Roborovski Food

[littlefeet]

I currently feed my Robos on `Fab` dwarf hamster mix.
I buy mixed bird/canary seed for my harvest mice, and can obviously mix that with the hamster food too.
What easily available hamster food is considered the best for robos?
Ideally i`d like something that doesn`t have dyed food in the mix.

[racinghamster]

Hi littlefeet. I`ve never heard of the mix you feed but I use Burgess Supahamster Harvest (syrian version) and I pick the small green and brown biscuits out because of the coloured dyes they use. Otherwise, the rest of the mix is fine. I also add extras to this like hemp seed, dry mealworms (only one or two as I tend to use these as treats), dry porridge oats, buckwheat (although hamsters prefer buckwheat soaked for an hour in cold water until it`s soft!) and I also add canary/budgie/wild premium bird mix.

I also buy Kallo organic wholegrain puffed rice (Tesco and healthfood shops) and feed a few grains of that as a treat. It`s organic puffed rice.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Our robos are fed on some of the dwarf hamster mixes from ratrations, no silly extruded biscuits or chunks of alfalfa and they're both really happy with the food :)
Postage does cost a bit but the hams love the food so much its worth it

[littlefeet]

Thanks for the help racinghamster & Kyrillion. Variety seems to be the key. Natural seeds, mealworms etc. Guess we are all trying to emulate foods they would source naturally in the wild. I know what i don`t want, artificial colours and additives. I`ll give my hammies a good selection and note what they don`t eat. They certainly seem to leave the coloured biscuits.

[purple_x]

My robos get the dwarf mix from rat rations and they love it, never leave any.
I recommend it to everyone!

[Kissa]

A third recommendation for the ratrations dwarf mix here ;)

[LavoChain]

My Stan is currently on burgess dwarf superhamster hadvest as it was all I could get hold of. I'm changing over from it to a rat rations mix though as Stan tends to leave a lot of his mix and I'm assuming I'll get rescue hamsters who do the same.

[littlefeet]

The postage costs for ratrations is high. It`s a shame the mix isn`t stocked on zooplus as they do free delivery on orders over £19.
I can`t get back onto the Ratrations site for some reason.

[Pompompoms]

I feed my army of robos on Harry Hamster from babies through adulthood into retirement. They all seems to enjoy all the mix, as nothing is left, and are all very healthy, in great condition, and very large making me very satisfied with the nutrition it's giving them. I've tried P@H premium, and Burgess o the rare occasion I can't get hold of HH, but for my hamily Harry Hamster has been the most popular and the most successful :)

[littlefeet]

I did find Harry Hamster online but it was a 15kg sack, and it didn`t list the ingredients. Does it contain the dyed biscuits, and is it available in smaller bags?

I have ordered some of Silvers mix to see how they take to that.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Harry Hamster is avaliable in 750g and 850g bags (online as well as in person) but yes it contains dyed biscuits. Our hams all actually eat them though - including the dwarf hams, we just changed from it when we felt it was best for Skip (or my sanity, one of the two) and the others changed with him.

[GhostsInSnow]

Another vote for ratrations here. I use the basic dwarf mix for my robo and he loves it, plus it has added mealworms which he adores. It's not so bad for me postage-wise though as I get my Syrian mix from there, mouse food, treats and substrate too so it works out better

[littlefeet]

I have ordered some finacard too, to see what it`s like. Ratrations looks a good site for small furries, but i`ve spent way too much on hammies,cages,tubs etc. Need to show some restraint

[Kissa]

Larger sites like zooplus can afford to make a loss on the postage, by giving it free etc, because they have a huge profit margin on the products. Ratrations is a family owned business and their postage costs are dictated by the post office, so they don't actually make a profit on the postage.

I'd love it if the mixes on RR were available at a cheaper price, but no commercial food maker has been interested in the mixes yet, as far as I know. (Silver on the forum is the one who designed the mixes and has tried/is trying to get large companies interested, but has had no luck so far.)

[littlefeet]

It`s a shame the big food makers aren`t interested in the mixes. Maybe when they realise peple want the best natural diet for their small furries they will come round.
The Royal Mail doesn`t have the best rates for delivery. The private couriers, such as Yodel, are far better value.
I pay as much for delivery on many items as i do for the goods themselves, which is aggravating, but nothing i can do about it.

[Silver]

It's to do with the cost.

The commercial mixes have a few different ingredients, but mine have 16 - 24. This means they have to find some new suppliers, more ingredients means more outlay less profit

Then you have to make packaging, & spend money launching a new product.

Silver xxx

[littlefeet]

Everything is always more complex than you realise.
You`re going to have to go on `Dragon`s den` silver

[Silver]

LOL

I'd be too scared xxx

[littlefeet]

I know what you mean. I`d be terrified too. You`ll have to go dressed as a hamster so nobody knows who you are. be less daunting then ;-)

[Silver]

LOL

Good Plan. I will dress like a Hybrid raise awareness of them at the same time xxx

[littlefeet]

Sounds good. Wear a nappy just in case it all proves too scarey x

[Silver]

LOL :o

Silver xxx

[racinghamster]

I love Dragon`s Den and Silver, you MUST get on there and push your foods because hamsters need you!!!! :mad: I can just picture the scene with that intimidating music playing as a hamster costume appears in the den and the dragons sit there giggling at what on earth is to come!!! :mad:

Shame Hilary Devey has left the show as she has a huge logistics company!

[Silver]

LOL

Would be funny xxx