The best hamster food Mix.

[Willowjess]

Hi guys, me and my partner have just adopted our hamster Tyson Fury. We got him on Wednesday last week and he is settling in really well. We handled him for the first time today and he is very confident and happily ate a small carrot in our hands. We have ordered him lots of enrichment for him forage etc but I would like some recommendations for the best hamster food mix. We are in the Uk. Currently on the Pets at home muesli mix. I was going to pick up some Harry hamster as this is what my previous hamsters were on but I think it looks a bit boring.

Is there any mixes that are more exciting that he is likely to want to eat most of it rather than picking out the tasty bits. I’ve had a look on Etsy etc but would like suggestions.

Is a bottle or water bowl better for them?

Jess x

[meganm]

I'm not sure about what you can get in the UK, but I've heard that most, if not all seed mixes lack the amount of protein needed for a hamster, which is why it's recommended to mix it with pellets high in protein. You can also add in fresh veggies and animal protein (mealworms, dried bugs, plain chicken, etc) for more variety.

I personally use half Higgins Sunburst seed mix and half Mazuri Mouse & Rat pellets, but I don't believe those will be available for you.

I think the food mixes on Etsy look good and most of those don't have the "fillers" like hay pellets that hamsters typically dislike. You'd probably need to add pellets to those mixes.

Hamsters don't "need" water bottles like some people think, but some hamsters may like it more than a bowl, so you can offer one or both. Pros and cons: water bottles are harder to clean, but last longer; bowls are easy to clean, but need to be cleaned regularly.

Please take all of this with a grain of salt since I'm a new hamster owner!

[Jeir]

The Harry Hamster mix is probably the best cheap mix you can get in the UK (and the US/Canada, though theirs is called 'Hazel Hamster' instead). I've been using it since I started caring for hamsters over 20 years ago.

I also use the Rodipet mixes, which are expensive, but are species-specific. Generally I fill half of the food bowl with Harry Hamster mix, and then put a couple of scoops of the Rodipet mix on top.

As for mixes I haven't tried, I've seen the 'Bunny Dream' mixes recommended here a few times.