Should I consider a change of diet?

[Ceretrea]

Kasala continues to hover at between 112-115g (Syrian female) and now it seems she is hoarding almost all of her food. During clean out it is very hard to tell that she has actually eaten anything at all. She is still happy and active but I am worried she isn't getting a balanced diet due to selective eating.

I feed her a home made mix that is based ont he Shunamite style of diet and recommended to me by another hammie owner. However, if she is selectively feeding would it be better for her to go onto a pellet style food? Does anyone else feed this and which brand should I be looking at?

[suga]

I use a hamster mix that i get from the supermarket. Its similiar to harry hamster. What is in the Shunamite diet?

[Katty_Sheldon]

Hello,
i use the pellet like 60 percent of the time, and 40 percent i use hamster seed/nuts etc. mix:).

[souffle]

Are her teeth OK? No trouble eating etc?
I am not a fin of complete diets as they don't challange the hamsters natural instincts to forage and shell seeds etc. They can also be a bit large.
We have started using a mix of 1 bag Wilkos own, 1 bag Harry hamster with added Robin mix, supreme selective (complete diet), bird suet pellets (a handfull), bulgar wheat, linseed, lentils, flaked soya and weetabix. Ours are all a good weight and seem to enjot this mix.
You could add some nice bits of extra protein to the diet in the form of mealworms, egg, chicken and tofu but maybe she is just a small made hamster and that is how she will stay. They often grow till 8-9months so try and not worry if she is active and healthy.

[Ceretrea]

Kasala gets a similar mix to the mice (hence the Shunamite reference) I use Supa Fruiti as a base and add low sugar/salt cornflakes, shredded wheat, bulgur wheat, pearl barley, rice, wild bird seed, and dog kibble for protein.

Her teeth seem fine to me, would she be showing any symptoms of having bad teeth? She must be eating something because she is maintaining her weight but it can't be a lot.

I'm not a fan of pellets...but I do know that rabbits for example require a pellet diet due to selective feeding issues so sometimes they are better than poor nutrition due to selective feeding.

Perhaps I should change the base to a complete, take out the kibble (she won't need the extra protein if I use complete) and add the rest for variety?

[souffle]

They usually drool when the teeth are overgrown and wash at their face a lot. You would see if they were twisted or piercing the palate.
I would try changing the diet base mix.

[Ceretrea]

No, she doesn't drool and there isn't anything there that I can see.

What should I change the base mix to? Harry Hamster? Supreme complete?

[souffle]

Personal choice really but we do like Harry hamster. You could try mixing two type like we do and ours like the Wilco's own.

[Ceretrea]

Sounds good. I spotted Burgess Supahamster Harvest on ECF..anyone use this or can say if its good or no? It has some interesting ingredients which might provide something a bit different for her. I could mix this up with some Wilco's own or shamelessly steal your mix Souffle, it sounds like a good all round diet :) I'm not sure but I reckon she must be 18months old now at least, do I need to cut down or increase anything particularly at this age?

[Ceretrea]

And thanks for all the replies by the way, I really appreciate it :D She's bouncing off her toys and clambering around the cage as though she were 6 months old and I'm getting grey hairs about her anyway lol

[Ceretrea]

Sounds good. I spotted Burgess Supahamster Harvest on ECF..anyone use this or can say if its good or no? It has some interesting ingredients which might provide something a bit different for her. I could mix this up with some Wilco's own or shamelessly steal your mix Souffle, it sounds like a good all round diet :) I'm not sure but I reckon she must be 18months old now at least, do I need to cut down or increase anything particularly at this age?

Gonna put the age question in a seperate thread but I have this:- Burgess Supahamster Hamster Harvest | Quality Hamster food | Burgess Pet Care (http://www.burgesspetcare.co.uk/products/supahamster/burgess-supahamster-hamster-harvest.html) coming in the post when the weather clears.

Burgess is usually quite good so it should make a fine mix for her base.