[barley]

When my Syrian was old & poorly I gave him the Science Selective pellets soaked in warm water - he wouldn't eat it plain but I would mix a little something tastier in with it like natural yoghurt, canned plain pumpkin (the kind that's 100% pumpkin puree, not the sweetened pie filing), Applaws dog food or some 'just fruit' baby food, then he would eat the lot. It made a nice soft meal for him and I liked it because it was mainly a complete ham food, so he was still getting some good nutrition.

I also gave him scrambled eggs, porridge, millet seeds (tiny so easy to eat, he didn't like them when he was younger but did as he got old) cooked rice and veg like carrot, broccoli, green beans etc that I would overboil so they went really soft and then I could mash them. This would remove some of the vitamins though, so I'd add a few drops of the Johnsons hamster vitamin solution to it.

He didn't seem to have any tooth trouble, just went off his mix and favoured soft foods. I'd give him a 'meal' every night of the Science Selective & extras mixture which he would eat all in one go, and then I left millet seeds, dry oats, rye flakes, flax seeds etc... all little things... in a bowl in the cage which he could eat if he wanted, along with a little bit of hamster mix, just in case (but he very rarely ever did).