Recommended treats and chew toys?

SnoWolf · 08-05-2018, 01:12 AM

Noticed that my ham has been pretty bored lately so I got him some cubes that have holes and dumbbell chew toys
Picture reference:
https://nekojam.com/shop/marukan-wooden-hiding-box/

https://nekojam.com/shop/marukan-dumbbell-stick-pear/

I saw a youtuber use Tiny Friends Farm Lovelies as treats for their ham. I have mealworms which he likes to a certain extent. He chewed on the dumbbells and curiously explored the hidey blocks but apart from that he didn’t seem very interested. Just to point out my cage is under the minimum requirement but that’s in the works as u may know if u read the can a wheel be too big post. I wanted to ask what chew toys and things your hamsters like because I’m not a very experienced hamster owner and it would be great if you guys could share the experience you’ve had/have with your current/old hamsters. Basically what do they generally like? Loofah chews? Fruit looking chews? Sunflower seeds? Rice pop cereal? Sry for the consistent spam of threads from me

Bella_01 · 08-05-2018, 12:18 PM

Extra small whimzee dog chews are good and a lot of hamsters enjoy chewing on them. My hamster is really fussy with what she enjoys to chew but she also sometimes likes to chew on loofah toys and plain old cardboard tubes. Some hamsters also enjoy the flavoured fruit chews. You can easily create boredom breaker toys, there are a lot of tutorials on YouTube, I find ErinsAnimals very helpful. Also monkey nuts work as an occasional treat.
I think once the cage gets upgraded that will also reduce boredom.
Hope this helped a bit.

Sasha04 · 08-05-2018, 03:34 PM

Like Bella said, Whimzee dog chews are great and I find that my past and present hams have both loved them!
The Tiny Friends Farms Lovelies are okay. They contain high amounts of sugar, fruit, and added coloring. If you have a diabetes prone ham (WW, Campbell’s, Chinese) then you should only give these to them as a once in a while treat. If you do not have a diabetes prone ham then you could give them more often. As of what I’ve heard they are great treats and most hams adore them!
You can also give him a walnut. Keep in mind it should be unsalted. You can crack a little whole in the shell to encourage them to bite at it an open it.
My past and present hams have loved chewing on wood sticks and cardboard tubes(toilet paper rolls). You can probably find wood stick in your petstore but can also sanitize wood sticks from outsides.
These two videos that Erins animals made are fantastic and my past ham loved the walnut one and would spend hours on end trying to get the treats!
Walnut treat hanger
https://youtu.be/VstLswwLWGk
Hanger toy
https://youtu.be/IIdpDAgVtJ0

Pebbles82 · 08-05-2018, 05:01 PM

As the others say - the whimzees mini toothbrushes and alligator dog chews are popular with most hamsters and help keep their teeth trim with chewing. Some hamsters are chewier than others! Our last Syrian wouldn't chew anything - unless it had food stuck to it - so the whimzees were ideal for him as it's the only thing he would chew apart from rosewood treat sticks (sticks with food and herbs stuck on but no sugar).

If your hamster likes chewing cardboard and ripping it to bits then just any cardboard like an egg box or toilet roll inner. If they're not interested in that then some kind of tasty chew will probably be needed to encourage them to chew. Have a look at Erin's Hamsters 10 toilet roll toys video - there is a food parcel in that - you just make it with a toilet roll and put some treats inside and they chew the cardboard to get at the treats.

Unless you have a particularly chewy, maverick hamster, I find they are only really interested in - nesting, hoarding, eating, a bit of bonding time, and rearranging the substrate in their cage - and their wheel. They like to have favourite places to go in the cage - to sit for a wash or have a snack and they enjoy foraging - finding hidden treats or bits of food. But basically I don't think they're that interested in toys unless they can hide under them/run through them (hides and tunnels) or eat them!

For treats I prefer to stick to fresh things/basic things like pumpkin seeds, half a walnut or brazil nut (also healthy). Most manufactured treats aren't good for them really but ok once in a blue moon.

SnoWolf · 08-05-2018, 05:45 PM

Thx so much you guys! I’ve been trying to find something fun for my ham to do but he always seems to have the blues and is only interested in digging around and sleeping. Maybe when I get that bigger cage he would be a bit more energetic. I’ll definitely try out these toys