Hamster Central - View Single Post - Dwarf dietary questions

Circe · 09-08-2012, 05:01 PM

I'm a new hamster owner as of Wednesday. When I first brought home my three little dwarf hybrids, I thought caring for them would be easy. But after days of researching their care I have become incredibly paranoid about their feed and the diabetes risks. After reading many pages of dietary lists, I went into my local pet store with a shopping list.

For basic food, I didn't see Silver's or Hazel Hamster or any of the things I've seen recommended. I did, however, find Oxbow Essentials Healthy Handfuls. The food claims the following:

Recommended by top small animal veterinarians worldwide.
Nutritionally complete with added vitamins and minerals.
No seeds, sugary fruits or nuts.
No artificial preservatives, colors or flavors.

A little google action from my phone left me with some mixed reviews, but overall I found that people recommend it as one of the better food options. The only thing I did read that could cause concern is that it may be a little off in the requirements (listed below):

Crude Protein (min)... 15.00%
Crude Fat (min)... 4.50%
Crude Fiber (min)... 10.00%
Crude Fiber (max)... 15.00%

At any rate, this seemed to be the safest option for my babies outside of ordering online. Comments from other users (or non-users) of this food welcome.

But here is where my head started to spin. I wanted to get some extra added treats for my little guys based off of the dietary lists I've seen. I went with sunflower seeds, canary seed blend, and millet spray. I was also considering dried mealworms but passed on this visit due to price. All three of the clerks started chatting with me and became concerned about the high fat content of these treats. They advised me to be wary of feeding them any seeds (especially sunflower) because of the increased risk of cancer and tumors.

So what is a girl to do? I still bought the seeds as a little treat because I feel sad just feeding them the Oxbow. But now I'm even more paranoid, because I feel like no matter what I do I will give my babies diabetes or cancer... or both!

Please help, kind hamster lovers! I feel like worrying about their feed will drive me insane!

09-08-2012, 05:01 PM
Circe Newborn Pup Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 25	Dwarf dietary questions - diabetes and tumors I'm a new hamster owner as of Wednesday. When I first brought home my three little dwarf hybrids, I thought caring for them would be easy. But after days of researching their care I have become incredibly paranoid about their feed and the diabetes risks. After reading many pages of dietary lists, I went into my local pet store with a shopping list. For basic food, I didn't see Silver's or Hazel Hamster or any of the things I've seen recommended. I did, however, find Oxbow Essentials Healthy Handfuls. The food claims the following: Recommended by top small animal veterinarians worldwide. Nutritionally complete with added vitamins and minerals. No seeds, sugary fruits or nuts. No artificial preservatives, colors or flavors. A little google action from my phone left me with some mixed reviews, but overall I found that people recommend it as one of the better food options. The only thing I did read that could cause concern is that it may be a little off in the requirements (listed below): Crude Protein (min)... 15.00% Crude Fat (min)... 4.50% Crude Fiber (min)... 10.00% Crude Fiber (max)... 15.00% At any rate, this seemed to be the safest option for my babies outside of ordering online. Comments from other users (or non-users) of this food welcome. But here is where my head started to spin. I wanted to get some extra added treats for my little guys based off of the dietary lists I've seen. I went with sunflower seeds, canary seed blend, and millet spray. I was also considering dried mealworms but passed on this visit due to price. All three of the clerks started chatting with me and became concerned about the high fat content of these treats. They advised me to be wary of feeding them any seeds (especially sunflower) because of the increased risk of cancer and tumors. So what is a girl to do? I still bought the seeds as a little treat because I feel sad just feeding them the Oxbow. But now I'm even more paranoid, because I feel like no matter what I do I will give my babies diabetes or cancer... or both! Please help, kind hamster lovers! I feel like worrying about their feed will drive me insane!