Hamster just won't eat a certain pellet (Higgins Sunburst)?

WeezyBee · 12-29-2018, 04:18 PM

In his mix, he has Higgins Sunburst mixed with Mazuri Lab Blocks and he eats everything except the pellet that looks like their poop. It's brown/green and is a little bit longer. Is this okay? I don't want to starve him but I don't him missing out on healthy nutrients as well! Should I wait till he eats it or do I just keep adding new food? I heard that some hamster mixes have "filler" (if someone can explain what this is and if the pellets are filler that'd be great!) and it should be okay but I'm not sure what to do in this situation. Thank you!

Pebbles82 · 12-29-2018, 04:59 PM

I wouldn't worry about it

I think those are the roughage bits - a similar thing happens with other mixes. Hamsters tend to just take what they need anyway and he will be getting all the nutrients required from the rest of the mix I'm sure. Also do you give a bit of fresh veg each day? Most people tend to do that as a supplement to a mix anyway and they get plenty of vitamins then.

WeezyBee · 12-29-2018, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

I wouldn't worry about it

I think those are the roughage bits - a similar thing happens with other mixes. Hamsters tend to just take what they need anyway and he will be getting all the nutrients required from the rest of the mix I'm sure. Also do you give a bit of fresh veg each day? Most people tend to do that as a supplement to a mix anyway and they get plenty of vitamins then.

I gave him broccoli the other day and he seemed to enjoy it! What fresh veggies do you recommend him eating?

cypher · 12-29-2018, 10:51 PM

I wouldn't worry about it either tbh, it sounds as though it may be the alfalfa pellets that are in a lot of food mixes & generally not liked by hams!
Giving a good variety of veg is really good for them, there's a list of safe foods here that might help.
Safe and Unsafe Food and Plants - Hamster Central WIKI

Pebbles82 · 12-30-2018, 12:15 PM

They love broccoli and most fresh veg. I tend to alternate between broccoli, carrot, cucumber and baby corn - they all keep a long time in the fridge. Just a very small piece so they eat it and don't hoard it or things start to deteriorate. About 1cm cubed size (not actually square but just to give an idea of size). Carrots keep forever in the fridge! Baby corn about 2 weeks, cucumber about a week (you can buy half a cucumber though) and broccoli a couple of weeks. I also occasionally give a small piece of apple (no skin and definitely no apple pips), or banana as a treat, and half a brazil nut or walnut (shelled) as a treat too. They go down well - the veg and fruit are full of vitamins etc and nuts are high in protein and minerals.

cypher · 12-30-2018, 10:02 PM

I tend to give more variety than that, it's a long list but favourites are definitely broccoli as well as spinach, chard, beetroot, sugar snap peas, courgette, lettuce (various types but not iceberg), kale, brussels sprouts, green beans & red peppers.

Pebbles82 · 12-31-2018, 04:52 AM

Forgot about spinach - I also give that but end up wasting a lot so less often. And fresh peas when I can get them, but my staples are broccoli, carrot and cucumber which means something different every 3 days at least

Sasha04 · 12-31-2018, 07:15 PM

Everyone gave great advice! I tend to feed lettuce, kale, cilantro, broccoli, and green beans. I like to give lots of variety so it’s basically what we have in the house.

hisnameispip · 12-31-2018, 08:49 PM

Funny that you mentioned the pellets, I was feeding that to my hamster, and I also still feed it to my gerbils and they all refuse to eat those pellets. I've made an attempt to fish them all out of the bag but I imagine there's still a few hiding in there somewhere.