What Are You Feeding Your Chinese Hamster(s)?

[JenCarpeDiem]

There are plenty of older threads about Chinese-specific food, but I wanted to get a clear idea of what everyone is feeding their Chinese hamsters now, so I figured I'd just ask. :p

Which mix do you feed, what do you take out and what are you adding in?
Also, what do you use as a treat?

The mix I'm using: Fab's Dwarf Hamster Mix (http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/feeding-nutrition/20526-fab-dwarf-hamster-food-opinions.html) (for now!)

I'm taking out: kibbled peas and carrot flakes (just in case)

I've added: Canary seed. I'm not really sure what I'm removing from her diet by taking the peas and carrots out, so I don't know what else to add.

Treat: The only non-sugary vegetable I've got in the house at the moment is a lettuce, so I've been giving her teeny tiny slivers of that as treats. I know it's high in water content, so I've been using the tiniest amounts possible.

I'm looking for suggestions ready for my next shopping trip!

[racinghamster]

My chinese female gets the following:

Main mix: Burgess Supahamster Harvest (not the dwarf version just the normal one with the photo of the syrian on the front cover!) I remove the yellow corn/flaked maize and banana pieces as these contain natural glucose/sugars. The peanuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are used as treats only. I keep these aside and give as treats.

Replace the corn/maize and banana pieces with:

Buckwheat: Tesco or any health food shop
Kallo organic wholegrain puffed rice: Tesco or health food shop
Tesco organic jumbo oats (or a good dry porridge oat will be fine
Millet/canary seed

I don`t feed any vegerables at all, but some people do. It`s just common sense with vegetables really Things like carrot have natural sugars so very minute pieces of other vegetables can be given, but not every day. All fruit should be avoided as fruit has fructose in it.

Millet sprays can be given. I snip off a few inches and give it to Prinny and she drags it into her `stash` corner! :mad:

Hope this helps. Keep away from sugar, honey, syrup and basically, anything that might contain these. Including pet shop bought treats. This is why I keep back the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and peanuts from the main mix and make sure she gets these as treats (daily) so that she still gets them within her daily diet, but is hand-fed them to keep her interest and tame her. It works so well. Just lie a piece on your open hand and let her take it. Keep your hand still until she places her paws onto your hand and takes the food. She will soon learn that a lowered hand has a treat for her! :)

[SnickersTheFirst]

My Chinese gets:

Harry Hamster with corn removed. Then I add; millet, kitten biscuits, porridge oats and dried mealworms.

He gets fresh veg such as cucumber and occasionally carrot, and he gets porridge or baby food once a week. :D

[flix]

Currently Pets at Home muesli, as he was fed on that before I bought him, so I'm just using this bag up and then transition him onto Burgess Supahamster Dwarf Hamster Harvest (which you can get from P@H for £2.49).

I feed him millet and oats as treats, and the very occasional half a yogurt drop. If I remember I sometimes give him a little cucumber or green pepper.

[Munch]

My chinese hamsters gets "Hamster Complete" and "Altromin" as their main diet. I supply with dried meal worms, dried crickets, ferret food, yoghurt drops, canarie seeds and some green things called "greenies" from Vitakraft.

[racinghamster]

Steer clear of yoghurt drops or any seedy treats from pet shops as these all contain SUGAR. Chinese hamsters need a diet based around small seeds/grains and complex carbohydrates. Ingredients need to be checked on mixes aswell as some are sprayed with molasses or fruit to make them pallatable. Oats and millet should be part of the daily diet, not a treat! Treats can be sunflower, pumpkin seeds, small pieces of peanut (taken from the hamster mix) and mealworms as these are high in protein. They love mealworms. :)

[SnickersTheFirst]

I don't see the point in picking out sunflower/pumpkin seeds to feed them as treats? :mad:

[Roxie]

I don't see the point in picking out sunflower/pumpkin seeds to feed them as treats? :mad:

This ^^^

Shiloh would go beserk if she didn't get them in her mix. I just leave them in and then hand feed a couple when she's out with me. Peanuts stay in also.

[racinghamster]

You can leave them in the mix. I just take some out to be used as hand-held treats so that she can play her little snatch and run game! I meant use these as teats rather than buy off-the-shelf treats as many are laced with sugars and sweetners that are not often on the label.