Hamster Diet?

[melodie]

Boris appears to be a lot larger and heavier than my other dwarf hamster Blossom. Initially I thought it's because he is obviously a male, and she female; though there can't be too much of a difference can there?
I don't have any decent scales to actually weight Boris on, though I can certainly feel the difference when holding him against holding Bloss.
His food bowl does seem to empty slightly faster compared to Blossom, and I'm currently feeding him a Museli Mix, although I am in the process of swapping his food for a pellet mix. Both my hamsters get a treat a day, they usually vary between 2 small (literally no bigger than a cm each) fruit biscuits or a Yogurt drop. He runs on his wheel quite a bit, though he doesn't take an interest in any other toys placed in the cage! He litterally ignores the climbing toys and spends a maximum of 30 seconds on his wheel at a time! Every other day he gets to have floor space within a restricted zone of about 2m x 2m- which usually involves him just sitting in the middle and watching me! I've tried to encourage him to run around, if anything he moves even slower! I have one lazy Hamster!
This is my first post to i'm slightly confused on how to upload a picture to this forum so you are able to see Boris, so is someone could tell me I would greatly appreciate it!
So my real question is how do I help Boris loose about of weight? I don't want to starve him (obviously) but I notice how slow he walks up the ladder in his cage compared to Bloss and I just want him to be more comfortable!
BTW he is just over 11 month old!

[Munchalot]

If you are feeding him a muesli style feed you could try removing or decreasing the amount of fatty ingredients included in the mix. A lot of mixes include sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds, as well as peanuts and sugary dried fruit such as raisins, pineapple and coconut. You could try picking out the excess of these, but leave him a few to give him some variety. The biscuits and especially the grass pellets should be nutrient-dense and the least fatty, but he will need some of the grains and seeds.

Do you use hamster balls for them to run in?

Also with the pics, if you click on 'go advanced' next to the reply button below, you can go onto a full post screen. Scroll down to where it says 'manage attachments' below the dialogue box and you should open a window for uploading pics.
I'm new too, I only know how to do it because I used a lot of vBulletin forums and most have the same layout.

[melodie]

I'm not too sure what parts should be removed?! I keep my food in a 'bin' which has a variety of Museli Mixes in, it appears to mainly consist of pellets, dried peas, sunflower seeds and some oats! I think should try to remove some oats but they are so small and are always the first eaten when I replace his food- so I'd feel guilty!

I used to let him out in his ball and he would run around for a minute before sitting down for the rest of the duration! He is more active when I let him in his run, but still extremely lazy!

Hopefully a picture of him will be included in this post!

[Anthorn]

For example, Versele Laga Crispy Muesli Hamsters & Co is a good mix which is much enjoyed by hamsters and doesn't contain those rabbit-like pellets which hamsters don't eat. But the crude fat content is a bit high at 10% which can be reduced by picking out some of the sunflower seeds.

Have a look at the nutrition information on the pack because it might not be the food but extra treats that's at fault.

I think it's generally accepted that hamsters need a high energy, low fat, low sugar diet.

[LavoChain]

You ideally need to take his weight, you can't assume he's overweight because he is showing very generalised symptoms. 11 months may not seem 'old' but a lot of hamsters, especially males can start slowing down long before it's their time. I have one male of around this age who rarely comes out now, but when he does he is absolutely fine and is at a healthy weight.

I'd suggest that you invest in a mix such as harry hamster, it hasn't got a high fat content and is pretty well rounded for a commercial mix. Oats are very fattening so if he does need to drop some grams these will need to be fed as a treat, maybe once a month. The mix you are feeding doesn't seem very varied, hamsters need variety and this might be why he's mainly eating the oats! You also need to cut down on the other treats, there is no need for hamsters to be having a few a day. One treat, a couple of times a week is absolutely fine for most.

Can I ask what species he is? He looks to be a Winter White but did you get him from a known breeder with proven lines? If not his diet will need to be changed drastically ASAP. Hybrids can't have any form of sugar in their diets due to diabetes. Boris is having quite a lot at the moment!

[bonkers4hamsters]

I wouldnt worry about them being different sizes, there is no perfect size for a hamster, they are all different like people, I would suggest a good quality mix though as there will be the correct nutrients in it