Important question about feeding Panda

[Panda's_mommy]

Ok so when I first got Panda his starter cage came with all living things hamster food. So I fed him that when I first got him and then after it ran out I bought another bag. He really liked that, it has seeds, corn, peas, carrots, hard crunchy bits, peanuts, etc. Then a little while after I bought some of the Kaytee forti-diet pro health blocks for hamsters, mice and rats. He really likes that too. Well after doing research I learned that the all living things food has too much fat, 6%. The forti-diet pro is actually great on protein and fat but not enough fiber. So then I tried oxbow healthy handfuls because it's suppose to be the healthiest food. Well Panda hated it, he wouldn't touch it. I think he'd prefer to starve than eat it. So I returned the unopened bag on Sat. and bought a bag of hazel hamster food. I figured he would love it because it's got tons of stuff in it and one of the best foods available. Well he keeps leaving the brown crunchy pieces, the pellets and most of the round red crunchy bits. Every morning when I feed him, I either dump the uneaten food and give new or I add a little more to it. Should I not give him more food until he eats what is left in his bowl??? I don't understand why he's being so picky lately. I just want him to live longer then his life expectancy so I want to make sure he's eating healthy food. Should I only give him the pieces he likes? Or am I maybe giving him too much food? When I got him he was still young and growing and he would eat all his food. But I'm pretty sure he's full size now and he's not a overly large syrian. I'm just not sure what to do. But he also hides food all over his cage and eats it. So maybe because he stores it all over he gets full by the time I put food in his bowl???? Maybe I should give him less food? And then if he eats it all, give a little more? Any advice would be much appreciated!

[dwarfhammys]

Try feeding panda a hamster food that looks the same no different bits . But make sure the food has all he needs.if u feel he's not getting all he needs. Give fresh dark green veggies Also try millet my hamsters love it

[dwarfhammys]

Oh and as far as hom hiding food that's what they do just give fresh. Hamster food once a day and dump the old food. One table spoon is enough

[Cricetinae]

Try not to stress about every percentage of nutrition, while important, it's already gone out of the window if certain pieces are being ignored.

I definitely wouldn't advocate only giving him the pieces he likes, when considering dry mix is the majority of a hamsters intake, omitting certain pieces entirely would cause your hamster to have quite a skewed diet.

Occasionally you might find a hamster that will genuinely not eat an element of a dry mix unless absolutely necessary, but more likely than not, hamsters elect to ignore bit's of their diet in favour of their preferred pieces simply because they can do so, without going hungry.

If every morning there is uneaten food, you can probably assume that too much is being given. If you are replacing the food or topping up daily, then your hamster can happily pick away at his favourite pieces, and completely ignore the important (but less palatable!) other bits, safe in the knowledge that more will be provided in the morning. Much like if a child was routinely given a hamper of fruit, chocolate, veg and bread... how much veg do you think they would eat if they could safely await the next 'drop-off' of chocolate and fruit?

I'd personally go against manufacturers recommendations of daily/bi-daily feeding and scatter feed what seems to be a reasonable starting amount of food every few days, I'd also personally omit treats just until my hamsters main diet had settled. If at the end of this period of time there was plenty of food left-over, I would slowly reduce the amount for the following feeds. Theoretically, as the amount of food reduces closer to levels that are actually needed, your hamster should become less fussy and you should see a more rounded ratio of pieces being consumed over time. This needs to be done with caution however, keep a very close eye on food levels (bare in mind that some is likely hidden) and be ready to provide more if all the pieces have been eaten.

Good luck, keep us updated.