what hamster mix?

hamsterlover20 · 08-26-2018, 02:27 AM

there is alot of debate as to what food to give your hamster. this is quite important and i didnt realise this when i got my hamster.

at the moment i use wagg hamster gerbil mouse munch (which is the most accesible to me) but i dont supplement it with anything and i don't know wether i should. does anyone else use this mix and what do u supplement it with? im also open to any suggestions to new hamster mixes i should use. i live in the uk so it would probably have to be something i can get easily in the uk.

thanks!
hamsterlover20

cypher · 08-26-2018, 02:31 AM

wagg hamster gerbil mouse munch isn't really the best food you could give your ham, it is a little low in protein for a young ham too.
Most people feed Harry Hamster for Syrian hams, it's widely available in pet shops or online so easy to get hold of.
With a good food like that you don't really need to supplement protein but you can still give a few extras as treats.
The most important thing is to supplement your mix with some fresh veg, beginning slowly say once every few days then building up to daily give a small piece of veg varying it as much as possible from day to day.

FurryBabyMama · 08-26-2018, 07:01 AM

Harry Hamster! Available in almost every pet store and is a very good mix.

hamsterlover20 · 08-30-2018, 10:20 AM

thank you so much i have seen harry hamster recently in my local pet shop i will be getting that soon

Fluffagrams · 08-30-2018, 11:31 AM

Harry Hamster is often considered to be the best 'complete' food for hamsters in the UK and in theory would be acceptable fed on it's own however it is better to feed your hamster things like fresh fruit and veggies, dried insects, plain cooked chicken in addition to their mix for a bit of variety and to help boost those nutrients.

SergeantZoo · 08-30-2018, 01:19 PM

Mr. Johnson’s Supreme Hamster and Gerbil, Versele Laga, Bunny Dream foods, and Burgess are all great quality foods. Some may require protein boosters though.

I heard Harry is no longer recommended because it has been said to have the exact same formula as Hazel (which isn’t recommended either). Hazel has too low protein to be fed on its own and it also lacks variety.

Ruth Edwards · 08-30-2018, 01:26 PM

I agree about harry hamster, but when Cotton was underweight I was advised to try a dwarf hamster mix to build him up. The one our pet shop does has mealworms so it is well liked by my hams. Their little faces light up when you give them a dandelion leaf or flower or some chickweed. And they love a small piece of carrot or apple.

Drago · 08-30-2018, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SergeantZoo

Mr. Johnson’s Supreme Hamster and Gerbil, Versele Laga, Bunny Dream foods, and Burgess are all great quality foods. Some may require protein boosters though.

I heard Harry is no longer recommended because it has been said to have the exact same formula as Hazel (which isn’t recommended either). Hazel has too low protein to be fed on its own and it also lacks variety.

Hazel hamster has plenty of protein for an adult Syrian. Hamsters aren’t naturally carnivorous creatures. Their natural diets consist mainly of grains, seeds, and grasses. There’s often far too much emphasis on protein in a syrian’s diet when things like fiber are overlooked, yet fiber is equally, if not more important than protein. Hazel/Harry hamster isn’t the best food on the market, but it is still suitable, and something I would recommend to an owner who doesn’t have a lot of foods available.

As for the OP’s question, the people in this thread (especially Cypher) have already given you good recommendations. My general advice for choosing a food is

-preferably organic
-as few dyes as is possible
-no preservatives
-large variety
-good nutrition
-high quality

As long as your food can hit those marks, then I’d generally say it is sufficient to use. Best wishes!

SergeantZoo · 08-30-2018, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drago

Hazel hamster has plenty of protein for an adult Syrian. Hamsters aren’t naturally carnivorous creatures. Their natural diets consist mainly of grains, seeds, and grasses. There’s often far too much emphasis on protein in a syrian’s diet when things like fiber are overlooked, yet fiber is equally, if not more important than protein. Hazel/Harry hamster isn’t the best food on the market, but it is still suitable, and something I would recommend to an owner who doesn’t have a lot of foods available.

As for the OP’s question, the people in this thread (especially Cypher) have already given you good recommendations. My general advice for choosing a food is

-preferably organic
-as few dyes as is possible
-no preservatives
-large variety
-good nutrition
-high quality

As long as your food can hit those marks, then I’d generally say it is sufficient to use. Best wishes!

Hamsters are omnivores though so protein is still very important. 16% protein is definitely not good for a growing hamster and I’d only suggest it for an elder one. Most quality mixes have a good fiber percentage so that is why it’s never really an issue. Either aren’t good foods and I wouldn’t recommend it unless it’s better than any other available options but in the UK there are better foods than Harry.

Harry/Hazel lack variety, have food dyes, and are overall not good quality.

Pebbles82 · 08-30-2018, 07:35 PM

There's been a lot of debate in the past about Harry/Hazel Hamster

Both are exactly the same formula but the licensing laws in different countries mean the formula is stated differently. So in the Uk it says 18% and on the US packets it says 16%. I checked all this out by writing to the manufacturers. It's a legal thing that they have to put the minimum possible amount of protein based on the way it's calculated in the US but it is actually 18%

There is a lot of bad press about it which I think is unwarranted. It's a good mix and a good safe diet for a hamster - it contains all the nutrients required without supplementing and is sugar free - which is important. Not many mixes are sugar free. It may not contain some of the variety of ingredients some other mixes have but you can supplement for variety with treats, extras and veg - veg should be supplemented anyway. The pieces are a good size for Syrian hamsters and it is very popular with Syrian hamsters (ie they aren't picky with it and tend to take all of it).

In the Uk it is recommended by the National Hamster council. You can't go wrong with it really. There are other mixes that don't have the correct balance of nutrients, protein and vitamins and that takes a lot more working out to get it right.

Burgess is good too on paper but my hamster wouldn't eat it! Bunny dream is good - and I use that mixed with another mix - but - the pieces are very tiny and a lot gets left. As mentioned it takes quite a bit of working out if they don't eat all of a mix. The Rodipet mixes have very good ingredients and they have a new organic mix - their mixes are lower in protein than most so I supplement it - however the Germans use this mix and don't have any problems - but they probably supplement too.

Harry Hamster is now called Tiny Friends Harry Hamster (used to be supreme) - it's based in the Uk where it's manufactured so they know the percentages of what is in it. There was also a rumour on the internet about it containing BHA and BHT - which is not the case - it doesn't.

Anyway - your hammy will be fine with it! It's a very popular hamster food and recommended for Syrian hamsters by the National Hamster council for a number of reasons - size of pieces (easier for them), containing all the nutrients and vitamins required, correct protein and no sugar. There are some food colourings listed but I wouldn't worry about that.

It is also important to supplement with some fresh food and they do love fresh food! A small piece of veg each day (broccoli, cucumber and carrot are the three I tend to rotate), the occasional bit of plain cooked chicken, beef or any other meat - ie if you've had a roast that week - but no gravy sauces or spices so roasted meat best. I also give the occasional nut as a supplement/treat which always goes down well - shelled walnut, brazil nut, plain unsalted cashew nut, pecan nut. I give half a brazil nut a week - its supposed to be very good for the immune system and is also additional protein. I give a nut most nights but mostly it gets pouched and hoarded so they don't eat too much. Half a walnut goes down a storm and our hammy often begs for another one!

Versele Laga looks good but doesn't have the right balance of nutrients and protein and has sugar in. It's not generally recommended on here as a main hamster mix. I don't know much about the Johnson's one.