Yoghurt for winter white on antibiotics

[Vierville]

Hello.

Our little winter white hybrid who is about 10 months old has been on antibiotics for three months (purbac, clindomycin and enrovet) for a chronic bone infection.

She eats very well ( Versele Laga Mini Hamster Nature mixed with extra sunflower seeds, linseeds, pumpkin seeds and millet as well as fresh green veggies and mealworms every other day) but I have heard that giving hamsters plain yoghurt occasionally is ok.

Considering that she has been on antibiotics for a long time, would plain yoghurt be beneficial to her?

Thank you.

[AmityvilleHams]

I wouldn't consider it beneficial. The potential digestive upset and overall unsuitability of dairy in general just make it a very poor choice, especially when your hamster is already in a sensitive state since antibiotics can make their digestive system weak. Even for a healthy hamster, dairy of any kind just isn't a good idea.

[alpacassei]

I’ve read mixed views of whether yoghurts contains the right bacteria to help, aswell as whether or not dairy is suitable for hamsters in general. Instead it would be best to research proper rodent probiotics

[Dessi]

I’m sorry your little one is ill. As a hybrid, she might be prone to diabetes and you should not give her any form or sugars, including fruits and dried fruits. Vegetables with a high glycemic index such as carrots and corn are also to be avoided.

I too feed the Versela Laga mini nature mix, but I remove all dried fruits one by one. Ypu should do it too, it only takes a few minutes and will be beneficial for your hammy. I would not give any yogurt, for the same reason.

[Vierville]

Thank you everybody for the advice. She is due for a vet checkup next week so I will ask about a rodent probiotic.

My thoughts were that yoghurt is a big risk and not at all natural for a hamster to eat.

I avoid feeding her any fruit and any veg with sugar and will take your advice dessi and remove the dried fruits from het food mix. She tends to not like them anyway preferring the sunflower seeds!

Her typical fresh food includes small amounts of brocolli, cauliflower, cut up green bean, spinach, lettuce, cucumber and red pepper every second day along with a tiny piece of dried coconut, walnut, cashew or pecan nut.

The brocolli was recommended by her vet as her bone infection caused some damage to the underlying bone structure and brocolli has some calcium and vitamin C so will hopefully help her.

[Dessi]

Your baby looks like she has a great diet !

[alpacassei]

Originally Posted by Dessi

I’m sorry your little one is ill. As a hybrid, she might be prone to diabetes and you should not give her any form or sugars, including fruits and dried fruits. Vegetables with a high glycemic index such as carrots and corn are also to be avoided.

I too feed the Versela Laga mini nature mix, but I remove all dried fruits one by one. Ypu should do it too, it only takes a few minutes and will be beneficial for your hammy. I would not give any yogurt, for the same reason.

Please do not remove part of the mix, it disrupts the nutritional balance of the mix and can result in malnutrition. Instead, feed a mix that is naturally low in sugars such as the Rodipet hybrid mix. Much higher quality than the Versele Laga mixes.

Small amounts of fresh or dried fruit and more sugary veg such as carrot are perfectly safe for hybrids as long as they are fed in moderation (ie. once a week).

[AmityvilleHams]

I would like to add that while alpacassei is right that removing any part of a mix results in a dietary imbalance and as such it should not be done, dried fruits are a source of far more concentrated sugars than any fresh fruit would be(I forget the exact difference, but it can be shocking).

I happened to figure that out from a discussion with a human diabetic nutrition, and while it was relating to human diabetes specifically it did have some value for hamster care. The basic idea is that because all nutrients become more concentrated due to lack of moisture in dried foods, and therefore there is technically more sugar than a comparable serving of otherwise untreated whole fresh fruit. This would essentially mean negative reactions are quite a bit more likely in diabetes prone and diabetic individuals from a tiny portion of dried fruit than a tiny portion of fresh fruit.

Fresh fruit is also much easier to determine reasonable portions for. While it isn't something the whole community agrees upon, I personally consider fresh fruits to be potentially suitable to any hamster species as a very small and uncommon if not rare treat. However, this does mean considering the glycemic index of every bit of fresh fruit and the overall sugar content before even offering it and not everyone is ready for that work!

The biggest concern with any high sugar food is potential blood glucose spikes, not necessarily that they will cause diabetes itself(which they don't and that would be bad science). Of course, careful planning and portion control can definitely help to minimize the risk of blood glucose spikes. At the end of the day it has to be a personal choice whether or not you consider it fully worth the risk, and ultimately your hamster doesn't necessarily suffer not having any fruit at all if you'd rather not bother learning all the necessary information and/or consider it too risky. There are many wonderful whole foods other than fruit which can also provide great nutritional benefits, but it never hurts to consider the glycemic index before feeding anything(even if not fruit)!

[Ria P]

I've read somewhere that lettuce isn't suitable for hamsters (is that true?) so don't give it to mine. They like fresh spinach and basil leaves though.

It can be difficult to sieve through all the different and often conflicting information regarding hamster nutrition from various sources.

A book i was given (books are generally way out of date and useless i have realized since) advises to offer hamsters plain yoghurt.

The Rodipet Hybrid mix i'd like to recommend if you can get it in your part of the world.

[AmityvilleHams]

I'd say lettuce being unsuitable(or as some might have said unsafe) is a slight generalization issue. This is mostly true of iceberg lettuce which is very watery with minimal nutritional value if any, so it isn't worth feeding especially since it can cause digestive upset in various species including hamsters.