Dog food & treats

[barley]

I know that lots of dog food and treats are really good for hamster too, but from what I've been reading, it's the treats like Bonio, Pedigree markies/milk bones/dentastix, Bakers etc that keep getting recommend...

I have a dog so have no shortage of dog food and treats already but he has a grain/cereal allergy so all his food & treats are grain free and as natural as possible.

The kibble that he eats has the following ingredients:

34% Freshly Prepared Meat and Fish (including Venison 13%, Duck 13% and Salmon 8%), Potato, Pea Protein, Lentils, Peas, Linseed, Dried Egg, Nutritional Yeast, Lamb Gravy, Salmon Oil, Botanical Herbs (Alfalfa, Golden Rod, Cleavers, Dandelion Root, Nettles, Celery Seed, Rosehips, Marigold Petals, Burdock Root, Milk Thistle, Chicory Root), Apple, Carrot, Cranberry, Spinach, Chelated Vitamins & Minerals.

Is there anything in there that a hamster can't have? I was going to give Rupert a piece earlier but wasn't sure.

Also, what about wet dog food? Again, the wet food I buy is grain free... is a very little bit occasionally ok for Rupert? I know to avoid anything with garlic but wasn't sure what meat proteins were ok.

Sorry for question #344566!!!

[cypher]

The kibble ingredients look safe enough to me, I can't see anything I know of that would be a problem but kibble can be very high in protein for a ham so check the analysis & maybe just give the occasional piece, I wouldn't give much.
I wouldn't give wet dog food tbh, I would imagine it would probably be a bit rich for a ham & unless they're old or sick they really don't need soft or wet food.

The main benefit of giving hams dog biscuits is less about the extra nutrition & more about giving them something healthy to chew on that's good for their teeth so you might actually be better of just getting a small pack of normal dog biscuits or something like whimzees for your ham.

[barley]

Thank you cypher. I must admit I'm getting a bit confused about what I need to feed Rupert.

I give him Harry Hamster and then every evening a thumbnail sized piece of fruit or veg... but then looking on here there are people making their own mixes, giving various bird seed, mealworms, cat/dog food etc... and I worry that I'm not giving him enough variety in his diet?

Basically getting in a tizz and over thinking things lol.

I will get some regular bog standard biscuit bones from work (kennels), give Rupert one occasionally to chew on and then relax! lol.

Thanks X

[cypher]

I know just what you mean! When you read so much from so many people even when it's mostly really good stuff it is easy to start getting confused & worried
Just as long as Rupert is eating his mix & getting a variety of veg he should be fine, anything else really is optional extras & if given shouldn't be too frequent.
Extras are just that extras so not something to worry about, a nut every week or two, a mealworm or two daily, a few sunflower or pumpkin seeds now & then are things you can't go to far wrong with but I really wouldn't worry about things like bird seed or making your own mix, for most hams it's not necessary so just dish up the Harry hamster, throw in some veg & definitely relax a little

[barley]

Brilliant, thanks so much. I'll just stick with what I'm doing then

[BrainGirl]

Do you have a bulk foods store near you? We have something called the Bulk Barn and they carry several different kinds of pet foods and treats. I can buy tiny amounts of things that I think my hams would like for a few pennies and don't have to worry about it hanging around and going stale. My latest purchase was something called Cheesy Breakfast Bagel Bites. Seem to go over well