Food List (safe for both dwarves and syrians!)

[Urchin]

Hamster-safe foods.

I know as a new owner, I struggled to find a comprehensive list regarding what is safe for my hamsters to eat. So I did some research and decided to compile a list of safe foods for Syrian hamsters as well as dwarfs. There may be some errors, as I am not an expert or a veterinarian, so use this list with caution. New foods should be fed sparingly and in small quantities. You don’t want to upset your ham’s tummy!

A note about (Campbell's/Hybrid/Winterwhite) dwarf diets:
Many people will debate whether or not dwarf hamsters should have foods with sugar in them. Because dwarf hamsters are especially susceptible to diabetes, it is important to either extremely limit or completely remove sugary foods from their diet. Because of this, I have made a second list of the more sugary fruits and veg which *can* be fed to Syrians, but not to dwarfs!

Foods Safe for Both Syrians and Dwarfs:

Veggies:
Asparagus
Basil
Bean Sprouts
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage (in small amounts)
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chestnuts
Chickweed
Chicory
Clover
Cucumbers*
Dandelion flowers and leaves
Endive
Green Beans
Green Pepper
Kale
Orange Pepper
Parsnips
Potatoes (cooked)
Radicchio
Red Pepper
Romaine Lettuce*
Spinach
Swiss chard
Turnip
Water Chestnuts
Water Cress
Yellow Pepper
Zucchini


Meat/Protein foods:
Cooked, unseasoned ground beef (lean preferred)
Baked/Steamed, unseasoned Turkey/Chicken
Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Grasshoppers (pet shop only!)
Mealworms (pet shop only!)
Crickets (pet shop only!)
Eggs (boiled/scrambled, plain!)
Plain Tofu
Plain Yogurt (no sugar added)
Dog Biscuits (make sure there is no garlic/onion in these!)

Other Foods:
Acorns
Alfalfa
Baby Food (no onion, garlic, low sugar, and containing NO preservatives)
Buckwheat
Bran or Wheat Germ
Brown rice (cooked, plain)
Cereals (low/no sugar)
Cheese (mild, lower fat, small quantities)
Dry Toast (whole wheat, NO white)
Flax seeds
Lentils
Nuts (except almonds)
Oatmeal (plain, dry, or soak in skim/soy/low fat milk)
Pasta (cooked, plain, wheat or spinach)
Peanuts (plain, unsalted)
Popcorn (plain, unsalted)
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Soybeans (roasted, salt-free)
Squash Seeds
Sunflower Seeds

Additional Foods which should only be fed to Syrians:

Fruits:
Apple (seedless)
Banana
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherry
Grape (seedless)
Honey Dew Melon*
Lychee
Mango
Papaya
Peaches (remove pit)
Pear
Plums (remove pit)
Raspberries
Star Fruit
Strawberries

Veggies:
Carrots
Corn
Peas
Squash
Sweet Potatoes

Foods that never should be fed:
Buttercups (flower)
Chocolate (toxic)
Onion (possibly toxic in some animals)
Garlic (possibly toxic in some animals)
Peanut Butter (can get stuck in pouches)
Sandwich meats (contain too much salt, high nitrates)
Almonds (possibly toxic/ Cyanic acid)
Apple Seeds
Canned foods and other processed foods
Candy/ Junk Foods
Pork
Potatoes (raw)
Kidney Beans
Eggplant
Fool’s Parsley
Grape Seeds
Avocado
Raw Rhubarb
Tomato leaves
Citrus fruits (including orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc)
Watermelon
Fruit pits/ most fruit seeds
Jams/jellies
Salt
Spices/Seasonings
Leeks
Scallions
Chives
Pickles

* Watery vegetables and fruits should be fed sparingly as they can potentially upset a hamsters digestive system!

Sources:
http://www.hamsterif...y/FoodList.html
http://www.geocities.../food_list.html

Thank you for reading this list. If you see any changes that should be made, or foods that need to be added, let me know!

[Silver]

Thanks Urchin thats verry helpfull xxx

[nooboo]

By dwarf i am assuming you mean campbells or ww/campbells hybrids, as other dwarfs do not have any more risk of diabetes.

of course any hamster with diabetes should avoid the things listed here as not for dwarfs.

Size should also be taken into consideration, bigger pieced things are not always good for robos smaller seeds often are ignored by syrians but loved by the various dwarfs!

[wofunny]

Thanks for the list it is great!!!

And Nooboo I never knew that!

[fluffymunchkins]

Originally Posted by nooboo

By dwarf i am assuming you mean campbells or ww/campbells hybrids, as other dwarfs do not have any more risk of diabetes.

of course any hamster with diabetes should avoid the things listed here as not for dwarfs.

Size should also be taken into consideration, bigger pieced things are not always good for robos smaller seeds often are ignored by syrians but loved by the various dwarfs!

I was just about to mention this, but i'm glad you pointed it out


the list will be very useful for many i'm sure!
Thanks for posting x

[Urchin]

Originally Posted by nooboo

By dwarf i am assuming you mean campbells or ww/campbells hybrids, as other dwarfs do not have any more risk of diabetes.

of course any hamster with diabetes should avoid the things listed here as not for dwarfs.

Oh yes, I guess I should have noted that the dwarfs I refer to are Campbells, as they are susceptible to diabetes.

[froggy901]

That's a great list - a few things on there I never knew/thought of!

Was thinking though maybe you could put an asterisk next to some of the more watery things like the romaine lettuce, cucumber and melons, because although they're safe, they should only be fed to hamsters in really small quantities so they dont upset their stomachs.

Also, it might be worth including hybrids as well as campbells because I'm pretty sure they're at risk too

[Fofinha]

How about winter whites? Are they as same prone to diabetes like campbells?

[wofunny]

Originally Posted by Fofinha

How about winter whites? Are they as same prone to diabetes like campbells?

Yes they are, i believe its just robos who arn't prone to it?!

[Urchin]

Originally Posted by froggy901

That's a great list - a few things on there I never knew/thought of!

Was thinking though maybe you could put an asterisk next to some of the more watery things like the romaine lettuce, cucumber and melons, because although they're safe, they should only be fed to hamsters in really small quantities so they dont upset their stomachs.

Also, it might be worth including hybrids as well as campbells because I'm pretty sure they're at risk too

Great suggestions! Thanks