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Old 09-15-2019, 12:27 PM   #1
Abains21
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Posts: 1
Default Beginner Hamster Owner-Russian Dwarf Hamster! How much food and water does she need?

Hello Everyone!

I just got my a Russian Dwarf Hamster yesterday and was wondering how much food I should be giving her, and what food I should use. I currently have Oxbow and The Power of 5 food pellets. When I bought the food, I was told to give her about a tablespoon of food everyday, and to mix in some veggies such as broccoli. However since I have pelleted food, I'm a bit unsure for how much to give since it doesn't exactly fit into a spoon like other mixes would. I gave her 3-4 Pellets (about 1cm x 1cm each) of The Power of 5 yesterday, along with a tiny bit of broccoli and very little walnuts since they are high in fat. By the time I had woken up , she had eaten everything, so I am not sure if I should be giving her more.

I also haven't really seen her drink water. She goes up to the spout of the water bottle once in a while, but she doesn't really seem to drink from it. I gave her some cucumber since it is mostly water because I was worried she might be dehydrated, and she finished it all as well. Should I consider switching to a bowl of water? I know they can get very dirty, but I am worried she may not drink from the bottle.

I have done a lot of research before and after buying her, but I have seen so many different answers. I'm hoping someone here can help me, I just want the best for her!
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Old 09-23-2019, 06:41 PM   #2
10Minutes
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 187
Default Re: Beginner Hamster Owner-Russian Dwarf Hamster! How much food and water does she ne

I don't think hamsters really overeat, I'd personally feel safer if I can see a little extra food lying around in my hamster's cage at all times. Hopefully others can comment on the proper portion for the pellets.

I couldn't see mine drinking water at first, so I would hold the bottle to my hamster's mouth and feed her water every night. She would drink, but she didn't seem exceptionally thirsty. I would keep offering it to her until I was sure she didn't want anymore. You could try that if you are concerned, then you can be sure she at least gets a little bit of water every day.

It was a long time before I could actually see her drinking from the bottle itself, but now it's a common sight. Maybe she was just shy and didn't want to let me see her drinking at the beginning.

I also bought a second bottle, so now I don't even get concerned because I know she has permanent access to both bottles at all times, in case one of them gets stuck. I always test both bottles after changing the water to ensure they are both working anyway. Would highly recommend a second bottle as it gives me peace of mind, and I start to worry when I know she's only left with one working bottle.

Some people do recommend bowls, you may see if it works for you. My hamster is very hyper at certain hours and kicks her bottles over a lot regardless of where I position them (this is exactly why having a spare makes me feel better because she kicks over a bottle or clogs it up about twice a week on average), so a bowl may not work for mine because it may probably be chockful of substrate within ten minutes of her wild burrowing and running.

P/s: Of course I fix her bottle mishaps within the day, it's just that if she kicks over a bottle while I'm at work, she'd have to wait till I got home. I'd hate to think of her going thirsty during that time. So far, she has never succeeded in putting both bottles out of commission at the same time and there's always one that's still working.

Last edited by 10Minutes; 09-23-2019 at 06:47 PM.
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Old 09-24-2019, 01:12 AM   #3
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: Beginner Hamster Owner-Russian Dwarf Hamster! How much food and water does she ne

Both my hamsters have a bottle and a bowl.

My dwarf drinks mainly from the bowl. I use a glass miniature jam jar which is ideal because its heavy enough not to get knocked over and small enough not to fall into it.

It doesn't get dirty because i change the water daily and have placed pebbles round it.

Here's a photo to show what i mean.
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