Protein

[SweetPeaHammy]

Hello could someone explain how much protein a young hamster should be getting. I haven't got one yet but would be good to know how much to give them and what form should it be given in e.g. mealworms, chicken etc...

[Drago]

Young hams should have around 20-22%, this is what my vet has always recommended for young hams so I've always just used it as a guide some people say even more is better though! You can add several mealworms into their ordinary mix a few times a week and once or twice a week offer Tofu, crickets, or a white meat such as chicken or turkey.

[AmityvilleHams]

Start with a good base diet(Harry Hamster in the UK is ideal,and fairly cheap too)then you can add whole and safe protein sources,with the amount and how often you feed them depending on the individual hamster's age.

Ideally animal protein(safe forms only)should come first,then after that you can feed other high protein plant matter as well.Broccoli,tofu,and certain beans(cooked only and of a safe variety)would be good for the plant side of things but there are most likely even more options For animal protein(which is absolutely crucial as part of the diet of a hamster)there are lots of excellent choices.There's crickets,chicken(freeze dried or boiled plain with no form of seasonings or spices),mealworms,freshwater shrimp(high protein and much lower fat than mealworms,so they can be a much better choice in some situations),and turkey(same way as chicken).

[cypher]

Around 20% should be fine for the first six months, after that a little less 18-19% until they begin to age when it can even be a little less than that.
Not all syrians enjoy mealworms or other insects but if yours does then one or two mealworms a day is ok but they are high in fat too, plain cooked chicken or tofu are the best low fat forms of additional protein, you can also give a tiny bit of plain cooked egg too & nuts are high in protein & other essential nutrients so for a syrian a walnut or other nut a week would be fine, any extras like sunflower or pumpkin seeds will also be adding more protein to your hams overall diet so most probably get more than enough once you include treats!

[SweetPeaHammy]

Thank you for your very helpful replies! As far as chicken goes what part of the chicken would you buy from the supermarket?

[cypher]

Not the best person to answer being a veggie lol! but I guess breast, you want white meat with no skin.
I use Applaws plain chicken cat food & dried chicken for mine.

[Fluffagrams]

I've always given mine chicken breast whenever I've cooked it for myself but wet cat food can be an alternative if you don't want to buy a whole piece. Applaws, as Cypher recommended is a popular choice and it's gone down well with my hamsters whenever I've given it to them.

[SweetPeaHammy]

Thank you cypher Fluffagrams! cypher it's nice to see a veggie still giving their animals meat. There are so many people who avoid this because they're a veggie. My rats used to Applaws so hoepfully this will go down a treat