Which fruit and veg?

[Emma_]

When i bought Theo from p@h the lady said that we shouldn't feed him any veg or fruit apart from Kiwi but after searching on here for a little while people seem to feed their hams with lots of different things!
So I was just wondering which fruit and veg are the best treats to give him?
Thanks

[WinnieTheHam]

There's many threads asking this question already so maybe checking those out would help. I posted this on another thread a while ago so i'll post it here too -

''There's loads of foods you can give to your hamsters. I'm going to list them all for you.

Vegetables

All the veg listed need to be fed around 1/2 - 1 teaspoon every other day (If i've already stated the portion size of a veg, this doesn't apply to that specific vegetable). It is recommended to feed 1 Teaspoon overall every other day. So for example if you want to feed 4 types of veg, you'd need to quarter them into a teaspoon size.

Asparagus
Basil
Bean sprouts
Bell pepper
Bok choy
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Carrots
Chard
Chickweed
Chicory
Clover
Corn
Cucumber - 1/4 piece every other day
Dandelion Flower + Leaves
Endive
Green Beans
Kale
Parsnip
Peas (split)
Peas (Sugarsnap/Snow)
Potatoes (cooked)
Radicchio
Romaine Lettuce - 1inch x 1inch piece every other day
Spinach
Squash
Sweet Potatoes (cooked)
Swiss chard
Turnip
Water chestnut
Water cress
Zucchini/Courgette

Fruit

For fruit a smaller portion is required due to the sugar content. So overall you'd feed 1/4 teaspoon of fruit. So, like the veg, you'd have to measure out each bits of fruit to add up to 1/4 teaspoon. Fruit should only be fed 1 - 2 times a week.

Apple (No seeds)
Banana
Blackberries 1 Berry.
Blueberries 1 - 3 Berries.
Cantaloupe
Cherries (sweet, no pits) 1/4 cherry
Grapes (no seeds) 1/2 small grape
Honeydew
Lychee
Mango
Papaya
Peaches (no pits)
Pears
Plums (no pits)
Raspberries 1 Raspberry
Strawberries
Watermelon''

Hope is helps

[racinghamster]

I would take a pet shops advice with a pinch of salt. Kiwi fruit will be high in vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and hamsters make their own, so it`s not vital that they are fed kiwi fruit. They may have got this information from some research think tank but I`d like to see the reasons behind it. A small thumbnail piece of fresh apple would do the same job.

Winnie has given a good few ideas there for you to consider. It`s better to stick to tried and trusted things like carrot, garden pea, green beans, broccoli, kale, cress, a little piece of lettuce and a little fingernail sized piece of apple every other day. The more exotic stuff hamsters may find to strong or it could cause an upset tummy, which you want to avoid. Offer ONE of these every other day and if your hamster enjoys it and it doesn`t cause any soft poo, you can add a few others, but the trick is not to feed too much too soon. Raw veg is very good for them and contains all the good vitamins and nutrients they need. Think `natural` products and if in doubt, even by reading about something online you are not sure about, don`t feed it. x

[Emma_]

Thank you both