Nuts.

[liam4mail]

I have a few questions about nuts.

First of all I want to give Toby a walnut to keep his nails trim. Is it alright for him to have walnuts we can buy at the supermarket? Do they have a long shelf life?

Are there any types of nuts that are unsuitable for hamsters? I would never give Toby salted nuts of course but I bought a Food Doctor nut mix and I was wondering if he could have one or two of these as a healthy treat.

http://images.thefooddoctor.com/images/products/large/OMEGAMIX.jpg

"A nutritious mix of natural seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, Soya and pine nuts "
http://www.thefooddoctor.com/The-Food-D ... POMEGAMIX/ (http://www.thefooddoctor.com/The-Food-Doctor-Essential-Omega-Mix-POMEGAMIX/)

Some of the monkey nuts in Harry Hamster seem to be broken and some have dark patches. Are these safe? Again, I wanted to ask if monkey nuts bought in supermarkets are safe for our hamsters and if they too have a long shelf life.

[leafpool14]

Hi

Walnuts are perfect for a hamster! :D but make sure not to give too many to Toby, don't want him getting too plump :lol:

Chestnuts are ideal too, and the most popular nut for a hamster is a Brazil nut!! that was the only nut that my hamster ate, and it has a very good shelf life :P

But all nuts are highly fatty, so 1 or 2 nuts every other day or a not-so-often treat should be OK :wink:

Almonds are a nice treat too, but Toby may need help cracking the shell :)

The monkey nuts in the harry hamster food are safe, its only the shell thats a bit battered looking, you can crack open the shell and give the inside to Toby if the shell looks a bit rotten

[leafpool14]

and the Food Doctor nut mix should be fine, they are salt free, and high in fibre, but make sure not to give too many to Toby at once, too much fibre causes dehydration, and they can be quite fattening for a hammy :wink:

[liam4mail]

Thank you leafpool14! I might pick him up a chestnut tonight.

[leafpool14]

They also eat acorns too! :D so if you find any, take them and crack them open for Toby as they can be a little hard for him to crack

Oh, and when you get him some chestnuts, see if he can open it :wink: its good for their teeth and nails

[liam4mail]

I bought some chestnuts! I wonder what their shelf life is if I store them in an air-tight container? I would hate if he really loved them and then could not have them all-year.

It is the right time of year to worry about nuts. I will go to the supermarket tomorrow and get a nut cracker and some walnuts. I would say their shelf life is long and they are easy to find throughout the year.

Yes worrying about his nails is why I started this thread and walnuts were the initial idea.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me leafpool14.

[leafpool14]

Good news! I've just found out that chestnuts last longer if kept in an air-tight container, then placed in the coolest part of of the fridge!

Looks like your air-tight containers were a good investment :wink:

It's a shame that chestnuts aren't all year round, Toby would love them, but I doubt he'll miss them, It would be like having an omelette every day, you'll get bored of it. Thats why chestnuts are a rare delight :D and he'll have loads of other nuts to get his head round :)

I see you have turned into a 'Senior Hamster' hehe :P

[liam4mail]

I am addicted to posting!

He has woken up and he is digging into a chestnut. He is making short work of it and relishing it!

I think when I set up his play box (where I hope to tame him too) I will feed him a monkey nut and a chestnut to get some decent photographs.

[leafpool14]

Oh yes! I haven't seen any photo's of him yet (only the video's on youtube)
Taming him shouldn't be that hard, the way you spoil him is a good enough reason from him to trust you :D

I find it quite amusing how adults have and care for hamsters just a child would, that makes me feel sure that I'm never going to grow out of it :wink:

[liam4mail]

I never had a hamster before. I hope I am giving him a good life.

You will never grow out of your love for animals and nature. It is a wonderful gift.

He ate a lot of the skin of the chestnut and a small piece of flesh. He has taken it to his store.

I am getting an under-bed storage box and making it into a playpen for him and will start taming there.

[leafpool14]

Your giving him a great life! I've never seen so many posts asking if your doing the right thing with Toby, or is this safe for Toby, you must really love him and not want anything bad to happen to him :) Its negligence that is a big hamster killer, your far from neglecting Toby, you're always by his side! :D

Good luck with the 'taming centre' :lol: I have one of those wire play pens that you can fold away, they sell them in every pet shop, here's the link

http://www.petsathome.com/find/keyword-is-play+pen/product-is-14041

Leafpool :mrgreen:

[liam4mail]

Apparently Syrians are very good at getting out of those and Toby is an excellent climber. They look lovely though and I wish I could have one. It would be easy to fold away and store also.

[leafpool14]

Dont remind me :lol: But they are ok if you supervise them

I found it better when it came to handling because every time they climbed up, it was easier to pick up the hamster and handle

Its escape proof for my dwarfs haha Leafpool 1 Dwarfs 0

[liam4mail]

Leafpool 1 Dwarfs 0

:lol: