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Old 03-30-2017, 11:38 AM  
AmityvilleHams
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 4,545
Default Re: Hamster Care/Diet Plan?

Tofu is a food that shouldn't be fed often.It's high protein,but in terms of bioavailability it isn't that great,and it has other health risks associated with it that are especially concerning when it is consumed frequently.It could also potentially affect how well other nutrients from different foods are absorbed(can't think of a better way to explain).

Animal based protein boosts are an essential part of the diet though.This can be freeze dried chicken,dried mealworms,dried freshwater shrimp(high protein low fat,so they can be superior at times to mealworms),etc.The best part of freeze dried chicken is that is the second most natural(compared to raw)and preserves the nutritional value of raw chicken in this case.While raw may sound disgusting or some may assume it would make an animal sick,it isn't like animals go around cooking their prey anyways nor would it harm a healthy immune system to have a bit of exposure Cooked meats,however,have less nutritional value.

For extras you want to keep it minimal.Hamsters don't have a massive requirement for fiber,so just adding a pinch of certain extras is fine rather than a full teaspoon which could easily cause an imbalance with the diet Keep extras to less than 20% of the diet,rather than feeding equal amounts of extras and the main foods.
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