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Old 03-11-2018, 05:40 AM   #1
Nobb
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Question What food to buy.

These are the foods available at the shop i go to. (That has the percent of protein, fat, etc written on it).

https://www.polypet.com.sg/index.php...oduct_id=12177

Marukan Balance Food PRO for Hamsters 400g

Versele Laga Snack Nature – Cereals 500g VL462046 | Reinbiotech

http://www.pupkart.com/Products/pet-...od-570-gm/1212

They also sell meal worms separately, and this
https://www.polypet.com.sg/index.php...oduct_id=12183

I also bought these two chew toys:

https://sg.carousell.com/p/alice-che...chew-92189611/

http://www.munchkinpets.com/jolly-mineral-stone/

Which food should i buy for my hamster (A winter white dwarf), and are my chew toys ok?
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Old 03-11-2018, 06:10 AM   #2
Pebbles82
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Default Re: What food to buy.

It can be difficult to find a good hamster mix for a dwarf hamster. Your Winter White hammy is almost certainly a hybrid unless you got your hammy from a breeder (hybrids are winter whites and campbells interbred over a very long time - they may look like a winter white but still be a hybrid). A hybrid still is a lovely pet hamster, but they can be prone to diabetes, so a sugar free mix and one without a lot of fruit is best.

Out of those, the best quality mix (quality of ingredients) is the Versele Laga snack nature one - however it does contain some fruit, quite high on the ingredients list, and is quite low in protein.

The Jolly Crisp one doesn't seem too bad - also very low on protein but does seem to contain a lot of corn (it lists both maize and popcorn which are both corn).

The Marukan one has more protein (13%) and a reasonable list of ingredients without sugar or fruit. What you could do is get that one and give your hamster supplements to increase protein and variety. They need 18% to 20% protein really and not enough protein can lead to all kinds of conditions.

Supplementing with human food and mealworms could be the way to go (some hamsters won't eat mealworms!) High protein foods are brazil nut, hemp seeds, plain cooked chicken or beef, dried shrimps - as well as mealworms. You could also see if you can get freeze dried chicken pieces which might be easier.

So for example, half a brazil nut a week, as an extra, a mealworm a couple of times a week, and a bit freeze dried chicken or shrimp twice a week. Your hamster will only eat what it needs of these and you'll find out which ones they like.

In addition, supplement with a bit of fresh veg. Just a tiny bit - thumbnail sized. Broccoli, carrot, cucumber, cauliflower, are all fine, or a parsley leaf, a spinach leaf, or a bit of watercress. Not lettuce and cabbage - they can have issues.

Veg can be put out daily and they do seem to very much appreciate fresh veg! Although initially every third day, for a week then every 2nd day for a week and then every day, so their stomachs adjust. Too much veg all at once could give diarrhoea.

The mineral stone isn't necessary and not really recommended these days. The chews don't look very healthy. Can you get those chew sticks which are a piece of wood with food stuck on? It's mainly to help keep their teeth trim. Chewing cardboard can help too so putting cardboard tubes and a tissue box as a hide/toy can help - they often shred the cardboard for their nest.
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Old 03-11-2018, 09:03 AM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: What food to buy.

I'd agree with Serendipity that the Manukan food is probably the best option you have, I did have a browse through those sites & couldn't really see anything better.
I would imagine your ham has been deficient in protein already so it would be important to supplement daily, in addition to this mix, it's rare for dwarf hams not to enjoy mealworms so two or three a day would be fine, a few extra sunflower seeds would be good too, if you can get them pumpkin seeds also in addition to the other seeds Serendipity mentioned, not all at once & each in moderation but a few extra seeds of one type or another daily would be fine.
Going through the treats on this site I did find a few healthy options, there seems to be plenty of mealworms, sunflower seeds & some shrimps so you should have no trouble getting those, a nice extra to give now & then would be the burgess country garden herbs & mountain meadow herbs, not as a main diet but a little sprinkled in the cage maybe once a week is a good supplement that most enjoy a nibble on, I also found some buckwheat there which is a really good food for diabetes prone species & most enjoy it so you could use that as a treat rather than the sweet, unhealthy options in addition to the other seeds.
I'm not entirely sure if these are just apple wood sticks or are actually flavoured wood but if plain apple wood they're good for chewing, not all hams will chew wood but it may be worth a try.
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Old 07-13-2018, 11:55 PM   #4
Nobb
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Default Re: What food to buy.

This is kind of a late reply, but the store I went to wasn't selling marukan food anymore, however they still had Versele Laga snack nature, and Jolly crisp, so I went with jolly crisp, cause I was scared of the fruit from the versele one, and i supplement with dried grasshoppers and mealworms. I also found some apple wood sticks and i got some loofah slices, and my hamster chews on those.
I wanted to ask what do you think of these?
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kU...qQhvZ6L6VQdAMe
and this
https://www.polypet.com.sg/index.php...roduct_id=8799
It says that they are treats for hamsters, but I wanted to ask first to be sure.
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Old 07-21-2018, 04:59 AM   #5
SnoWolf
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Default Re: What food to buy.

Oh wow! A fellow Singaporean! I have been in the same plight as you and I’m going to highly recommend to STEER CLEAR of many types of Marukan food! it’s extremely high in fat (about 18%!!) and protein, I recommend you buy Versele Laga Hamster Nature mixed with a small portion of marukan main hamster food (the red and green pellets). Versele Laga Hamster Nature is a little low on protein hence the need to supplement with some Marukan. I live in the East where both are available. The Pet Safari at Easpoint Mall and Pet Lover’s Centre in Tampines Mall are good places to visit.
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Old 07-21-2018, 05:56 AM   #6
Pebbles82
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Default Re: What food to buy.

I wouldn't get any of those treats - they all contain salt. The best kind of treats you can give a hammy are fresh food Half a shelled walnut or brazil nut, a small piece of apple or banana, pumpkin seeds (very popular).
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