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Old 07-01-2017, 01:18 PM   #1
Sukirutski
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Question not eating enough.

I'v had my ham ham Botan for a little over a month now and I notice when I pet her I could kinds feel her ribs. Does that mean she's not eating enough? If thats the case does that mean she doesn't like the kind I'm feeding her now?

Last edited by Sukirutski; 07-01-2017 at 07:44 PM.
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Old 07-01-2017, 10:35 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: not eating enough.

It does sound as though she may possibly be a little underweight, hard to say without seeing her though, a photo would help.
What are you feeding & how much?
Does she eat all of her mix or is she a picky eater?
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Old 07-02-2017, 01:26 AM   #3
AprilPearl
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Default Re: not eating enough.

As Cypher says, we need more info. A picture would be helpful, as would her current weight and age. A healthy weight for a hamster can vary significantly between individuals, but if she is particularly light for her age, that might indicate a problem. It's also a good idea to weigh them once a week, just to check that they are not losing weight, or, when they are under six months old, to check that they are still gaining weight.

Knowing what and how much you feed her would be helpful too.
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Old 07-02-2017, 02:23 AM   #4
Sukirutski
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Default Re: not eating enough.



I don't know her exact age but since I got her at petco on may 24 I'm assuming she's probably a little over a month old. Im not sure how to weigh her since I don't have a scale that would work with her size.

The food I feed her is oxbow garden select hamster and gerbil food and I fill the small bowl so you can't see the bottom but she's still hasn't ate all of it.
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Old 07-02-2017, 02:32 AM   #5
AprilPearl
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Default Re: not eating enough.

She will have been 8-12 weeks old when you got her, so she will now be about 12 - 16 weeks old. She does look small, but not necessarily underweight. Pet shop hamsters do tend to be smaller than breeder hams. It would be a good idea to weigh her, as I said, to check that her weight is fine for her age now and thereafter to weigh her once a week to check that she continues to grow until she is 6 months old. You can buy a pair of kitchen scales which would work just fine for her size.

The best mix you can get for syrians is harry hamster. I would switch her onto that if I were you. She will need about a tablespoon full a day. When I first got my last hamster, he was eating p@h own brand muesli, but he really did not like it and did not eat much. When I switched him to harry hamster, he started taking all his mix. Harry Hamster is also much higher quality stuff than other hamster foods.

Are you feeding her anything else? She should get a little bit of fresh veg a few times a week (up to a finger nail sized piece per day, but introduce veg slowly if she is not used to having it). You should also be giving her a bit of protein every now and then, especially while she is still young. A little piece of dried or cooked chicken a few times a week, for example.
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Old 07-02-2017, 02:52 AM   #6
Sukirutski
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Default Re: not eating enough.

Crap sorry that I did not specify but she's a dwarf and do you know a good place to buy a scale you can use with a hamster. I was also feeding meal worms but I ran out and I do feed her sunflower seeds as treats. Can you feed hamster lettuce from like those bags of like assorted veggies like they have carrots which is not good for botan but there lettuce in there along with the weird purple stuff. Like would that work or should I see If we have a head of lettuce.
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Old 07-02-2017, 02:56 AM   #7
AprilPearl
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Default Re: not eating enough.

Oh I did wonder if she might be a dwarf from that picture! But, I thought that because you were worrying about her size she must be a syrian lol. For a dwarf, she looks fine to me. I have never had a dwarf, so I do not know what the best mix for them is. I am sure others will advise. The main thing with pet shop dwarves (which will be hybrids), is not to feed sugary things as they are prone to diabetes. Meal worms are a good source of protein. A bit fatty, so don’t feed to many, but if she likes them that is great. As you say, carrot is too sugary for hybrids. Lettuce is not great, to be honest. I avoid it. Things like broccoli and cucumber are good, though. Most hamsters love broccoli!
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Old 07-02-2017, 03:01 AM   #8
Sukirutski
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Default Re: not eating enough.

Ok thank you for all your help. I'll ask my grandparents when they go to the store next to buy some cucumbers and broccoli.
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Old 07-02-2017, 04:24 AM   #9
cypher
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Default Re: not eating enough.

She looks a really good size for her age tbh, if you can get some scales & just keep track of her weight it is a good thing to do anyway.
Getting good food for hybrids in the US isn't easy, the food you're currently using is too low in protein & fat although the mealworms will help with that, the fibre is higher than it needs to be as well which isn't so much of a problem in itself but does mean overall nutritional value is lower than it could be, the food also contains molasses & you really don't want any sugars in the mix you feed to a hybrid.

You can buy Burgess dwarf hamster harvest from viovet although it has to be shipped from the UK so works out a bit expensive, you could buy a few bags though & keep it in the freezer so it lasts a while if you chose to do that.
I always forget which US foods come anywhere close to being suitable so I'd have to check them all out again before suggesting anything else.
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