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Old 11-04-2021, 03:11 AM   #1
LlamacornBob
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Default Sunflower Seed Controversy

A lot of people say that sunflowers are not very good , very fatty and they also all say things like giving only two in a week or 1 in a day, is that even necessary?
while having a seed mix that is almost only sunflower seeds is bad, I'm not sure if a seed mix with many sunflower seeds is .

I have found some seed mixes with good variety and decent nutrition but have quite a lot of sunflower seeds ( not so much as its the whole food mix of course)
even ones with really low fat have a good chunk of sunflower seeds in the mix, so what's so bad about them?

are they really that fatty?, and should I avoid mixes with sunflower seeds with, let's say around as much as this photo?->
https://cf.shopee.ph/file/6cc741da16...e5b1ecab1bf550



wow, thanks for all the info everyone,this is really helpful , pls don’t be afraid to say more, I really want to make sure my hamster is healthy and I’ve been scouring the internet for weeks and this is by far the most helpful.

Last edited by LlamacornBob; 11-04-2021 at 08:41 AM.
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Old 11-04-2021, 03:20 AM   #2
Petite
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Default Re: Sunflower Seed Controversy

I'm not sure which mix you are using, but it's wise to be a bit careful as they are indeed very fatty. My two are limited to a couple per night. I feed the robo Rodipet (very few sunflower seeds) and the dwarf, Harry Hamster (rather more seeds, some of which I feed to the robo). They both seem happy and healthy.
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Old 11-04-2021, 05:00 AM   #3
Lilafernim
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Default Re: Sunflower Seed Controversy

It is true they are very fatty. I have a bird and they actually need a high fat seed diet so I have a massive bag of them in my room. It makes it difficult when my hamster comes out because I sometimes miss her storing them.

They’re good in small quantities to hamsters but much like us, fats are only essential in small quantities so if your mix is mostly sunflower seeds, that’s bad.

If I find out she’s had more than usual I’ll prioritise more veggies the next day and removing seeds from her bowl to balance it out the upcoming days. 2 in a week is probably a bit low but every other day or one a day seems reasonable.

What type of food are you using can I ask?
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Old 11-04-2021, 05:13 AM   #4
LlamacornBob
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Default Re: Sunflower Seed Controversy

I'm actually still looking for a food mix for my hamster and the one he has now doesn't have a brand but it has 17 protein, 7 fat, and 9 fiber, and if I remember I think it had 28 variety.

I understand the comment about how it truly is fatty, but I'm wondering also because of this "jollyvit seedmix" having quite the sunflower seeds but still ending up with 2.5 fat, this will never be a seed mix I would buy, of course, I'm just looking for references to find the best food mix for my ham. ( the photo I have shown is of Jollyfullvit)

but still, I heard so many times about how seeds in general are fatty, like how hamster food mixes usually have quite the amount of millet, yet millets are too fatty for some variety of birds, I mean I have no say on the birds-eye view of things but it really baffles me how this works especially since a lot of the food mixes that actually have decent stats almost
all have this amount of sunflower seed.

I recall that one time when every tablespoon of food mix ,I get 5 or more sunflower seeds but also a lot of the other seeds as well, so I wouldn't say the sunflower seeds take up all the space

Last edited by LlamacornBob; 11-04-2021 at 05:20 AM.
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Old 11-04-2021, 05:39 AM   #5
Lilafernim
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Default Re: Sunflower Seed Controversy

I have Harry hamster food costing only £1-£2 you can get it in most pet stores.

I’ve attached an image to show the mix and you can see there is sunflower seeds but only around two visible so would be around a sunflower seed every other day.

The figures you’ve put are within ranges but you’re at the lower end of the scale for protein, higher end for fats and perfect middle for fibre. For fats it should be 4-7 and it’s better to keep it at the lower end of the scale for allowance for treats. Protein should be 17-19 or 20-24 for anything under 6 months old.

If this was their only diet and you’re additionally adding veggies and mealworms for additional protein it could be a decent mix but means essentially any treats you give them would tip the scale for fats.

Harry hamster is 18 for protein, 6 for fat and 6 for fibre (which is the low end but veggies help this). Of course you could argue this is close as well but it’s just a little more balanced and is inexpensive.

I just think if it is mostly sunflower seeds these are really fatty, like I say it’s perfect for a bird, not so much a hamster.

“ ¼ cup of dry roasted sunflower seeds without salt contains: Calories: 207. Protein: 5.8 grams. Fat: 19 grams.”
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Food.JPG (2.01 MB, 5 views)
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Old 11-04-2021, 05:54 AM   #6
Lilafernim
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Default Re: Sunflower Seed Controversy

I should add as well other people on here will know better mixes than this.

I just give a tablespoon of this a night, veggies everyday so currently she’s got broccoli as her evening veggie, and a treat every other night so I was doing porridge, currently she’s got some tiny friends Christmas treats because tis’ the season! I also I have a bag of mealworms I just occasionally give.

From your picture I would say there’s a lot of sunflower seeds, but if that is the statistics I definitely wouldn’t say it’s bad I’d just say be conscious that’s it’s on the higher side for fat.
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Old 11-04-2021, 06:46 AM   #7
sushi_78
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Default Re: Sunflower Seed Controversy

Sunflower seeds are not really any more fatty than any other oil seed and they are a good source of Vitamin E and other vitamins. I'm not quite sure why there're often singled out as uniquely unhealthy, when they're not. One reason may be because they're cheap and widely available, so they tend to overused in cheaper and lower quality foods, so an excess of sunflower seeds can be an indicator of a low quality hamster food.

There is no need to avoid mixes with sunflower seeds in, I would probably just avoid ones where they're in the top 5 ingredients. Even then, it really depends on what else is in the mix. If they're are lots of sunflower seeds but they're the only source of fat, it's not very good from a variety point of view, but it's not necessary going to make your hamster overweight. If there are lots of sunflower seeds in addition to lots of peanuts, pumpkin seeds and other fatty foods, there might be an issue.
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Old 11-04-2021, 06:56 AM   #8
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Sunflower Seed Controversy

Sunflower seeds are definitely unfairly targeted at times within the hamster community but I've also seen it elsewhere. Obviously eating too much of any food is bad for any species whether you're viewing the issue from the perspective of hamsters or humans or any other species. Even something like broccoli shouldn't be consumed as an entire diet, yet it's an incredibly healthy food to eat!
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Old 11-04-2021, 07:00 AM   #9
sushi_78
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Default Re: Sunflower Seed Controversy

This is a good article on sunflower seeds: Sunflower Seeds Re-examined | eGerbil

It's from a gerbil website because the sunflower seed prejudice is also big in gerbil circles but all the information applies to hamsters too.
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Old 11-04-2021, 05:13 PM   #10
Lilafernim
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Default Re: Sunflower Seed Controversy

I know this is a little off topic, but does anyone know if mushrooms are safe too? I got some for my hamster since I’d seen someone in a YouTube video giving their hamster some. I figured it would make a nice change.

When I got home I always double check before giving anything new and these seem to be quite controversial too. Some say there has been no studies so don’t and others say these are very healthy.

And yes, I agree part of a balance is very important. That’s what I was trying to explain by my second comment as I didn’t want to sound like I was attacking llamacombob as the statistics seem okay, just make sure of balance. I still think the stats are high on fat though so I’d be cautious of treats on top of this food. Also maybe add some mealworms to heighten the protein a bit maybe and this could act as a healthy treat then.
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