Fresh veg and other foods?

[A_Couple_In_Love]

Hi all! :D

I was recently thinking i want to give my hammies a change of treat/diet wise.

I was wondering, what veg can i give my hybrids?

E.g. Lettus, tomatoes, cucumber..

Also, i was wondering are they aloud foods like -

E.g. Cheese, Pasta, Rice


P.s, I know they are to be given in small amounts and in moderation :)


Thanks in advance!

[Lougarry]

There's a helpful safe and unsafe foods list in the Wiki:
Safe and Unsafe Food and Plants - Hamster Central WIKI (http://www.hamstercentral.com/wiki/Safe_and_Unsafe_Food_and_Plants)

Tomatoes are not recommended as they are rather acidic. Lettuce isn't as good as other darker green leafy veg. Cheese, pasta and rice are all fine.

[A_Couple_In_Love]

That links very helpful! Thank you :)

There are a few things on there though that i thought hybrids werent aloud to eat.. e.g. corn, peas. How do i work around knowing what certain foods like them i can give my hammies?

Also, can you give them any type of cheese or is there certain types?

[Lougarry]

You want to avoid any veg with a high sugar content, including peas, corn, carrot etc. basically, if it tastes slightly sweet to humans it's best avoided. If you use the advanced search function, Silver made a useful post a little while ago about good treats for diabetes-prone hams. I'll try to track it down.

ETA Here it is:
http://www.hamstercentral.com/community/chinese-hamster/28162-treats-chinese.html
However, Silver now recommends deleting shrimp cookies from the list as some ingredients may be unsuitable.

Back to cheese, I just give mine cheddar. I would avoid unpasteurised cheeses (including goats' cheese), cream cheese and blue cheese, all of which pregnant women are advised to avoid, in case they contain potentially harmful bacteria.

[happyham]

Just thought I'd mention that I've found that Hum is thriving on a fresh food diet with a quality mix such as Silvermix or HarryHamster as a back-up.I've had this robust lively Syrian for 8 months now and he has developed a beautiful coat,he's a longhair.
He has never had any wet-tail or tummy upset,on this varied fresh diet,and looks good,glossy fur and alert,active attitude.Always eats up his meals in a flash,with great enthusiasm!
I serve him his meals in tiny dishes (plastic milktops).He has a meal morning and evening,by routine.It's a bit varied according to what's in my fridge!
Today for example,this is what he had in the morning: please note the portions are tiny,about half a centimetre.. a portion of raw steak in tiny pieces,2 tiny portions of cheddar cheese,a peanut broken up into tiny pieces,3 tiny pieces of red apple,3 tiny pieces of fresh carrot,3 small(4cm)washed fresh baby dandelion leaves torn up,8 grains of cooked rice,a quarter teaspoon of muesli oats.I serve it divided up into 4 separate milktops.He doesn't usually finish all the oats,but demolishes the rest.

Tonight he will get a similar size meal,this time he will have half a v small cooked prawn instead of the meat,and blue cheese (only the white bits),more dandelion leaves,a raisin,a 1cm piece of plain digestive biscuit,muesli oats,3 cooked peas,3 apple pieces,half a peanut. He doesn't store most of these meals at all..he only stores his basic mix.
He has bottled springwater to drink,changed every 2 days.He also has hard chew seed bars which he hoards.
And he always has an available full dish of a good hamster mix down,to pick and choose from,but he doesn't eat huge amounts of this,as he loves his varied fresh diet.
Whatever I'm eating,as long as it's safe for him (I do consult the 'safe list') he is allowed. Obviously you must use your commonsense,never ever give hot spicy foods or anything you know will be indigestible.
But Syrians in the wild are omnivorous,consuming a variation of both meaty foods and veggies,cereals,seeds,fruits etc.So I try to approximate to that.I always intro any new food in a much smaller quantity,to see how it suits him.
He seems to love the variation,and he will leave stuff he doesn't like.For example,he's not overkeen on bread,though he likes the occasional bit of homemade sponge cake.I'm careful not to overdo sugary foods.
Hum is so active,he never seems to get fat but he's strong.He has lots of exercise as he's in a big Alexander with a nice Wonder Wheel.He has a cuddle every evening(loves being held and stroked) and then a runabout free all over my bedroom floor every night,I have to watch him every moment as he's mischievous and quick! He will take up the carpet very quickly if he thinks you're not looking! If I say 'Hum! What are you doing!' he looks up at me with a naughty face and scuttles off! So funny and cute.Then I transport him back in his ball,as by then he's quite hyper,and he knows it's time for his meal,which is ready in his cage.After that he disappears for a snooze,and I disappear off to bed,leaving him to play through the night.
It can be rather time-consuming,but that's what pets are all about,and I find it relaxing and amusing.
I think you have to provide not just a good diet,but lots of interest,exercise and love,to have a healthy hamster.

[DrKMcK]

Hum is a gourmet! I don't think I eat that well! :-D