Six cups of soft jelly with banana flavour. A sweet treat for rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, mice and gerbils, maximum 2 per animal per week. Not suitable for degus. Read more.
A treat is a special moment for you and your pet. The Fruit cups Banana are small plastic cups filled with a soft jelly that imitates the sweet taste of banana. Each pack contains six cups. The jelly is soft and easy to eat. Simply remove the plastic film and the cup is ready to offer. Many animals love the sweet taste. That is exactly why it is important to use them with care.
This is a sweet snack, after all. According to the packaging, the jelly consists of sugar, fructose, fruit syrup and blossoms (saffron), with preservatives and flavourings. Back Zoo Nature itself says that fresh fruit is healthier and that the cups are only meant as an in-between treat. The feeding advice is a maximum of 2 fruit cups per animal per week. For small animals such as mice a whole cup is already a lot. Let them have a taste and then remove it, or share one cup between a few mice.
Not every animal should have this snack. Degus are sensitive to sugar and must not have sweet snacks. Dwarf hamsters, especially Campbell's and Russian dwarf hamsters, are also sensitive to sugar. Give them very little, or preferably none. Rabbits and guinea pigs may have a little now and then. Hay remains the basis of their diet, so see the fruit cup as a small treat and keep it to a few licks. Gerbils may also have a little now and then: a few licks is enough. Remove any leftovers afterwards, so no jelly ends up in the bedding. Rats, fancy mice and Syrian hamsters may also have a little now and then. Rats gain weight easily, so keep it a real treat. Looking for something to give more often? Have a look at Zooply snacks for rats or Zooply snacks for hamsters. For rabbits and guinea pigs, have a look at our rabbits and guinea pigs sections.
Offer the cup in a fruit cup holder. These are available separately, with and without a screw and wing nut. In a cage, attach the holder to the bars. In a rodent tank, stand it on the floor. That keeps the cup clean and stops it from tipping over. Rats also enjoy it when you hold the cup in your hand. That makes it a nice moment to share and to bond. On hot summer days, according to Back Zoo Nature, you can put a cup in the freezer beforehand for a cooling ice treat. With rabbits and guinea pigs, hold the cup for a moment and let them take a few licks, for example as a reward after brushing or nail clipping. Then take it away.
Remove a half-eaten cup after a few hours. Soft jelly quickly gets dirty. With Syrian hamsters, keep an eye on the cheek pouches. If your hamster carries bits of jelly to its food store, remove them, as they spoil in the nest. Store the remaining cups in a dry, cool and dark place, out of reach of children. The fruit cups are also available in other flavours, such as strawberry, honey, melon, yoghurt and orange.
Yes, a little now and then. The jelly is sweet, so hay remains the basis. Give a few licks as a treat and stick to a maximum of 2 cups per animal per week.
Yes, a little now and then. A few licks is enough. Remove the rest afterwards, so no jelly ends up in the bedding.
Preferably not, or only very little. Dwarf hamsters such as Campbell's and Russian dwarf hamsters are sensitive to sugar. A Syrian hamster may have a little now and then.
Yes, that is actually a good idea. That way each rat gets a little and it stays a treat.
Preferably not. Jelly spoils in the nest. Remove any bits that get dragged to the food store.
According to the feeding advice, a maximum of 2 cups per animal per week. For mice, part of a cup is enough.
It is not required, but with a fruit cup holder the cup stays clean and stands firmly.
Knaagplaza is the online shop of 't Knaagplein in Bodegraven, specialised in rodents and rabbits. We tell you honestly which snack suits which animal, and when you are better off choosing something else. For everyday treats and enrichment there is Zooply, our own brand, with snacks and herbs for every pet.
