Hamster food suggestions!

PinkDelilah · 07-16-2014, 11:17 AM

HI

What is your favorite hamster food? I have been feeding my hammy Oxbow and Vita Smart, but am thinking of switching. If anyone has a favorite brand or a good suggestion post it here!

thanks!

responses today would be great because I'm swinging by the pet store

**kyrilliondaemon** · 07-16-2014, 12:23 PM

I'm guessing you're in the US or Canada? It'd help if you said your country as different countries have different reccomendations

Esmy · 07-16-2014, 12:29 PM

I am trying to figure this out myself. I haven't fallen in love with any foods. Hazel Hamster is considered good, as is the Oxbow. I know my hamsters are not Oxbow fans unless pressed to eat it.

PinkDelilah · 07-16-2014, 01:14 PM

Yes I'm in USA.

I don't think it's oxbow is great either but I had the opposite problem.
My hamster ate over half the bag in a month (about 1/4 cup 2 times a week) and so I had to mix it with another food!

Esmy · 07-16-2014, 01:20 PM

Ohh well that's great! Very good for them. I wouldn't switch if they are eating it and it's healthy. You could add some Hazel Hamster for variety. It's a seed mix.

dave123791 · 07-16-2014, 02:29 PM

I use Harry hamster food for my robos, I'm pretty sure it's called Hazel Hamster in the US.

KittyKatMe · 07-21-2014, 10:14 AM

First off, how old is your hamster? If you're feeding a 50/50 mix of VitaSmart and Oxbow, the protein is at 15.5%. While this is good for a hamster over 1.5 years old, it is too low for a younger hamster. In the US, Hazel Hamster is a popular choice for younger hams because it has 18% protein. Alternatively, you could stick to your mix and add in a high protein lab block such as Harlan Teklad, Mazuri, or Kaytee Pro Health. This seems to work for many owners because it gives you full control over how much protein you feed, and it can be adjusted as the hamster gets older.

**DrKMcK** · 07-23-2014, 10:41 AM

I live in the USA and my hams get the Harlan Teklad 2018 block food. The Syrians also get Hazel Hamster while Almond, a Campbell's dwarf gets Ecotrition (I like the smaller food for him). Almond also gets millet and mealworms. They all get 1 Teeny Greenie toothbrush (Dog treat) a month. They also get walnuts, slivered almonds, raw pumpkins seeds and raw sunflower seeds as treats, along with fresh fruit or vegetables. The treats are switched around and they usually will get one or two of the choices daily. For example, Almond may get 2 or 3 mealworms and a bit of broccoli one day and a few pumpkin seeds another day. The big hams may get a piece of spinach leaf and 1/2 of a grape or a small chunk of strawberry one day and a bit of bell pepper and some walnut another day. They like the variety, it keeps them interested in what i might have for them

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Hekomi · 07-23-2014, 11:11 AM

My dwarfs only eat oxbow and harlan tekland. Java and Biscotti get those two plus two different mixes (Biscotti's mix is actually THREE mixes put together, Java is only getting a mix so I can use up the "peanut free" mix we were given for Cora...).

Honestly, I'm at the point where I'm going to make my own with help to make sure that it's nutritionally balanced, because none of the mixes I like, and feeding nursing mums and babies pellets isn't great.

PinkDelilah · 07-25-2014, 12:17 PM

That's very interesting KittyKatMe I've never heard that before

I switched Delilah onto something called Higgins "Sunburst" food that I found at Petco. (still feeding Oxbow too) Has anyone heard of this? I knew nothing about it, but after reading the label (Oh my!) I wanted to try it. Fruits Carrot Flakes, Apple Chips? not very normal in hamster food is it? All very fresh looking and clams to be human safe quality.