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Old 09-07-2017, 11:35 AM   #1
Quicksilver
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Default Soft food for elderly hamsters

Our 2 year old boy Ralph (syrian) is starting to struggle a little now to eat/chew larger pieces in hamster food and the treats that are hard to chew. Ralph is looking a bit thin but thats down partly to old age I think. Ralph likes boiled egg and porridge which he can chew. I've bought him cow and gate (baby food) chicken sunday lunch. Just wandered if is safe-the ingredients look hamster safe apart rapeseed oil at end of ingredient list. Has anyone tried this and did your hammie like it? Baby food ingredients seem to have tomato which is unsafe in most of the pots available.

Any recommendations or suggestions on other types of soft food for elderly hams - much appreciated
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Old 09-07-2017, 12:47 PM   #2
velma
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Default Re: Soft food for elderly hamsters

Aw, poor Ralph. They do seem to get a bit skinny with old age. For soft food, I think you can soak science selective pellets. They are a "complete" nugget type food and I think soaking them in water makes them a bit easier for them. Or you could try breaking up the big pieces if he's really struggling.
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Old 09-07-2017, 12:58 PM   #3
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Default Re: Soft food for elderly hamsters

All the ingredients in that baby food are fine, a lot of baby food contains onions as well as other unsafe foods but I generally find the ones for babies under 4 months tend to be the best, still check ingredients but less likely to have anything unsafe.
As velma said soaking his food can be helpful & means he still gets the nutrition he needs if he'll eat it like that.
If he eats a lot of softer foods do keep a check on his teeth as they may not be wearing down as they should.
You might find this thread helpful too.
Feeding Hamsters with Missing Teeth or Who Are Elderly
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Old 09-07-2017, 01:55 PM   #4
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Default Re: Soft food for elderly hamsters

Thank you so much for the advice - and the link was brilliant. Will have a go soaking the hard to chew food to help Ralph. I feel happier knowing that the baby food I bought is safe for him. He's going to have some tonight as a treat! I want to make sure he gets his nutrients and is able to eat a varied diet. We've only gave him porridge for the first time ever this week and he scoffed it! We knew he was hungrier than normal with the porridge and noticed recently a lot of the big pieces of his hamster seed and seed treat sticks that he normally likes he isn't eating anymore.
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Old 09-08-2017, 01:46 AM   #5
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Default Re: Soft food for elderly hamsters

I had to feed a diet entirely of soft foods to a hamster that had lost all his teeth due to a hereditary condition and he did well on it. His main diet consisted on mashed science selective pellets and then I'd give him things like baby food, porridge and mashed vegetables to give him some variety.

As others have said, keep an eye on his teeth to make sure that they don't get too long, particularly if he's not interested in chewing things any more.
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Old 09-09-2017, 11:57 AM   #6
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Default Re: Soft food for elderly hamsters

I've just lost my Robo who was 2+, he wasn't keen on soaked Science Selective pellets but would eat them if I crushed them up into really small pieces, almost like crumbs. I would also give him cooked rice, cooked pasta, soft boiled veggies (carrot, sweet potato etc), fruity baby food, tinned pumpkin, sometimes a very small amount of wet dog food. He liked all those.
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Old 09-09-2017, 12:14 PM   #7
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Have you checked his teeth? When our hammy was two he was losing weight and not eating properly and it was because his teeth had got too long (presumably avoiding hard food due to toothache or something). I had his teeth trimmed and he went back to eating normally for quite some time.

There are lots of baby foods recommended in the thread Cypher linked I think. I went through them all and worked out which ones didn't have tomato, garlic and spices

It was this thread with all the baby food ingredients/brands in - I guess some may have changed.

Baby food suitable for hamsters

Fruity chicken and chicken and pumpkin were the ones that went down best.

Last edited by velma; 09-09-2017 at 01:16 PM. Reason: Consecutive posts
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Old 09-11-2017, 09:42 AM   #8
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Default Re: Soft food for elderly hamsters

Thank you everyone for the advice and tips. The link on baby foods is very useful. I didn't know you could feed cooked rice or cooked pasta to hamsters - Ralph might like this! We will keep an eye on his teeth following the advice. He might be a little old ham man of 2 years 1 month but he has lots of spirit and still demands a cuddle most evenings
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Old 09-11-2017, 11:04 AM   #9
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Default Re: Soft food for elderly hamsters

Porridge and scrambled egg as well As Fluffagrams mentioned, soaked science selective biscuits can be good too as they contain all the nutrients and vitamins needed. I used to pour a bit of boiling water on them and them let it cool. Too much water and it's too mushy. You just need a little bit.
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Old 09-21-2017, 11:51 AM   #10
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Default Soft food for elderly hamsters -update o

Quick update -
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