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Old 06-27-2012, 07:27 AM   #1
StarlightSerenity
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Default Why Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? (Over here Silver!)

Why do hamsters need a mix that has Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? Why those amounts? Dumb question probably, I don't know much about hamsters diets, need expert advice

Also, how high does the sugar content of a vegetable, fruit etc etc have to be before it's unsuitable for a diabetic/diabetes prone hamster? Most foods have some sugar in them, I know Silver recommends sunflower seeds as treats for diabetic hamsters (obviously in moderation!) and they have some sugar in them.
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Old 06-27-2012, 07:30 AM   #2
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Default Re: Why Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? (Over here Silver!)

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Originally Posted by StarlightSerenity View Post
Why do hamsters need a mix that has Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? Why those amounts? Dumb question probably, I don't know much about hamsters diets, need expert advice
ive always wanted to know this too, i was looking at mixes today and most of them only had 15-16% protein in them i cant find a mix that has 19% protein in them except from silvers.
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Old 06-27-2012, 07:46 AM   #3
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Default Re: Why Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? (Over here Silver!)

There is only one mix apart from mine that has the same % & that is Harry Hamster which is endorsed by the National Hamster Council.

On my travel's through the year I did my research I found many different % were said to be good for hamsters. But the more I looked into it, the more I was leaning towards the Harry Hamster %'s.

With my three that I had at the time Joe & Jan still with me Mandy passed, I fed them Burgess dwarf mix because it was what the pet shop sold to me when I brought Mandy. But I found that every now & then they lost weight, they just went thinner so I was feeding them porridge & weetabix to get some weight back on to them. I have read about NHC Breeders saying that through the winter the hamsters can loose some condition, but mine were doing it any time of the year. I knew this was wrong but did not know then why or how to correct it. Then I started the year of research.

I think lower % of protein is why my three were loosing weight. Since I have fed mine on the mix's I made they have never lost weight again, that have maintained a good weight.

It is surprising how quickly they burn off the food, there little body's go so fast you only have to watch them breath at the rate they do to understand this.

The sugar in different seeds/grains varies so much & it sounds silly but I do not take it on a individual basis I take the whole mix into consideration so yes take sunflower seeds do have a little sugar but it is little & they have so many other benefits Protein/fibre/vitamins. So I guess I look at individual items as a whole not just the not so good like sugar, but what good they bring also.

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Old 06-27-2012, 08:08 AM   #4
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Default Re: Why Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? (Over here Silver!)

Thanks Silver You really have done a fantastic job with your mixes - after the issue with bugs in Luna's dandelion roots I'm considering moving her onto your mix, my trust in JR Farm has gone down a lot and I know that it doesn't reach the ideal level of protein etc.

Re the sugar levels - what about if I was looking at a certain food for a treat for a diabetes prone hamster?
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Old 06-27-2012, 08:15 AM   #5
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Default Re: Why Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? (Over here Silver!)

I've made a list. Here it is:


Nuts! only a small amount because they are fatty

Millet spray

Mix some Puffs up, Puffed Rice, Millet & Buckwheat (make sure the ingredients is 100% & no added anything can be found in health food shops)

Shrimp Cookies Naturals range

Clover Cookie Naturals range

Saflower seeds

Rice cake (with no salt again may need to visit a health food shop)

Cabbage

Sprout

Runner Beans

French Beans

Cooked egg

Cooked Plain Chicken

Cooked Pasta

Cress

Pumpkin Seeds

Egg Biscuit (make sure it is sugar free as sometimes the binder can be sugar based)

Sunflower Seeds

As I come across more I add to the list.

I once had something from a shop online came, can't remember the name of them now. They were made by the naturals range. One packet was ok, but the other one was crawling with little bugs. They were out of date though, so of course I got my money back & never shopped there again.

But it does put you off though.

Thank you for thinking of my mix's

Silver xxx
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Old 06-27-2012, 08:56 AM   #6
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Default Re: Why Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? (Over here Silver!)

In the wild, depending on which part of the world they originate from, hamsters will hoard seeds, grains, roots, grasses and some insects. Commercially kept hamsters don`t have that choice, so they are fed what the manufacturers state is correct, when the reality is, most of the mixes they churn out are filled with fillers like maize, corn (which are starchy carbohydrates) and grass pellets which are never eaten, so how they can say their foods are `nutritionally balanced` when much of it never gets eaten is not correct.

I feed the aforementioned Burgess Supahamster Harvest mix, but I add a lot of other seperates to it in order to `beef` it up. My roborovski eats this mix mainly although my syrian gets some aswell. He is fed on the Tesco hamster mix (used to be on Harry Hamster) but he got bored with it. Too many large biscuits and not much else.

No mix will be 100% balanced if the hamster doesn`t eat it all and the majority of hamsters can be fed too much sometimes, which is why food gets uneaten. If the hamster chooses not to eat something in the mix, that`s their own way of saying they either don`t find it pallatable, or they instinctively know they don`t need it.

This is why I buy seperate grains and seeds like buckwheat, organic porridge oats, hemp seed, mealworms, budgie tonic mix/millets and feed mung beans, apple and some other vegetables raw. The more variety they can have, the better I find. It`s not really about sticking to the one mix, it`s about looking at what they eat and enjoy.

A good balance between carbs, protein and fibre with low fat is what to aim for. I would personally like to see a commercial hamster food that looked more like a proper human museli without all the added brick-like peas, corn and alfalfa and more flaked wholegrains.
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Old 06-27-2012, 11:10 AM   #7
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Default Re: Why Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? (Over here Silver!)

Quote:
Originally Posted by StarlightSerenity View Post
Why do hamsters need a mix that has Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? Why those amounts? Dumb question probably, I don't know much about hamsters diets, need expert advice
I actually found a scientific paper that quoted these figures. Unfortunately, I didn't save the link and have not been able to find it since
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Old 06-27-2012, 11:14 AM   #8
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Default Re: Why Protein 19% Fat 6% Fibre 8%? (Over here Silver!)

I think it must of been the same one or similar I looked at, but I looked at so many & like you I never kept any of them.

Silver xxx
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