Diet quantity and quality

[Blu the hammy]

hi, i'm new here. i own a young female roborovski dwarf hamster who is currently at the beginning of taming. i was wondering if my hamster's diet is suitable since i used it with my past russian campbells and didn't know if it was too much for a hamster that size. I also wanted to make sure that it had enough protein, fibre, e.t.c

i feed:
~ 2 tspns of the burgess dwarf hamster mix (17.5% protein, 6% fat, 9% fibre) which includes mealworms - she gets 1 mealworm per day.
~ dog biscuit (any suggestions on which one to use is welcome)
~ cheerio/sprinkled weetabix
~ quarter tspn of white sunfower seeds
~ a dreamie cat treat
~ assorted fruit and veg (offering little to start off)

this is fed 3 times a week. i also offer protein boosters twice a month such as: baby food; scrambled/hardboiled egg;wholemeal pasta; porridge and plain cooked fish. pls reply

[mangoandmimi]

The mix itself isn’t the worst it’s also not the best & it’s getting discontinued anyway - you are using the seed mix and not the new pellets? If it’s the pellets they need to go. If it’s the seed mix I’d consider switching her onto something better when you can. The bunny dwarf hamster dream expert on zooplus is quite good, the rodipet hybrid mix can also be fed to robos and mine likes it. Mixerama does 1kg+ options which will work out cheaper (even with expensive delivery) and they also do good food so that is probably the best option.

I don’t use dog biscuits but you can if the ingredients are really minimal with nothing questionable in there. Whimzees are ok to use, the alligator & tiny toothbrushes are good. Probably ditch the dreamies they’re not healthy, I don’t know about Cheerios/weetabix but neither are something I’d feed tbh. A couple of sunflower seeds every so often just don’t over do it. Fruit should also be more limited than veg really. You can give fresh veg daily. Other healthier treats include nuts (walnuts, pine, brazil, peanuts..) - just a smaller piece and not too often.

[cypher]

I'd agree with what said about the main mix, dog biscuits aren't necessary, Pedigree biscrok is one of the better ones, I do occasionally give my hams maybe half a one or less every few weeks but they don't need it, if you want to give something that's good to chew on I'd suggest the whimzee dog chews, I wouldn't give dreamies or the cereals, a few sunflower seeds are fine, you could add variety by giving some pumpkin seeds (preferably in the shell, hemp seeds or flax seeds are all good in moderation especially while you're still using the Burgess mix as that doesn't have much variety. Little pieces of nut too as mangoandmimi said, monkey nuts keep them busy for a while if you make a small hole in the shell so they can smell the nut inside.
Fruit is ok as an occasional treat but it is too acidic for them really so better to stick with a good range of fresh veg.

[EmmaAndChester]

The burgess dwarf (seed mix) isnt the worst, but I agree that there are far more suitable options out there. I would recommend looking into the Bunny dwarf hamster dream expert (available from zooplus), Rodipet hybrid dwarf mix, or the Getzoo dwarf mix.

I absolutely disagree with offering any treats from the brand pedigree; they are notoriously poor quality. Similarly, dreamies treats are straight up junk that I wouldn't even feed to my cats. If you want to use dog biscuits as the occasional treat (once a week, or every other week), my personal favourite brand is Tribal. My guys love the cheese, carrot & sunflower ones, the chicken & flaxseed ones, and also the coconut, banana & peanut butter variety. They are of course just treats, and should not be fed daily. For cat treats, freeze dried cat treats like Cosma & Thrive are your best bet. Generally speaking, you want avoid brands like Pedigree, Whiskas, etc - or any who list meat & animal derivates, meat & bone meal, unspecified meals (e.g. "poultry meal" is best avoided, but chicken mean is fine), etc. The freeze dried treats are also great protein boosters. Egg is actually only 13% protein, and will not boost the protein content of your mix. It's fine to offer! but it's not suitable to use a booster if that's what your goal is.

I would also switch out the cheerios & wheetabix for some seed/nut instead; like pumpkin seeds, cucumber seeds, pine nuts, walnuts, etc. Those cereals often contain added sugar, and really aren't doing your hamster any favours - they will go crazy for a seed/nut just the same, if not more.

[Blu the hammy]

sorry, i just realised that yes, sadly burgess is being discontinued where i live. i think my best option is rodipet hybrid mix due to the protein levels and as soon as i can get my hads on it i will. other than that everything else is true

[Pebbles82]

I agree the Rodipet hybrid mix would be good. Our Robo has the standard dwarf mix (the organic version) and I supplement the protein (only the hybrid one has the correct level of protein). I also don't like using dog and cat biscuits. But do give chew sticks - the Rosewood naturals chew sticks are good - our robo is currently munching his way through the mini rodent sticks. Pumpkin seeds are very popular with hamsters! Cheap to buy as wel andyou can get them from the supermarket.

[Blu the hammy]

I have decided to change her diet to:
~2 tspn burgess dwarf hamster mix (if it gets discontinued will change to rodipet when i can)
~ 1 pumpkin seed
~ 1/4 tspn white sunflower seeds - about 7
~ a treat (yoghurt drop/Rosewood/Pets At Home treats)
~ veg

along with dog biscuit once a week and a monkey nut once a week. Baby food, wholemeal pasta, plain cooked fish e.t.c twice a month.
Does this sound ok? any changes i need to make?

[EmmaAndChester]

Yes haha, remove the yoghurt drops. Again, they’re pure sugar and fat and not doing your hamster any favours. There is no need for unhealthy store bought treats. If you want to buy treats, stick to healthy options; JR farm graininess treat sticks (and not vitakfrat honey seed sticks), millet sprays, flax, Dari, nuts, seeds, etc.

[cypher]

Yogurt drops & most other drop type treats are really just junk food for hams! I think most if not quite all the treats available from P@H tend to be sugary If you want healthy treats that are easy to get in the UK have a look at the Rosewood boredom breakers range. I'd stick to a nice variety of seeds mostly though.

[Blu the hammy]

thanks! everything else suitable?