Question about feeding my hamster, and eating portions...

hammiesarelovex3 · 07-17-2006, 03:14 PM

I feed my Hamster of course, everyday, and I was wondering if it is a healthy and proper diet, I hope you all can determine this for me. This is his daily feeding:

water

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http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/x ... 0_2154.jpg

Hartz Gerbil and Hamster Food all the way to the top of his dish which is about 1.50 inches tall and across the middle 2.50 of the dish of food. I sometimes refill half way because his dish gets empty overnight..I also put about 4-5 small sunflower seeds in his food dish, once a day

Then I have this dish:

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http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/x ... 0_2157.jpg

It is slightly smaller, and I put some good foods in there like:

3 Cheerios, sometimes wet pasta - about 4 of these little pasta thingies: http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k78/x ... 0_2159.jpg

An array of fruits/vegetables: (an average of two pieces) like: peaches, bananas, green apple, carrots, cheese, corn off the cob, cucumber, and that's about it.

I don't give him all those fruits and vegetables at one time, it's only when I have it, most of the time I give him carrots..lately, I have been giving him 2 small pieces of carrot and peaches. The vegetables and fruit above I give to him whenever I have it, which may be once in awhile or once/twice a week, it ranges.

So, do you think my hamster's diet is healthy? Any tips?

Also, I was think of giving Carmelo a new food called: Harry Hamster food by Supreme...I heard you have to change a hamster's food in moderation because it's a drastic change...any tips?

Thanks and have a hammilicious day!

SnuggleHam · 07-17-2006, 04:43 PM

Hartz in my opinion is no good! In fact many of the Hartz products are no good! I once bought two bags of hamster feed by this company and found both new bags (unopened) were infested with weevils, absolutely crawling with them!

Their support was absolutely horrible. I was yelled at over the phone by customer service when I called to question about it and was hung up on. I called back and was told to send in the bar codes to get my money back. It's been months since this happened and I never got my money back. So I would suggest avoiding that brand name. Many rodent enthusiast express a dislike for this companies products aswell.

Harry Hamster food by Supreme is a really great feed to buy. It's made so nothing is wasted by the hamsters. Most foods are made with "fillers" that most rodents wont touch. I sure other will agree with me that Harry Hamster is a great food and that Hartz is no good!

As for feeding, hamster wont usual overeat. They hoard and store their food all over the place, so chances are your not really monitoring how much they eat anyway.

hammiesarelovex3 · 07-17-2006, 04:55 PM

Ok, Thanks!

for Hartz, I should just get rid of that and go for Harry hamster food and no moderation in between? so he doesn't get sick or whatever? I heard that if you change the food, it's a drastic change and causes something...

SnuggleHam · 07-17-2006, 05:16 PM

When it comes to feeding I just keep an eye on the food bowl, when its getting low I fill it some more. Ive never had problems with my hams over eating. Ill offer dog biscuits here and there as a treat and veggies.

And you could mix the food in with what you have now when you buy it. But Ive never had problems switching them. See what other people recommend.

hammiesarelovex3 · 07-18-2006, 04:03 PM

I use Hartz hamster and gerbil food. What do you use and where do you get it? I was thinking of changing his food.

Should I do this if I decide to change his food?: 1/4 of the new to 3/4 of the old, then 1/2 new and 1/2 old and then 3/4 new to 1/4 old and then completely use the new food. Do this in weekly incriments.

Is that a good idea?

SnuggleHam · 07-18-2006, 04:34 PM

Like I said.. Hartz in my opinion is a bad name and I would avoid it.
If your concerned about switching just do half and half of the food. But I've never had trouble switching them. In my experience hamsters are little piggies and will eat almost anything you give them. I'm sure a change in food wont bother your hamster in the least.

red_hot_chili_peppers · 07-18-2006, 06:32 PM

no, most of us change food regularly...

hammiesarelovex3 · 07-18-2006, 07:31 PM

Ok, thanks! I wanna change his food soon...

racinghamster · 07-19-2006, 03:31 AM

I agree. I will be using Harry Hamster food from day one of getting my two dwarf hamsters. I've read about other feeds, but this one seems to be the best and also has an added prebiotic to aid digestion and help the gut bacteria. Definately go for Harry Hamster!

hammiesarelovex3 · 07-19-2006, 08:34 AM

Will do! Can you get it at Walmart or Petco?