Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Feeding/Nutrition

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-28-2019, 04:15 AM   #11
mangoandmimi
Little Miss Tinytoes
 
mangoandmimi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 7,036
Default Re: Do Hamsters Need a Seed Mix and a Pelleted Diet??

Thing is Harry hamster is so pellet heavy itself that it isn’t going to be adding any of the variety that they need. That’s why I don’t really recommend it as a food and tbh even in the US I would say there are better options. I’ve not used it but Higgins vita garden looks to have a good amount of seeds from what I can see, and decent variety especially if you’re supplementing with extras. I would at least combine that with a pellet heavier food ie either HH or the pellets your currently using.
mangoandmimi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2019, 04:45 AM   #12
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Do Hamsters Need a Seed Mix and a Pelleted Diet??

Is it for a dwarf hamster or a Syrian -sorry I'm not sure, but I don't know of any suitable dwarf mixes in the US. I don't have a problem with Harry Hamster personally. Hamsters seem to enjoy it and it provides everything needed and has a fair bit of variety. It's also sugar-free.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2019, 07:07 AM   #13
mangoandmimi
Little Miss Tinytoes
 
mangoandmimi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 7,036
Default Re: Do Hamsters Need a Seed Mix and a Pelleted Diet??

Fairly sure we're talking about a Syrian. Yes HH is a bit better for Syrians I guess because of the size. I went to buy Harry Hamster the other week to see what it was looking like recently and honestly I was really disappointed with it, nearly all of it was pellets with very little of anything else which was worse than what the online selling pics show. Don't know about anyone else but I personally cannot consider crescent or spherical shaped, orange or green coloured pellets etc as good variety. I sometimes do wonder whether it would remain as popular if the pieces weren't coloured so just looked the same!
1.jpg

Last edited by mangoandmimi; 04-28-2019 at 07:16 AM.
mangoandmimi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2019, 08:02 AM   #14
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default

It does have sunflower seeds and whole peanuts Our last Syrian had it all his life and loved it - never left a thing. And he lived to 2 years 8 months. I think it's an easy option for beginners as well without having to worry about percentages etc. Variety can be added with extras but it has the basics needed.

Anyway! Looking back through Creampuff's other threads it seems the hamster is a Syrian so there are other options! Although I'd still say Harry Hamster is a good basic diet for a beginner. Don't get Oxbow Essentials though - despite the reviews it is not a good hamster food (is that the pelleted mix you're using). Higgins Sunburst looks ok but is a bit low in protein so it would need supplementing. I'm not keen on all the added dried fruits which will have nasty preservatives!

I know it's harder to find good all in one mixes in the US.

Last edited by souffle; 04-29-2019 at 05:58 AM.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2019, 08:49 AM   #15
mangoandmimi
Little Miss Tinytoes
 
mangoandmimi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 7,036
Default Re: Do Hamsters Need a Seed Mix and a Pelleted Diet??

Yes I also used to feed HH and for years at that with a good average lifespan so it isn’t the worst
According to people who use sunburst there isn’t much fruit but either way not the biggest fan of most the fruit in there either. The preservatives I don’t remember being a big problem and don’t think it’s artificially coloured but does have a bit of added sugar. The variety it offers is the best thing about it, it’s above most mixes you’ll find over there. The vita garden one is a similar mix minus the fruit bits so has less different ingredients, no added sugar either I think so would potentially go for that myself while supplementing it with extras & protein.
mangoandmimi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2019, 08:53 AM   #16
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Do Hamsters Need a Seed Mix and a Pelleted Diet??

I know it's a popular one. I just worry about people not supplementing with enough protein. I believe a popular combination is the Higgins with lab block.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2019, 09:10 AM   #17
Creampuff
Hamster Pup
 
Creampuff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 129
Default Re: Do Hamsters Need a Seed Mix and a Pelleted Diet??

I have a Syrian hamster (actually a cousin to a Syrian, but same thing). Any good seed mixes for those? Do you think I should stop feeding mine the pelleted diet once I get a good seed mix?
__________________
Hamster mom to Creampuff 🐹.
Creampuff is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2019, 09:12 AM   #18
Creampuff
Hamster Pup
 
Creampuff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 129
Default Re: Do Hamsters Need a Seed Mix and a Pelleted Diet??

Also, I cannot do Harry Hamster if it has peanuts in it; I am allergic.
__________________
Hamster mom to Creampuff 🐹.
Creampuff is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2019, 09:47 AM   #19
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default

Ok so that's Harry Hamster out! Sorry about the peanut allergy. Is the pelleted diet you're using the Oxbow one?

I think you would need to read all Hamster food packets very carefully if you have a peanut allergy as some may use peanut oil.

Higgins Sunburst has Peanuts and Cashew nuts in. If you have one of those life threatening Peanut allergies then I think you would be safest using an all in one pellet food like Science Selective (much better than Oxbow) and giving daily treats as variety - so you can control what ingredients are being used.

So having bags of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and linseeds in to put out as "extras" would be good. Personally I give the odd piece of fresh fruit (not citrus) as a treat now and then and give a daily piece of veg - the daily veg is quite important.

So bearing in mind the difficulty getting a good mix, the right protein level and guaranteed peanut-free I would suggest you get the Supreme Science Selective. It has the correct amount of protein, contains everything needed, so no need to supplement other than give treats for variety. Hamsters really like it.

https://www.amazon.com/Supreme-Petfo...gateway&sr=8-1

This is the product information page with the ingredients etc listed. Sometimes it is necessary to use a pelleted all-in-one food - either for the owner or the hamster.

https://supremepetfoods.com/products...ctive-hamster/

Actually - just had a look at the back of my packet of Science Selective and like so many things, it says "may contain traces of nuts".

What pellet food are you using at the moment? If you're ok with that one then maybe using that and adding some variety with treats would work.

Last edited by souffle; 04-29-2019 at 05:58 AM.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2019, 06:18 PM   #20
Creampuff
Hamster Pup
 
Creampuff's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 129
Default Re: Do Hamsters Need a Seed Mix and a Pelleted Diet??

I use the Power of Five pelleted diet. I get it at PetSmart. She seems to like it.
__________________
Hamster mom to Creampuff 🐹.
Creampuff is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
diet, hamsters, mix, pelleted, seed

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:34 AM.