Thread: Mix Comparison
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Old 01-04-2013, 01:39 PM  
shiny
bad case of Hamsteritis
 
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 1,807
Default Re: Mix Comparison

Quote:
Originally Posted by StarlightSerenity View Post
My previous Syrian, Luna, lost some fur on her hips after being on JR Farm Hamster Feast (different recipe now) for most of her life, switched her to Silvers mix which has a higher protein level and her fur grew back within a couple of weeks. I think I read in Hamsterlopaedia that a deficiency in protein can cause fur loss. The new food certainly made a difference, it was the only thing that changed.
That's really interesting. I was going to do a thread about my Bubble's coat change since he has been on Silver's Syrian mix (I think we've had him about 6 weeks now) but I can't get him to stay still for photos to show before & after really well

Bubble is a long-haired hamster but not really long-haired, he had long tufts at hips & shoulders when I got him as a rescue aged 1 year old & was generally quite fluffy & even a bit scruffy (sorry Bubble!). Now the tufts at the shoulders have gone really & the hip tufts are not so noticeable but Bubble's coat overall is so much more fluffy & gorgeous-looking, it has really filled out. I'm assuming it is the oils & proteins in the seeds that have given him this coat improvement, it's so easy to see the difference in him, I will get some good photos & made a thread of it. He has gained a bit of weight too, only about 15g or so.

I have no way of knowing what he was fed before we got him, he had been returned to p@h after a year (!) & was on their muesli at p@h but don't know what his previous owners were feeding him.

Edited to add: I expect that the big companies base their feed percentages on what is fed in labs as the investment in animal nutrition is really where the money is; ie loads of money goes into nutrition research for race horses but not a lot into less money-making parts of the business. I will have a look & see what I can find about nutrition in hamsters.
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