Looking for some advice for my Syrian's Diet (UK)

[jesshammie]

Hi all

I'm new here and looking forward to getting to know everyone and getting more involved in the forum, but what led me here was the fact I'm a bit lost and needing some advice for my little guy's diet...

I got a Syrian from Pets at Home on Thursday, and they advised me to keep him on the PAH mix and offer him a bit of carrot every few days. However, after doing a bit of reading online I now realise that 1) pet shop advise is not always the best, and 2) it would seem hammies van have a much more varied diet than that!

So firstly, is there a better mix he could be having? Or maybe a mixture of a couple (I've read a bit about food mixing but don't know much about this or how to work out a good mix of two foods!)?. And secondly, could someone let me know what fruits/veggies he can have and how often? So far he's had a daily hit of carrot and today I gave him bell pepper for the first time which he loved.

Also... can he really eat baby food, cooked pasta and dog biscuits?!

Thanks,
Jess and RuPaul

[AmityvilleHams]

Mixing two foods is best avoided.There are many complications that can occur,and if done badly the result will be very harmful.Stick with Harry Hamster,that will be the best food in the UK(P@H ingredients and analysis are incorrect though,at least online).

Baby food in moderation can be good if the ingredients are safe.As for cooked pasta,again it would have to have safe ingredients but otherwise it can make a good treat.As for dog biscuits,in the UK it's generally best to avoid them unless you can get high quality all natural biscuits(Biscrok,Bonios,etc are not good though despite popularity as they contain poor quality ingredients that no animal should have,make sure there is no corn or wheat if they're being shared with dogs though as neither dogs nor cats should ever have corn or wheat).

Make sure no treats ever have unspecified preservatives such as "E&C approved"(loophole term,can include harmful BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin which are known to cause cancer).Artificial dyes in any form must not be given either.You don't want any digest,derivatives,meat and bone meal,unspecified liver,biproduct meal,etc in any product for any animal either as that cannot be considered safe.Propylene glycol is another ingredient to not use(used in the making of antifreeze,already known to be harmful to other animals).There should be no artificial flavors either,nor any artificial sweeteners or processed sugar(maltodextrin,dextrose,sorbitol,etc).

[Drago]

Hello and welcome to HC! Congrats on your new little one

I'll answer this in list form to make things a bit easier

1. There are definitely several options out there for foods. Harry hamster, Higgins+mazuri, oxbow mixed with a meusli, etc. There are so many options out there and mixing can help you to make a good quality mix. It's really not all that difficult to mix two or even three foods together! All you really need to do is get all the percentages of each food, weigh out a set amount, then create the percentage that each food will make up of the entire mix and you should be just fine after that. When mixing foods for a Syrian (especially a younger one as I assume yours must be) you'll want to aim for
16%-19% protein
10% fat (though you are very flexible on this component as research has shown that no ill effects come out of diets of even up to 20% fat)
10%-20% fiber (you can never get enough of this good stuff!)

2. Here is a list of safe vegetables
Cucumber
Carrot
Celery
Zucchini (corgette)
Spinach
Romaine lettuce
Kale
Endives
Mange tout (sugar/snow peas)
Green beans
Corn
Peas
Bok Choy
Kidney beans* (cooked)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Lima beans
Black beans
Pinto beans
Garbanzo beans
Lentils
Split peas
Arugula
Pumpkin (cooked)
*Potato (cooked)
Sweet potato (cooked)
Radicchio
Cabbage (rare)
Asparagus
Bell peppers
Sweet peppers
Butternut squash
Spaghetti squash
Swiss chard
Parsnips
Watercress
Turnips
Collard greens
Dandelion greens
Beetroot
Brussel sprouts
Okra
Rutabaga
Mustard greens
Rapini
Daikon (small amounts)
Broad beans

And here is a list of safe fruits (remember, do not feed the stones or seeds of these)
Apple
Banana
Apricot
Peach
Plum
Blackberry
Blueberry
Strawberry
Rasberry
Cherries
Grapes
Fig
Mangoes
Lychees
Papaya
Pear
Cranberries
Prunes
Star fruit
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
Juniper berries
Hawthorn berries
Goji berries
Rowan berries
Plantains
Pomegranate (seeds are okay)
Coconut
Persimmons
Passion fruit
Gooseberry
Quince fruit
Mangosteen
Jujube
Jackfruit
Logan berries

Vegetables can be offered daily in quarter size amounts. I start new hamsters slowly, only offering veggies a couple times a week, then working them up to daily. If you don't want to offer them daily, you can give them in slightly larger amounts every couple of days. As for fruits, a couple of pieces 1-2 times a week is just fine

3. Yes! Baby food, cooked pasta, and dog biscuits are all excellent foods to offer hamsters. Just ensure the baby food you give has hamster safe ingredients and no added sugar, and the dog biscuits contain only specified ingredients. Cooked pasta is a huge hit all around with most hamsters so you can offer it a few times a week.

Good luck with your new ham and if you ever have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask

[Pebbles82]

The Pets at Home mix isn't as good quality as Harry Hamster. I also wouldn't mix mixes. The Harry Hamster has good size pieces for Syrians, it's sugar free and contains all the vitamins and nutrients they need. You can supplement the protein a bit with little extras - eg half a brazil nut once a week, some plain cooked chicken (no sauces or flavourings) occasionally, a small piece of cheese, pecan nut. Just a small bit of one of those every couple of days.

You can give a piece of veg every day - again just a small piece about 1cm cubed size - ish (doesn't have to be cube shaped! That's just to give an idea of size - ie a small chunk). Drago has kindly given you a list! I tend to stick with broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber, green beans, baby corn. I give a different one each day - they keep for ages in the fridge.

So - good hamster mix, a piece of veg and an "extra" or two. Some people do occasionally give cooked pasta. If you do I wouldn't do it too often, and just a tiny bit. Some people give some kinds of dog biscuit as a chew for their teeth. I think you have to be a bit careful there as some dog biscuits really aren't good or may contain things that aren't suitable for hamsters. I don't give them - I get the Rosewood naturals dandelion chew sticks. They're sugar free and good for their teeth. I also wouldn't give baby food except for an older hamster who can't eat properly. If they eat too much soft stuff their teeth can get overgrown.

Hope that helps!

[jesshammie]

Thanks for your help everyone! I'll get him onto Harry Hamster ASAP, that was the one I was leaning towards having done some research. I'll also pick him up some mealworms and bits

Looking forward to getting him into pasta and baby foods when he's a bit tamer - how adorable! I'll be sure to check the ingredients carefully using your advice too.

[barley]

I've tried loads of different mixes over the past couple of years that I've had hams -after much trial & error, we have settled on Beaphar XtraVital as our favourite. I'm not sure how favourably it compares to the likes of Harry Hamster, but it's the only one I've found that my Syrian actually eats all of, whereas loads of the HH gets left, so I figured this was the way to go.

I supplement with Science Selective biscuits and give little extras like oats, millet, flaxseed, dog kibble, mealworms and a pinch of a dried herbage/flower mix too. All these are well received by my ham!

Bambi isn't crazy over veg like my last Syrian was. I do give a tiny piece each day, but he doesn't always eat it all.