Chinese and Syrian Hamster Diet?

[PJsMom]

Hello Hammy lovers!

I have a beautiful chinese dwarf hamster female named Penellope and a handsome Syrian male named Myles. I know dwarf hammies are prone to diabetes, and I have been plucking the corn out of Penellope's food since day one. I really don't think the brand of food I buy for my hammies is the healthiest anymore, and am wondering what I should be getting for them? Something with high protein, no sugars. What treats can I give them? Penellope has gotten kind of fat recently and I am wondering if this is a winter thing or a poor diet thing (which I hope it is just a winter thing)

I love my hammies and no product is to expensive!
Help me make sure that my hammies have the best quality of life

[squishyhammy]

hmmm what mix is she currently on?

[racinghamster]

Hi PJ`sMom. Are you in the UK or elsewhere in the world? If you are outside the UK, perhaps our US members can advise best on the mixes that are available to you. However, I wouldn`t advise picking the corn or anything else from your hamster`s mix as the corn is part of the nutritional balance and although corm and flaked maize are starchy carbohydrates, they are natural and not added or man-made sugars, so there is no need to remove them. Corn contains B vitamins and omega 3 & 6. Removing bits from a mix could cause deficiencies.

Here in the UK, the Burgess Dwarf mix is good for all the dwarf species and even this mix has broken up corn included for smaller teeth! If you have a good pet store where you are, you can buy a bag or pre-mixed Canary seed mix sold for birds and add this to the mix your Chinese has. They adore the small millet seeds. Millet spray sold for birds is also a nice treat for dwarf hamsters. x