Need help with a hamster mix

[SweetPeaHammy]

Hi I'm hopefully getting a Syrian hamster in the summer and would like some opinions on food mix as it's been a long time since I owned my last hamster.

I can decided between the Harry Hamster tasty mix (Tiny Friends Farm) and Burgess hamster harvest so I was planning on mixing the two, would this be okay?

Harry Hamster tasty mix
Composition
Wheat, torrified wheat, flaked peas, soya bean meal, whole maize, flaked maize, sunflower seeds, flaked soya beans, alfalfa meal, peanut kernels, soya oil, peanuts in shells, pumpkin seeds, soya bean hulls, wheat feed, extruded locust beans, calcium carbonate.
Analytical constituents
Protein 18.0%, Crude fibre 6.0%, Fat content 6.0%, Inorganic matter 5.0%, Calcium 0.8%, Phosphorus 0.6%.
Nutritional additives/kg
Vitamin A 20000 IU, Vitamin D3 2000 IU, Ferrous sulphate monohydrate 61mg, Calcium iodate anhydrous 1.5mg, Copper sulphate pentahydrate 20mg, Manganese oxide 32mg, Zinc oxide 87mg, Sodium selenite 0.3mg.

Burgess hamster harvest
Composition
Cooked Cereal Biscuits, Toasted Wheat Flakes, Toasted Maize Flakes, Toasted Soya Flakes, Grass Pellets, Toasted Oat Flakes, Peas, Maize, Pumpkin Seeds, Peanuts, Sunflower Seeds, Banana Flakes, Poultry Fat, Mealworms, Monocalcium Phosphate.
Analytical constituents
Protein 17%, Fat Content 8%, Crude Fibre 6.5%, Crude Ash 5%.
Nutritional additives
Vitamin A (retinyl acetate) E672 11,516 iu/kg, Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) E6761 1213 iu/kg, Vitamin E (dl Alpha Tocopherol acetate) 3a700 55mg/kg, Copper (copper sulphate pentahydrate) E4 46mg/kg, Iodine (Calcium Iodate anhydrous) E2 1.56 mg/kg, Selenium (Sodium Selenite) (E 0.37 mg/kg, Iron (Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate)(E1) 176 mg/kg, Managanese (Manganese Oxide) (E5) 74mg/kg, Zinc oxide E6 76mg/kg.

Or if anyone has any other suggestions please let me know, thank you

[SKB_Hamsters]

I use both these mixes for my Syrian, Pumpkin - she quite likes them both mixed together. I normally give her half Harry Hamster and half Burgess Hamster Harvest.

[AmityvilleHams]

Harry Hamster is the better option.While it may not seem that way due to the added animal protein,animal protein is something you can easily add in on a routine basis.The lower fat is generally better,and can certainly be boosted on occasion with additional healthy fats(such as hamster safe nuts and seeds that aren't in the mix already).Another issue with the Burgess Hamster Harvest that you don't get with the dwarf version is the somewhat unspecific poultry fat which isn't ideal.It isn't necessary either,and can easily be replaced once again with healthier fats.

Harry Hamster also does not have fruit,which is ideal.Fruit is fine as a treat if the fruit itself is safe and is fed in a reasonable amount,but as part of a daily diet it is completely unnecessary.

[Drago]

I see no harm in mixing the two, in fact it might make it healthier and more desirable to your ham. Make sure though you have more hazel/Harry hamster than you do burgess hamster harvest simply because hazel/Harry is healthier. The only thing I'd point out about the burgess hamster harvest is that it has a fairly high fat content, but as long as you monitor that closely you should be fine!

[AmityvilleHams]

It would be a better idea to just add occasional oat,mealworms,and banana instead.Other than that Harry Hamster has practically the same ingredients(minus poultry fat,again not necessary)so it's fairly pointless to buy a whole extra mix just to get ingredients that are completely possible to get on their own.

[cypher]

Both those mixes are fine & using two gives a bit more variety for your hams, when I used commercial mixes I would often mix two or three different brands.

Amity I have to differ, far safer to mix two foods with a G/A you can rely on rather than just using one, adding odd bits & pieces yourself & possibly unbalancing the diet.

[SweetPeaHammy]

Thank you all! Very helpful and interesting replies

[Geewhiz]

Harry hamster is a good nutritional balance, so you could feed your future hammy just that if you wanted. Mine have a mix of Harry hamster with pets at home hamster nuggets, also with millet and mealworms mixed in. Mixing the two you've suggested could work well, as long as the hamster doesn't only eat the bits it likes. Not to mention it's always good to see someone doing the research well in advance of getting a pet!

[Pebbles82]

Apart from nutritional values and ingredients, some Hamsters just won't eat some things. Harry Hamster was the only mix our Syrian would eat. I tried the Burgess because I liked the sound of the ingredients, but Charlie decided otherwise. The pieces are a good size for Syrians in Harry Hamster and I think that's why they like it. I found Burgess to have lots of smaller bits. Personally I wouldn't mix two - I would stick with Harry Hamster which has all the nutrients required, and add the odd bit of supplementation treat and protein wise - eg the occasional mealworm, cheese, walnut, pumpkin seeds etc. I used to hide the extras in different parts of the cage for him to get excited about finding.

[SweetPeaHammy]

Thank you very much! Very helpful. Geewhiz I always research well in advance before getting a new animal I feel like it's the right thing to do