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Old 10-07-2020, 04:30 AM   #1
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Food for Robos

I was just wondering what do you think most people use as food for their robos in the UK?

I'm just asking because I know we talk about Rodipet and Bunny Dreams, but I can't imagine that most people that have robos have heard of these, or even want to spend that much on food. Do they just buy a generic hamster food?

I have got the Bunny dreams one and it just seems so much different to shop bought hamster food it just got me to thinking about this. Why do you think there is not a pet shop hamster food specific for robos, or is there and 1.) I haven't heard of it and/or 2.) its just rubbish

Interested to know your thoughts on this.
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Old 10-07-2020, 04:54 AM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Food for Robos

I suspect a lot of people feed harry hamster or some pet shop muesli mix but people are becoming more aware about quality more natural foods I think at the same time the uk market for dwarf hamsters generally seems to be moving more toward pellet type foods so there really isn’t anything suitable.
Considering how much a robo eats I don’t think it’s a lot to pay for food if you buy the better quality ones, I don’t even rate the bunny one that highly tbh, it’s ok but not the best.
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Old 10-07-2020, 05:08 AM   #3
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Default Re: Food for Robos

Rodipet seems expensive at first but I think that's probably because people are used to paying very low prices for not very high quality foods. Once you consider how little hamsters eat it isn't really an expensive choice.

Nutrition also plays a part in overall health, so when we can make good decisions with the diet of our pets like this we're actively spending more money in the short term(in some cases less in the long term) for their health. I don't think we should bash or shame others for lack of knowledge by any means, but we can and quite frankly should be encouraging others towards species appropriate high quality foods!

I think a lot of animal nutrition does tend to go this way though. People often buy the cheap and convenient option thinking they're doing something right without necessarily taking the time to do more research and such. On the other hand you also have companies out there who market products which seem great to pet owners with less knowledge, usually making products seem scientifically superior somehow or "more nutritious" when the opposite is true - something I'd imagine helps Oxbow and other companies market pelleted diets towards hamsters especially if they're known for decent quality with other species!
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Old 10-07-2020, 06:01 AM   #4
sushi_78
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Default Re: Food for Robos

I think most people feed Harry Hamster or Pets at Home muesli or similar mixes. I think there aren't pet shop mixes for Robos because they are more expensive to make. Robos eat so little the extra cost is negligible (one bag of Bunny lasted 6 months with my Robo) but it's the upfront cost that puts people off.

Last edited by sushi_78; 10-07-2020 at 10:05 AM.
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Old 10-09-2020, 03:25 AM   #5
LunaTheHamster1
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Default Re: Food for Robos

Thanks guys for your replies. Sushi/Amytiville I guess you are right about how little a hamster eats and how long a bag will last for. I bought two bags to keep me going, so I am going to give my friend some now that I know how long it will last I was bulk buying to save on postage.

Cypher why don't you rate the Bunny dream one, just because the rodipet is better? or some other reason?

It would be nice if someone could make a dwarf/robo food mix that was decent and available on the high street, maybe make people more aware.

Anyway, this has now made me think in the future if I am rescuing robos do I only let them go to homes that are prepared to buy rodipet/bunny dreams or is that unfair and unrealistic of me? Would it be ok to let them go to a home that fed them Harry hamster?

I know what I want to feed my robo, but that is my choice, is it unrealistic to expect that from others?
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Old 10-09-2020, 05:59 AM   #6
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Default Re: Food for Robos

I wouldn't consider it unrealistic to expect others to feed a high quality species appropriate diet. Harry Hamster may not necessarily be exactly all that harmful, but it still isn't species appropriate where dwarf hamsters are concerned and it isn't high quality either once you compare it to Rodipet in particular.

There's also the off chance that someone might think other foods that would be extremely inappropriate would be fine. In this case, having a required diet would actually be a good safety practice and would as such ensure proper care in regards to diet. I however would actually specify Rodipet foods as these are the truly best ones and only mention Bunny Dreams as a last resort as it really isn't that great.

For some reasons why Bunny Dreams isn't great, consider the ingredient quality. These are not the same quality as Rodipet - Rodipet is an organic whole food based food with no synthetic additives including vitamins and minerals. Bunny does not meet that same ingredient quality standard and also despite having added mealworms(which many hamsters won't eat anyways) has less protein. Cypher might have even more reasons that make Bunny even less suitable though.

Ultimately food is a fairly complicated subject. The easy answer is Rodipet and that's fine, but I think in a lot of cases it also helps to know why Rodipet is such a high quality food and what makes it entirely unlike any other food on the market. Things like their ingredient quality standards, ingredient sourcing standards, being a truly whole food based diet, and not containing any form of synthetic ingredient all make it dramatically different. I know it can be a bit of a hard pill to swallow for some people when others say foods like Harry Hamster or Bunny aren't that great, but that's just the unfortunate reality of hamster food.

I do wish we had more Rodipet quality options, especially in the US where the only suitable option is Higgins Vita Garden which still isn't as good(better than other US foods and dwarf appropriate though).

At one point I even considered making my own or trying to find some way to import Rodipet but both of those would be time consuming and ultimately probably very expensive. Creating safe herb mixes, treats, etc and possibly growing and drying out hamster edible herbs and such might work out one day for me but at this point the food making or Rodipet importing is unlikely to be a reliable option. For those in the US(or other areas Rodipet don't ship to) that have connections in places where you can get Rodipet shipped to, that is still an option but likely expensive with shipping and such.
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Old 10-09-2020, 07:16 AM   #7
sushi_78
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Default Re: Food for Robos

Personally if I were in that situation I would insist on Bunny or Rodipet or Getzoo etc for a dwarf hamster. I think Harry Hamster is ok for a Syrian but the pieces are just so comically large for a Robo I don't think it's at all suitable. It's easy enough (in normal times - perhaps not recently) to walk into a pet shop and buy a Robo that hopefully anyone coming to you to adopt will be willing to go the extra mile.
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Old 10-09-2020, 10:07 AM   #8
cypher
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Default Re: Food for Robos

Luna I do think Bunny expert is ok, I just don’t rate it as highly, I don’t think the variety is as good as Rodipet (or Getzoo & Mixerama) I have used it years ago now admittedly but I did find there was quite a lot in it my hams would never really eat, a lot of dried veg &.mung beans.

If I was in that situation rehoming dwarf hams I don’t think I’d be happy to let them go without knowing they would be having an appropriate diet.
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Old 10-10-2020, 02:21 AM   #9
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Default Re: Food for Robos

I find that anybody who wants to adopt and is serious about giving a hamster as good a life as they possibly can will ask what kind of food they're on to make sure that they get the same one.

Anybody who is not willing to get the food the hamster is used to would be turned down.

I was lucky because the first person who enquired was the worst kind which made turning him down very easy.
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Old 10-10-2020, 06:54 AM   #10
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Default Re: Food for Robos

I used a 50/50 mix of the Bunny Dream one and the Rodipet dwarf hamster mix I preferred the standard Bunny Dream dwarf mix to the "expert" one (and also it was easier to get hold of). They do prefer the much smaller seeds and pieces. I think it is simply that the Germans are more focused on hamster care. Robos will eat any mix probably and you can always supplement with seeds etc. Food manufacturers don't know much about species I think.

The protein level is better in the Rodipet one (organic dwarf hamster junior). So if mixed with the Bunny Dream one it effectively lowers the overall protein level so I just supplemented with the odd protein treat. I think our robo did like the different variety of the two - the rodipet one on its own doesn't have the mealworms and smaller seeds in.

Last edited by Pebbles82; 10-10-2020 at 07:00 AM.
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