Is catnip safe for hamsters?

Question

I have a hamster and also a cat, to whom I give catnip sometimes, in little bits on the floor. When the hamster is rolling around in his ball, he'll sniff and nibble at the floor through the holes in his plastic ball. I don't give him the catnip directly, but he might find some on the floor, and I wasn't sure if it's toxic for him or harmless. I'd appreciate any advice, thanks.

Answer 1

At christmas, my hamster was out in her ball. There was some catnip on the floor and she ate some of it. After that, she was hyperactive. I thought it was just because it was new as she had not seen a christmas before. But then, I noticed she got sweaty when she was in her cage, but i never thought anything of it. Unfortunatly, on New years day, I found her in her little burrow. We dont know if it was the temperatures or not, but we are steering towards the catnip theory.

From personal experience, I would seriously reccomend you steer your hamster clear of catnip, as I do not want the same thing to happen to anyone else.