Dwarf Hamster Daily Nutrition?

[Tyrion Hammister]

Hello all,

I recently obtained a robo dwarf hamster, and she's been doing very very well at home. She's one of the most tame hamsters I've ever owned! I bought a feed mix that SAYS it's for dwarves, but I'd like a second opinion because now I'm hearing it may not be very good at all.

It's "Sunseed" Dwarf Hamster Formula (managed by Vitakraft). What I do like is that Sugar seems to eat almost all of the mix when I give it to her (maybe a few brown pellets here and there ), but I've heard some people say the ingredients such as dehydrated potato are not good for hammies.

Also, this probably sounds very amateur, but what should be the "daily value" of a food mix? Like, what should the min crude protein be about, etc.?

[GitaBooks]

Congrats on the hamster! : )

The food seems pretty good, though it does have a lot of sunflower seeds in it. I would suggest removing some of these and just using them as treats to keep your robo tame. You could also offer some safe treats to supplement the diet, including those with protein such as small mealworms, boiled eggs, or unseasoned, cooked chicken.
Fruits aren't good for hamsters, at least not in large numbers, but I'm not sure about potatoes.

I hope this helps. : )

[cypher]

It's not a bad mix but the protein is very low, it should be closer to 19% especially for a young ham & if I'm looking at the right thing that one is only 13% so you will need to supplement.
A little dried potato should be ok, don't remove anything from the mix, you'll just upset the GA & won't know where you are with nutrition levels.
If she'll eat it you could try adding some oxbow into the mix as that is a complete food & the GA isn't bad. (I'm assuming you're in the US!).
I wouldn't worry too much about a few pellets being left that happens with most hams & most mixes.
ETA I forgot to say the other basic nutrients should be something around 6-7% fat & 7-8% fibre although more fibre is probably better, mixes do vary quite a lot so I know it can be confusing but if you use that as a basic guide you won't go too far wrong.

[Tyrion Hammister]

Thanks

Ironically I just grabbed some oxbow that I'm going to start getting them used to, until I can mix both feeds safely. Luckily, she does seem to like it (since I guess some hamsters don't prefer the oxbow).