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DIET |
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Diet
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Apart from providing your hamster with dry hamster food which can be purchased in pet shops, they should be given a small amount of fresh food daily, e.g. cabbage, broccoli, carrot, apple, French beans, corn on the cob, etc. Do not give lettuce as this can be too wet for them. Remove uneaten food daily so that it doesn't go mouldy.
NEVER give your hamster chocolate - this is highly toxic for them. Avoid giving 'pet' chocolate as well as this can clog up their face pouches if they do not empty them immediately.
If you have Campbells that are diabetic, ensure they receive essential fatty acids in their diet - sunflower seeds, linseed, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. Give a small amount of these daily. Do not give them sugary treats, or treats that have honey in them as these will make their condition worse. |
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| Do not give salty peanuts. Syrians enjoy monkey nuts as they spend time opening the shells and stripping the skin off the nut before storing. I've not yet found a Campbell or other dwarf hamster who understands what to do with a monkey nut! | ||
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Feeding new mothers/babies: ensure the mother has plenty of food when she is feeding her young. Supplement her food with a milky meal - Complan, rusks or baby food. Her babies will also enjoy this when they start leaving the nest. Use a jam jar lid as a dish as this is shallow enough for the babies to reach. It will get messy pretty quickly with sawdust being flicked into it so you should remove any uneaten food before it gets completely buried. Small pieces of food should also be dropped into the nest, e.g. raw porridge oats, bread or pieces of vegetable, to ensure the mother has plenty to eat. The babies will also start eating this food. Don't overfeed a pregnant hamster as her babies might grow too big and she may have difficult during the birthing process. |
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| Always make sure your hamster has clean water. Water is a great indicator of ill health. If the consumption increases dramatically it is likely to be a sign of a medical condition, e.g. kidney problems, diabetes. I have always found that just before a tumour appears on one of my hamsters their water intake increases dramatically. Consult your vet in these instances as some conditions can be treated if diagnosed in the early stages. | ||
| Always ensure there is hard food so your hamster can wear its teeth down as they continually grow. If your hamster has dental problems, e.g. missing teeth, or uneven growth, you may need to modify their diet and include some baby food or pureed vegetables. Discuss this with your vet beforehand as once you start giving this type of food you may have to continue for the life of your hamster. Your hamster might just need to have its teeth clipped regularly to enable it to eat normal hamster food. | ||
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Treats: hamsters like scrambled egg, cheese on occasions. Some like small pieces of fish or white meat. In the wild hamsters eat seeds and some small insects - you can buy meal worms from some pet shops. If you decide to give them these and you don't want to handle the worm you can hold it with tweezers until your hamster takes it. Cooked or raw peas are also a favourite. |
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