Tesco 99p hamster/gerbil food isn't worth the price

[Pouchy]

Same old problem. None of the hamsters will eat some pieces just like Harry Hamster. This time its the grey triangular bits and the yellowy brown rat dropping sized bits and the alfalfa cylinders but mercifully there are slightly fewer of those. These must be the wheatfeed and the oatfeed. have removed them as it seemed to be cluttering up the dish and would not want hammy and co to be malnourished. All the alfalfa bits and cylinders are still in the mix.

Try this:

Buy a new packet of your favourite hamster food. Tip it out and sort out all the bits your hamster doesn't eat. Place in a bag and weigh. Subtract from original weight on the packet to leave you with the amount of dross you are forced to buy.
Then look at what you have left - most likely some small grains of various kinds, crushed peas, some oat flakes and crushed yellow flakes, some whole sweetcorn, sunflower seeds and peanuts. If that is all they are taking out of the food then it might be easier to make your own mix of just those ingredients and save yourself some money as it seems that is all the hamsters eat anyway.
This is based on my experience of keeping hamsters and feeding commercial foodstuffs. Trying to gather suitable ingredients together so that hammies have a better diet.

[Christine Yule]

I don't have a problem with my Syrians wasting their food. I feed them what is called an Extrusion food. It is ground up seeds. It is mixed into a dough and then shaped into nuggets about an inch long and then baked. My hamster cookie recipes are very similar to the Extrusion hamster food that I buy for them.

The benefit of extrusion type foods is that the hamster has to eat everything and gets the nutrition from all the grains. There is no waste and since it is a hard food, it keeps their teeth nice and trim. I give them peanuts, vegetables and fruit for treats but the extrusion is a complete food for them.

Is there any product like that in Europe?

[Christine Yule]

Just thought that I would add a picture of my Georgie eating his extrusion nuggets.
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[Basia]

I haven't come across anything like that but I would try it if I did. I use a similar product for my rabbit because it ensures she is eating all of her food, not just the nice things and it is good for her teeth. I agree with Pouchy all of my hamsters leave the same things in the bowl. I have tried just about every mix on the market but they always leave some.

[Spuds Mum]

There are extrusion foods around UK Basia but they are hard to get from my experience - Pascoes hamster health is one I am using at the moment and Babyboos also uses one though I am not sure what it is called.

[Spuds Mum]

Originally Posted by Christine Yule

Just thought that I would add a picture of my Georgie eating his extrusion nuggets.

Your gorgeous hamster looks as though he is enjoying his Christine - they certainly look more appetising than mine - even if they don't taste of apple! I think if I could find some that shape I could convince my faddy lad that he was eating peanuts!

[Christine Yule]

Hi Spud's Mom:

My hammies do love to pack them in their cheeks! The nuggets are nice because they have round edges. It looks downright painful but apparently not because sometimes they pack up their cheeks just to run on their wheel.

[Spuds Mum]

Ours are dark round pea sized shaped nuggets. Yours look more appealing *mouth waters*

[babyboos]

I use a couple of different ones but do tend to supplement them with hamster seeds/mix either bought or of my own creation depending on what I have to hand, find cheap/reduced in health stores etc.

[racinghamster]

Burgess are starting to make nearly all their rabbit, guinea pig and rat foods in kibble form now. I use Burgess Suparat for my mice and I have to order it online now as they stopped distributing this food in the 1kg bags and I now have to order a 15kg sack now! Not a happy bunny, as you can imagine....

Hamster food......I use Harry Hamster for my two robo boys and add to this;

Kallo organic puffed rice
Low sugar corn flakes (crushed)
organic oats
weetabix (crushes into little mouthful pieces)
Budgie millet/ canary mix/ foreign finch seed etc...

However, I use a pill crusher to break up the larger biscuits in the harry hamster food because I feel these are too big for small hamsters and they eat them when they are crushed up, but not left whole. Especially as hamsters get older, they appreciate their larher bits of food being broken up for them. x