Winter white Diet

[branberry]

Hi!

I finally will be getting my announced Winter white russian dwarf hamster this friday! I am in kind of a panic; everything is ready but I still am a bit timid with the diet. I have the"Vita Garden Hamster and Gerbil Food mix Natural with added vitamins and minerals" which I got in March. I have not opened it; should I get a new bag? I also have mealworms and dog biscuits. How many should I give a day, or throughout the week? Also, with a food mix, how much should I give a day? I believe I should only refill if their is no more food, is that correct? And finally, what types of veggies and fruits do they like, and how much should they have each day? Thanks so much

[branberry]

Oh, I just realized I made the post Chinese Hamster Food too xD. I think some of the questions here werent answered there though so sorry!

[Cinnamon Bear]

It's really a Russian Campbell hybrid or a Winter White hybrid, usually they sway one way or the other although technically they are all hybrids.

Winter whites usually have a triangle of dark fur on their head, not quite sure what shape exactly but my WW has that dark head & closely resembles an agouti WW.

The 2 Russian boys definitely don't look like Chloe. Some people say they are all Campbell hybrids but in my opinion your either getting a Russian Campbell or a Winter White hybrid.

Erin's Hamsters on You Tube has a hamster channel that shows how she always had WW hammies & now she has a Russian named Potassium.

[cypher]

Are you getting your ham from a pet shop or a breeder branberry?
If from a pet shop then it will be a Russian hybrid rather than a Winter White, the different names for hybrids can be confusing I know but any hybrid (that includes all pet shop russian hams) are a cross between a WW & Campbells, they can look more like one or the other but are all just hybrids.
The diet will be the same as the answers in your other thread.
The bag of food should be ok for a while just have a look at the best before date printed on the bag.
That food is very low in protein, just 12% I think so it would definitely need supplementing especially for a young ham.
They eat about a teaspoon a day of mix normally, you can put enough for a few days in the bowl then just refill once it's empty, if there's still a little left after about three days you could just empty that out before refilling it but watch to see that your ham isn't getting too picky.
What dog biscuits do you have?
I usually give mine about half a small dog biscuit which lasts them quite a while, I don't have a specific time just give them another when it's gone as long as they're also eating their mix ok.
Mealworms are high in fat so although the protein is a good supplement they should be fed in moderation, one or two a day is fine.

[branberry]

Hi!

I have to get it from a pet shop sadly, no one in central NJ has adoptions available.
Should I give more veg or fruits throughout the week?

Thanks

[cypher]

Nothing wrong with getting a pet shop ham, just so long as you know what you're getting as hybrids can be prone to diabetes & WW's aren't.

Begin slowly with veg, maybe just one small piece every few days to begin with, gradually building up to a small piece daily, no fruit but as much variety as possible as your ham gets used to it, they all have different favourites but use the list I gave you in the other thread as a guide to safe veg.

[branberry]

is this ok? this is my plan for the first 5 days

Day 1 - Have 6 teaspoon's of food for 3 days, 1 mealworm, 1 small piece of romaine lettuce and 1 teaspoon of chicken (no oils or seasoning)

Day 2 - Do not refill dry food bowl, 1 mealworm, 1 small piece of cucumber

Day 3 - Do not refill food bowl unless empty, 2 mealworms, 1 small piece of celery

Day 4 - Refill 6 teaspoons of food for 3 days, 1 mealworm, 1 small piece of bell pepper, and 1 teaspoon of chicken

Day 5 - Do not refill dry food bowl, 1 mealworm, 1 small piece of broccoli

[branberry]

and oh my goodness I meant I'm getting a Winter white dwarf D: I'm sorry Can this diet still apply to a 'pure' winter white?

[cypher]

That would be ok although you might find that amount of mix lasts more than three days.
A pure bred winter white could eat the same diet as a hybrid russian, that would be fine, the only difference is that the pure ww's aren't particularly prone to diabetes so you could give a little fruit once in a while, other than that it's no difference really.
For the first week maybe don't give veg every day though, your ham may well have never had it before so give it a few days to settle in then maybe one piece of veg every three days, if that's ok every two days building up slowly to daily.

[branberry]

Ok, thank you very much! Do you know, in pet shops, if they call it something besides winter white? I know they call a syrian a teddy.