Hamster Central - View Single Post - Opinion on Bunny's My Little Sweetheart

Pebbles82 · 11-08-2019, 02:41 AM

I haven't seen those before. I also prefer unprocessed treats like pumpkin seeds, half a walnut (out of shell), half a pecan nut etc. Although treats like that can be handy for taming (I used to use the Rosewood little hearts for taming treats).

There is only1% of mealworm in them so I can't see they'd be much of a protein boost really and some of the other ingredients aren't really necessary (I think wholegrains are better than just the bran from the wholegrain which might be too much roughage).

One thing they could be good for is hybrid dwarf hamsters, due to the chicory which helps regulate blood sugar, but it looks like there is only the tiniest amount in them - it's on the end of the ingredients list.

So basically - probably no harm in them but I prefer fresh or whole food treats too. A bit of cooked spaghetti is sometimes easier than a bit of rice (we have spaghetti more often than rice!). Newt used to suck a long piece of spaghetti in like a pro!

The best thing for a diabetic prone dwarf hamster though I think is artichoke - you could probably just buy an artichoke in the supermarket and keep it in the fridge and give a bit as a treat.

Inulin is the ingredient in chicory and artichoke that is supposed to help regulate blood sugar - although inulin in many hamster foods is often from a bad GM highly processed source so giving a whole food with inulin is better I think.

I tend to stick with fresh food and whole food for treats. Pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecan nuts, brazil nuts, plain cashew nuts, sunflower seeds,the occasional bit of non citrus fruit (always popular - but not for hybrids), a healthy chew stick for keeping teeth trim (our hamsters will only chew anything that has food stuck to it).

For protein supplement - mealworm or a bit of freeze dried chicken. You can give plain cooked meat as well - eg if you've had a roast chicken or roast beef etc. Our first syrian charlie had all sorts - grouse, pheasant, chicken etc - but he always ate it straight away (out of the cage) nibbled what he wanted and left the rest. I couldn't give Newt fresh meat as he'd just pouch it then I didn't know where it was or if it was going off - so he had freeze dried chicken instead

.

Anyway those treats probably won't do any harm - if the hamster will eat them! And they are healthier than some treats. I have often found healthy treats rejected though!

Sorry - just to add - I wouldn't actually give them to a hybrid due to the fruit content.

11-08-2019, 02:41 AM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Opinion on Bunny's My Little Sweetheart - Mealworm Small Pet Snacks? I haven't seen those before. I also prefer unprocessed treats like pumpkin seeds, half a walnut (out of shell), half a pecan nut etc. Although treats like that can be handy for taming (I used to use the Rosewood little hearts for taming treats). There is only1% of mealworm in them so I can't see they'd be much of a protein boost really and some of the other ingredients aren't really necessary (I think wholegrains are better than just the bran from the wholegrain which might be too much roughage). One thing they could be good for is hybrid dwarf hamsters, due to the chicory which helps regulate blood sugar, but it looks like there is only the tiniest amount in them - it's on the end of the ingredients list. So basically - probably no harm in them but I prefer fresh or whole food treats too. A bit of cooked spaghetti is sometimes easier than a bit of rice (we have spaghetti more often than rice!). Newt used to suck a long piece of spaghetti in like a pro! The best thing for a diabetic prone dwarf hamster though I think is artichoke - you could probably just buy an artichoke in the supermarket and keep it in the fridge and give a bit as a treat. Inulin is the ingredient in chicory and artichoke that is supposed to help regulate blood sugar - although inulin in many hamster foods is often from a bad GM highly processed source so giving a whole food with inulin is better I think. I tend to stick with fresh food and whole food for treats. Pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecan nuts, brazil nuts, plain cashew nuts, sunflower seeds,the occasional bit of non citrus fruit (always popular - but not for hybrids), a healthy chew stick for keeping teeth trim (our hamsters will only chew anything that has food stuck to it). For protein supplement - mealworm or a bit of freeze dried chicken. You can give plain cooked meat as well - eg if you've had a roast chicken or roast beef etc. Our first syrian charlie had all sorts - grouse, pheasant, chicken etc - but he always ate it straight away (out of the cage) nibbled what he wanted and left the rest. I couldn't give Newt fresh meat as he'd just pouch it then I didn't know where it was or if it was going off - so he had freeze dried chicken instead . Anyway those treats probably won't do any harm - if the hamster will eat them! And they are healthier than some treats. I have often found healthy treats rejected though! Sorry - just to add - I wouldn't actually give them to a hybrid due to the fruit content.