring even in vegetables),and natural caramel color would be fine.However,we already know sodium bicarbonate is very dangerous for hamsters,and added sugars aren't very good for any species

Please try not to feel bad about this,but just take more caution in the future!

[minnieandhammy]

It's Ok! Don't panic people! There was NO sherbet left in the packet but it must have smelt of it.I wouldn't ever feed unsuitable food to my hamster. The packet was quite safe for her to chew. I wouldn't give a hamster something unsafe to chew!

[AprilPearl]

Even so, there was likely microscopic residue left which was invisible to the naked eye. If you can smell something, then it has left a trace of itself behind. Our sense of smell works when particles enter our nostrils. Not trying to criticise at all - but it really is better to be safe than sorry!

[cypher]

There will definitely have been traces of the sherbet left & even a trace is still a fair amount for a little hamster so do be very careful with what you offer in future!

[flowerfairy]

Awww I can just imagine her delight at being offered this wonderful sweet smelling tube.

Good idea to exercise caution around sugar but awww. Doesnt sound like she would have had much and it clearly gave her a lot of pleasure.