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Old 08-17-2017, 11:22 PM   #1
AprilPearl
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Question Harry Hamster Colourants

I noticed that Harry Hamster contains colourants, so I contacted the manufacturers to ask what colourants these were. They told me that the colourants in Harry Hamster are:

E110 (an orange colourant)
&
E102/E131 (combined to produce a green colourant).


I assume that these two are safe, but thought I would just check here.
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Old 08-18-2017, 02:01 AM   #2
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Default Re: Harry Hamster Colourants

E110 is Sunset Yellow or Orange Yellow and is used in food, cosmetics and medication. It has no carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, or developmental toxicity in the amounts at which it is used. It was one of the colourants that was claimed to cause hyperactivity but this has yet to be scientifically proven.

E102 is also known as Tartrazine and is often combined with blue colourants to produce a green colour. Tartrazine appears to cause the most allergic and intolerance reactions of all the azo dyes, particularly among asthmatics and those with an aspirin intolerance. There is no links to it being a carnicogen.

E131 is also known as Patent Blue and it's use as a food dye is less common but it can be found in foods such as Scotch Eggs and is also used in the dental industry as part of disclosing tablets. It is banned as a food dye in Australia and the USA because health officials suspect that it may cause allergic reactions in some individuals. Again there is no mention of it being a carnicogen.


I feel that given this information and taking into account the volumes that a hamster would consume these kinds of substances, the risks are minimal and the nutritional benefits that a mix like Harry Hamster offers outweigh those.
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Old 08-18-2017, 02:14 AM   #3
AprilPearl
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Default Re: Harry Hamster Colourants

Fluffagrams thanks so much for the detailed reply! I think you are right just wanted to make absolutely sure.
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Old 08-19-2017, 09:45 AM   #4
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Default Re: Harry Hamster Colourants

I was asked to post this,but hopefully it will be helpful

There are some big misunderstandings and lack of accurate information regarding certain dyes,especially since it can be a bit difficult to find the information on some dyes(not all resources give the full spectrum of information).Tartrazine is one huge example of this problem.

https://cspinet.org/sites/default/fi...w-of-risks.pdf

This is one of the more reliable sources in terms of dye information,and does in fact show yellow 5(Tartrazine)to be harmful(causes tumors).However,even if that information is not extremely widespread it is still not worth the very serious risk of having to question whether or not something is safe(just because instant death isn't seen or some people may not experience any issues doesn't mean something is safe).

Luckily,there are still alternatives to this food that would be fairly simple and without the major risks of artificial dyes!

Burgess Hamster Harvest(regular,not dwarf)would now be superior as it wouldn't contain artificial dyes.This is honestly the easiest option as it wouldn't require any modification or calculation as the next possible solutions,so it's certainly worth considering.

Other alternatives would be mixing several foods in calculated percentages by weight to get adequate protein and dye free foods with entirely safe ingredients(in this situation,foods that would've been considered less than ideal for example containing fish or cheese would now be potential options).

Mixed diet food options:
JR Farm Hamster Feast. Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!
JR Farm Feast for Dwarf Hamsters. Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!
Bunny Dwarf HamsterDream Expert | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!
Bunny GerbilDream BASIC | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!

I'm sure there will be people who assume dwarf foods won't work for Syrians,but really they can be quite happy with a diet combining smaller pieces of food and larger pieces as well.The gerbil food is very much a personal opinion and not everyone will like it,but it's still good to keep an open mind.

As far as benefits go,Burgess for example would actually include animal protein making it more species appropriate than Harry Hamster.It's not much more in cost either,so for those who don't feel comfortable mixing foods(and supplementing with freeze dried chicken or other hamster safe meats and flax seed)it would be a great choice.
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Old 08-19-2017, 09:49 AM   #5
AprilPearl
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Default Re: Harry Hamster Colourants

Thank you for posting, Amity! I really appreciated your PM too, but thought it would be good to get a number of experienced views on the information you provided as I am not really learned enough to judge for myself.

Plus, I thought it would be good to get opinions on all possible Harry Hamster alternatives and whether it would be better to swap or stay with HH.
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