Harlan Teklad or Burgess Dwarf Hamster?

[Kiki_3173]

I know dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes and I am wondering which food is a better food for hybrid dwarfs? I am aware that many times genetics plays a roll in diabetic hamsters, but I am wanting to provide the best food possible, to limit any outside influences. I am in the US, but I can purchase both Harlan and Burgess online. I’ve always fed Harlan 2018, but was wondering others’ opinion on both foods.

[cypher]

Personally I'm not a fan of a diet consisting of just lab blocks, to my mind there's a real lack of enrichment that can be gained from a more natural type of diet.
Burgess dwarf hamster harvest is a pretty good food, it does lack variety a bit but I think that's still preferable to just blocks, it also has mealworms & I think they should have some animal protein.
Have you considered giving a combination of the two or do you prefer to just use one?
If picking one I would go for Burgess.

[Kiki_3173]

Originally Posted by cypher

Personally I'm not a fan of a diet consisting of just lab blocks, to my mind there's a real lack of enrichment that can be gained from a more natural type of diet.
Burgess dwarf hamster harvest is a pretty good food, it does lack variety a bit but I think that's still preferable to just blocks, it also has mealworms & I think they should have some animal protein.
Have you considered giving a combination of the two or do you prefer to just use one?
If picking one I would go for Burgess.

I was feeding a mix of Harlan & Higgens Sunburst (not dwarf specific), but my current dwarf tested very high for glucose (trace amount of ketones), so I stopped giving the seed mix. A few days a week I give fresh veggies, extra protein (meal worms, etc), and little budgie seed mix as well. I've been reading up on hamster diabetes and the changes that need to occur in their diets, but this post was just a wondering for my future dwarf hamsters.

[cypher]

The higgins isn't really good for diabetes prone species so I'd agree you did the right thing stopping that one, most US mixes do seem to have sugars &/or fruits in them but you'd be fine using the Burgess.

[Kiki_3173]

Originally Posted by cypher

The higgins isn't really good for diabetes prone species so I'd agree you did the right thing stopping that one, most US mixes do seem to have sugars &/or fruits in them but you'd be fine using the Burgess.

Thanks so much for your help Cypher!

[AmityvilleHams]

Higgins Vita Garden would work and is diabetes friendly unlike Sunburst(plus Vita Garden doesn't source ingredients from China which is questionable at best due to poor regulations and a major lack of quality control,although certain other products from Higgins source three ingredients from China which are pumpkin seeds,dried sweet peppers,and mung beans).You can add Pure Bites shrimp to the Vita Garden,or you might be able to find canned mealworms not from China(Zoo Med's can o' worms are a product of Indonesia when I last checked,and they should be quite easy to find in the reptile section of most pet stores).

At least one other Zoo Med product should be a product of Indonesia,which is the can o' crickets.

Higgins Vita Garden:
Vita Garden Hamster Gerbil — Higgins Premium Pet Foods

It would be ideal to get it at Petsupermarket rather than Petco though,as the pricing there tends to be better.

Some treats which are diabetes friendly by Higgins but also don't have the China sourced ingredients:
Sunburst Treats Veggie Stix — Higgins Premium Pet Foods
Sunburst Treats Millet Bits — Higgins Premium Pet Foods
Higgins Spray Millet — Higgins Premium Pet Foods

Oxbow also doesn't source from China(the only things sourced from out of the US are their Timothy Club products),however the only treat they have that could work for a diabetic hamster is this:
Oxbow Animal Health | Oxbow Animal Health | Simple Rewards Timothy Treats |

While the Oxbow Essentials pellets for hamsters(not the Garden Select pellets,which are not only unsuitable for diabetes prone hamsters/diabetic hamsters but also contain tomato)are diabetes friendly it wouldn't be very helpful to mix Oxbow and Higgins.They're quite close in nutritional values,so it wouldn't help improve anything.

[Pebbles82]

I'd get the Burgess - it'sa good mix, contains everything needed and it's sugar free. Also contains mealworms.

[Kiki_3173]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Higgins Vita Garden would work and is diabetes friendly unlike Sunburst(plus Vita Garden doesn't source ingredients from China which is questionable at best due to poor regulations and a major lack of quality control,although certain other products from Higgins source three ingredients from China which are pumpkin seeds,dried sweet peppers,and mung beans).You can add Pure Bites shrimp to the Vita Garden,or you might be able to find canned mealworms not from China(Zoo Med's can o' worms are a product of Indonesia when I last checked,and they should be quite easy to find in the reptile section of most pet stores).

At least one other Zoo Med product should be a product of Indonesia,which is the can o' crickets.

Higgins Vita Garden:
Vita Garden Hamster Gerbil — Higgins Premium Pet Foods

It would be ideal to get it at Petsupermarket rather than Petco though,as the pricing there tends to be better.

Some treats which are diabetes friendly by Higgins but also don't have the China sourced ingredients:
Sunburst Treats Veggie Stix — Higgins Premium Pet Foods
Sunburst Treats Millet Bits — Higgins Premium Pet Foods
Higgins Spray Millet — Higgins Premium Pet Foods

Oxbow also doesn't source from China(the only things sourced from out of the US are their Timothy Club products),however the only treat they have that could work for a diabetic hamster is this:
Oxbow Animal Health | Oxbow Animal Health | Simple Rewards Timothy Treats |

While the Oxbow Essentials pellets for hamsters(not the Garden Select pellets,which are not only unsuitable for diabetes prone hamsters/diabetic hamsters but also contain tomato)are diabetes friendly it wouldn't be very helpful to mix Oxbow and Higgins.They're quite close in nutritional values,so it wouldn't help improve anything.

Thank you AmityvilleHams. I've seen the Higgins Vita Garden before. I'd have to use that with the Harlan. It's a little lower in protein than I'd like to offer alone. It is more available to me in the US, but I also don't mind ordering online either. Thanks for all the info

[Kiki_3173]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

I'd get the Burgess - it'sa good mix, contains everything needed and it's sugar free. Also contains mealworms.

Thanks Serendipity! I'm excited that I was able to find it online! I've heard good things about it and now that I can get my hands on it, I think I'll purchase quite a few bags. It can always go in the freezer.

[Pebbles82]

It's good to freeze them first anyway After an invasion of moths last year I freeze all hamster food for a week now