Cleaning - how often? - Page 2

MrNibbles · 06-21-2016, 07:43 AM

Thanks for all the advice. I will try out the photo option in a sec and then you might get overloaded with photos soon

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Cookie is very picky though when it comes to food, he's not too keen on pumpkin seeds unfortunately (unlike Mr. Crumble, they were his favourite) only had very few (found loads in his hoard). I do feed other things as well, and he liked chicken. He spat out the cheese! We have some sugar free milky drops which he eats in his bed (they are not in his hoard). I will try the Science selective biscuits. He mainly goes for food that's been scattered around and we also "hide" it or put it on top of things. The tube rolls that come with tin foil are quite good, I cut small, 4 cm, pieces off and we put sunflower seeds in there or a nut, he has to push the roll to make the treat fall out.

I saw your Charlie thread and I hope he's better again with his leg. I like his house.

This is a photo of Cookie on his very first evening after we brought him home (unfortunately doesn't let me turn - can't have everything), and one from last week nibbling away in his nest:

Pebbles82 · 06-21-2016, 08:32 AM

Ooh he is lovely! He looks bright eyed and healthy on those photos. I can see why you called him Cookie

I'm not an expert in diet matters - other people may know better how to get the protein levels required by supplementing a mix that's a bit low in protein. I tend to just use a food that has the minimum required protein in to start with. Mealworms are a good source of protein as well - but I'm not sure supplementing and treats could make up a whole daily 3% of protein or whether you would need to mix two different mixes to get that.

I think Kissa uses the same food you have, so maybe she has some tips for supplementing the protein (although she may also have an older hamster as well! In which case it wouldn't need supplementing.

MrNibbles · 06-21-2016, 10:19 AM

"Mr. Picky" is not having mealworms

. Not dried, not re-hydrated. Have to brave myself to try out live ones

Pebbles82 · 06-21-2016, 10:39 AM

Lol - Charlie is not a big mealworm fan either - they smell funny apparently.

AmityvilleHams · 06-21-2016, 05:06 PM

Freshwater shrimp are worth trying if possible!Lower in fat than mealworms,but still extremely high in protein.

AlfredHam · 06-21-2016, 05:12 PM

Alfie wasn't sure on mealworms to start with either, but I left a few in his cage and they went overnight and now he loves them! Have you tried leaving them in or just hand feeding them?

MrNibbles · 06-22-2016, 04:50 AM

Thanks for the tip with the shrimps @AmityvilleHams - where do you get fresh water ones, the pet shop/aquatic shop? A bit of fat wouldn't harm Cookie though, as we think he's too thin.
@AlfredHam, I left them a couple of days, amongst his scattered food, but he really seems to detest them. Pity. But the birds in the garden love them

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AmityvilleHams · 06-22-2016, 05:31 AM

You could probably get them from a pet shop.Not sure if you could just purchase ghost shrimp(Palaemonetes species)and kill them before feeding or if it would be easier to just buy prekilled freshwater shrimp,but you should be able to find them sold as reptile or fish foods anyways!

Pebbles82 · 06-22-2016, 06:27 AM

If you think he's a bit thin still, he could do with building up with protein foods I think. They do need a lot of protein in the first year. I'd really be tempted to change his mix. However much we supplement with higher protein extras, it is reassuring to know that on an ongoing basis, the mix provides the correct percentage of the protein required.

I had to supplement Charlie's diet recently when he was having problems with his teeth - probably old age - and lost about 15g. It was quite a lot of effort supplementing every day with lots of high calorie healthy extras, but he has put most of the weight back on again now.

Harry Hamster gives all the nutrients they need, has the right amount of protein and is sugar free and hamsters usually seem to enjoy it. It doesn't have as much variety of ingredients in as the Versele Laga, but that doesn't matter so much as long as they get all the protein and vitamins required and you can give him variety with treats and chew sticks

AmityvilleHams · 06-22-2016, 06:45 AM

Foods can be a bit confusing at times,but you figure out which foods work best with time!Of course,it is important to understand certain key points like healthy sugars and healthy fats and where sugar comes from and why certain foods would be healthier than others,and a lot of confusing things that not everyone really thinks about but can be extremely important.

A lot of people get confused by things like sugar and fat,but really it's not much more than basic science(photosynthesis producing glucose aka sugar in all plant matter,as well as energy conversion converting fats and such into usable energy etc)and once you learn about it it isn't that difficult to understand all the randomness!