Genetically modified soya - Page 2

Pebbles82 · 03-03-2015, 07:37 AM

Thanks for all that info - good point, it would be hard to know exactly what nutrients they were getting. It does make me wonder what hamsters eat in the wild!

Artisans_uk · 03-03-2015, 08:19 AM

My girls have always enjoyed the Burgess Dwarf hamster mix. It does contain mealworms for protein, it's generally gone down well though.

souffle · 03-03-2015, 09:05 AM

Hamsters in the wild eat what they can however I have some papers on wild hamsters and the average lifespan is only about 9 months and weight much lower.
Remember our pets are not wild animals anymore. Though we try and allow them to express natural behaviors they are not behaving, eating or living like their wild relatives. They don't have to fight to survive thankfully.

Pebbles82 · 03-03-2015, 10:57 AM

Thanks Souffle - yes I wondered if they lived shorter or longer lives in the wild. Thanks Artisan - the burgess hamster mix looks good - I notice that has soya in too - I guess they all do. Maybe I should just write to them and tell them to replace it with something else!

**Silver** · 03-03-2015, 11:34 AM

If Burgess or Supreme Science who make Harry Hamster changed the Soya for something else it would be taking out what Soya gives to a mix that anything else can't give. It's there for a good reason weather we like it being there or not

xxx

Pebbles82 · 03-03-2015, 02:15 PM

Thanks Silver - I don't know much about soya - is it just a bean that has high protein?

**Silver** · 03-03-2015, 02:18 PM

And so much more, way too complicated for me, this is on Wiki

Soybean, mature seeds, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 1,866 kJ (446 kcal)
Carbohydrates
30.16 g
Sugars 7.33 g
Dietary fiber 9.3 g
Fat
19.94 g
Saturated 2.884 g
Monounsaturated 4.404 g
Polyunsaturated 11.255 g
Protein
36.49 g
Tryptophan 0.591 g
Threonine 1.766 g
Isoleucine 1.971 g
Leucine 3.309 g
Lysine 2.706 g
Methionine 0.547 g
Cystine 0.655 g
Phenylalanine 2.122 g
Tyrosine 1.539 g
Valine 2.029 g
Arginine 3.153 g
Histidine 1.097 g
Alanine 1.915 g
Aspartic acid 5.112 g
Glutamic acid 7.874 g
Glycine 1.880 g
Proline 2.379 g
Serine 2.357 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv. (0%) 1 μg
Thiamine (B1) (76%) 0.874 mg
Riboflavin (B2) (73%) 0.87 mg
Niacin (B3) (11%) 1.623 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
(16%) 0.793 mg
Vitamin B6 (29%) 0.377 mg
Folate (B9) (94%) 375 μg
Vitamin B12 (0%) 0 μg
Choline (24%) 115.9 mg
Vitamin C (7%) 6.0 mg
Vitamin E (6%) 0.85 mg
Vitamin K (45%) 47 μg
Trace metals
Calcium (28%) 277 mg
Iron (121%) 15.7 mg
Magnesium (79%) 280 mg
Manganese (120%) 2.517 mg
Phosphorus (101%) 704 mg
Potassium (38%) 1797 mg
Sodium (0%) 2 mg
Zinc (51%) 4.89 mg
Other constituents
Water 8.54 g
Link to USDA Database entry
Units
μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
IU = International units
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Pebbles82 · 03-03-2015, 02:49 PM

Goodness that is a lot of vitamins! I think I just see a red flag when I think about Genetically Modified food and soya seems to be quite a new thing in the western world. I found this article that looks at the pros and cons of it. I'd prefer not to give it to a hamster, but it's difficult to know if the benefits outweigh the cons. It just seems convenient to pet food manufacturers as it must be a cheap way of providing nutrition. Anyway, sorry, don't want to get all political about it. I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult to give a hamster a healthy balanced diet from a mix of your own if you gave a vitamin supplement as well maybe. I did a bit of dietician work when I was nursing many years ago and it's usually about getting the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, minerals, fat and vitamins and most fresh food contains the vitamins. Crikey even some people don't have fresh veg every day - but I guess hamsters are smaller and the balance needs to be right.

Anyway here's the article. JR Farm Feast for Hamsters doesn't seem to have any soy in - or it's not listed anyway. Might try that and introduce it gradually.

Is Soy Bad For You, or Good? The Shocking Truth

**Silver** · 03-03-2015, 02:53 PM

Just one thing you have said that

"It just seems convenient to pet food manufacturers as it must be a cheap way of providing nutrition"

There are no expensive ingredients in any hamster food, each ingredient is brought in such big amounts they are all cheap, we are talking penny's even mealworms

xxx

Pebbles82 · 03-03-2015, 03:23 PM

Thanks Silver - yes I suppose the ingredients are all cheap if they are buying in bulk, so maybe it's best I just write to them and ask them to put something else in instead of GM Soya. Letters sometimes have an effect.