Herbs

[KatiePillow]

Originally Posted by SnickersTheFirst

What you are saying may be true but if there is no proof for or against feeding then most people go by the rule to avoid it just in case. Obviously, everyone will have their own opinions though.

I agree, I'd rather avoid them in case they're not good, than risk it and potentially hurt my babies.

On the topic of what's safe for me is safe for them.. chocolate isn't safe for smaller animals, well hamsters anyway, and dogs.. and I'm sure there's a lot more cases like that, I'd personally rather not risk it..

[SnickersTheFirst]

Just done a bit of reading and it mentions Rosemary Extracts used in some Hamster Foods and it can be fed fresh to help fight certain illnesses.

[StarlightSerenity]

Originally Posted by SnickersTheFirst

Just done a bit of reading and it mentions Rosemary Extracts used in some Hamster Foods and it can be fed fresh to help fight certain illnesses.

Ooo thanks!

Luna attacked my sage plant yesterday (well, seedlings ) and seems to enjoy what she got her paws on, will give her some next time we have some in (cant use the plants, they are too young).

[siberiankiss]

Originally Posted by KatiePillow

I agree, I'd rather avoid them in case they're not good, than risk it and potentially hurt my babies.

On the topic of what's safe for me is safe for them.. chocolate isn't safe for smaller animals, well hamsters anyway, and dogs.. and I'm sure there's a lot more cases like that, I'd personally rather not risk it..

It's technically not safe for us either, in high doses. You have to bear that in mind - a lot of things, if we ate lots and lots of it would be unsafe - the reason we don't feed chocolate to animals is because it's toxic to them at a smaller level.

I'm personally not going to deny my animals a wide variety of foods just because nobody has specifically told me it's okay. I will use my intuition and logic about what is good and bad generally and draw my conclusions from there. Anything I'm not sure about, I will investigate and find out the answers for myself.

[Nappo]

Ah, sorry for not explaining it more- they are non-toxic, but contains essential oils, so the hamster might not eating these herbs by himself and avoid them. But thats up to the individual hamster,some may eat them,some not and in smaller amount it's not bad

[Gillzy]

What about dried herbs? I don't think there'd be much point in feeding on their own (tiny flakes would be difficult, wouldn't it?), but I was thinking if I perhaps make little biscuits or something - would dried be fine, since they're the same herb... just not fresh. Or does the fresh element have something special?

[siberiankiss]

Dried herbs are fine - all my rodents have dried herbs in their food mixes and I also sometimes bake them into biscuit treats - can post a recipe if you want

[Christmas_hamster]

Thyme can be used to help with respiratory issues and also to help keep minor cuts clean. I've been thinking about growing my own as well but I'm a plant murderer. lol

Background Info: Thyme is a herb and is a natural antibiotic and decongestant. It is useful for relieving respiratory (breathing) problems such as stuffy nose and for cleaning minor cuts and wounds.

Fresh thyme herb can be obtained from supermarkets or grocery stores (produce area), usually in packets. Thyme aromatheraphy oil can also be used in vaporisers, remember to use in small amounts or diluted with a base oil first.

Note that thyme should not be used in the presence of pregnant hamsters or humans. Also stop using when signs of respiratory problems are gone as overusing on a normal respiratory system can actually irritate it.

-and-

Remedies: If pine/cedar bedding is used, discard immediately and change to aspen, recycled paper or recycled paper pulp-based bedding. Use the following Thyme Tea Remedy to help relieve breathing problems.

What is thyme and where to obtain it:
Thyme is a herb and is a natural antibiotic and decongestant. Fresh thyme herb can be obtained from supermarkets, usually in packets. Refer to [H] Herb - Thyme for more information.

Thyme Tea Remedy (summarized from missPixy's post here)

* Take about 10-12 sprigs of the fresh thyme and put them in a mug.
* Boil some water.
* While keeping a close watch on the water, make a little emergency nest for your hamster. Get some more thyme leaves by stripping them from the sprigs and mix them into the bedding.
* Hold your hamster and massage him or her to keep them warm. Hamsters are usually cold to the touch when they get respiratory problems.
* Crush some thyme leaves under your hamster's nose to help start the decongestion process.
* Once the water boils, pour it in the mug to cover only over the thyme. Stir it occasionally, and let it sit for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, put some paper towel over another clean mug, and pour the tea into this new mug. The paper towel will filter out the leaves.
* With your eyedropper or syringe, take up a couple of hamster mouthfuls' worth. Let this sit for about 30 seconds or so until it is not hot (you don't want to burn your hamster's mouth). Test by a few drops on your hand first.
* Give your hamster a few drops of the tea. Continue massaging and crushing the thyme leaves under his/her nose for about an hour to ensure adequate recovery. This is an important step since the hamster needs to warm up before recovery can set in. Do not skip it.
* Massaging is beneficial to the hamster rather than just letting him/her rest during this period. Since the hamster's metabolism is very fast, as quickly as they get sick, they can recover just as quickly if encouraged to metabolize it out of their systems. Remember to do this only in conjunction with the above steps.

Home-made remedy for minor cuts (Gathered from missPixy's post here)
Boil some water and pour it into a mug containing a good handful of fresh thyme herb sprigs. Let this sit for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, you can use a paper towel to filter the thyme-infused water from the sprigs. Use this thyme water to clean your hamster's cut twice a day.

All from HH's A-Z Guide on Common Ailments & Injuries

[Gillzy]

Originally Posted by siberiankiss

Dried herbs are fine - all my rodents have dried herbs in their food mixes and I also sometimes bake them into biscuit treats - can post a recipe if you want

We have quite a lot of recipes on here I'm sure. If you go find where they are placed then you could share your recipes with everyone! I'd definitely be grateful I know that much! When my uni work calms down (IF it calms down) I'd like to experiment with things like that

[Iluvhamsters]

I'd love to see recipes for herby treat biscuits