Im still a little unsure on how much to feed?

[Fidgetthefirst]

I want to make sure im feeding Milo a good amount of food - not too much, not to little.
I dont get the whole - however much they eat/pouch in a minute thing - Milo picks at his food - he doesn't take it all in one go anyway.
He's got a tad chubbier this winter - but i figured that was fine seen as its winter? I usually give him a decent handful every other day - but i think this is too much as theres always loads when i clean out and see his store.
Whats an ideal amount? I want to measure it out and be sure he gets the same amount each time.
And whats best, feedly one big amount a week, or splitting it to every other day - or 3 times a week?

[fluffymunchkins]

If there is loads still when you clean out then i would think you are feeding too much. Although hamsters don't overeat and will only eat what they need, he will be picking out the more fatty foods and it'll waste more food aswell.
I always make sure i don't give more food the day before cleaning out, then the amount left in their store tells me whether i'm feeding the right amount.

Everyone is different, but i feed 3 table spoons every other day.
But you may find Milo is better with a full bowl, refilled once a week maybe?
You can try that method, but evry hamster is different so theres no 'best' way really

[DeweyTheHammy]

I refill my hammy's bowls to the top once or twice a week. Kitty has a small bowl, and I know she likes to take allll of her food out once I fill the bowl, then she'll go store it somewhere, and my dad does not realize this! So whenever I'm away at my moms, he feeds her everyday, and she's just a huge fatty now... hehe.

But yeah. refill once or twice a week is good for meee.

[Hope]

I am lucky in that my hamsters dont really store food - just go to their bowl as and when they want so I can always see by their bowl how much they have. I probably fill each bowl to the top once or twice a week. Boris has a little bowl and Phoebe has quite a large one. The boys have their food scattered so its trickier to judge how much but if it looks a little low I chuck in another handful, even though their is probably some buried and coverd up. If there is lots left over then you may be overfeeding a little, but as Mel says everyone has their own method of what works for them. You could try a spoonful everyother day instead of a handful and see how that works? Or do a handfull but leave it for 4 days instead of two. What about trying to have a sneeky peek in his store when you have him out? Just to see how much he has stashed away - that should help you to gauge how much he needs.

I dont really think there is any set way thats right, I think each person/hamster has a way that works for them.

[Ellie]

I know I am definitely over feeding Dolly - I've had her 2 weeks and she has had stashes in her house, but I am not too worried at the moment as I would rather over-feed then under feed. Mine get a handful every day and then I empty the bowl daily and refill it... Dynamite or Hammy's stash usaully isn't too big?? But I think I'm going to do it every 2 days instead of 1..

[Truffles]

i refill my hamster's bowl every 3 days and give him a treat concealed in a toilet paper tube which he enjoys shredding to get to his treat, twice a week

[Iluvhamsters]

When Nibbles was still around, I found that a handful every 2-3 days was best for her. I was fortunate that she usually stored her food where I could see it so I always knew when she needed a top up. I don't know what will work best for Treacle though as I'm still getting to know her habits and as she's still growing, she'll probably need more.

[Hannah]

I like to scatter feed pippa every day. She likes to come out and collect her food as part of her evening routine. But I only put a small handful in each day otherwise she would have too much in her store. I just keep an eye on how much she has and alter the amount accordingly. XxX