Has anyone ever made their own hamster food?

[flowerfairy]

Ooo those sites look good Ruby and cypher, cant work out how to translate them on my laptop so will have to check them out on the tablet!

[Nancy's Hamsters]

Hekomi does her own mix BUT also adds Tekland blocks to assure the hamsters all are getting proper nutrients that may be lacking in the home made mix. I also do this but I also to assure that all needed nutrients are included mix into my mix both a commercial dry Hamster mix, and use a generic version of Tekland blocks.

Problems I have faced with doing my own mix is Often the mill is out of a needed ingredient, and the #1 problem is when I sell any pups as the new owner can't duplicate the exact food I feed so all pups MUST go to their new homes with a large size bag of my homemade mix so the new owner can slowly remove them from my mix and on to their chosen mix. Often when switched the hamsters don't thrive as well. And example would be the Mel Yellow Band girl I got from Hekomi. Jaffita never did as well after the supply of Hekomi's mix ran out. Jaffita lost weight, and refused to eat any other food(except I did convince her to eat the blocks) Because of this she never reached her full potential and failed to ever reproduce any litters. Her full sister adjusted quite fine to my food and thrived. This is one reason I use a commercial Hamster food along with my own mix.

[herbi7]

This is an interesting thread. I give my boys Burgess dwarf hamster mix but they don't eat any of the green squashed pea things or the pellets, they just eat the millet seeds and the flaked grains so I worry its not a balanced diet. I add oat flakes and sunflower hearts daily and try to give them veg but typical boys they turn their noses up at the veg, only eating courgette, squash and cucumber. I've been interested to read the lists of what people use.

[Nancy's Hamsters]

My mix is a mix of Wild bird seed( Has cracked corn,Milo, red, and white Millet, striped sunflower seed),Sunflower chips,Songbird mix(has red and white millet,Milo, peanut chips, raisins, freeze dried insects,), safflower seed, oiler(solid black) sunflower seeds,Peanut halves,Crimped oats,Oat groats, oat meal, and Rabbit pellets(Yes my whole colony of Syrians like the rabbit pellets)

[Sm_banks]

I use Grreat Choice Hamster & Gerbil mix

[flowerfairy]

I was wondering about rabbit pellets for my hamsters. We get harringtons (delivered by tesco on the weekly shop). The rabs dont get many but just ADORE them! The dogs like them as treats as well.

Going to get some millet and other seeds tomoz.

[Vectis Hamstery]

I use a commercial base mix and add in straight seeds and other additions. The recipe has changed over time, but I've been using a similar one for the last few years and have had hams here eat it from pups in the nest to going to rainbow bridge. It's not 'scientific' but it suits my lot. I vary the proportions of additions depending on time of year and the hams' condition. I also found that feeding a good amount only a couple of times a week reduced pickiness no end (for adult hams not in need of chubbying up - not for babies or poorly hams).
I recommend new pet owners of my hams feed a good quality commercial mix rather than trying to replicate my mix.

[cypher]

I thought there was something in rabbit food that was unsafe for hams, pretty sure there was something on the wiki page but can't remember what now, unless it was just rabbit treats?

I do agree that hams get used to one kind of food & changing it can be hard or virtually impossible for them & making your own mix isn't really the best idea for beginners until you've got more used to hams, what & how they eat & their nutritional needs.
If you do understand what you're doing & start when they are still young & not totally used to just one type of food then I do think it's a great idea.

[flowerfairy]

Ah. I will leave the rabbit pellets for the rabbits just in case (the dogs hardly ever get any).

I am currently using three different mixes and adding in porridge and fresh veg. which they all seem to like to varying degrees.

[cypher]

I found the bit from the wiki page in an old thread, it says
"The one important thing to remember is to not buy treats specifically designed for rabbits. Rabbits can often carry a parasite called Coccidia and so most products manufactured for rabbits contain a drug to combat this parasite. Hamsters dont seem to be able to get coccidia or are very unlikely to come into contact with it and so dont need this drug. This drug will actually make them very sick."
Just quoting though, I don't know anything about it other than what I read there.