Milk?

[DrKMcK]

Well, I guess Patches is due for a treat. Won't she be surprised?

[kjwc92]

Originally Posted by Amethyst_ice

hammies can have porridge, a little bread soaked in milk etc as occasisonal treats. Mine have mash made with milk when im havin a roast din

I bet mine would love mash, I will have to remember that the next time we have a roast!

[Amethyst_ice]

oh my lot have always had christma sdinner and a roast..little bit of mash, carrot and swede, peas, sweetcorn, brocolli..sometimes a little bit of chicken or ham

just avoid stuffings, onions, herby things too much

[Kissa]

I sometimes give my two a little bit of porridge when I have some (without the honey I add for myself ). While it's true adult hamsters don't make the enzyme needed to digest lactose, neither do adult humans, and most of us have milk fine

I only do it as a rare treat though -- if I had an elderly ham who was getting soft food on a regular basis, or pups or something, I'd get soya milk or kitten milk for porridge making.

[strawberrysmom]

Nothing but calves have the exact specific enzymes to digest dairy. Hehe. Mine do fine with a little oats soaked in a little milk as a treat sometimes.

[HollyHamster]

From what I understand, cow's milk is not at all that good for us humans to drink, as its designed to sustain a calf's growth and development until they are weaned, and not us humans. As a result of being designed for a calf, its full of fats and, of course, lactose, which almost all people have some sort of reaction to, being that its very hard for us to digest. Of course, the reaction is milder in some people than in others and thus, they can drink cow's milk without any noticeable consequence.

If I am correct, hamsters are the same way. The milk that they consume as babies is very different than that of cow's milk. It doesn't contain nearly as much fat or lactose in it.

If you are going to feed your hamster a milk based product, I recommend milk alternatives, like soy or goat's milk. Its gentler on the stomach and easier to digest anyways. If you must feed them products with cow's milk, do so in small quantities, and sparingly, as to not overload their system.