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Old 06-23-2017, 02:10 AM   #1
sophiedoe
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Default Young ham eating selectively and not gaining weight

Hello,

Kalli, my syrian, is on the Pets at Home hamster museli as that is what she was eating when we got her, and looking into it, it seems decent. I give her a level tablespoon every evening, as well as a bit of fresh veg everyday. She always eats the fresh, and all the dried mix gets taken, however I've noticed she is keeping quite a few of the big pieces (orangey round ones, yellow crescent ones) in her hoard. She eats all the other bits mostly. Should this be cause for concern? I wouldn't want her to miss out on nutrition by not eating all the bits.

As a follow on from this, I've weighed her twice since we got her and she is still pretty much 100g. (I don't have digital scales so can't get a precise reading, but planning on getting some). We don't know how old she is exactly but estimate she's nearly 4 months old. She doesn't appear to have changed size to look at either much. However I only weighed her after we had her about a month, so I suppose she could have done all her growing then? Do I need to try to get her to put on some weight?

Thanks!
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Old 06-23-2017, 02:31 AM   #2
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Young ham eating selectively and not gaining weight

Hi there. It isn't a very good mix really. You'd be better using Harry Hamster - it has better ingredients, and the correct amount of protein, no sugar, and all the vitamins and minerals needed. It's the one recommended by the National Hamster Council. Looking at the ingredients, the Pets at Home one seems to be mainly soya and wheat and not much else and the protein is a bit lower than Harry Hamster.

Her eating habits sound perfectly normal really - they tend to pouch and hoard most of it, then snack from their hoard and there is always a lot of hoarded food.

They do need a lot of protein in their first year, and even with the 18% in Harry Hamster, some people supplement it with a younger hamster a bit. They can easily have up to 22% protein. So you could give her extras once or twice a week like a bit of scrambled egg, or a piece of plain cooked chicken. I find it best to give fresh things like that when they're out of the cage as you don't want them hoarding chicken and egg! Newt tends to nibble a bit and then leave the rest.

Things you can put in the cage for extras/treats/protein are - half a brazil nut, a small piece of cheese, half a pecan nut, half a walnut, a monkey nut (Harry Hamster has monkey nuts in, but not that many). They also enjoy cracking monkey nuts and getting the nut out of the shelf and it's good for their teeth. Nuts are high in protein and healthy fats.

I give one or two extras a day as well as the veg, so you might give half a brazil nut one day, a piece of cheese another day, a bit of scrambled egg another day, and so on.

It might be she is just a small Syrian, and some pet shop hamsters are smaller due to breeding. But 100g does sound a bit on the low side for a fully grown Syrian. Protein is the building block and they need it to keep hair, skin and everything else, healthy and growing, especially as they are so active.

So I suggest changing the mix and supplementing a bit Having said that, a mix should be changed gradually so as not to upset their stomachs, so start adding a bit of the new mix each day and gradually change it over until there is more HH and less of the original mix and then all HH. If you are concerned she might be selective feeding you could add some Science Selective biscuits with the Harry Hamster (maybe 2 or 3 a day). They are an all in one food that contains everything they need. But I wouldn't feed it exclusively as they need variety so a muesli is better for them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/87d/SUPRE...=Harry+Hamster

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Supreme-Pet...ective+hamster

All Hamsters seem to like the Science Selective biscuits They smell of yeast or gravy or something. I've also found they eat all of the Harry Hamster usually.
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Old 06-23-2017, 02:42 AM   #3
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Default Re: Young ham eating selectively and not gaining weight

Harry Hamster with occasional added protein would be best.Keep in mind that the main source should be freeze dried hamster safe meat(not cooked,as the cooking process destroys the majority of nutrients and makes it a lot less beneficial and far less natural)or freeze dried shrimp or dried mealworms.Broccoli is definitely a good fresh vegetable to feed as mentioned,but it shouldn't be relied on as the main source of extra protein.Animal based protein from a high quality source is quite important for an appropriate omnivorous diet

From what I remember there was at least one other hamster who selectively ate the P@H mix but had no problems with Harry Hamster.P@H seem to try and make their mix look identical to Harry Hamster,but their information is very inaccurate.

Make sure no treats or food ever include unspecified biproducts(digest,derivatives,meat and bone meal of any sort,biproduct meals of any sort,animal liver or "liver",animal fat,etc),artificial flavors,artificial colors,artificial sweeteners or processed sugars(such as dextrose,sorbitol,maltodextrin,sucrose,etc),unspec ified or "E&C approved" preservatives/antioxidants or BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin(these are known to cause cancer,and E&C approved is a loophole term that allows the use of such preservatives without even having to label them),propylene glycol,or sulfur dioxide.Nothing should be made in China or irradiated either,and if any product will be shared with dogs or cats it should never contain corn or wheat(safe for hamsters though!).
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Old 06-23-2017, 02:47 AM   #4
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I forgot about mealworms Also a good source of protein. I did buy some once but they didn't smell nice so I stick to the occasional bit of plain cooked chicken when we've had a roast. Fresh meat is fine! Our last hammy Charlie had grouse, pheasant, beef, chicken, turkey - whatever we happened to be eating (only get grouse and pheasant in winter round here). And even a bit of cod if we've had fish. No sauces, gravy or flavourings though. As we don't have meat that often to give I give nuts and cheese or egg for protein top up. I know some people use freeze dried meat but it just looks icky to me lol.

Our last Syrian lived till he was 2 years and 8 months and he mostly just had Harry Hamster with maybe a nut and a piece of cheese a week, his veg and a very occasional piece of chicken, so you don't need to do lots of extra food preparation or go crazy shopping

Last edited by souffle; 06-23-2017 at 03:58 AM.
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Old 06-23-2017, 03:04 AM   #5
sophiedoe
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Default Re: Young ham eating selectively and not gaining weight

Thanks, I will get some Harry hamster food. I have been giving some egg sometimes, we don't have meat too often either but I will start to give her some cheese and other nuts
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Old 06-23-2017, 03:16 AM   #6
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Default Re: Young ham eating selectively and not gaining weight

Dairy products are not that great for hamsters unfortunately They just don't digest them very well,but they can make a decent treat although there are so many better alternatives that are easier to digest and have other health benefits.

Ultimately,the goal is not merely surviving a long time but truly thriving.There are many examples of poor nutrition but a decent life span,but that doesn't mean striving for the best possible choices shouldn't be done!

Freeze dried meat certainly seems a bit strange,but it's really nothing to be afraid of and is not anywhere near gross to handle The benefits outweigh having to get over the momentary thought of it being gross,for example a decrease of important amino acids and overall protein levels.With cooked meat being significantly less beneficial and freeze dried meats being incredibly convenient yet retaining all the natural nutrition with the mere removal of moisture,it's quite easy to see what's best!
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Old 06-23-2017, 05:08 AM   #7
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Default Re: Young ham eating selectively and not gaining weight

If you don't have meat then freeze dried chicken (sold for cats) is usually a very popular treat, easy to just give small pieces as a low fat protein top up too.
I use these from Zooplus & the hams love them.
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Old 06-23-2017, 05:39 AM   #8
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Default Re: Young ham eating selectively and not gaining weight

I always like to supplement some of my hamster's diet with a few freeze-dried mealworms that you normally can get in the reptile section. All the hamsters my family has had seems to absolutely adore them. They are a great protein diet supplement. Hope this helps.
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Old 06-23-2017, 06:10 AM   #9
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Young ham eating selectively and not gaining weight

Agree - cheese shouldn't be given too often, but a little bit once a week is fine I reckon. I think it's more milk that is the issue isn't it? Brazil nuts are very high in protein and something that boosts the immune system, so I have a bag of those and give half of one once a week I eat the other half lol. I'm the food tester - just to check it's not an "off" one.

Pecan nuts are also one of the highest calorie foods there is.
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Old 06-23-2017, 08:06 AM   #10
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Default Re: Young ham eating selectively and not gaining weight

Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyntramp002 View Post
I always like to supplement some of my hamster's diet with a few freeze-dried mealworms that you normally can get in the reptile section. All the hamsters my family has had seems to absolutely adore them. They are a great protein diet supplement. Hope this helps.
My local pet shop only has LIVE mealworms, and I just don't have the stomach to chop their heads off then give them to Esmeralda! Next week I'm going to try the fishing supplies shop in the next village.
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