It contains bits and pieces of that good stuff your hamster will love to forage around for. Although you should limit feeding berries to once or twice a week, you can feed different amounts. Keep reading to get everything you need to know how to feed hamsters right. Some foods may be varied enough to cover the needs of more than one type of rodent pet – but not all. As your pet, you are the one and only source of food for your hamster. Cindy Cribbs, owners Haven for Hamsters Rescue and Sanctuary, feeds their hamsters about a tablespoon of food once a day. Research shows that too much fructose and lactose can kill a hamster, whereas a similar amount of sucrose will not. A small, bite size amount of fresh vegetables and fruit is recommended 2-3 times a week. You should only give your hamster the amount they need for the day. Made using basic materials, this wheel can be made in just a short amount of time, and your hamster will enjoy it for much longer! When looking at types of hamster foods, there are two basic types: lab blocks and seed mixes. Hagen® Hamster & Gerbil VME (Vitamin & Mineral Enriched) Mix provides a tasty selection of the finest seeds and nuts that hamsters and gerbils would forage in the wild. out to know the right food & nutrition for hamsters! Some benefits of seed mixes include: Whole food ingredients; Minimally processed When looking at the ingredient list, you should first be looking for the number of whole foods included in the food. Turner Seed is your one-stop source for native and improved grasses, wildlife, wildflower, and field seed. Seed mixes. What kind of hamster food should you buy? We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. New to hamsters? Do you know everything needed? You can create a hamster mix using organic ingredients, or you can simply offer a small amount from each category of foods every day. Here are a few more things you can feed your hamster to provide them with some extra special food and give them more variety in their diet. And don’t let the percentages outlined below deter you. Mix all your ingredients up together and store in a tightly covered container in a cool dark place. Many hamsters prefer seed mixes because of the variety. The first seed mixture on our list, Vitakraft Natural High-Diversity Formula delivers a wide variety of ingredients with no added sugars. Supplement your hamster’s diet with fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. 26 seminars a year are conducted For the ones on this first list, you should only give ¼ teaspoon once or twice per week in total. The best option for your pet dwarf hamster would be pelleted food. Also, although they’re more expensive per pound, they’re also more packed with nutrients and there’s little waste, so many owners find they save money by using them. We’re going to quickly define them and go over some pros and cons of each so you have a better understanding of what’s best for you and your hamster. The other part of the name comes from the fact that these are often used in laboratory settings. So, he can have 7 chia seeds, 7 flaxseeds, 1 safflower seed, and 1 sunflower seed all in one day. Last but certainly not least on our list is Brown’s Tropical Carnival Natural Gourmet Food. Even with foods that are totally safe, follow the guidelines in each section and be careful to not feed more than what’s recommended. What makes it even more difficult is the fact that there’s no one food that has the right levels of protein, fat, and fiber. Essentially, a food is considered a seed mix as long as it has anything other than pellets. Some things are toxic specifically to hamsters or to other animals, and other things are simply unhealthy for them. How Long Do Syrian (Teddy Bear) Hamsters Live? Quality hamster food with better standards. You can skip these completely if you’re worried about giving too much. Look for a seed mix made up of pellets, grains, seeds, and dried vegetables. Some of these foods should be avoided entirely, while others may be given in very small amounts. If you find that your hamster has a large amount of food they’re storing, you can cut back on the amount you’re feeding them. Another lab block food, Kaytee Healthy Forti-Diet Pro-Health can work well with certain seed mixes. Stick to quality hamster food. They can sometimes contain contaminants that can be lethal for a hamster, even in small amounts. Start by cutting back by ½ a tablespoon each day. With good-quality nutritious food, your hamster will thrive and can live a longer, happier, and healthier life. SunSeed Critter Cubes are lab blocks that are great for mixing with a seed mix because of their high protein content. We’ve gathered a few samples of the highest quality foods on the market that you can use to create your own hamster mix if you don’t want to follow our recipe or need to tweak it to meet the needs of your individual hamster. Similar to fruits, berries should be limited because of their high sugar and water content. This is because they’re safe to be fed on a daily basis. That means you’re responsible for providing the variety and nutritional balance he or she is craving. Shepherd/ lab mix - female (etx) pic hide this posting restore restore this posting. When shopping, make sure the bag specifies hamsters. A seed mix can include a mixture of pellets, seeds, and other dried whole food ingredients. It’s essential to start with high-quality foods whether you’re trying food mixing or picking just one food. Pelleted Hamster Food. Complement with additional protein accordingly and provide fresh veggies to supplement vitamins and minerals. To determine how much to give your hamster, first figure out how much commercial feed you’re giving your pet. Meats fed to hamsters must be unseasoned and thoroughly cooked. These are usually composed either of pellets or seed mixes. There are two reasons to supplement your hamster’s diet: The key here is to keep supplementation just that – a small addition. However, these should only be given 2-3 times per week, and only one at a time. The Humane Society of the United States advises feeding your hamster just one tablespoon of pellets or seed mix a day, in addition to sporadic treats. Studies have shown that wheat-based protein is not enough for hamsters. What are the nutritional requirements of hamsters? The most natural source of animal protein for hamsters are insects that you can purchase at your local pet shop. Historically, seed hamster food was the main and only choice of food when getting a hamster. Complement with additional protein accordingly and provide fresh veggies to supplement vitamins and minerals. Seed Mixes A bag of mixed seeds is a great choice if you want a large variety of options for your hamster to eat. They need more varied sources for protein in their diet. More on that later. Skill Level: Beginner If your hamster loves their wheel, this YouTube tutorial from Mr. H2 for an easy cardboard hamster wheel will keep them entertained for hours. 10% off all orders . Fats are made up of lipids, and also have a number of important roles in the body’s functions. Fatpouches' Premium - Ultimate Hamster Seed Mix, Fatpouches' Standard - Floral Hamster Seed Mix, Fatpouches' Standard - Spring Hamster Seed Mix, Fatpouches' Premium - Delight Hamster Seed Mix, Fatpouches' Standard - Summer Hamster Seed Mix, Regular price There are also many other foods you can add to your hamster’s diet. However, all you need to do to make sure your hamster is getting enough of these is to stick to the basic rules of feeding hamsters: Basing 90%-95% of the diet on a high-quality hamster-specific commercial formula, and supplementing with fresh vegetables and a small amount of nuts and fruit. Protein is made up of amino acids and is responsible for a myriad of processes throughout the body. These pellets could be small, or larger, which is where the “block” part of their name comes from. At the ripe old ages of 9 and 6 my sister and I began keeping Syrian hamsters and making a custom seed mix to sell. Week 3: Mix 3/4 of food with 1/4 of current food. We’ve mentioned a few already, but there are many other foods you should never give a hamster. So, the type of sugar matters too. Soybeans (soybean hulls, dehulled soybean meal, and flaked soybeans), Wheat (whole wheat, puffed wheat, and ground wheat), Provides an opportunity for selective eating. The reason for that is their relatively high-fat content. If you’re ready to learn more about hamster care, you can here! When a hamster is picking and choosing what she eats from her food, she’s not getting the guaranteed analysis. We added the amount to give your hamster after each berry listed. One Cup Flax Seeds. Is A 20 Gallon Tank Big Enough For A Hamster? Once again, that’s the total if you’re feeding different amounts. Can you play with your hamster for 30 minites each day? Access to TEAM GRO Member experimental mixes. (And How to Help Them Live Longer!). So, if you truly want what’s best for your pet, you need to start by feeding him or her right. So, how to feed your hamster? Boiling and baking are both acceptable ways to cook meat for hamsters. But does have added vitamins. Hamsters are not rats, neither are they guinea pigs. The Hazel Hamster Tasty Mix from Tiny Friends Farm is another good choice for dwarf hamsters. Your hamster should be offered their seed mix … The bag good size bag and so is price:) 1 You liked it! Some are very basic. Can Hamsters Eat Broccoli [Inc. Cooked or Raw]. Hazel Hamster Tasty Mix is nutritionally balanced and suitable for hamsters of all shapes and sizes. The seeds are also safe, so no need to worry about removing them in advance. That’s perfectly natural hamster behavior! Seed mixes. Don’t try to limit the amount beyond that, and allow your hamster the freedom to store the food for later use. These pellets are preferable to a hamster-formulated seed mixture because many hamsters will pick out what they like from these mixtures, missing some of the nutritional value in the seeds they don’t eat, McGeorge said. These foods you can feed on a daily basis as part of their regular food. Generally, these are not part of the natural hamster diet and are best avoided. Because all seeds are different sizes, we’re including the amount of each type of seed that can be fed after it. That’s why pregnant females hamster pups need more protein. Proteins are the building blocks of tissue, so they’re essential for growth too. Many hamsters prefer seed mixes because of the variety. By splitting ingredients, they can have less desirable ones appear further down on the list when people stop reading. It has a good variety of ingredients including some animal-based protein, and is all-natural with no added sugars. It should contain a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate. This is the total combination, so don’t give ½ teaspoon of each! How do you implement that when you’re at the store or shopping for hamster food online? $20.00, Fatpouches' Premium - Gerbil Seed Mix (Low Fat), Fatpouches' Premium - Fancy Mice Seed Mix, Fatpouches' Standard - Rabbit & Guinea Pig Supplementary Mix, Regular price In the wild, hamsters can forage for a wide variety of fresh greens and pick out exactly what their body needs. These have different serving amounts and frequencies which will be noted next to each item. For pregnant females and growing hamster pups, the general recommendation is 18% protein content. There are a few other seeds that are safe to give you your hamster. Manufacturers often do this because ingredients are listed by quantity. Pet parents can treat hamsters with a small amount of greens or fruits. While it can and often is okay to use, it does risk your hamster being picky only eating its favorite seeds. As you can imagine, too much fat can cause weight gain. Purchase commercial hamster mix from a pet store. This can cause problems because she may not be getting enough protein, fat, or fiber. Also, as a general rule, all seeds should be removed from fruits before feeding them to your hamster. This will prevent them from storing too much which isn’t being eaten. Studies done on the optimal hamster diet are few and far between -- essentially only done by the labs or lab block companies.. For every tablespoon of commercial feed, you can give ½ teaspoon of these grains. A hamster can be picky with loose seed mixes, eating only their favorite items, resulting in an unbalanced diet. While hamster seed mixes are appropriate for dwarfs, oftentimes they would pick only the ones they like and this could also lead to malnourishment as they would miss some of the nutrients in the seed mix. Avoid processed sugars in hamster food and limit overall sugar intake. Week 2: Mix 1/2 of food to 1/2 of current food. And again, your best bet is to look for food that is specifically formulated for hamsters. Why Do Hamsters Die? Here’s the short version: We’ll break all of this down so you know exactly what to look for when picking out food and treats for your hamster. Taxonomically hamsters are classified as a subfamily, Cricetinae, with 7 genera and 18 species in the family Muridae (Musser and Carleton, 1993). Rather than listing them all here, we created a post just for dangerous foods for hamsters. So, you may want to get a small stash of different types of nuts and feed one per week. In order to maintain good health, a hamster needs to get a well-balanced diet which includes all of the nutrients it needs, in the right amounts. Give your hamster a tablespoon of this food once a day and supplement it with fresh fruits and veggies about every two to three days. Small animals get all the benefits of freely eating the delicious food they love, plus they get all the nutrients they need for a … We named our business Hubba-Hubba Hamsters as we had recently discovered the existence of the “Hubba-Hubba Heinie”, a foam tush-enhancing product we thought very was reminiscent of our hamsters’ round physiques and corgi-like behinds. What about other types of meat? This is where we encourage you to also check out our guide to foods that are dangerous for hamsters. The total amount that can be fed from this list is between ½ and 1 teaspoon every 1 to 2 days. With this, we can see there are 8 whole food ingredients: This is a good example of having repeated ingredients. Many fruit seeds and pits contain toxins in them that can kill your hamster. A lab block is necessary to ensure your hamster is getting the proper nutrients that he/she needs to thrive. Week 1: Mix 1/4 of food to 3/4 of current food. favorite this post Dec 25 female robo hamster (wtf > Wichita Falls) pic hide this posting restore restore this posting. For that reason, you can also provide some of this for your pet. Apple seeds, grape seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, and plum pits are particularly dangerous for hamsters. All rights reserved (c) 2019 -2021 Hamsters101.com. Hamsters usually only eat between 1 and 2 tablespoons of food per day (depending on the size of the hamster). This is another hard question. If given more than that, you may see it disappear from the food bowl, but it’s likely going into storage rather than being eaten. Hamsters need to eat food throughout their waking hours, to satisfy their high rate of metabolism. Which means you should make sure your hamster has a good supply of food and it’s ok if he or she stuffs her pouches and carries some back to the nest. However, these are safer in slightly larger quantities and have different feeding recommendations. A pelleted mix can be supplemented with a variety of other items as long as the pelleted food makes up the bulk of the diet. Complement with additional protein accordingly and provide fresh veggies to supplement vitamins and minerals. This will lead to a diet that is not balanced and worse, your hamster will not get all the vitamins it needs. Powered by Shopify. You may notice that many of these are already in commercial foods. But if you do give these to your hamster, you should never give more than ¼ of a teaspoon once per week. The bag has a variety of different healthy seeds for my hamster that I couldn't find anywhere else. Here are a few reasons that it’s crucial to carefully screen what foods your hamster has access to: The phrase “you are what you eat” covers hamsters as well. The best way to ensure that your hamster is getting all the right nutrients is to serve a diet that varies every day and includes grains, seeds, herbs, vegetables, protein, nuts, and treats. Take this quiz! Most of a hamster’s diet should be made up of commercial hamster food. To reach optimal nutritional levels through more variety. Dwarf hamster mix tends to contain a lot of small millet seeds that dwarf hamsters love, but Syrians tend to ignore. 7. These should be fed in limited quantities and only after you’ve made sure they’re getting everything they need from their regular food. Read here more on, Cottage cheese (1 teaspoon once per week), Egg whites (1/2 teaspoon 1-2 times per week), Mild, low-fat cheese (a few shreds, once or twice per month), Cooked brown rice (1 teaspoon once per week), Dog biscuits (1 small piece once or twice a week), Plain popcorn (1 – 2 pieces once or twice per month). Care, you can skip these completely if you must, you ’ re about! 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That are a few already, but they are designed to accommodate your hamster whereas... But if you truly want what ’ s diet with fresh food or she is craving to the. Ingredients are listed by quantity from her food, Kaytee healthy Forti-Diet Pro-Health can work well with seed! Whereas a similar amount of greens or fruits other part of the Natural hamster diet and are avoided! Distributed throughout the day will lead to poor overall health dried whole food ingredients ingredients including some animal-based,... Lot of small millet seeds that are dangerous for hamsters Rescue and Sanctuary, feeds their hamsters about a of. Seed mixes have their benefits, the biggest concern is selective eating seed mixture on our list feeding. Series facebook page, whenever they get hungry ( pellets ) and hamster pellet/seed mix whereas a similar amount each! Are made up of commercial hamster food online frequencies which will be with each item! 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