How to help my hamster put on some weight?

MissMarvel · 03-20-2014, 02:54 PM

I am not too worried, however I am aware that Boo my male chinese hamster is a little slim, he is still quiet young as I got him in January. Is it normal for young chinese hamster to be a bit skinny and then fill out a bit as they get older?
He likes to run on his wheel an awful lot so he is very active so I want to make sure he is eating enough and has a good balance between eating and exercise.
I feed him about probably two table spoons of hamster mix, and occasionally I'll give him some cucumber.

was just curious.

Ironically as I am writing this he is munching away on some food

**kyrilliondaemon** · 03-20-2014, 03:03 PM

Do you mean slim compared to other hams or compared to other chinese? Our chinese are all really slim compared to the rest of our hams and its normal

MissMarvel · 03-20-2014, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyrilliondaemon

Do you mean slim compared to other hams or compared to other chinese? Our chinese are all really slim compared to the rest of our hams and its normal

Compared to other chinese hams

sorry I should of said. (my syrian Koco is huge)

**kyrilliondaemon** · 03-20-2014, 03:23 PM

Sorry, just had to check. For a minute when I read it I thought you meant the syrian in your sig and was very confused

If he is too slim you can either feed high fat treats or you can take the wheel out and get him to gain weight by basically not letting him run and burn the energy as much as he wants to. Most hams do keep themselves at a healthy weight for them though

**Hamsterz4Life** · 03-20-2014, 03:29 PM

Hamsters aren't silly, if they have a suitable diet available at all times and a wheel etc. they aren't going to starve themselves. Its natural for chinesy's to be a bit on the slim size as they are often reffered to as the 'mouse-like hamsters'. Like has already been mentioned high fat treats or no wheel shall do they trick. But don't feed too many sugary/fatty treats though as remember chinese hamsters are prone to diabetes and we don't want that! Hope I Helped x

Munchalot · 03-20-2014, 05:08 PM

I've always found high quality puppy kibble to be the best for slim and young hams.

Chunks them out in no time. Plus of course yummy scrummy bugs, like mealworms or waxworms (the ultimate favourite). Don't give too much though because all of those are very high in fat, and may upset them or cause problems.

Good advice already, just thought I would mention what I find works.

**DrKMcK** · 03-20-2014, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munchalot

I've always found high quality puppy to be the best for slim and young hams.

Chunks them out in no time. Plus of course yummy scrummy bugs, like mealworms or waxworms (the ultimate favourite). Don't give too much though because all of those are very high in fat, and may upset them or cause problems.

Good advice already, just thought I would mention what I find works.

LOLOLOLOL. Munch, I'm pretty sure you mean puppy food, not the puppy. Sorry, I just had to

I'm still laughing.

Munchalot · 03-20-2014, 05:16 PM

HAHAHA! Omg I keep doing that! I swear I typed kibble.

No I wouldn't advice anyone feeding their hams puppy! Thanks for pointing that out, I would have looked really silly. Lol. x

**kyrilliondaemon** · 03-20-2014, 05:28 PM

I actually read that and assumed you meant wet puppy food... Trust me to think of the wrong dog food lol

(On an unrelated note, I've also seen and heard of some hams with good care, good diets e.t.c allowing themselves to get/stay slightly underweight. It doesn't mean that theres a problem with the ham or its care, or that the ham is silly, but it is best to be aware and encourage the ham to gain weight if it is needed - like it sounds it might be in this case.)

racinghamster · 03-21-2014, 01:56 AM

Chinese hamsters are indeed slimline and resemble a mouse rather than a hamster. His diet (normal dry hamster mix) is sufficient. What mix is he currently being fed? The Burgess Dwarf mix is a good one as a base and even their Syrian version would be fine. Just pick out the larger peanuts to be broken up smaller. You just need to be aware that feeding too much FAT or SUGAR can cause diabetes issues in Chinese hamsters, so the last thing you want is a fat hamster. It won`t do his health a lot of good by adding a food meant for a dog/puppy as these can cause allergies in hamsters where the skin may become itchy and red due to the high protein content and/or additives.

I would advise sticking to his normal hamster mix and adding a teaspoonful of plain dry porridge oats, cut off a piece of millet spray and chop up some of the peanuts from his normal mix and sprinkle these over the top. Hemp seeds are a good natural source of protein rather than adding a puppy kibble. These are easily found in Tesco, Asda or any health food shop. You can add a small amount to his dry mix.

And please don`t remove his wheel. His wheel is a stimulant, a necessity for his excersize. Just because he uses it a lot means he enjoys using it. Placing human emotions on that can be dangerous. He will miss using it and either start climbing or chewing the bars on his cage or sleep a lot. Neither are healthy, so let him play as much as he wants to. x