Dry oats?

[elly]

I am making cardboard toys for my hamster. Toilet paper rolls stuffed with timothy hay, cherios, special k protein plus(he loves those), and dry quaker oats. Wondering if the oats will expand in his stomach and kill him.. waiting to give the rolls to him >.< any one know?

[racinghamster]

Plain porridge oats are fine. These are flakes oats and not whole oats, which can pierce a hamsters pouches as they are jagged at both ends. Jumbo and plain porridge oats are safe. I wouldn`t feed too many cheerios or other human grade cereals as they are processed and have sugars added. You would be better sticking to things like jumbo oats, hemp seed, pieces of walnut and the odd peanut!

[Angelhamster]

Our Syrian eats plain oat flakes and as a special treat mushed up with banana, but as racing hamster says watch out for hidden sugar.

[Whitehologram]

Interesting...I love finding out about the different treats I can offer my hamster. Thanks for this thread

[StarlightSerenity]

My Syrian gets dry oats, she loves them

[racinghamster]

Good source of fibre and slow release carbohydrate too. I feed dry jumbo porridge oats to both my syrian and roborovski.

[HadleyHam]

Are porridge oats different than oatmeal? If so, what grain are they or what else might they be called in the US?

[racinghamster]

Oatmeal will probably be a finer powder so would be better used as something that could be mixed up for an ill or elderly hamster. Proper jumbo porridge oats are just oats that are flaked. Organic are best but plain porridge oats are okay, if not a little smaller and dustier in the bag.

[elly]

this is what i used waiting to give the treats to him until i know if theyre okay >< i should have thought before hand. I can not mix milk with them, because i am pre-making treats to last while i am on a trip(milk would obviously spoil)

[HadleyHam]

By oatmeal I mean dried oats... not powder