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Old 12-29-2016, 11:05 AM   #1
Hamstercareisimportant
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Default Picky hamster

Hi there, I have a hamster named Moo and he is a Syrian. Before I got him, me and my family got him a healthy support diet food bag. He only eats the sunflower seeds out of it and I wanted to know if my hamster can eat roasted sunflower seeds or not. Thanks!
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Old 12-29-2016, 02:54 PM   #2
barley
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Default Re: Picky hamster

I find that only emptying & refiling the food bowl every three days or so encourages them to eat more of a variety. I used to feed everyday but there would always be lots of the same stuff left in the bowl, skipping a couple of days between feeds makes them eat a better selection I have found.

I think roasted sunflower seeds would be ok providing they were dry roasted (no oil) and didn't have salt added, but I would say just regular 'raw' ones were best. They're not a complete diet for a ham though, so can't make up a large portion of their food intake - just a treat only.
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Old 12-29-2016, 03:16 PM   #3
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Default Re: Picky hamster

Which food are you feeding exactly,as in brand?Not all brands are good and some that claim to be healthy are very low quality if not dangerous

Some good foods in the US would be:Higgins Sunburst Hamster/Gerbil food(this must be mixed with another safe and high quality food with higher protein to be suitable),Mazuri Rat and Mouse lab blocks(not suitable on their own,must be mixed with an actual mix),Hazel Hamster(aka Harry Hamster in the UK),and as a last resort if you can't get Mazuri in store and don't want to order online but can get a secondary mix to add that is suitable Carefresh Hamster/Gerbil food which like Mazuri does not have enough variety on its own to be suitable.
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Old 12-29-2016, 06:18 PM   #4
chesca_27
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Default Re: Picky hamster

Hamsters can have sunflower seeds but they are extremely fattening. A hamster cannot healthily live off of sunflower seeds. You need to find a food with a good variety, nutrition and something they will actually eat.

Barley has some good suggestion about feeding frequency so I would follow that advice.

I would listen to Amity's about the best hamster foods as I'm assuming you are in the US, like Amity. Otherwise, in the UK we mainly recommend Harry/Hazel Hamster with protein boosting during the first 6-12 months of the hamster's life. You can give scrambled egg, dried mealworms, dried crickets, dried shrimp, plain boiled chicken or turkey or for convenience; freeze-dried chicken, normally targeted at cats to boost protein. I use freeze-dried chicken as we never have plain boiled meat at home and I can just grab a chunk of it. Mine is the Thrive Chicken. All protein supplements shouldn't have any additional ingredients (milk, oil, herbs or spices etc). Just remember that all citrus fruits, onions, leeks, garlic, potatoes and tomatoes are toxic. There are more, but I can't remember all of them.
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Old 12-29-2016, 06:38 PM   #5
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Default Re: Picky hamster

For the US we have PureBites which are wonderful!They're a cat/dog treat like Thrive and are just freeze dried meat,though during holidays some have vegetables and such as well so be careful which kind you get.They're very high quality,but as it is a natural product you will find pieces of fat in there as well but you can simply discard them.Most of it is meat though,so it isn't like you're getting ripped off or anything

Dog biscuits and general dog treats can be good,but make sure there are no unsafe ingredients.One example of this would be BHA/BHT/ethoxyquin which is unfortunately common in a lot of the big brand dog foods and treats such as Purina,Pedigree,etc.I know that Dollar General sell a safe cheaper dog biscuit,though I forget which dog size it is marketed towards though this is a great option for budget friendly treats.

Another tip for the US is that Marshalls/Home Goods and other similar discount type stores sell really nice dog treats which would be insanely expensive otherwise!

I'd also recommend Gerber baby puffs and freeze dried strawberries!Both of these can be fairly affordable as well,but if you want freeze dried strawberries you can get a good size bag of plain freeze dried strawberries from Target which are a much bigger bag and cheaper than what can be bought at a pet store.I find them delicious and so does my Syrian Target also has a big range of freeze dried fruit,not sure if it is all plain and without any added sugar etc but I will check next time I go.

Last edited by AmityvilleHams; 12-29-2016 at 06:57 PM.
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