Do Hamster have to have nuts and seeds?

[Purdy Bear]

Hi everyone, I'm a complete beginner with Hamsters and know absolutely nothing about them. I'm doing my research on whether it would be a good or bad pet for us to have.

Do Hamsters need to have nuts and seeds in the feed or can they get their protein from other means (ie meat, tofu etc)? We have nut allergies in the family so it's something very important not to have in the house.

The other question is how much do you feed per day and when?


Thanks for your kind help and patience.
Purdy

[fluffybumolivia]

I think it would be really hard to have a hamster and avoid nuts because most of the foods and treats available contain nuts and seeds. Hamster nuggets (such as Science Selective Hamster Food) are not recommended on there own as hamsters need a varied diet. Maybe other members may have some more ideas.
As for how much you feed them depends on the type of hamster:
For a Syrian it is about a tablespoon every couple of days
For Dwarf Hamster it is a teaspoon every 2-3 days.
Hope I helped

[BrainGirl]

No, they don't need nuts but does your family also have seed allergies? Remember that grains are seeds as well and it will be almost impossible to avoid. All-in-one nuggets are fine, if a little boring, and are actually ideal for hammies who are picky eaters to ensure they get all the nutrition they need. Not as much fun maybe as a muesli-type food but perfectly fine. For variety you can always give insects, tofu, fresh veg, fruit, egg, etc. You might want to write to the companies that make those nuggets to be sure that they're safe for you to handle.

[wagawiggle]

Dwarf hamsters do need a suitable seed mix, but no they do not need any nuts.

[DrKMcK]

Hello Purdy Bear, and welcome to Hamster Central. You definitely need to make sure any hamster food you buy has no nuts in it at all. Some of them do have peanuts in them. I would contact any company that makes the product you decide on and check with them about nut use on any of their machines.

[cypher]

I think it would be very hard to feed a ham properly & totally avoid nuts tbh, even if you use nuggets of find a mix that doesn't contain nuts it's highly likely they will be produced somewhere where they could well be *contaminated* with nuts. Actual nuts may not be essential but seeds are so you would have to be very sure about the entire range of your allergies. Chicken, egg, tofu etc are good for hams as an extra boost but their digestive systems really aren't designed for a lot of those food types so you couldn't actually replace nuts & seeds.
It must be a tough decision to make but I do hope you can find a way to have a ham that will work for both of you.

[Purdy Bear]

Thanks for all your wonderful replies. It is peanuts that are the problem, we stay away from the seeds just in case.

NB The allergy test showed no nut or seed allergy but I prefer not to have peanuts around just in case.

The blocks sound good, with the rest of the yummies and dried mealworms which I get for the wild birds.

When I go to P@H next or Viovets I'll check out the ingredients on the food and see what the percentages are etc.

[cypher]

The blocks can be good but some hams just won't eat them, they may do if they have nothing else & I hope it won't be a problem for you but it is something to bear in mind!
You need to look for freeze dried mealworms ideally, a lot of the ones sold for wild birds are actually deep fried, hams love them but they are a bit high in fat.
If peanuts are the only thing you need to avoid I'm sure you can find a way to have a ham.

[HopefulHamster]

I'm allergic to nuts. I feed my two hamsters lab blocks and then a seed/grain mix that I made myself (I made sure to calculate out the protein, fat, and fiber percentages). They seem to like this diet, and eat both the lab blocks and the seed mix.