Treats for a Dwarf hamster?

[michyLS]

What do you give?
Arlo is very keen on walnuts but I only give a couple of times a week. And he's mad about dried mealworms, , how often can he have these? I know fruit wouldn't be good for him so I'll avoid that, what else might he like?
Thanks

[cypher]

They do love nuts, how much do you give as twice a week is quite a bit for a dwarf ham, I tend to just break a teeny bit off a nut & give it maybe once a week.
They do get monkey nuts which most love, one will last them ages & I generally just replace it when it's gone.
Pumpkin seeds, preferably in the shell, are another favourite, again not too many though, very healthy but high in fat still.
If you have sunflower seeds in your mix you can take them out & use them for hand feeding.
Millet sprays are generally popular too, either just break a little piece off to offer now & then or leave a spray in the cage, depending on how fast it gets eaten!
Mealworms are good for a bit of extra protein but still fairly fatty so one or two a day is enough really. Fresh water shrimps are a good option too, much less fat & good protein levels & generally enjoyed.
Just plain rolled oats make a good treat too.
What veg have you tried? There's so much variety they can enjoy & only a few you need to be careful with for diabetes prone hams.
I avoid most things sold as treats but they do like shrimp cookies (available from lots of places usually, shops or online) & they are a healthy option.
Whimzees are the other big favourite with almost all hams if you haven't tried those, I'm sure he's enjoy a nice toothbrush!

[michyLS]

Thanks, we've only tried broccoli and carrot. not interested in carrot but seems to like a bit of broccoli. With the walnut I break of the little nobbly bit and pop it in.
Monkey nuts are the ones in the big shells yes? So I just put one in like that and he'll knaw through?
I'll have a look for shrimp cookies! We've not bothered with pet shop treats as most seem to contain honey and /or dried fruits.

[cypher]

I usually break a very small hole in one end of the monkey nuts so they get a good sniff then leave them to it.
I forgot to mention flax seeds which are good too, all things in moderation though.

As for veg this is my basic list of tasty treats to try...

Safe veg, those marked * are relatively high in sugar so only feed to diabetes prone species as an occasional treat if at all.
Asparagus (mine have never liked this)
Basil
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Common or red clover
Cabbage, green or red
Carrot*
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Coriander
Courgette
Cress (not mustard & cress as commonly sold together)
Cucumber
Dandelion leaves & flowers
Endive/chicory
Green beans/runner beans
Kale
Pak choi/Bok choi
Parsley
Peas/mange tout/sugar snap/snow*
Peppers, any colour
Potato/sweet potato cooked only*
Radicchio
Spinach
Squash/pumpkin*
Swede
Sweet corn/baby corn*
Turnip

[michyLS]

Thats a great list , thank you!
Can I ask quickly, what cage do you have your dwarfs in? We want to get a new cage to fit on a unit size 80cm x 40cm. Don't really want it to overhang as we have kids who might bump it. Or I'm considering making a bin cage but concerned that as our home is quite warm a cage with bars would be better ventilated.

[cypher]

I can't remember the dimension off the top of my head but the smaller cages I have are an alaska (zooplus) a Hamster Heaven & a Kevin, my favourite but sadly no longer available in the UK.

[michyLS]

Thank you. I really like the Alaska but it would overhang by quite a few cm un fortunately, I'm going to have to do a search!

[cypher]

I just measured my Hamster Heaven & the base is about 80cm where it meets the bars but closer to 70cmx40cm at the very bottom so that might work, the Savic Mickey is the same size I think & comes without all the tubes & penthouse which I never use anyway.

[michyLS]

Thank you! I've just done a seperate post about cages! I don't want one with tubes as he used to have one which in used to pee in and it was smelly, so I don't want him doing that again! I'll have a look at the Mickey.