Is granola safe for syrians?

[lollyness]

Hi all,

I have a Syrian hamster and enjoy offering him more than hs usual mix as a treat, as I'm sure we all do. I was wondering if granola would be safe, a generic sort of brand from the supermarket, not anything homemade or spefically picked out for him.

Thanks.

[ladyntramp002]

Hmm. Well most granola has a high amount of sugar content. You can give your hammie some uncooked oatmeal. I use Quaker's Quick Oats. I find this is kind of like granola and is safe for them. I would be even more wary if you had a dwarf hamster.

Hope this helps you.

[AmityvilleHams]

I wouldn't use granola for hamsters.You'd have to be extremely cautious with ingredients,including added sugars,which granola does tend to have.Absolutely no artificial ingredients(dyes etc),and you'd also want to be certain the preservative(if there is one)is specifically stated(E&C approved is not enough and is a loophole to allow cancer causing preservatives to be used).

Considering you're in the UK you'd be better off getting guaranteed safe straight grains and seeds and such from Rat Rations They come in small quantities most of the time and you could try a variety of choices at once,depending on the food you use(Harry Hamster,perhaps?That is the best UK food for Syrians so definitely use it if you aren't already!).This gives far more flexibility than premade mixed granola options,and you can be certain nothing unsafe is used in them.

Quick cooking grains may be a poor choice by the way as they could potentially swell and cause blockages.

[ladyntramp002]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Quick cooking grains may be a poor choice by the way as they could potentially swell and cause blockages.

Thanks so much for that little tidbit. I will try to stay clear of the quick cooking oats from now on. Thanks Amity. You are like a well of information. All I need to do is pump the information out. *lol*

[lollyness]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Harry Hamster,perhaps?That is the best UK food for Syrians so definitely use it if you aren't already!)

Yeah we use Harry Hamster already, always have done. Truly is the best by far!

[lollyness]

Originally Posted by ladyntramp002

Hope this helps you.

Very helpful, thanks!

[cypher]

Unless it means something different in the US quick cook oats are just more finely cut oats, like rolled oats but smaller pieces & are fine for hams to eat.
I agree about granola, even the natural ones with no preservatives etc are usually packed with sugars.