Burgess Dwarf Mix

Aquarius · 07-14-2015, 04:40 AM

Hi

I use the Burgess Dwarf Hamster Mix, and whilst i am aware that this should be supplemented with fresh vegetables and some nuts, i wondered if this was a suitable base mix? The other hamster brands seem to contain pieces that would be too big for a robo

cypher · 07-14-2015, 05:27 AM

It's fine as a base for a robo, there are other dwarf mixes which are also quite good like the JR farms or Bunny dream dwarf food from Zooplus, most syrian mixes do tend to have rather large bits in them so it's best to stick to a dwarf mix.
You could try giving a few mealworms too, the fresh veg is always good but go easy on the nuts! Try a monkey nut, even a little robo should be able to chew his way into one of those & they generally last all my dwarfs quite a long time.
You can also add in a few different seeds if you like but I wouldn't give much millet as the Burgess does seem to have a fair bit already.

Aquarius · 07-14-2015, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

It's fine as a base for a robo, there are other dwarf mixes which are also quite good like the JR farms or Bunny dream dwarf food from Zooplus, most syrian mixes do tend to have rather large bits in them so it's best to stick to a dwarf mix.
You could try giving a few mealworms too, the fresh veg is always good but go easy on the nuts! Try a monkey nut, even a little robo should be able to chew his way into one of those & they generally last all my dwarfs quite a long time.
You can also add in a few different seeds if you like but I wouldn't give much millet as the Burgess does seem to have a fair bit already.

Thanks Cypher, I tend to give him about quarter or a nut every other day. He likes cashews, walnuts and pistachios...
There are mealworms in the mixture already.
He lives cucumber, spinach, carrot, the occasional cooked pea... I've not tried him with much else

Jerry can't seem to figure out monkey nuts LOL too taxing for his little brain. I even half open it but he's not interested

cypher · 07-14-2015, 06:01 AM

Shame about the monkey nuts but they each have their own favourites!
You could still give a freeze dried mealworm or two extra s the protein in the mix is a little low & it helps to top it up a bit.
Have you tried broccoli? Most of them really love that in addition to the veg you already mentioned.

Coco61 · 07-14-2015, 08:57 AM

My recent house guest Loki (robo) didn't touch the monkey nut until I opened it and partly crushed it with a spoon. I was aware of cypher's advice but once I had done this, he had no problem with the nut at all. Lazy or spoilt??

cypher · 07-14-2015, 08:58 AM

lol! lazy & spoilt maybe but why not!

Aquarius · 07-17-2015, 02:33 AM

Haha Coco

Maybe i'll give that a try then. Maybe he can't smell the peanut inside.

Leila0420 · 07-17-2015, 05:48 AM

I gave my dwarfs each a monkey nut about 2 months ago now and although both of them have chewed all over the nut neither managed to get through. So last week I made a small crack at the end of each nut and one figured it out and got in but the other just doesn't seem to have noticed lol

I supplement with oats, untreated bran flakes, linseeds etc. The linseeds are popular but are also quite high in fat so be careful with them too...

Aquarius · 07-17-2015, 06:14 AM

Thanks Leila

I'll have a look for these things next time im in a health food shop or somewhere that sells pet food that you can mix yourself. I know theres a shop nearby that does that

Leila0420 · 07-17-2015, 08:07 AM

I actually bought the linseed for about a pound from the sainsburys but it's probably cheaper in pet shops

What I did was look at the list of ingredients of other more interesting but expensive complete hamster mixes (E.g. JR farm foods dwarf mix or bunny dwarf mix) and had a look around to see if I could find any of the things not included in burgess myself