I have a new hamster.

poppydog83

I have recently bought a syrian hamster,he is nearly 9 weeks old and is black. He has been named linford after linford christie,as he loves running around,whether it b in his cage,ball or wheel.
Im looking for a bit of advice really. I cant find my hamster book anywhere now,and i forgot to ask the person in the pet shop. What sort of fresh food can you feed a hamster?

Hcollie85

umm all i can say is that when my sister had her hamsters, she gave it carrots plus she got fruit sticks for it

Heather

shadylady

feeding your hamster.....
the bulk of a hamsters diet should always consist of dry hamster mix, dry dog or cat food can be added to the mix to raise protein level. vegetables and fruit may be given every second or third day as a supplement to the dry mix, carrot, lettuce, celery, apple, tomato are relished. avoid citrus fruits such as oranges as these r too acidic for a hamsters stomach. hamsters will also relish table scraps, such as pasta, bread, cooked potatoes, sweetcorn and peas, but avoid spicy hot foods. i also give my hamster every once and a while some cheese he loves it here is a pic of him.
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poppydog83

Thanks for the advice,still hunting for the book i have. My hammy is currently running about in his ball,getting alot of exercise. He seems to enjoy it

Twig

Hamsters are omnivores and therefore don't require high protein levels, so I wouldn't worry about cat and dog food, which all too often contains garlic and onion anyway which is toxic to hammies (and cats and dogs) Also good quailty mixes provide enough protein, Harry hamster by surpreme is probably the best food.

Hamsters enjoy fresh foods, and it can be given every other day, even everyday if gradually worked up. Personally as new hammies are so stressed, and prone to wet tail, I'd not change the diet for the first few days, just feed the mix he was fed where you bought him. Wink

As for fresh foods, there are loads which can be fed and also a load which can't!
I'm afraid I disagree with shadylady who said tomato and lettuce. These are two no-no's as lettuce is very watery, has no real nutrition and is probably one of the more likely foods to cause upsets. Tomatoes are also quite acidic. Veggies like broccoli, pak choi, coriander, parsely, dandilion, celery, mangetout and the odd small bit of brussell sprout are all favs with my current and past hamsters. Very Happy

shadylady

i disagree with u twig as i have bred hamsters in the past and all of them loved lettuce and tomato except i forgot to mention its best not to feed the juices and seeds inside the tomato just cut little pieces up, also in the past i have had, to count 19 hamsters all of which have lived past two years average age 2 1/2, one of my hamsters was 3 when it died and if thats not caring for hamsters dont no what is...
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Twig

Breeding hamsters require more protein, and also, breeding hamsters doesn't make you an expert, and prehaps that wasn't your intention but in the rabbit section you mentioned you bred rabbits.

For the record, I also have bred hamsters in the past, but now prefer to rescue. I was a member of my local hamster club and talked to breeders about nutrition, and none of them added cat and dog food into their hamsters mix, but the hamsters did enjoy hard boiled egg and plain cooked chicken/turkey. Smile

Also I would assume the hamsters you bred with are from breeding stock, which are healthier than the average petstore hamster.

Whilst tomatos probably do no harm, the fact remains that they are acidic, and many of the more popular hamster websites do list them in their do not feed lists, as is lettuce which is watery and lacks any nutrition. Broccoli for example, is in my opinion, a much more nutritous treat. But each to their own...

shadylady

i have looked in all of my books and it DOES say that you can give your hamster tomato's and cat and dog biscuits for protien. Also i may not be an expert on hamsters but i no i have more experience than you. Here is the evidence for you.
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shadylady

more evidence
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Spud

Oh, come on... I think that debating is fantastic and I love to hear different opinions on issues, but let's not become childish (as a teenager, that's my job Wink

). I'm not sure that scanning pages from books is entirely necessary.

I'm not going to pretend that I am very well researched in hamster nutrition, because I'm not. Only because I foster guinea pigs, I would be inclined not to feed brussels/broccoli because, as they can cause wind for us, they may cause bloat to a cavy... but in small amounts that you are giving anyway I can't see a problem and it may be that bloat isn't an issue with hamsters. Tomatoes ARE acidic, which is why I limit them when feeding them to my herbivorous pets as they have been known to cause sores in the mouth. I feed romaine and other varieties of lettuce, but never iceberg because that does have no nutritional value; the other varieties do have nutritional value, but again I must stress that with my limited experience in hamsters I am not saying that they are recommended for hamsters. Just felt the urge to clarify that they are pretty much necessary for a healthy rabbit/guinea pig diet Wink

I'd just like to point out quickly, shadylady, that as much as I adore my local RSPCA shelter I do not completely trust their range of books. Their guinea pig and rabbit care guides, from what I can remember, recommended woodshavings as a suitable bedding for them and as I'm sure you know, these aren't suitable for any small animals (with the exception of aspen, of course). In fact, I don't trust many pet care books and generally stick to messageboards such as this one because I love to hear different opinions and learn new things about pets - I believe that when you're dealing with tiny lives, you really need to have information that is as up to date as possible. One book I own, the 'Small Pet Handbook', recommends feeding rabbits potatoes and the home-made food included milk!

I'm not trying to say that either of you are wrong, but I felt that trying to get one over on another member by scanning things from a book was slightly petty. Surely, the whole point of a public messageboard is to share views and pet care tips, and learn from other members? As you've probably noticed by now, I do tend to waffle! Laughing

Spread the love! Wink

littlelab

Please keep it civil ladies, forums are here for debate lets not get personal, lets all share ideas and keep it friendly Very Happy

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Natalie and Co xxx

Twig

Shadylady, like I said each to their own, and you could show me a load of books, but I still wouldn't feed any hamster tomatoes or lettuce when there are other choices.

I get most of my information from websites and rescuers who have vast knowledge. I think we should agree to disagree on this one, although one book which you may want to add to your collection is Hamster Laeopedia by Chris and Peter Logsdail if you don't already have it, as I found it to be an excellent source. Very Happy

I never intended for there to be such a big debate, and was just offering my opinion, which I felt was correct having been an admin on hamster forums and having kept them as pets. I also do not feel you know enough about me to assume you have greater kknowledge on hamsters than me, not that that is what this about anyway.

I agree, broccoli and brussells are to be limited for bunnies and cavies, thankfully hamsters are not prone to bloat, but then again, greens are not fed in as vast quantities to hammies as they are buns and gps.

I never feed lettuce to my buns, other than the lollo rosso which is red tipped, think thats the name anyway. It isn''t high in nutrients and tends to be bleached Shocked

Especially the bag of mixed stuff.

shadylady

i also get information from internet sites, pet shops, the rspca, my local vets, including various books which i collect, also the local libraries have various books, just thought i would show people where i got the information from like some people on here post websites what you can go on, i didnt mean for it to be petty, twig you have your opinion and i respect you for that but i think we are never going to agree on whats best for our hamsters so as long as our hamsters our getting fed having the right amount of exercise and our healthy, thats all that matters, because some people dont even care about there hamsters. But in this case i think both of us care for our hamsters to much lol..

sorry to infuriate people.. <truce>
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