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Old 04-24-2017, 05:19 PM   #1
Angelthehamster
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Default Different Food...

So when I got my new hamster, who I still haven't decided on her name yet, I didn't get the same food that she had in her cage at the store. She is a Russian hamster and I got her last night. Should I have done this, or am I fine as she hasn't had any digestive problems, that I've noticed. I feel like a completely new hamster owner all over again! >_<
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Old 04-24-2017, 05:26 PM   #2
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Default Re: Different Food...

It really depends on the food you're feeding.Pet store WW would be hybrids so they'd need a diet which cannot really be provided from foods available directly in the US,as you'd have to actually go through Viovet for example and get Burgess' dwarf food to get something suitable

Considering it is pretty much impossible that a pet store would be doing that and the foods generally used in pet stores are either unsafe or unsuitable,you're much better off just avoiding a transition as long as you use high quality probiotics(no dextrose,artificial ingredients,biproducts including digest,etc)mixed with plain pureed pumpkin for digestive support.
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Old 04-24-2017, 05:55 PM   #3
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Default Re: Different Food...

The food ingredients I'm using is included in the picture below. I'm using a Kaytee Health Support Diet that is in a blue bag. I also add some meal worms and yogurt drops to their diet daily. Would you say this is an acceptable diet?
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Old 04-24-2017, 06:07 PM   #4
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Default Re: Different Food...

Kaytee food and treat products are poor quality overall I definitely wouldn't recommend using their products at all other than the Clean and Cozy substrate(only the unscented type)and certain toys.

Yogurt drops are not good for any hamsters as they contain dairy(which is questionable at best for hamsters,since they don't digest dairy well nor is it a natural food for them).They're also loaded with sugar that isn't good for any animal let alone diabetes prone hybrids,so you'll need to find a bigger variety of healthy treats.

Burgess contains mealworms so you won't need to add mealworms with that,as mealworms are a high fat food that need to be fed in moderation as is provided in the daily diet with Burgess.

Make sure to be extremely careful with any food or treats.There should be no BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin(can be labelled as E&C approved antioxidants or similar variants in UK products so be very careful when buying UK products),unspecified biproducts(including digest,derivatives,meat and bone meals of any sort,and animal or otherwise unspecified liver),or artificial dyes,sugars,etc.

Diabetes Friendly US Dog Biscuits and Crunchy Treats(From Chewy)

That would be a good starting point for some examples of good treats from sources other than hamster specific treats,as long as you make sure the company making them is reputable.There are other places to look for good treats though,for example if you were to look through the whole dog treat section of Chewy there would most likely be even more potential treats.
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Old 04-24-2017, 06:21 PM   #5
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Default Re: Different Food...

Thanks so much for your reply! I am going to definantly order some new food and treats this weekend and start to ween my hamsters over on to that diet, as soon as my new hamster settles in. Thank you so much again!
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Old 04-26-2017, 02:30 PM   #6
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Default Re: Different Food...

I've found that the price to ship the Burgesses food costs $16 dollars total, to ship and the bag. Are there any other good foods in the US? That aren't so expensive?
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Old 04-26-2017, 02:42 PM   #7
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Default Re: Different Food...

Harry/Hazel hamster mix is also a really good mix. It's not as good as Burgess Dwarf, but it's the one I use too (even though I have a dwarf-Burgess is just too expensive)! Here's a link to buying it in the US:
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcos...l-hamster-food
Currently it's out of stock, but I'm sure it'll be available again soon.
But since it doesn't contain any meat/animal protein, you'll have to add in mealworms/freshwater shrimp etc.
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Old 04-26-2017, 03:09 PM   #8
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Default Re: Different Food...

As long as you break up any pieces which are too big for tiny dwarf mouths Harry/Hazel would be fine

Even though Burgess is expensive,it is an investment food and is certainly the ideal dwarf hamster food.Harry/Hazel is more of a Syrian food,and while it works in a pinch,it isn't as good for a dwarf hamster as the smaller seeds and pieces of Burgess are much more suitable.

I would suggest trying to order it off Viovet and make as large an order as possible with safe items rather than ordering just one bag from any source(which ends up being ridiculously expensive).
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Old 04-26-2017, 07:27 PM   #9
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Default Re: Different Food...

I must say that the company making Burgess hamster food should really extend their product to the US as there are many buyers like me that find $16 is too much to spend on one bag of food.

Although that is a good Idea, to order a large order and not have to buy any in the future.
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Old 04-26-2017, 07:38 PM   #10
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Default Re: Different Food...

$16 is definitely not a great price point for hamster food(although I will say there are some cat and dog foods at that price point,some being worth it while others are most definitely not).

Just make sure you don't order more food than what you'd use within 6 months(freeze any bags which aren't opened)if you do a bulk order with food,otherwise it'll either spoil or any vitamins/minerals added will go bad and not exactly work.I would aim for 2-3 bags of food,some diabetes friendly high quality all natural UK hamster treats,possibly some nice natural toys or things that could be used in a playpen or play bin,etc.
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