What is this little white thing my ham is eating? Best foods?

[Jennie F]

I'm feeding my little ham the mix in the first picture and she has just picked out the little white thing in the second pic and seemed to really enjoy it. I think maybe its an almond? What other seed mixes/ suppliments (apart from veg) can i feed her?

[Jennie F]

Sorry cant upload the pic of her eating the white thing, but you can see them in the mix of the picture

[AmityvilleHams]

That is pumpkin seed Completely safe and they provide good protein and healthy fats for hamsters!

It really depends on the individual hamster in terms of extra foods,but you do need to be absolutely certain that the food in question is completely safe and healthy.This means the majority of storebought treats will be a big no,but there are still many potential safe treats for hamsters.

Personally I just end up using mostly people food(freeze dried fruit for example can be a good treat,but feed in moderation as dry fruit can be very high in sugar compared to fresh fruit!).Flax seed as an extra is wonderful as well,or for example you could make some sort of DIY treat cooking rice,barley,and other things together and then freezing small portions and feeding a tiny hamster-sized portion at a time once a week.It's fun,usually cheap,and very simple as long as you can get creative with your recipe!

[Drago]

I think the white thing you're seeing is a pumpkin seed. Hamsters tend to love the pumpkin and sunflower seeds in their mixes so it's no surprise she chose one! A fun seed mix to feed is millet, hamsters love chewing the spray millet sticks. You can also give "foraging mixes" made for hamsters at the store, as long as they're safe insects like mealworms and crickets also make excellent protein supplements if that's what you're looking for. There's lots of safe food lists you can check for online, and it can give you good ideas on what to feed!

[oreopopcorn21]

they are pumpkin seeds, what mix is that it looks like harry hamster
you can give most seeds and nuts I will list sum is she a syrian
monkey nuts
sunflower seeds
science selective pellets
trill
millet
corn in moderation
peanuts
dried banana no added honey
meal worms, dried shrimp

[Jennie F]

Thanks Amity and Drago. She went straight to that seed and looked like she really enjoyed it, so I was interested to know what it was. Dont think I could handle having crickets in my flat haha. Here she is enjoying that seed

Yup oreo she is a syrian and it is harry hamster, good spot. It has some monkey nuts in there, so i like to bury those for her to find every now and then. She also has one of those millet stick things hanging in the playden which she has really had a go at.

[AmityvilleHams]

Freeze dried chicken could be a bit less creepy for you!It tends to be more popular than some smaller insects with Syrians anyways

Syrians tend not to be too fond of tiny seeds so millet and budgie seed in general can be a bad idea.If you're going to try adding millet,only get a small portion and get the straight seeds(not budgie seed,these often have added citrus or added vitamins which hamsters definitely shouldn't be getting).Rat Rations in the UK sells lots of potential straight grain/seed options but you can usually get plain millet of some variety at a pet store anyways!

Syrians will destroy millet sprays and create a huge mess in the cage,but as for eating the actual seeds that isn't too common.

A note on Trill budgie food(and plenty other premade bird foods as well)is that it does contain oyster shell and grit.These are both unsafe for hamsters,so definitely do not feed Trill.It is also an extremely unspecific mix so even without the shell and grit it would still not be a good idea to feed such a food even as a treat.

[Pebbles82]

I think the pumpkin seeds in the mix are skinned. When I buy packets of them they ae green They make good taming treats or just treats generally. Our hammy used to dive into the bag of them and pouch as many as he could ha ha.