New hamster not eating much?

[Mona's Humans]

He's gorgeous!! The long things are alfafa pellets, and most hams ignore them, its added to food to make up bulk fibre, but I wouldn't worry that they are ignored. The syrian mix on rat rations is the only syrian mix I know of without this.

I'm glad he likes his sand, seems like he's settling in very well

[shiny]

It sounds like he's doing really well , it's always little steps towards taming & confidence with a new & very young animal. I find there's always something in a food mix that gets left til last or ignored. Hamsters are just like the rest of us in this, what one likes best might be what another won't eat!

[Dandelion07]

He's definitely eating now, and putting it in his cheeks. I watched him deal with sunflower seeds last night. it is fascinating. You were right about him needing a brush. He has very fluffy hair! This evening I brushed him as there were bits in his fur. He didn't bat an eyelid

[Trixafena2]

When you give him to your daughter make sure to tell us reactions. I'd die if i received him as a gift<3 he's so cute

[gogo6798]

Originally Posted by Mona's Humans

The only other thing i'd add to the fab advice above, is are you feeding him on the same mix as he was on before he came to you? as suddenly switching may hurt his tummy.

If you are feeding a different mix, it could be he doesn't like it - mixes vary in quality - and some hams are fussy with their mixes.

now that i hear you saying that. when mine came to me he was eating what i believe was fiesta mix from kaytee ,my vet told me that all that bird seed in it wasn't good for her so we bought one that didn't have the seed. just the other big nuts and seed they eat. she got very picky on it and doesn't seam to want to eat it very much., im thinking of going back to the fiesta again,

[AmityvilleHams]

I definitely wouldn't use any Kaytee product.They're quite poor quality and just aren't suitable to be used,however there are other options that might work.Their Clean and Cozy substrate(unscented only)is wonderful,but other than that the quality just isn't there

Harry/Hazel Hamster would be one great choice,but it isn't the only US food option.There are two other choices,which would be a 60 percent Higgins Sunburst to 40 percent Mazuri rat and mouse lab block mix that is measured out per feeding(or you could premeasure and store individual servings in plastic bags or other containers if you would rather avoid daily measuring!)or a Higgins Sunburst(two thirds)and Carefresh(one third)mix.Keep in mind the Higgins/Carefresh mix does need just the slightest protein boost(use freeze dried chicken,added flax seed is also a good idea)to be suitable.

Make sure any products you use are free of artificial colors,artificial flavors,any unspecified biproducts(digest,derivatives,meat and bone meal of any sort,biproduct meals,generalized liver or animal liver,generalized fat or animal fat,etc),artificial sweeteners or processed sugars(such as dextrose,maltodextrin,sucrose,sorbitol,and fructose),any unspecified preservatives including E&C with UK products(can be BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin which are known to cause cancer),sulfur dioxide,and propylene glycol.Nothing should be irradiated or from China either,and if it will be shared with a dog or cat it must not have corn or wheat(safe for hamsters,terrible for dogs and cats).