What do you feed your Hamster?

[2LittlePuds]

Cypher do you grow it in the cage or on a windowsill and take cuttings?

[cypher]

I grow it on the windowsill, I just don't like the idea of compost & damp in the cage plus it's too dark where the cages are really, sometimes I let them have the pot for a bit though, except Flynt who just likes to eat the compost when I do that lol! mostly I just cut some for them.

[2LittlePuds]

Thats what i was doing but the pots i were growing it in started growing white furry mould on top of the soil, i think it may be because there was no drainage in the pots. I threw the lot away. Going to buy some more and try again though because Squibbles loved it.

[Willow Wisp]

That mix will grow profusely in the garden
I have it all and more growing in my garden to feed the tortoises, their entire diet consists of weeds and flowers
I pick the leaves and the flowers from all of them for Willow and Ebony and hide them around their cages everyday too
Nobody will eat the calendula marigolds or dead nettle though so I have pulled all of those up
There are lots of pretty flowers you can grow in the garden and feed too, I have pansy, campanula, hollyhock, hibiscus, lavatera etc these were originally planted to feed the torts but the hamsters love all of them too

[Micky93]

My girls get:

1 tbsp Burgess Hanster Harvest
Half a tbsp Ratrations Syrian with Apple
3 science selective pellets.

They adore the nuggets, and are the first things to go, then they make their way through the mix

[2LittlePuds]

Thanks willow. I have some wheat grass and blue cornflower planted in a separate planter at the moment. I was looking for nice flowers to plant that are also safe for hams to eat

Is it safe to eat the flowers of the plants you mentioned? Also do they come back up every year? Im a rubbish gardener lol

[cypher]

I've tried mine with quite a few different flowers, can't remember exactly which now though, they really weren't very interested sadly.
I'd been wondering about growing the tortoise mix for them too but wasn't sure if everything in it was safe.
I think I'm going to have to find room for a *hamster bed* somewhere in the garden next year!

2Little, some are annuals & some perrenials but the annuals should self seed if you leave some of the flowers on so they come back again the following year.

[Willow Wisp]

Aw that's a shame Cypher but yes 2little all those flowers mentioned are safe unlike Cypher hammies my hams actually prefer the flowers to the leaves They have a hunting frenzy every morning, I suppose I shouldn't really admit to it but my girls do eat more flowers, leaves and fresh veg than they do hamster food. They both actually get up every morning waiting for their breakfast
As Cypher says, some will keep growing but some will die off and reseed themselves, once you have them growing well in the garden you won't need to replant they will keep themselves going except for pansys, there are winter and summer pansys, the winter ones will be in the garden centres soon and they will flower right through until the new year although my summer ones are still in flower now

[polishrose]

I feed mine on the rat rations hamster mixes(I buy more than one and mix them up) plus mealworms and vitamins and fresh food. I'd love to try growing the plants for them though.

[polishrose]

I just ordered some of that mix