Paprika / Pineapple ??????

[SugarFairy123]

At my local pet store there is this treat but when I looked at the ingredients , I found it contained paprika and dried pineapple pieces which seemed a little suspicious . So I decided to ask you guys . Thx for all the replies

[WinnieTheHam]

I wouldn't feed them, Hamsters can't have seasoning or spices, which paprika is classed as. Pineapple is too acidic.

[cypher]

Paprika is a mild sweet pepper & a very small amount of pineapple is ok so a tiny bit may not do any harm but personally I wouldn't use it.

[SugarFairy123]

Okay thank you !

[racinghamster]

Dodgy. Give him a little piece of raw broccoli or cauliflower or even a small thumbnail sized piece of apple instead. All natural and safe. x

[SugarFairy123]

I've given him broccoli an apple slices but never cauliflower . I need to try that out ! Thx & Happy Holidays

[racinghamster]

They love it and broccoli and cauliflower are very good for their health due to the compounds they contain. My Russian dwarf has some every day and always scroffs them! I buy the little bags of mixed veg/and or salad from the supermarkets and keep the bag in the fridge and just take out what I need. I usually go for broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix, but baby sweet corns are also enjoyed as a treat. Just chop a piece off. x

[cypher]

I'd go for as much variety as you can with veg, experiment to see what your ham enjoys as there are lots of things you can try, none of mine like cauliflower for some reason but it's certainly worth a try!
It's a shame wiki isn't working right now as there's a good list there but other favourites with mine are cabbage (green or red), brussel sprouts, spinach, chard, kale, pak choi, cucumber, celery, green beans, sugar snap peas (I usually just give them half or less but they still have fun getting the peas out!), mange tout, radicchio, red or yellow peppers, they don't seem so keen on green ones, romaine lettuce, cooked sweet potato or squash & courgette either cooked or raw.
Only give a tiny piece of whatever veg you use & introduce slowly at first but then it should be more of a daily part of the diet rather than a treat.

[racinghamster]

Excellent list there from cypher. I`ve tried Chubs with peppers and he`s not keen. He likes cucumber though as I had a salad sandwich the other week and chomped a piece of cucumber out for him and it`s disappeared in seconds! Cabbage is a another favourite, but as cypher suggested, only feed hamster-sized bits around say, 5mm in size as they do only have small tummies! x

I don`t think many hamster owners (apart from those of us who already practice it) know to feed vegetables to their hamsters as part of their daily diet. I hear some owners say that they feed a piece of veg `now and then` or `twice a week`? It`s really better to be hands-on with this and make it part of their daily rations as raw veg is by far and a way, the best way to get vitamins into them. Treats on occasion are fine, but these too should be natural, like varieties of (safe) nuts and seeds rather than shop bought sweetened manufactured ( and over priced) treats. x

[SugarFairy123]

Thank you cypher for the list of veggies . Most of them I didn't actually know about so it was very helpful . I will definitely give Minnie some sprouts as there are lots in my house at this time of the season . But is it safe to give the brussel sprouts boiled ? And I was wondering how much cucumber should I give to her ? I've heard too much gives them diarrhoea . I usually cut a thin slice of the cucumber and then cut that into quarters (if that made any sense ) Anyways , thanks racing hamster , cypher and WinnieTheHam for replying