Pineapple, papaya?

[Hetty]

Hi guys,
Went to my excellent local pet shop to buy some more food supplies for Basil, a bag of Supra Hamster Excel by Burgess and a bale of dried herbage (dandelion leaves and assorted hamster safe greens). I saw the Burgess also have a range of dried, no added sugar ''salad'' treats. One of them was banana, hay and pineapple and papaya. Everything is air dried, so no sulphur or additives.
It says that these are suitable and safe for hamsters, as other ones are specific to rabbits or guinea pigs. So is papaya and pineapple okay for Syrian hamsters to consume? I'm not very sure......

[kyrilliondaemon]

Er... Its debatable about the pineapple. Some say it is, others say its not so I've avoided it to be safe. I'm not sure on the papaya I'm afraid

[Hamsterz4Life]

Pineapple, like kyrill said is highly debated. However, I feel its ok in very small amounts!

Papaya is safe for hamsters in small amounts, but as it is a tropical fruit if you feed too much then it then it can have bad effects on your hamsters stomach. But if it has "no added sugar" then I think it will be ok to feed. Burgess is in my opinion the best and highest quality British brand in the pet care world! x

[Munchalot]

I've always heard that they are a bit too acidic, and too high in sugar for most animals.

However, I know which treats you are talking about and the other ones in that 'salad snacks' range are fine. In fact, the one you mention I also use to buy, as we sell them in our pet shop. My Syrians used to love the banana in it, and my dwarfies enjoyed the dried hay and cabbage. I used to pick out the pineapple (there was only one or two pieces of it anyway) and throw that away, but the papaya I cut into little pieces and fed them a small piece occasionally.
There's also a carrot and beetroot one, which also has hay and flowers in it, and I have this one at the moment. That one is fine, and I give that to all of my hammies. The guinea pigs get it to, but I pick out out the beetroot for them.
The third one is carrot and banana, and those are little pressed cubes. However those ones also have pineapple, and because they are cubes you can't pick them out if you wanted to.

[Hetty]

Aha, thank everyone. I was a bit doubtful due to the high acidic levels in pineapples. Burgess is very good I find, particularly for their dried herbs and forage.
Thanks Munchalot, its good to hear that you've not encountered any problems with these treats. I saw the cubes too....I'll do as you do, pick out the pineapple bits and try him on tiny titbits of the papaya fruits.
I did feed Basil the beetroot, cabbage, hay and carrot one before, oh my! He really love it though I got a fright when I saw his pee (bright purpley red!). Spent the whole night chirruping away as he foraged. I'll try him on the pineapple/papaya one.

[Munchalot]

Originally Posted by Hetty

I got a fright when I saw his pee (bright purpley red!).

... Why did I not think of that? Omg you have just solved a huge (and worrying) mystery for me. I was so confused to see purple-ish-red pee spots in both Tansy and Todd's cages, I couldn't for the life of me think of what it could be! I'm so dumb sometimes I swear, lol.

My guys love these mixes too. I love Burgess products as well, they are always so nice, but natural. And the animals always seem to enjoy them. x

[Hetty]

The puzzle is solved!
I was really worried too, Munchalot, when I first saw it, but I suppose if beetroot can do that to a larger mammals wee, then why not a hammy? The beetroot also gave him a ''I have just put on my lipstick, daaaarling'' look too.
Basil seems to adore the hay cubes/bricks by Burgess too. They really provide him hours of entertainment! Add some cardboard tubes, and he's a happy chappy!
Right, its treaty time!

[Hetty]

Oh. Oh wow. A small bit of papaya.....and I got a Saarlac hamster! Basil is now a rapid waddling mission to find more!