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Nutrition for hamsters

Hello guys and welcome to a new post!


So today's blog is going to be about a hamster's nutrition. Now I don't know too much about what a hamster eats, I do know the basics but today I will be doing a deep research so that I can share it with you guys. I will also be leaving the links of the websites I visit at the bottom so that you can take a look or if you see something is wrong you know where the information is coming from.


You guys need to know that not all of what is on here may apply to your hamster, each hamster needs different things, the same as we do. Some hamster may be less tolerant to sugar than other, some may be used to eating vegetables and other may get an upset stomach when you feed them vegetables because they may not be used to them. What is most important is that you learn about what your hamster needs and when introducing new food, do it bit by bit and make sure you keep an eye on your hamster to make sure they are okay with the food you are giving them.

 

What do I already know?


Well I know hamsters are omnivores so they eat a bit of everything, of course I know foods that have to be avoided. The main ones are: almonds, onions or garlic, citrus fruits, too much sugar and obviously anything that gives your hamster an allergic reaction (further down I will include a whole list of them).



What do I feed my hamster?


I give my hamster two different seed mixes called Harry Hamster Complete Muesli and Nature's Feast Hamster Food which I have also mixed with meal-worms. As well as this I also give her treats like dried apples (she loves apples), seedless grapes and apple treats called VetIQ Healthy Bites Nutri Care Treats (which are her most favourite). Sometimes I also give her little balls of seeds called Vitakraft Rollinis which she can use to chew on and also get food as well as Vitakraft Kracker or Pets at Home Treat Sticks (apple flavour, of course) which you can hang from the cage and she has to bite it and chew in it to be able to get the food. These last two are good to prevent the hamster from getting bored as they have to work hard to get their food as the would do in the wild.


Finally I will also give my hamster other foods depending on what we have in the fridge, sometimes she will get a piece carrot, a grape, a bit of cheese or maybe some egg (scrambled or boiled). But mainly I give her the seed mixes and meal-worms.



What foods are hamsters not allowed to eat?


The foods you should not give your hamster are: almonds, apple seeds, canned food, chocolate, sweets and junk food, any type of pork, raw potatoes, raw beans, eggplant, grape seeds, avocado, raw rhubarb, rhubarb leaves, tomato leaves, oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, grapefruits, any other citrus fruit, watermelon, cherry stone, peach stone, peach leaves, apricot stone, jams and jellies, spices, garlic, onions, leeks, scallions, chives, pickles, fools parsley, sugary or salty foods, any animal fats. Also any food which can give your hamster an allergic reaction.


If there is any food you are not sure about, do not feed it to your hamster. It is better to avoid a certain item on food rather than risk your hamsters health and have to spend a lot of money at the vets to get your hamster back to health.



What foods can hamsters eat?


Vegetables: carrots, broccoli, cabbage (not big amounts), cauliflower, chicory, spinach, sweet peppers, cucumbers, cress, courgettes, asparagus, bean sprouts, pak choi, celery, chard, chestnuts, chickweed, clover, corn on the cob, dandelion leaves, endive, green beans, kale, parsnips, peas (not frozen or canned, must be fresh), radicchio, romaine lettuce, squash, sweet potatoes, sweet bell peppers, Swiss chard, turnips, water chestnuts, water cress.


Fruits: apples, pears, peaches, melons, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, grapes (without seeds), lychee, mango, plums, raspberries, raspberry leaves and strawberries. Please note that most fruit seeds or stones aren't to be given to hamsters so please be careful.

Dried herbs and flowers: basil, sage, parsley, coriander, rose buds, calendula petals, cornflower, chamomile, sunflower petals, hibiscus flowers, echinacea, parsley stalks, raspberry leaves, nettle leaves, dandelion leaves, dill, blackberry leaves, basil, plantain leaf, birch leaves, blueberry leaves.


Meats and protein foods: cooked ground beef (rinse in hot water to remove grease), cooked chicken or turkey (steamed or baked), low fat cottage cheese, cooked cod (no bones or skin), grasshoppers, mealworms, crickets (these last three can be found at pet stores, avoid getting them from outside), whole grain break soaked in milk (low fat, skimmed and soy), eggs (boiled or scrambled), plain tofu, plain low fat yogurt (as a treat), some dog biscuits (please read the ingredients to make sure there is nothing in there that hamsters can't eat).


Other foods: buckwheat, baby food (low sugar and with no foods not allowed for hamsters, keep an eye on the ingredients), cheese (mild in moderation), plain brown rice (cooked), cooked pasta (wheat or spinach is best), dry toast, flax seeds, cereals (low in fat and sugarless), pumpkin seeds (unsalted), different nuts (not almonds), sesame seeds, soybeans (roasted and unsalted), squash seeds, lentils, oatmeal (dry or soaked in skimmed and lowfat milk), nutritional yeast, bran and wheat germ, unsalted peanuts, alfafa, unsalted popcorn (with no butter).



How often should I feed my hamster?


This depends on your hamster's eating habits, some hamsters will eat a lot and others with eat their food more slowly. You will want to wait until your hamster has finished their food or most of their food before you feed them again because when you feed your hamster too often they will become picky eaters and only eat the food they enjoy eating instead of everything which is what is most healthy for them.


I tend to feed my hamster every second day but if I see she still has a lot of food in her cage I will wait an extra day to feed her again, this food is her seeds and other things put in a normal seed mix and a few mealworms. I also give her herbs once a week as a treat. My hamster is not one to leave any food untouched, as soon as the food goes in her cage she will gather it all and put it all away.


Fruits and vegetables should not be fed daily, maybe every 3-4 days, you should especially not feed them fruit very often because it can be very sugary for them and end up giving them a diabetes.

 

Here is the end of the blog, if you guys have any questions just leave them in the comments and I will answer them as soon as possible. Underneath I'll leave you with the...


References



Please note that some things on these websites are untrue or not completely correct (e.g. you should not give your hamster pelleted food as it can be very boring for the hamster, it would be like you eating the same cereal for the rest of your life, it may be a healthy cereal but you are definitely going to get bored of eating it).

 

Thank you all for reading, I'll speak to you in the next post!


 
 
 

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