Which feed

[daffee]

We should be getting our first hamsters soon (a pair of roborovskis) and would appreciate some advice on feeding them. I've read a fair bit about them so know that they enjoy extras like millet and meal worms but on a practical note what should we be feeding them?

I've noticed from older threads that a lot of people fed Harry hamster. Is this still the case? I only ask as I have a natural wariness of this brand as the rat food (Reggie Rat I presume is made by the same people) is not all that great. :?

Also, as robos are really tiny I feel we might risk overfeeding them as we are used to feeding rats. Can hamsters be fed ad lib as much as they will eat or should we be feeding a particular amount? And what sort of amount would that be?

Any advice appreciated.

[souffle]

We like the Harry Hamster and have always found ours do well on it. Some brands (like P@H) have added sugar which is not good for hamsters as some are prone to diabetes. I believe Wilkinson's own is quite good but have not used it. I would not feed ad lib as they then only eat the goodies and leave the other bits. A bit like us eating only our puddings. :lol: For two robos I would say about a small handful every second day would be OK. They only eat about a teaspoon a day and if you feed every second day they should eat a more balanced diet. The millet and mealworms are good and also the usual tiny bits of fruit & veg plus a bit of chicken, egg or tofu for protein. Do not use a bowl for food as they can get territorial over it. Scatter feed over the floor and have a good sized cage with two of everything. This does not guarantee peaceful living but can help them to get along.

[Hana]

I don't think there is much more to say, souffle covered it all pretty well.

I know what you mean about other brands, eg Russel Rabbit isn't that great. But most of us use harry hamster and our hams seem to like it! :D

[daffee]

Thanks for the replies. :)

Will look out for somewhere that sells Harry hamster.

Can I also ask (without wanting to come across as too dumb :oops: ) in what form millet is fed? Is this a pet shop buy or supermarket?

And with fresh food are we talking tiny amounts like half what they eat dry? Is going to take a bit of adjusting feeding such micro animals as we're used to stuffing handfuls of curly kale and whole boiled eggs in our rat cages! :D

[souffle]

They seem to like the millet sprays as sold for budgies! Harry Hamster is available from Sainsburys and also cheaper at Wilkinsons.
Fresh food, we are talking a piece the size of a pinky nail! Only one type a day or maybe every second day. Too much can go mouldy in the store. They also like a bottle top of porridge like ready brek occasioally :lol:

[daffee]

Thanks for that.

My Hamsterlopaedia arrived last week and have been reading through it looking for all the bits relevant to Robos. It sounds like we should be ok giving them micro portions of whatever we give the rats for their fresh dinners which will be nice & easy.

Am so excited at getting them, am like a little kid! :oops:

[SnuggleHam]

I have Hamsterlopaedia on my amazon list! I want to eventually get that book for myself.

[daffee]

I got it new off ebay for a pretty good price.

It's not got much on robos compared to other hammies but when you add it all together and then add the relevant general advcie for all hamsters it's pretty comprehensive. Of course it might be telling me the wrong stuff and I wouldn't know (rat books are notoriously inaccurate) but it seems pretty good to me. It has a massive section on health which is most important to me. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Holly]

I have Hamsterlopaedia on my amazon list! I want to eventually get that book for myself.

I bought it on ebay as well, SnuggleHam - a signed copy from the author:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 8391288896 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8391288896)

This listing has just ended but I'm sure they'll list the book again - and they post worldwide. There's another (cheaper) listing as well but the seller only posts within the UK.

It's a fantastic book that goes into far more detail than your average how to look after your hamster book and it's still very readable as well 8)

[SnuggleHam]

Thanks Holly, there are some used Hamsterlopaedia books on amazon around 8 dollars for a paperback. I dont have the cash to buy one now anyway lol, but once more cash comes in I will look into again. May be a while though :oops:

I probably dont really "need" the book seeing as I have a great resource right here. But I like to have books on hand when it comes to the animals I own. Dont know why.. just do.. for quick reference I suppose. :?

[Intense125]

I just put Hamsterlopaedia on my Amazon.com wishlist!! It looks great, and thanks for the recommendation. [Sorry to be getting off topic, Snuggleham :wink: ]

[souffle]

It is the best book available. The section written by a vet is excellent. If anyone wants it I could get it and post it from the UK for them. Not sure how much it is in the shop.

[daffee]

Some brands (like P@H) have added sugar which is not good for hamsters as some are prone to diabetes.

We got a free sample of the P@H food when we bought our cage. We've already got 2 bags of harry hamster but I'm sure it'll get eaten.

Is it just me or does hamster food last forever! We got 2 bags as we don't live near anywhere that sells it so stocked up a bit. The use by date is October 2008! I'm used to buying rat and rabbit foods that only last 1-5 months. Is there a reason why hamster food lasts so much longer?

Also, what do you think of Tesco hamster food? Obv we won't need to buy any food for a while as we have 2.2kgs of it already, but if we ran out and couldn't get any Harry we can pick up Tesco's one a lot easier, so it'd be useful to know if it's any good?

[souffle]

I have never tried Tescos Daffee but why not examine the contents panel on the side and compare it to Harry checking protein levels etc? Robos do not eat so much I guess so the bags will last ages. You could mix some of the Pets @ Home stuff in with the Harry to use it. When you change food with any animal it is best to do so gradually by mixing a little in with the old type then gradually adding more and more till you have done the swap. That way it is easier for the bowel to adjust to the new diet.

[daffee]

Good point, will mix it in at some point to get it used.

Will also have a look at the Tesco ingredients. Already compared the P@H with the Harry Hamster and Harry has higher % of all the vitamins and protein and less oil which is presumably good.

We've now got our robos btw, Sprite and Tango (though no idea which is which at this point). After a mad scurry round their new cage and a nibble of millet they are tucked up in bed. Am looking forward to them waking up again later as they are just so so cute I will probably spend all my time on the armchair next to them rather than in my place on the sofa with OH!

[souffle]

Congrats on your new babies :lol: Named after drinks eh! Cute :lol: Looking forward to meeting them when they are settled.

[Widowmaker]

My Campbells are quite happy with the P@H and the Wilko hamster foods, and I give them plenty of fresh food as well. They don't get given huge amounts as they do eat absolutely everything that goes in the cage and they'd be fat little Russians if I didn't regulate their intake :lol: I give them a little bit each day so they have stuff to eat but it's literally a small spoonful between them.

I know some people prefer to scatter the food on the floor so they don't get territorial but mine actually share their food dish really well so I have no problems there.