Am confused over diet for my new hamster

[kazisindahouse]

Hi everyone
I have been rerading all the different threads around hamster food and nutrients and treats and I am now completely confused.

I am currently giving my hamster Wagg hamster food as that was what he was being given from where I got him from but is this the best type of food for him? Also what should I be giving him as a treat and how often? I know everyone is going to have their favourites, I've read a lot about Harry Hamster Food. I just dont know which is the best thats available in the UK

Thanks

[linford27]

Harry Hamster is very good so switch to that if you can, but you need to mix some Wagg food in to so the change isn't sudden. Slowly you can put less and less Wagg food in until its completely fazed out. Fresh Fruit and Veg are the best treats, but google what is and isn't safe before feeding any fruit and veg! Give a little fruit and veg every other day.

[shiny]

There's loads of advice in the wiki bit of this site about safe treats that you might find useful.

What sort is your hamster? Different types of hamsters have different nutritional needs for example dwarf species can be prone to diabetes & their feed and treats would be different from what you might give a Syrian.

We use Silver's mixes from Rat Rations for our hamsters & give teeny tiny pieces of fresh veg every day.

[Knotty]

Harry hamster and Silver's mixes are the best mixes that are available in the UK for hamsters.

Chinese hamsters and pet shop russian are diabetes prone so they will need the yellow peices taken out. It is worth feeding dwarf and chinese on Silver's mix as it contains everything that the ham will need.

Harry hamster is great for syrian hamsters, robo's and breeder russian dwarf hamsters. None of the yellow peices need to be taken out, but some hams will not eat all of the ingredients so then they will not be getting the best diet. For this reason, Silver's mixes are great. They are much more natural to hamsters, and they have things in there that are more yummy to the hams!!

As for treats, we find all of our hams like:

-Mealworms (dried or if live, crush the heads as they can bite hamsters)
-Yoghurt and chocolate drops (syrian hams, robo's, and breeder dwarfs)
-Plain yoghurt in small quantity
-Millet sprays
-Pedigree cheesy bites (these are a favourite!!)
-Small bits of safe fruit and veg, such as a little strawberry or carrot)
-Cooked pasta in small quantity
-Porridge oats, as long as they are not sharp
-Baby food (no onions, garlic, spices, citrus)

[kazisindahouse]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Things have so changed since I last had my hamsters on the feeding front. I certainly would never have thought about giving a hamster baby food!
Do most pet stores sell Harry Hamster and Silvers Food or can I buy it online? We have a Jollies pet store nearest to us so I might try there. Will take a look on the Wiki pages too

Thanks again!

[kazisindahouse]

Sorry have just re read the other messages, didnt mean to ignore anyone! My hamster (Fudge) is a Syrian Teddy. I've taken a look on Google, thanks for the advice and started to read the Wiki pages on here, that's a useful tool !
Got to admit did try Fudge with a small piece of apple yesterday but he wasn't interested at all !

[shiny]

You can buy Silver's mixes online at RatRations ratRations.com, Rat food, base mixes and herbs (http://www.ratrations.com/) but watch out, they sell loads of other lovely & tempting stuff too ;) I get little treats, bedding & toys from there sometimes with my food order...

I give my Syrians little teeny bits of veg such as cucumber, broccoli & green pepper. They also love tiny pieces of cooked chicken or boiled egg as a treat but they don't get this very often.