Are tomatoes ok to give Chinese hamsters? - Page 2

starog · 12-16-2011, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racinghamster

I place a few seeds of hemp or millet in my open hand and my chinese happily takes treats that way. She will readily hop into a little fleece pocket that I use to transport her from her cage to my bed in the evenings to play and rummage about in old bed clothes!

It`s little and often with them. Respecting their natural shyness.

I do the thing with the seeds, he's getting more and more confident. He just jumps straight onto my hand now, usually has a little nip of my thumb first/ during though

We made some great progress last night, he was exploring both of my hands but I haven't fully handled him yet. I want to get things just right with him. Little and often as you say but I already adore him

Possibly as silly question...I'm aware there are two different colourings for chinese hams, are dominant spotted ones like that from birth or does they dominant spot grow as they do?

Is there a way to age a hamster? I have no idea how old Ronnie is

racinghamster · 12-16-2011, 09:44 AM

I`m not a breeder so I wouldn`t know the answer to that I`m afraid, but I would `guess` that dom spot babies are born already whiter? Not too sure if they get lighter as they grow/age though.... my little lady is the normal wild colouring and much as I like the look of the dominant spot, I prefer the natural agouti browns personally. I don`t want to see chinese hamsters being bred silly by people in order to get a new colour, rather than focusing on keeping the species strong healthwise. You just have to look at what happened to the dwarf Campbells Russian hamster and how their health was compromised by animals being brought in from abroad and bred with hamsters here that were healthy. I would rather have a wild, normal coloured hamster than one that`s from a long strain of manipulated genes just to have a fancy colour! You won`t get that from GOOD breeders however as they don`t knowingly sell animals to people who don`t know what they are doing or people they don`t know and trust to continue their good work. Here here to that.

racinghamster · 12-16-2011, 09:50 AM

Oops, sorry Snickers, I skipped past your post!

I`m sure even the most docile chinese will react especially if they have a `past`, poor thing.

Bailey is the three legged little guy yes?

starog · 12-16-2011, 10:11 AM

Completely agree! I was just curious, Ronnie seems to be a bit lighter than what I'd expect for a natural coloured chinese but it could be my imagination or he could just be lighter. Breeders shouldn't mess with nature, Campbells Russians are a prime example of why.

Going back to the original question -sort of anyway-, are there any types of fruit/veg that chinese hams would benefit from?
I want to give my little guy the best diet but I want to be sure everything is safe for him

racinghamster · 12-16-2011, 10:25 AM

Fruits are a no, no because they contain natural sugars (fructose). Some veg can be safe, but I`ve yet to find a list I would be happy with. What I tend to do as far as veg is concerned, is take a small piece of tomato or green bean or broccoli and only give a small piece to Prinny as an ocassional treat. Veg that is natrally sweet like sweetcorn and carrot should not be fed for example. Water cress is okay and is easy to grow.

I plan to do a little research on a `safe` list for chinese hamsters, altough I`m not big on feeding `fresh` foods incase it unbalances her gut flora, causing runy poo. A hamsters poo should be dry and formed, not runny or too soft. Feeding too much veg or feeding veg when a hamster isn`t used to it can result in a bowel change. Not something you want as it can be difficult to stabalise if diahorrea starts.

Chinese hamsters are very much `mouse-like` in appearance and character and tend to be on the light side. They don`t weight that much to be honest.

starog · 12-16-2011, 10:31 AM

Got'cha

Water cress it is then and the occasional tomato.

Thanks for all your advice, you've been a great help! There isn't that much information on chinese hamsters compared to other species so it's been nice to be able to chat with someone who has experience with them.

racinghamster · 12-17-2011, 02:02 AM

I gave my little one a small piece of tomato yesterday afternoon since was having some on my piece of toast and she loved it!

I agree about the information on chinese hamsters being a bit lacking or `samey` on the internet, but sometimes it`s better to search using their genus name Cricetulus Griseus.

This site is quite good:

Chinese Hamster

Many websites state that chinese can have fruit which is untrue. Fruit contains fructose which is a naturally produced sugar. Some are higher than others but it`s always a good idea to look into anything fresh that is fed for it`s sugar content. It also depends on the amount they are fed and the frequency of it. That`s why I only give a little piece of fresh veg that I know is safe a few times a week. The link above is good reading.

Gamina · 12-17-2011, 05:00 AM

I have a diabetic sister who is type 1. Is diabetes in hamsters similar to diabetes in humans in terms of causes relating to insulin etc?

I have never risked fruit or sugary veg with my Chinese as a matter or caution and with so little advice available online. However (type 1 diabetes withstanding) diabetes brought about in life or type 2 in a human is commonly thought to be brought about by excess sugar consumption is a myth. Its brought about my obesity and other factors that can be brought about by eating to much sugar i.e. you get fat by eating to much sugar but the sugar itself is not the root cause. So are the causes the same in hamsters?

Regardless of the causes in humans (and hamsters) avoidance of fruit in humans is seen as silly. Contrary to the ever increasing myth that fruit sugars are bad in humans I know my sister is encouraged to eat fruits that are high in fructose and fibre as this is good for controlling her insulin levels. She is told to avoid high glucose fruits such as pineapple but apple for instance is high fibre, low glucose and high in pectin which can actually help insulin stability...

While this post has not been made to promote people feeding sugar to diabetes prone dwarfs it does make me wonder how similar the conditions are in humans and hamsters and I am being to strict in feeding my hamster and if like with himans some fruit can be beneficial to such a condition.

SnickersTheFirst · 12-17-2011, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racinghamster

Oops, sorry Snickers, I skipped past your post!

I`m sure even the most docile chinese will react especially if they have a `past`, poor thing.

Bailey is the three legged little guy yes?

Yep, he is. I can tell he's a sweetheart though but he's just terrified of people.

I decided to end taming after 4 months of no results and he seems happier when left alone tbh.

racinghamster · 12-17-2011, 08:34 AM

My friends male chinese is a bit the same Snickers and likes to do his own thing. He was a PAH adoption and had been in a home previous to her taking him and kids had been banging on the glass when he was in store, so he can`t be blamed for reacting in such a negitive way. Maybe sometimes you do get chinese hams who (through no fault of their own or the owners) who just don`t like contact very much, but tolerate more than enjoy.

Gamina, I really don`t know enough about human or animal comparisons where diabetes and diet are concerned, but I like to personally be cautious with foods that are noted to be fed with caution. Hamsters are much smaller than humans and I imagine of they are fed copious amounts of frucose or fat, it wouldn`t take too long for their bodies to react to it, which is why I prefer to be cautious. Your probably right about feeding a wee piece of apple or grape even, but not so much the sweeter fruits like pineapple or banana.

I think it`s always going to be a talking point, but be wary of what we feed, how much and how often. If that is taken into account, no real harm should be done.