Different food for dwarf hammies?

[Cupcake]

Hey everyone!

I tried finding some info about this on the internet but wasn't really able to find anything conclusive. Do dwarf hamsters need a different food mix than syrians? I would imagine that because they are smaller, their metabolism might be faster too so they process food a bit differently from Syrians.... If I were to ever get dwarf hamsters, what would I need to feed them?
I was also curious of the percentage of fat fibre and protein required by a dwarf, in case anyone knows

Thank you

[Biyu]

I think it depends on the breed? Atleast in basic I've heard most dwarves may get diabeties but I've heard robos aren't as apt to (I'm feeding the Syrian and my robo the same or near)

[HammieandMerlin]

For us in Canada you're still the best off with Hazel hamster with dwarfs, (assuming you're talking hybrids, unless you mean chinese lol), you just take the stuff like corn out and give them mealworms and oats to avoid the risk of diabetes - this is what I've been advised on here in the past anyway

[racinghamster]

Dwarf hamsters benefit from a lot of variety and smaller seeds than syrians. If you take a look at Silver`s mixes for example, you will see what I mean! Which is why it`s a good idea to look for wild bird seed mixes to add to an existing commercial hamster mix. These bird seed mixes vary, but look for one that has a lot of different ingredients within it rather than just plain millets.

Pet stores that do pre-weighed bags of wild bird seed should be able to give you a list of what is contained in each of their mixes. Take a good look at them all and decide which ones give you the best variety.

Mealworms are high in protein, so should only really be fed as a treat. Hamsters do love them though!

[Cupcake]

Thank you for the replies guys!
@HammieandMerlin: I thought that only pet store dwarf hamsters are hybrids, no? I have managed to find a WW breeder and a Campbells breeder fairly close to me (half and hour to an hour's drive) and was considering getting from one or the other. If this would be the case, I would still need to remove the yellow bits from the mix?
I'll try and take a picture and post it with the mix I have. It's from Verse-Laga (Belgian company) and has something like 19% protein, 6%fat and 8% fibre. It's the best thing I could find here in QC and trust me I looked I wish I had hazel hamster but to my understanding the nutritional values are similar so I'll stick with what I have.
@racinghamster: are there particular types of seeds I should look for? I have a family-owned pet store nearby and they sell only pet food/accesories and they sell all sorts of seeds in bags but not necesarily a commercial bird mix.
Also when you say remove the yellow bits from the food...how yellow does it have to be? Lol I know I may sound silly but does something that's pale yellow for example can still pose a threat?

Thanks again for all the replies, you've all been helpful.

[DrKMcK]

I love your little cupcakes at the bottom of your post with cupcake's age! That is so creative. Is Cupcake a Black Bear Syrian? He looks just like my beautiful Blaze Bear. All your questions about food for dwarf hammys were just in time for me. I'll be getting a pair of them from a rescue soon. So thanks.

[racinghamster]

Sorry, just to clarify on the bird mix. Here in the UK, our small independant pet shops sell bags of various bird seed mixes. The one I recently discovered is called "Premium Wild Bird". I have just e-mailed the guy today to get the Brand name but he has already given me a breakdown of the seeds included, which I will list below for you.

Wild bird mixes can contain seeds like the following, just to give you a typical example of what to look for within a bird mix:

Wheat, Kibbled maize (this is just whole corn broken into smaller pieces - but would need to be removed for diabetic prone hamsters), naked oats, yellow millet, black sunflower seeds, red millet, safflower seeds, red dari, white dari, sunflower hearts, canary seed, pinhead oatmeal, kibbled peanuts, japanese millet, hemp seed, panicum millet and nyjer/niger seed.

Some can contain kibbled peas or suet pellets. It depends on the brand. Mine doesn`t.

I`ve just stated to introduce this into my roborovski`s main diet to add variety and he`s gobbling up the seeds! So far, he seems to be loving it. I only add a small amount daily and I also feed some to the garden finches, which the mix is designed for, but all of the seeds within this particular mix are also beneficial to small hamsters given that they contain many of the seeds they might eat in the wild, depending on the regions they come from.

Hope this helps expand on my earlier reply. x

Edited to add: By `yellow bits" I mean all corn (whole or flaked maize)! Both are yellow in colour so easy to identify.

[Cupcake]

@drkmck: hello! I'm glad the thread benefits other people too. As for Cupcake, she is a Yellow-Black. i can't take credit for the little bar with the cupcakes unfortunately as it wasn't my idea but i found them on this site that allows for personalized signatures.
@racinghamster: thanks for the list! I appreciate it. You managed to really clarify this for me

[racinghamster]

Even if you can`t find a wild bird mix that contains all of the above, simple canary or finch mixes usually contain a few different millet varieties with some of these seeds like hemp and linseed. The wild bird mixes usually contain more but can vary in recipes depending on the brand.