beginning to bite after 7 months???

[Cinnamon Bear]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

As Drago said,Kaytee is not a good food at all.They may make a very small amount of safe substrate(Clean n Cozy,unscented only-scented is completely unsafe for any small pet and should never be used)along with a few safe toys,but they are by no means the brand to go to for animal nutrition despite all the ridiculous claims their products have.

Even the "higher end" brands of hamster food aren't good for diabetic prone species.Vitakraft for example contains fruit,which would not be good on a daily basis for such hamsters.Even the best of the best in the US would either need to be fed in a combined diet or would contain fruit,while Burgess dwarf is actually entirely safe even for a diabetic prone species and still provides adequate nutrition It may seem expensive at first,but it is far more important to get your hamster off the junk food and onto something that is both species appropriate and diabetes friendly.This will also save you a lot on potential vet bills,while a hamster on a junk food diet isn't going to be as healthy and would also be far more at risk for health problems(even cancer,in the case of a lot of Kaytee products and plenty other things from the pet store).

Chloe my WW has been on Kaytee Forti Diet Lab blocks for 2 1/2 yrs now. She has lived a long life without any need for the vet. She does has a tumor behind one eye (don't believe it's from her food though, just old age) I believe but that's it. So can't knock Kaytee completely out although I'm using Mazuri lab blocks now as they seem much healthier.

But as a whole there are better foods, just saying that you can't knock off Kaytee as obsolete forever

[AmityvilleHams]

Surviving doesn't necessarily mean thriving though.You can have an animal not drop dead from eating junk,but that doesn't mean it is good for them!

Kaytee will never have a place in the informed pet food industry unless they stepped it up quite a bit,acknowledged their wrongdoings,and make a massive change when it comes to their food and treats.You may not want to hear that,and it may seem like bashing,but beloved pets of any size deserve the best possible nutrition and that does not mean loading foods with junk or using unsafe ingredients.I'd say the same regarding other brands too,not just Kaytee and not just in the small pet side of pet food!

As for ordering Burgess dwarf food,do so through Viovet.They're UK based with international delivery which is wonderful!Just make sure to get the dwarf specific version and not just the regular Hamster Harvest as that would not be suitable

[Drago]

Originally Posted by dmchippi

@amytivlle hams & drago:
Thank you for the advice on the food! Is there a trusted site to order Burgess from? (I'm in the US and I've never seen this in a pet store, although I haven't really looked for it, and a google search came up with a few sites, but I don't know if they're trustworthy or not) And I'll definitely start crushing the heads for worms.

Just about anywhere you can get it from will be fine! I know for a fact that viovet sells it, but shipping from this website is pricey and may take a long time to come in. eBay and Amazon are also good sources of Burgess dwarf as you can generally find pretty cheap bags on there As for the sweaty hands, I know I have pretty sweaty hands, but none of my current hams ever bite or even nibble so I don't think it has much to do with that. However, I've noticed that hamsters can be clever little animals, going out of their comfort zone to get what they want and then having a little attitude after. Instead of handing your hamster the treat BEFORE interacting with him, hand it to him only after he bhaves and sits on your hand without biting or nibbling. Another thing is that if you're giving him a treat and then lifting him up, he may still smell the treat and taste residue and that could be the cause of the biting. Try giving a treat, washing your hands, then handling again. Hamsters have very poor vision so they rely on smell and taste and thus can mistake our hands for a treat! If you have any more questions ask away, and I hope the issue resolves soon!


Burgess Dwarf Hamster Harvest Complete Food Mix 700g | eBay


Burgess Dwarf Hamster Harvest Complete Food Mix 750g | eBay

(The latter is from an international seller)

[AmityvilleHams]

Originally Posted by Drago

Just about anywhere you can get it from will be fine! I know for a fact that viovet sells it, but shipping from this website is pricey and may take a long time to come in. eBay and Amazon are also good sources of Burgess dwarf as you can generally find pretty cheap bags on there As for the sweaty hands, I know I have pretty sweaty hands, but none of my current hams ever bite or even nibble so I don't think it has much to do with that. However, I've noticed that hamsters can be clever little animals, going out of their comfort zone to get what they want and then having a little attitude after. Instead of handing your hamster the treat BEFORE interacting with him, hand it to him only after he bhaves and sits on your hand without biting or nibbling. Another thing is that if you're giving him a treat and then lifting him up, he may still smell the treat and taste residue and that could be the cause of the biting. Try giving a treat, washing your hands, then handling again. Hamsters have very poor vision so they rely on smell and taste and thus can mistake our hands for a treat! If you have any more questions ask away, and I hope the issue resolves soon!


Burgess Dwarf Hamster Harvest Complete Food Mix 700g | eBay


Burgess Dwarf Hamster Harvest Complete Food Mix 750g | eBay

(The latter is from an international seller)

Based on the description the first is not actually the dwarf version Dwarf hamster harvest does not have any fruit(the banana mentioned).That would be the regular hamster harvest,which is not diabetes friendly and shouldn't be used.

[Cinnamon Bear]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Surviving doesn't necessarily mean thriving though.You can have an animal not drop dead from eating junk,but that doesn't mean it is good for them!

Kaytee will never have a place in the informed pet food industry unless they stepped it up quite a bit,acknowledged their wrongdoings,and make a massive change when it comes to their food and treats.You may not want to hear that,and it may seem like bashing,but beloved pets of any size deserve the best possible nutrition and that does not mean loading foods with junk or using unsafe ingredients.I'd say the same regarding other brands too,not just Kaytee and not just in the small pet side of pet food!

As for ordering Burgess dwarf food,do so through Viovet.They're UK based with international delivery which is wonderful!Just make sure to get the dwarf specific version and not just the regular Hamster Harvest as that would not be suitable

I agree