Hamster Central - View Single Post

Almi · 06-30-2017, 05:57 PM

Yes, I am definitely going to grow things indoors for the hamsters this winter. We live in an old house with small windows; recently we had a new window put in that allows enough light for some plants. I'm excited.

I've been feeding the fresh herbs and greens to the hamsters regularly, and they love it! No one has gotten sick or anything, everything is normal. Neither I nor my neighbors spray any pesticides or herbicides on our property, so I am not worried about that, but the plants can be washed anyhow. They really like the pigweed and pineapple weed. Pigweed reminds me of spinach, and pineapple weed has a wonderful smell.

What I am working on right now is the new seed mix. I'm pretty excited about this one, I've been putting a lot of work into it. Like I said, you guys have been very helpful.

So far I have found all of the possible ingredients I want to use. All of these ingredients fit the bill for nutrition, price, and availability. For many of the items, I can get them organic without having to spend a lot, and almost all of the ingredients are raw. This seed mix will be fed in conjunction with dried herbs/grasses and fresh foods.

I haven't decided what proportions to use yet, and I thought maybe someone would like to help me or give their two cents on it. Here are the items. (Assume they are the seed, grain, or nut; not the plant or flower.)

Brown Rice = 2.4% fat, 7.1% protein
Sorghum (milo) = 2% fat, 9.8% protein
Barley = 2% fat, 12% protein
Teff = 2% fat, 14% protein
Wheat (Spelt, Kamut, Hard White, Hard Red Winter) = 2-3% fat, 14-15% protein
Buckwheat = 3% fat, 13% protein
Rye = 3% fat, 15% protein
Millet = 4.5% fat, 11.1% protein
Quinoa = 6.1% fat, 14.1% protein
Amaranth = 6.7% fat, 15.4% protein
Oats = 7% fat, 17% protein
Fenugreek = 7.1% fat, 21.4% protein
Caraway = 14.3% fat, 21.4% protein
Soybean = 20% fat, 36% protein
Fennel = 10-15% fat, 10-15% protein
Safflower = 25% fat, 15% protein
Black Oil Sunflower = 30% fat, 15.5% protein
Chia = 33.3% fat, 16.7% protein
Hemp = 36% fat, 26% protein
Poppy = 40% fat, 17.8% protein
Flax = 43% fat, 17.9% protein
Sesame = 49.6% fat, 17.7% protein
Almond = 50% fat, 23.3% protein
Striped Sunflower = 50% fat, 22% protein
Pumpkin = 50% fat, 30% protein
Walnuts = 66.6% fat, 16.6% protein

I have also considered using the seed mixes I have in the current mix, because it would be an easy way to add a little more variety. I'm thinking of also adding some grass seed used for forage feed (example: orchard grass seed), but the problem is, I can't find any nutritional data on it. Thoughts?

06-30-2017, 05:57 PM
Almi Hamster Pup Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: United States Posts: 120	Re: Homemade Hamster Mix Yes, I am definitely going to grow things indoors for the hamsters this winter. We live in an old house with small windows; recently we had a new window put in that allows enough light for some plants. I'm excited. I've been feeding the fresh herbs and greens to the hamsters regularly, and they love it! No one has gotten sick or anything, everything is normal. Neither I nor my neighbors spray any pesticides or herbicides on our property, so I am not worried about that, but the plants can be washed anyhow. They really like the pigweed and pineapple weed. Pigweed reminds me of spinach, and pineapple weed has a wonderful smell. What I am working on right now is the new seed mix. I'm pretty excited about this one, I've been putting a lot of work into it. Like I said, you guys have been very helpful. So far I have found all of the possible ingredients I want to use. All of these ingredients fit the bill for nutrition, price, and availability. For many of the items, I can get them organic without having to spend a lot, and almost all of the ingredients are raw. This seed mix will be fed in conjunction with dried herbs/grasses and fresh foods. I haven't decided what proportions to use yet, and I thought maybe someone would like to help me or give their two cents on it. Here are the items. (Assume they are the seed, grain, or nut; not the plant or flower.) Brown Rice = 2.4% fat, 7.1% protein Sorghum (milo) = 2% fat, 9.8% protein Barley = 2% fat, 12% protein Teff = 2% fat, 14% protein Wheat (Spelt, Kamut, Hard White, Hard Red Winter) = 2-3% fat, 14-15% protein Buckwheat = 3% fat, 13% protein Rye = 3% fat, 15% protein Millet = 4.5% fat, 11.1% protein Quinoa = 6.1% fat, 14.1% protein Amaranth = 6.7% fat, 15.4% protein Oats = 7% fat, 17% protein Fenugreek = 7.1% fat, 21.4% protein Caraway = 14.3% fat, 21.4% protein Soybean = 20% fat, 36% protein Fennel = 10-15% fat, 10-15% protein Safflower = 25% fat, 15% protein Black Oil Sunflower = 30% fat, 15.5% protein Chia = 33.3% fat, 16.7% protein Hemp = 36% fat, 26% protein Poppy = 40% fat, 17.8% protein Flax = 43% fat, 17.9% protein Sesame = 49.6% fat, 17.7% protein Almond = 50% fat, 23.3% protein Striped Sunflower = 50% fat, 22% protein Pumpkin = 50% fat, 30% protein Walnuts = 66.6% fat, 16.6% protein I have also considered using the seed mixes I have in the current mix, because it would be an easy way to add a little more variety. I'm thinking of also adding some grass seed used for forage feed (example: orchard grass seed), but the problem is, I can't find any nutritional data on it. Thoughts?