Podger!

Jennie F · 04-25-2017, 02:13 PM

I think I've done a bad. Ive come to realise that maybe Khali is actually too fat for what she should be.

I noticed last week that she has an INSANE food stash by her nest. I didnt remove any and its all hamster food not fresh veg, as she generally eats that straight away or later that night. I feed her a tablespoon of harry hamster mix each night and a tablespoon of veggies too. Ive noticed that she doesnt seem to take much from her harry mix and if left, she would take a few days to clear it on her own. I give her a bit of brazil nut and a couple of small pumpkin seeds every couple of days. And I weighed her tonight for the first time too.....she is about 5 months old and weighs 10oz/283g. She is too much isnt she??

I feel like a bad mum and a feeder. Can anyone let me know what weight she should be? Also any tips for putting her on a diet would help. Maybe 1 tablespoon of food every few days and veggies every few alternating days?

Drago · 04-25-2017, 02:30 PM

You are in no way a bad ham mum! You care for Khali quite a lot.
All hamsters are going to be of different weights, it depends on a whole variety of factors! It could depend on how large her parents were (not their weights as this isn't passed down, but rather their overall body size). It also depends on what type of diet they were fed as pups, how high the protein is specifically. Does she appear obese? If not, I wouldn't really worry to be honest. Hamsters don't tend to overeat, generally speaking, they eat what they need and stash the remainder away. However, they will obviously choose fresh foods and treats over their mix which isn't good since a majority of the nutrients are coming from their mix! Personally, I would keep offering a tablespoon of food daily, but cut back on the nuts and vegetables until you see her eating a bit more mix. Instead of a tablespoon daily, a thumb-nail sized amount will suffice. Or, a tablespoon every few days instead. Once you've seen her eating more mix, and eating all or nearly all in 24-36 hours, then you can try a little bit more veggies on a daily basis. Best wishes

AmityvilleHams · 04-25-2017, 02:39 PM

1-1.5 tablespoons of Harry Hamster daily and fresh hamster safe foods about twice weekly would be much better than feeding fresh foods so often

You really shouldn't give extra pumpkin seed as it is already in the main diet therefore it adds no variety and is kind of pointless to add more of.

Just make sure any extras are completely safe(including all natural with no unsafe or unspecified preservatives and no unspecified biproducts in any form where applicable)and not already contained in your daily diet.Extras should add variety,rather than being an unnecessary increase of what is already given!

Jennie F · 04-25-2017, 04:26 PM

I dont think she looks overweight, but then I have nothing to compare her to as she is my first hammie. This is a pic of her from last week ( not the best shot i know) and I'll try to put a video up when photobucket stops throwing a fit.

I will cut back on her fresh veg and try going a few days between feeds to see if she clears her bowl a bit more.

Drago · 04-25-2017, 04:44 PM

I wouldn't say she appears overweight either, I wouldn't worry too much. Just do as you plan and you'll be fine! Her little bum is absolutely adorable

AprilPearl · 04-25-2017, 10:53 PM

She doesn’t look overweight on my opinion. Some hamsters, especially females, are just naturally bigger. On the food front, I try to make sure that I feed enough that Mushu has got a store, but that it isn’t overly large.

worldturns · 04-26-2017, 05:20 AM

I will admit I was worried my Penny was getting podgy but it turns out she is just a naturally big hamster!

yours does not seem fat at all she/he looks normal to me

souffle · 04-26-2017, 06:50 AM

Did she come from a breeder? She is a big hamster but she doesn't look overweight to me. If she feels nice and firm she is likely fine. If you can pull out rolls of flab at the side she likely needs a bit of extra exercise. I wouldn't drop her veg too much but maybe avoid the sweet ones like carrot / sweetcorn and stick to kale / cauliflower types.
I would stop feeding her every day. We feed every third day. If you feed every day they pick out the tasty oily seeds and eat them. She probably only eats about a teaspoon a day so if you feed a decent handful every third day she may eat some of the other bits to balance her diet. Most hamsters do leave some of the mix. They need to have a store as it helps them feel secure but you should aim at clean out time to be seeing a 'moderate store' and not 2kg of hamster food! If we see not much in the store then we up the rations and a huge store would merit giving less at each feed.

Jennie F · 04-26-2017, 07:34 AM

I got her from p@h. I dont think she has flabby bits, but I'll see if she will let me feel later. She is veru sctive so its not like she is lazy and overeating. I will cut her feeds to every couple of days to see if she takes stuff from her bowl. I know when she wakes up at night she eats from her stash. I will take a pic if her stash next time I go for a spot clean.

Jennie F · 05-09-2017, 02:17 PM

So I weighed podge again tonight...... I'm appalled at how much she has gained in under 2 weeks, especially as I thought I have been cutting back her feeds etc.

What is the average a female 5 month old should put on weekly? Obviously I realise she is still growing but wow.

Also, I would just like to clarify something. I have read conflicting things about feeding a teaspoon of food a day vs a tablespoon. I have been feeding a tablespoon. If its actually meant to be a teaspoon then I am a stupid terrible hammy parent that has been overfeeding my furbaby.

I have been using the spoon on the left. Is this right??