Syrian hamster nutrition. Feeding Hamsters Fruits and Vegetables

Inexperienced owners often wonder how many times a day they should feed their hamster. If everything is relatively clear with cats and dogs, then here we are talking about how to organize the nutrition of a rodent that is prone to making hiding places and supplies.

Healthy digestion is the basis of longevity for these animals, so attention should be paid not only to the composition of the diet, but also to the organization of the feeding regime. Hamsters are nocturnal and sleep almost all the time during the day. This feature must be taken into account to decide how many times you can feed your hamster.

Feeding frequency

It's funny to watch the animal eat, but the optimal time is to feed once in the evening when the animal is active. Another acceptable option is feeding in the evening and early morning hours, before nap animal. The evening portion should be significantly larger than the morning portion.

Having decided on a schedule that is convenient for themselves, it is better for the owner to stick to one feeding time. With amazing accuracy, the animal will wait for dinner at the appointed time. This stability is beneficial for the rodent's digestion.

Due to the high metabolic rate, the hamster cannot tolerate hunger strike at all. It is difficult to answer unequivocally how many times a day a hamster should eat.


Although the main meal occurs at night, the animals like to wake up during the day to have a snack. Therefore, access to food should be available almost around the clock.

When it comes to how often you should feed your hamster, it is important not to overdo it. You cannot give food more than twice a day: this will disturb the animal’s sleep. Juicy and protein-rich food can spoil if the hamster does not eat it right away. For the same reason, inventories are regularly inspected, removing spoiled products.

Amount of food

How much food a hamster needs per day depends on many factors:

  • physical activity;
  • age (young animals eat much more);
  • physiological state (pregnancy, lactation);
  • room temperature.

The average rodent eats an amount of food per day equal to 70% of its body weight.

A Syrian hamster weighing 140-150 g should receive about 100 g of food.


Such accuracy of calculations is not used in practice, and the owner can only approximately say how much a hamster eats per day.

The Djungarian hamster or Campbell is so small that it seems to the owners that they are eating “closely.”

It is a big mistake to overfeed your pet. Hamsters get fat easily.

From the outside it may look cute, but the animal itself faces serious health problems and shortens its life. If a dwarf has already received a tablespoon of dry food, and the feeder is instantly empty, you should not fill it again. The pet simply hid food around the cage.

Conclusion

The owner needs to think about more than just how often to feed the hamster. For your pet’s health, change water and food on time, prevent obesity and follow recommendations regarding prohibited and permitted foods. It is better to think over the animal’s diet before purchasing in order to avoid health problems caused by a lack of information about the nutrition of hamsters.


homkin.ru

Feeding frequency

These rodents are nocturnal and usually sleep during the day. Therefore, the most favorable time for feeding is considered evening hours and early morning, when the pet is active and when it has not yet gone to bed. In this case, it is necessary that the amount of food in the evening be several times greater than the morning portion.


Having understood how much to feed your hamster per day and at what time, it is advisable to try to adhere to the established schedule. A stable diet will promote good digestion for the animal. After some time, he will get used to this regime and will look forward to his lunch.

Hamsters absolutely cannot tolerate hunger strikes, so in addition to their usual diet, it is recommended to provide almost round-the-clock access to food. But you need to be careful and not overdo it. It is not recommended to give large portions of food more than twice a day, especially during the day, as this will disturb the pet’s sleep. Protein and juicy food can begin to deteriorate if it sits in a rodent's feeder for a long time. You need to carefully monitor what your pet eats.

Amount of food

The amount of food depends on a number of factors. These include activity during the day, health status, and room temperature. It is also worth considering the age of the rodent, since the older the pet, the less food it needs.

The amount of food for dzhungarik should be two-thirds of the total body weight of the animal. The Syrian hamster, whose weight is 100–150 grams, eats approximately 100 grams of food per day. Djungarika will need 20 grams of food per day. However, as is the case with any other animals, everything is individual for hamsters. Therefore, you should not delve into complex mathematical calculations. It will be much more effective to simply watch the rodent during the day.

It is important not to overdo it with the amount of food, as they easily gain weight, and this has a detrimental effect on both digestion and overall health.


Conclusion

Buying a new pet is a serious step; it could be a cat, a dog or a small rodent. It will be important for the owner to think not only about how often to feed the hamster, but also to monitor the rhythm of life of the small animal. Because in order for the rodent to always remain vigorous and healthy, it is also necessary to change water and food on time, monitor what the hamster eats, following the recommendations in terms of prohibited foods. It is better to find out how much your hamster eats per day before purchasing it in order to avoid further problems associated with the digestion of your new pet.

homjakam.ru

The main part of the diet of Djungarian hamsters.

  • For Djungarian hamster The main food is dry feed mixture. Ready-made commercial food for hamsters can be purchased at a pet store. Ready-made feeds are produced in the form of granules and grain mixtures, which consist of grain, seeds, and pieces of ground corn. Food in the form of granules allows the hamster to chew on them, and this is useful for dental hygiene. It is better to buy ready-made food in moisture-proof packaging so that dried vegetables and grains are well preserved and do not become moldy.
  • Cereals that can be given to a Djungarian hamster:
    • wheat;
    • oats;
    • beans;
    • buckwheat;
    • Hercules;
    • peas;
    • beans;
    • barley;
    • lentils.
  • Seeds:
    • pumpkin;
    • sunflower;
    • melon

When purchasing ready-made food, pay attention to the number of sunflower seeds in the total mass. Manufacturers often add them in excess, and this has a bad effect on the health of hamsters.

  • Sometimes you can pamper your pet with nuts:
    • walnut;
    • cashew nuts;
    • peanut;
    • sesame (seeds);
    • hazelnut
  • You can supplement your diet Djungarian hamster fiber.

An excellent natural source of fiber is timothy and alfalfa hay. You can give your hamster sprouts of alfalfa, wheat, oats, millet, they can be sprouted on the windowsill and these nutritious grain crops can be given as greens, especially in winter.

  • Hamsters are given greens in small quantities:
    • yellow clover leaves;
    • dandelion leaves;
    • plantain leaves;
    • nettle leaves;
    • parsley leaves;
    • lettuce leaves;
    • dill.

Any greens absorb well various substances from the air and soil, so it is very important that it is grown not near cities and highways, but in environmentally friendly conditions.

  • The diet of small rodents should also include fresh vegetables:
    • cucumber;
    • zucchini;
    • pumpkin;
    • carrot;
    • radish;
    • cauliflower;
    • zucchini;
    • eggplant;
    • fresh corn;
    • Chinese cabbage.
  • Starting from 2 months, your pet can be given pieces of fruit and berries:
    • apricot;
    • banana;
    • grape;
    • strawberry;
    • apples;
    • gooseberry;
    • rose hip;
    • blueberry.

Introduce fruits and vegetables into your hamsters' diet gradually, starting with one a small piece a specific vegetable or fruit per week to reduce the likelihood of diarrhea. Vegetables and fruits should be thoroughly washed. Do not forget to remove seeds from fruits and berries before giving them to your Djungarian hamster. You should treat your beloved pets with fruits and berries just a little bit at a time. You should feed your hamster apples, pears or peaches in moderation, as these fruits are too sweet for diabetic-prone rodents.

  • A hamster's cage must have branches on which the animals sharpen their teeth. These are branches of deciduous and fruit trees:
    • birch;
    • cherry;
    • pear;
    • poplar;
    • Apple tree;
    • maple.

You should not pick branches from trees that grow along roadways - they can be toxic. Before giving the sticks to rodents, they need to be boiled for an hour and dried.

  • Djungarian hamsters should eat protein foods several times a week:
    • boiled chicken or quail egg;
    • chicken meat (boiled without salt and spices);
    • yogurt without additives and sugar (no more than 1% fat);
    • kefir and cottage cheese (no more than 1% fat).

Protein is a very important nutrient for Djungarian hamsters. Fresh, unprocessed sunflower, flax and sesame seeds, as well as lentils, are rich in protein. Once a week for strengthening immune system Hamsters can be given small portions of low-fat cottage cheese.

  • For feeding newborn dwarfs:
    • meat or vegetable baby food (without additives, salt, sugar and soy);
    • cereals soaked in water;
    • dairy-free porridge (no salt or soy);
    • boiled rice
  • In the diet of Djungarian hamsters NOT RECOMMENDED include:
    • sugar;
    • salt;
    • spices;
    • cookie;
    • chocolate;
    • cream;
    • milk;
    • sour cream;
    • butter;
    • citrus fruits;
    • watermelon;
    • pomegranate;
    • kiwi;
    • cabbage;
    • garlic;
    • almond;
    • twigs of coniferous trees;
    • muesli;
    • sausages, sausages;
    • pasta;
    • black bread.

Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine, which can be harmful to cardiovascular system Djungarian hamster.

Citrus fruits (lemon, orange, grapefruit) have a high vitamin content WITH can cause hypervitaminosis in a hamster.

Watermelons and melons may contain pesticides and chemicals, and this threatens to poison the hamster.

Cabbage (white cabbage, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage) can cause gas and bloating in the hamster's intestines, which can lead to the death of the animal.

  • Water is as important to hamsters as food. There should be fresh water in the cage at all times. You should not give them boiled or distilled water; it is better to give hamsters filtered or spring water. For your beloved pets, you need to purchase a drinking bowl with a spout from a pet store.
  • Vitamin-calcium supplements should also be present in the diet of Djungarian hamsters. Some manufacturers of dry food immediately put vitamin supplements in them, but on store shelves you can find sets of special vitamins for rodents.

Most foods contain various additives that can be toxic after the expiration date, so do not use expired hamster food.

The health and life expectancy of Djungarian hamsters depends on how well the diet for small rodents is prepared.

animaomsk.ru

However, hamsters have been pets for quite some time, and it is not surprising that during this time even their instincts responsible for choosing the right food have become dulled.

Now the domestic hamster eats almost everything that the owner gives him, giving preference to sweet and fatty foods. And this, of course, causes enormous and often irreparable harm to the hamster’s health and does not help prolong its already too short life.

The hamster's body is very fragile. A small draft - the animal dies from pneumonia. Excess sweets - the hamster suffers due to metabolic disorders. Therefore, every caring owner should very carefully monitor the hamster’s nutrition. In fact, there are a lot of subtleties here, so now I will tell you only the most basic things, without going into details.


Hamsters are usually fed once or twice a day. If the hamster receives food both in the morning and in the evening, then in the evening it should receive the main part, since the animal is active at night and usually feeds at the same time. Perishable foods should be given only in the evening, so that their remains can be removed from the cage in the morning; otherwise, the hamster may become poisoned by eating, for example, a rotten piece of grape.

The basis of any hamster's diet is a grain mixture. This is exactly what is sold in pet stores in boxes and bags marked “for hamsters”, “for hamsters”, “crisety” and some others. Typically, grain mixtures include oats, wheat, dried legumes (peas, peanuts), sunflower seeds; Grass pellets, millet, and treats are often, but not always, included. The hamster should receive a grain mixture daily. Usually, one teaspoon of food per day is enough for a dwarf hamster, two or three - for a Syrian, but it is better to monitor how much each particular hamster eats per day, and give him enough grain mixture so that he always has some grains left in stock.

Of course, hamsters, like any other living beings, need water. Clean, fresh, not littered with food and sawdust. And the hamster should have access to it at any time. That is why it is best to provide the hamster with liquid using an automatic (pneumatic, nipple) drinker. Contrary to popular myth, you should not replace water with watery fruits, vegetables and berries - often they are simply not enough to quench thirst, and in some cases, just one day without enough liquid can lead to the death of a hamster.

You should be very careful when treating your hamster with fruits, vegetables, berries and herbs. Watery fruits, berries and greens are generally best avoided due to their ability to absorb, like a sponge, a wide variety of toxic substances. Cases of poisoning by watermelons, melons, cucumbers and lettuce among hamsters are not uncommon, but even a very good veterinarian is not always able to save a poisoned hamster.

Cabbage, potatoes, onions, and garlic should not be given to hamsters - they are very difficult for digestion, and even if the animal ate them for some time without any consequences, it is impossible to say with certainty what will happen to it after next appointment such “heavy” food. Likewise, citrus fruits and all fruits, vegetables and berries called “exotic” should not be given.

Most fruits and berries can be given in very small quantities, and when treating your hamster to a piece of juicy fruit, do not forget to remove the seeds from it. Fruit seeds contain hydrocyanic acid and often cause the death of hamsters who dare to chew them. Carrots and pumpkin are considered the safest for hamsters (but pumpkin in small quantities); even small hamsters can be fed with them. It is good to treat hamsters with apples, but they should not be given to hamsters under the age of two months because of the danger of ascites in babies, which in most cases is fatal.

You need to feed your hamster greens, but very carefully. So, dill, parsley, lettuce and celery can be given to the animal, but in limited quantities. Sorrel - not allowed. Houseplants It’s not worth picking off to offer to your hamster, if only because many of them are poisonous. You can treat the animal with clover, dandelion and plantain leaves, but these plants should not only be thoroughly washed, but also collected as far as possible from any, even the least used, roads.

You can give your hamster unroasted seeds and nuts (except almonds!) as a treat. But we must not forget that this is a fatty and high-calorie food; You can give them infrequently and little by little.

You should be extremely careful with dairy products in your hamster's diet. You can only give low-fat dairy products(kefir and cottage cheese), and no more than once a week.

The hamster also needs to eat food containing animal protein. As such, you can treat the animal once or twice a week with a boiled egg (chicken or, better, quail), a piece of boiled chicken or beef, dried gammarus (small crustaceans, sold as food for fish or turtles).

Any fatty (more than 6% fat content), salty, spicy food should be completely excluded from the hamster’s diet; similarly, you should not give the animal anything fried, smoked, or canned. You cannot offer the animal honey, mushrooms, or chocolate; contrary to numerous myths and even recommendations from some illiterate brochures, you should not give hamsters cheese, sausage, sausages and other similar products.

In other words, a caring hamster owner should carefully study the composition of any product before offering it to his pet for dinner or lunch. And finally, it’s always worth remembering the golden rule of a good host: “ If you're not sure, don't feed it!“You shouldn’t experiment on your pet, endangering its life, because not everything that a hamster likes to taste turns out to be harmless to it.

shkolazhizni.ru

Dry food

It should be the basis of your pet's diet. This is exactly what you can feed hamsters. The feeder should always contain high-quality food - fortified and balanced. It should only be purchased from specialist stores, as this gives hope that they are working with nutrition that is carefully selected and processed. IN in this case you purchase food that will suit your pet’s needs in all respects.

You may come across this dubious recommendation regarding how many times to feed a hamster: pour no more than one tablespoon of food into the feeder once a day. It is not right. Hamsters have this property: if they see that the feeder is often empty, they begin to make reserves even from such a poor diet. And here is the sad result: due to constant malnutrition, they begin to get sick.

Wet food

We are talking about juicy and green food, which the hamster will eat only fresh and only well washed. This group includes many products.

  • Vegetables: zucchini, carrots, beets, pumpkin, lettuce. Never give your animal cabbage, watermelons and potatoes - this is what you should not feed hamsters!
  • Fruits. Grapes and currants. Sometimes you can pamper yourself with a small amount of apricots, pears, and bananas. Apples are acceptable after two months of age. You can include dried fruits in your diet - dried apricots, apples, raisins (in no case - prunes). Exotic fruits such as avocados and persimmons, as well as all citrus fruits, are prohibited.
  • Greenery. Hamsters benefit from small portions of lettuce, dill, parsley, yellow clover, and dandelion. Wild grass should not be collected near highways. By the way, it’s not at all difficult to grow edible weed at home, on windowsills.

Seeds and nuts

Do not follow the advice of amateurs about the need to add apricot kernels and shelled nuts to your hamsters' food. This is fraught with trouble: animals can break teeth and injure their mouth. In addition, plum, peach and apricot kernels can cause real poisoning.

As for seeds and nuts, they are included in the main food, so it is worth feeding hamsters little by little with them and no more than twice a week.

Protein supplements

Feeding hamsters will be incomplete without these products. Therefore, you should include cottage cheese (maximum 2% fat) in your diet once every three days. boiled egg and boiled unsalted breast, oat sprouts. Bread, cheese, milk are not at all suitable food for hamsters; they are harmful to the stomach and intestines of the animals.

Water

Fresh water should always be in the hanging drinker. The animals drink often, but little by little.

Water should be used that is not distilled or boiled.

Give them the same water that your family drinks. Well, spring and tap water passed through a filter is suitable.

Vitamins

IN good food, costing more than 100 rubles for a 400-gram package, contains all essential vitamins. They are quite enough for the normal development of the animal. If the food is of lower quality, you need to buy special vitamins in pet stores. There is also a vitamin-calcium supplement available for sale, which is sprinkled on food that does not contain vitamins. You should not give hamsters vitamins intended for humans, as well as drops and crackers. These so-called treats can kill the animals.

Nutrition for small hamsters

Sometimes owners find themselves faced with a problem: what to feed small hamsters? Of course, newborn animals, as it should be by nature, must be fed by their mother. But if this is not possible, then at first the baby will have to be fed with a pipette, and later vegetables, fruits, and only then food will be gradually introduced into the diet.

Nutrition for elderly and sick hamsters

The hamster gets old and his teeth become weak. This affects his nutrition. The owners must change his diet in time. Now he eats only crushed food and pureed vegetables. You can give him porridge cooked in water and vegetable purees without salt and sugar. It is advisable to add vitamins to porridges and purees. This food will suit a sick or old hamster. Potatoes and rice should be excluded at this age. But the main (grain) food should still be offered to him constantly, so that intestinal upset does not occur. As a drink, you can prepare a chamomile decoction, which is brewed twice a day. Honey and milk are harmful for elderly and sick animals. Sometimes owners, with the best of course intentions, try to feed an elderly or sick hamster with grains soaked in milk. This should not be done: milk in any form has a bad effect on intestinal function.

Nutrition of Djungarian hamsters

This breed has been especially popular lately. Accordingly, the question often arises: what to feed Djungarian hamsters? This pet, despite its miniature size, is particularly unpretentious. But you still need to take care of feeding it properly.

  • The basis of the diet of this breed is, in principle, the same as that of all other domestic hamsters. This is food for rodents with the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals, which can be purchased at any pet store.
  • Fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs.
  • Two or three times a week you can pamper your baby with raisins, dried apricots, or a piece of cookies.
  • Protein food is an essential component of nutrition. Once a week - a piece of chicken or egg, a little cottage cheese or baby meat food. A hamster that will soon give birth to babies needs protein food every day.
  • Once a week you can give a fresh sprig of some fruit and berry plant. The Djungarian hamster will happily gnaw on it, receiving nutrients and strengthening teeth.

Funny and cute animals are always favorites in families. Everyone wants to treat their hamster with something tasty. But you already know what to feed your pet hamsters, and therefore refrain from giving the furry animal a piece of chocolate, candy, salty and spicy foods, or smoked meats. Thus, you will protect him from diseases, he will grow up cheerful and healthy.

www.rutvet.ru

Hamster diet: characteristics

Oddly enough, hamsters are practically omnivores, and will happily eat everything you give them, but this does not mean that you can do this. After all, a number of prohibited foods that a hamster eats include fatty, sweet, fried and smoked foods. Because this can have a bad effect on his health and become almost fatal for the animal. The diet of hamsters must be properly designed and consist only of fresh, natural products, and all because of the weak stomach of animals. The main foods include cereals such as oats, wheat and buckwheat.

You can also give your pet cooked semolina, oatmeal with milk or water, but only without sugar and butter. This food is especially useful for young hamsters who are not even one and a half months old. Because they not only have weak stomachs, but also young teeth that are not able to chew hard foods. In addition, do not forget about fresh herbs and vegetables, because the rodent loves them so much. Although such products should always be washed and dried.

Also Special attention you need to pay attention to what hamsters eat in the winter season. Because during this period the animal may suffer from vitamin deficiency. And to prevent this from happening, it is recommended to germinate oats and wheat as often as possible. This will be right both for them and for your peace of mind regarding their food.

What foods should I give?

Undoubtedly, every owner of such an animal will be faced with the question of what to feed a hamster, that is, which foods can be useful for him and which ones are not. As mentioned earlier, almost all plant foods can be given in their natural state. Be sure to give your hamster a little cereal every day. natural form or cooked without additives and spices.

The next mandatory item in the diet are vegetables and fruits, especially apples, watermelon, beets, parsley and carrots. After all, it is with these products that the necessary moisture comes into the rodent’s body.

Also, many veterinarians recommend giving the animal dairy products in the form of cottage cheese, milk, yogurt and low-fat cheese. Although it is important to monitor the naturalness of these products.
It is important to pay attention to the nutrition of a pregnant hamster, and give her food in the form of shells from chicken eggs, from which she consumes all the necessary vitamins and microelements.
Many owners of these babies buy specialized combined foods that contain not only healthy foods, but also additional vitamins. This way, you can save money, and the question of what to feed your hamster disappears.

What vitamins are needed?

In addition to the standard diet of the hamster, you also need to take care of the presence of additional vitamins in it, because they are not always supplied to the body through food, but which he loves so much. And considering that an animal can easily contract a viral or infectious disease, then such supplements are simply necessary. Sometimes food for hamsters contains such microelements, but sometimes you need to give them additionally, and every day.

The main groups of vitamins are considered to be A, E and D, but if they are oil-based, then they should be added to water or dry food no more than once a week and only one drop at a time, and not as much as you want. If we talk about fish oil, then it is also good to add it to food, but you can do this every day, 0.2 g.

You need to think about buying mineral tablets for your pet, which will not only bring benefits, but also sharpen their teeth. And then there will be no need to chew on the cage or pieces of wood. You can also give your rodent a mineralized mixture or a complex of vitamins, but this should only be done in a clearly defined dose. Although it is very difficult to find one, and it all depends on the time of year and the needs of the hamster. After all, few owners still know what to feed their hamster, and what he especially likes to eat every day. Not to mention the obligatory amount of water.

Do not forget that vitamin complexes that are developed for humans should not be given to a hamster, because this is contraindicated and can cause irreparable damage to its body. Indeed, in this case, you can encounter an overdose, which also often happens.

Water is an essential element in a hamster’s menu.

In addition, to be interested in the question of what to feed a hamster, you need to think about what its diet must include drinking plenty of fluids. In addition to absorbing moisture from natural products, you can replenish the animal’s needs through ordinary water, and constantly. It is necessary to change the water once a day by rinsing the drinking bowl. And all because the animal eats mainly dry food. Therefore, you can ease the work of the stomach with the help of water.

If you wish, you can add vitamin C there, purchased at the pharmacy. It is important that water is constantly in the diet, the plate or bottle for storing it is thoroughly cleaned, but without the use of chemical detergents. It is advisable that the water you give your pet is the same as what you drink yourself. Although it is better that it does not come from the tap, but is cleaned of heavy metals and bleach. Hamsters love to drink often, so you shouldn't deny them their desires.

Hamster feeding regimen

Due to the fact that this animal loves to sleep, especially during the daytime, its diet and regime are adjusted precisely to this biorhythm. And feeding can be done once or twice a day. At the same time, you can decide for yourself how the regime will be compiled. For example, in the morning you can give him cereals and heavier foods, and in the evening give him greens and vegetables. By the evening, prepare some kind of treat for him, but only from the list of recommended products.

A separate topic can be considered what hamsters that bear offspring eat. Because a separate diet is prepared for them, including a lot of water. Most often, they are fed more than three times a day, but are evenly distributed according to the load. They should also get more vitamins and nutrients, drink more water than in a normal situation.

Remember that your hamster may begin to gain weight quickly. excess weight and that counts bad sign. In this situation, you need not only to exclude from the diet a large number of feed in the form of cereals, but also add more water there per day, and also physical exercise, which is undoubtedly correct. It’s difficult to say how long this will last, but this happens often. It’s a good idea to put different ladders or a wheel in the cage.

If we turn to the opinion of foreign experts, they believe that the diet, regime and water supply should be designed in such a way that the animal eats about five times a day, but in small portions. So that the hamster can eat everything at once and not leave anything behind. And this is exactly what is considered correct.

Everything needs to be taken into account essential elements feeding the animal, which include: regimen, water, vitamins and basic food. Only by paying attention to each of these points can you make your animal’s life full, happy and healthy.

Photo gallery

The request returned an empty result.

kykarek.com

What can you give to Djungarian hamsters?

The basis of the rodents' diet is cereals, vegetables and fruits. Everything else is given for a complete and varied diet.

Dry food

One way to create a diet for your hamka is to buy ready-made grain mixtures at the pet store. They contain grains, seeds and flakes. Buying such food will make life easier for the owner, but will deprive the pet of a full set of vitamins, minerals and proteins. If your choice is on ready-made mixtures, then buy several types and change them periodically. Such manipulations will help balance the incoming vitamins.

What cereals can you give?

Cereals contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for the life of a hamster.

You can feed your babies the following types:

  • buckwheat or porridge;
  • wheat, especially sprouted;
  • oats and oat flakes;
  • barley;
  • pearl barley;
  • legumes (lentils, chickpeas, peas).

But there are some cereals that should be given in very small quantities because they give a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. It is advisable to give your hamster a minimum amount of millet and rice.

Is it possible to roast sunflower seeds?

Sunflower seeds are a very affordable treat for the dwarf. Raw seeds full of vitamins, but fried ones have less of them. Since it is not easy to find raw sunflower seeds on sale, you can pamper your hamster with a fried version. But the selected product should not be fried in oil and contain no salt. The best option The seeds will be dried in the oven.

Dairy

Dairy products are not necessary in the diet of a small rodent. Since milk is quite fatty, it leads to indigestion. Cheese also has a high fat content, and plus it contains a lot of salt and thickeners.

These products can be given in minimal quantities (no more than once a week), or it is better to exclude them altogether. If you decide to feed your pet dairy products, then you need to choose low-fat options and cheeses with a good composition.

Meat and boiled egg

Protein is necessary for the growth and development of dwarfs. Hamsters get the bulk of their proteins from cereals, but they are allowed to give them additional protein products. You can treat your hamster to meat and offal (liver, heart, tongue). But it is worth remembering that you should not feed your baby fatty meats (pork, lamb).

Lean meat (beef, chicken) and offal should be given boiled, without adding salt or spices. If an egg is chosen as a source of protein, then you should not throw away the yolk - it contains a lot of vitamins and healthy fats. There is no need to give a whole egg; you can treat your hamster with two-thirds of the white and one-third of the yolk. If you decide to add a quail egg to your diet, then feel free to give half a day.

It is better to eat eggs boiled, as there is less risk of infection with salmonella, but it is not forbidden to give them raw. It’s good to prepare a “salad” from a grated egg, carrots and your favorite cereal. Such a dish will contain a full range of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins.

Is it possible to have bread?

Although cereals make up the majority of a hamster’s diet, their derivatives should be limited. Bread (white and black) should not be given to a hamster, since the flour is missing some useful substances, which are found in whole grains, but they contain yeast. The presence of yeast negatively affects the digestive tract of hamsters.

They can cause excessive gas formation, diarrhea and even gastritis. The only one safe way to treat a dzhungarik with bread is to give him a cracker. But it’s worth remembering that it should just be a piece of dried bread without spices or oil.

What nuts can you

Nuts (walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts) must be included in your fluffy’s diet. They carry vitamins and healthy fats. However, because of the latter, you need to give them to your hamster in very measured doses - no more than two pieces per day. Treat pet You can use all nuts except Brazil nuts and almonds.

Vegetables

The largest amount of foods allowed for the Djungarian hamster is contained in vegetables.

You can give almost anything:

  • cucumber;
  • radishes;
  • bell pepper;
  • cabbage (cauliflower and Chinese);
  • carrot;
  • zucchini;
  • pumpkin;
  • eggplant;
  • beets;
  • turnip;
  • celery;
  • tomatoes.

Do not give your baby vegetables (especially cucumbers and tomatoes) whose quality you doubt. If the fields were treated with pesticides, then such vegetables will be harmful to the hamster. Due to its miniature size, even small amounts of processed product can be fatal.

Fruits and berries

A hamster's life can be sweetened with fruits and berries. But remember that they contain quite a lot of sugar and can cause diabetes in your hamster. They should be given in limited quantities.

Djungarians are good at assimilating berries and fruits growing in our latitudes (apricots, apples, grapes, peaches, strawberries, gooseberries, plums, cherries). Exotic fruits (kiwi, mango, carom, pineapple, pomegranate), except banana, and citrus fruits should not be eaten by rodents.

Dried fruits

Just as with fresh fruits, you should be careful with dried fruits (dried apricots, raisins, prunes, banana chips). They are often dried using sugar or syrup. Such treats are very harmful to the rodent and should not be given to them.
If you know for sure that dried fruits are prepared without added sugar, then you can safely treat your pet to them. It is best to choose products that are simply dried in the oven (apples).

Greenery

Greens not only perfectly diversify the diet of the dwarf, but also help him to be healthy. Essential oils, which are contained in small quantities in dill and parsley, are the prevention of colds. Greens strengthen the immune system and help with work digestive tract. She is also a storehouse of vitamins. In addition to parsley and dill, you can safely give your pet lettuce, celery and spinach.

Tree branches

Your hamster will be very interested if you give him twigs from trees to chew on. It is better to choose young twigs of fruit trees. Giving twigs of coniferous trees is strictly prohibited. The resin they secrete is harmful to rodents.

What not to give to Djungarian hamsters

You shouldn't give your pet everything. There are foods that are highly not recommended for dzhungarik:

  • sausages and sausages ( increased fat content, salt);
  • grilled meat;
  • sorrel (large amount of acid);
  • mint (menthol has a negative effect on the stomach);
  • mushrooms;
  • almonds (the presence of hydrocyanic acid makes them poisonous to hamsters);
  • white cabbage (causes excessive gas formation);
  • citrus;
  • Exotic fruits;
  • onions, garlic (too many essential oils);
  • dates (lots of sugar);
  • acorns (tannins in the composition negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract);
  • pits of apples, cherries, apricots (they are poisonous to the hamster).

How many times a day to feed

Khomkis love to eat and almost never refuse a treat. But don't get carried away with excessive feeding. This is fraught with obesity and other problems associated with excess weight.

Video: nutrition of the Djungarian hamster It is recommended to feed the animals no more than twice a day. Since hamsters are nocturnal, their main meal should be in the evening.

The baby will spend all the energy received from food during wakefulness. In the morning you can give lighter food and in small quantities. It will be ideal if you can feed your pet at the same time. This is very useful for the full functioning of his gastrointestinal tract.

How to give water to a dzhungarik

Water is necessary for the full life of any organism, and the Djungarians are no exception (even though they originally lived in dry steppes and deserts). The fluid that your hamster gets from vegetables and fruits is sometimes not enough.

Especially in hot weather, he may experience extreme thirst. For drinking, it is better to purchase a drip drinker, so your pet will have round-the-clock access to liquid. It is better to take purified water, as boiled water or just from a tap can be too hard.

Vitamins for Djungarian hamsters

With a balanced diet, the hamster does not require additional vitamins. But if you feed your pet with ready-made food, and not of the highest quality, then a shortage is quite possible. You can solve this problem by purchasing supplements at a pet store. Vitamins for your pet can be for rodents in general or specifically for hamsters. Both options will do.

They are sold in two types:

  • liquid (convenient to drip into the drinking bowl);
  • hard (gnaws on its own).

If your hamster ignores solid vitamins, you can outwit him - crumble them into the grain mixture. Remember that rodents have fast metabolisms but are small in size. It can be dangerous for them to eat what a larger animal eats. Be attentive to your hamster's diet, and he will delight you for a long time.

pets2.me

What can you feed hamsters and what not?

What diet for a pet hamster is considered balanced and correct? What should he be given daily, what should he be limited in, and what should he not be fed?

If you feed your hamster everything that you bought for him at the market or in the supermarket, you are definitely risking his health. After all, you don’t know where the saleswoman got it on the counter. green salad or carrots, you also don’t know how the vegetables were processed before they arrived at the store. And if vegetables and fruits were fertilized with substances that are very harmful in their own way chemical composition, or they were grown next to a dusty, dirty highway.

That's why safest food for your pet only the one that you or your friends have grown in their own garden.

Fact! Every year, 2 adult hamsters die from cucumbers or salads treated with chemicals.

The most vital food for small domestic rodents is, of course, any grains, dry food and cereals. It is better to buy boxes of dry food with additives in stores that specifically sell dry food and food for animals.

IN daily diet be sure to include the hamster:

  • Pea, barley, rolled oats, wheat, millet, oatmeal, corn and lentils
  • Protein food consisting of: low-fat dairy products (one percent fat content is allowed in regular yogurt, without additives, kefir and cottage cheese); chicken meat; river fish and shrimp; quail or fresh chicken eggs; insects, gammarus, grasshoppers and dried worms from a zoological store.
  • Additional food - wheat and oat ears, dried hay. In order for the hamster to have the opportunity to grind his teeth in the cage, you should place a twig of any fruit tree or a birch twig.
  • Fresh dill, lettuce leaves, parsley or clover.
  • Minerals along with vitamins. We advise you not to buy vitamins individually in specialized stores, but rather take a package with mineral supplements. However, before you give your pet vitamins, monitor the animal’s reaction: will he like them? There are hamsters that cannot stand this or that vitamin. If there is an urgent need to support the health of a small pet, it is better to grind the vitamins into powder and add them to the main one, liquid food, or mix with fruits and vegetables. Be careful not to overfeed your hamster with vitamins, otherwise he may develop various diseases against the backdrop of the emergence side effects. Please note that recently, each pet store has been selling special wheels for rodents to help the animal grind its teeth.
  • Fresh water. Drinking is vital for any animal, just as it is for humans. There is no water in cereals and grains, so a domestic hamster, which spends most of its life in a cage, definitely needs water.

To feed your hamster if diarrhea or constipation occurs, you can give:

  • Cereals boiled in water. Before cooking the cereal, it should be soaked in water in advance.
  • Rice boiled in plain water. It helps the hamster with diarrhea and intestinal disorders.
  • droplet sunflower oil added to the basic diet for constipation.

What can you give your pet hamster in small doses:

  • Several vegetables and fruits, except cabbage of any kind, exotic fruits, beets.
  • Sweet dry, unsalted popcorn.
  • Any nuts - walnuts, hazelnuts or sesame.

What should you not feed hamsters?

We have already written that pet hamsters are strictly cannot be given any exotic fruits, hot, salty, peppery or too sweet, as well as fatty foods for which small digestive system animal is not designed at all.

This means that honey, any sweets, kozinaki, ice cream, halva and shortbread dough are contraindicated for a hamster: for a pet this is a slow-killing poison. The rodent's diet should be free of any milk, butter, cream, kefir and sour cream. Cabbage, fried meat, chocolate products, pasta, bread, breadcrumbs are contraindicated for your pet, as they contain an ingredient that is dangerous for the hamster. Yes, yes, don’t be surprised, hamsters should absolutely not be given bread, only grain.

Naturally garlic hot peppers, onion, sorrel should not be given to a rodent. Do not forget about melons and watermelons, as well as apricot or cherry pits, which contain acid that is harmful to the hamster.

Every time, make sure that the hamster eats only fresh, unspoiled food and feed, ripe fruits and vegetables, and has the required amount of fresh water. This is the only way your playful pet will delight you and your family for a long time with its cheerfulness, activity and healthy appearance!

Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and the care of companion animals. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. Works at the same animal clinic in his hometown more than 20 years.

Number of sources used in this article: . You will find a list of them at the bottom of the page.

Djungarian hamsters are adorable miniature animals measuring only 5–10 cm in length. They are relatively low maintenance, making them excellent family pets. Djungarian hamsters are little furry balls of boundless energy with a very fast metabolism, so it is important to provide them with a well-balanced diet that will keep them happy, healthy and active.

Steps

Part 1

Learn what you can feed Djungarian hamsters

    Feed your Djungarian hamster with ready-made commercial food for hamsters. Djungarian hamsters have a similar diet to other hamsters. The main part of your Djungarian hamster's diet should be ready-made commercial food for hamsters, which you can purchase at your nearest pet store. Prepared foods for hamsters can come in the form of granules and grain mixtures, usually consisting of seeds, grains and pieces of ground corn.

    EXPERT ADVICE

    Vet

    Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and the care of companion animals. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. He has been working at the same animal clinic in his hometown for over 20 years.

    Vet

    Pippa Elliott, a licensed veterinarian, recommends choosing kibble rather than muesli-like formulas: “Kibbles prevent your hamster from choosing the tastiest but least nutritious morsels in his food. Foods like muesli will provide your hamster with balanced diet only if he eats them completely and does not leave less tasty pieces in the bowl.”

    Give your hamster fresh fruits and vegetables. Vegetables and fruits provide additional nutrients and variety to your hamster's diet. Remember to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly with fresh water to remove any traces of pesticides and other chemicals. Examples of foods that you can feed your Djungarian hamster include asparagus, broccoli, bananas and blueberries.

    Include a good source of protein in your Djungarian hamster's diet. Protein is an important nutrient for Djungarian hamsters. Luckily, there are several excellent protein sources you can choose from. For example, fresh, unprocessed sunflower, flax and sesame seeds are quite rich in protein. Another good source of protein is lentils.

    Supplement your Djungarian hamster's diet with fiber. Good natural sources of fiber include timothy and alfalfa hay. Your Djungarian hamster may not particularly like hay, but you can offer it in small quantities to test this fact.

    Give your hamster solid treats once a week. Hard treats will allow your hamster to wear down his teeth, which is generally good for his oral hygiene. You can provide your hamster with small dog biscuits, ready-made hamster treats, or small branches from fruit trees.

    Provide your Djungarian hamster with fresh water. Water for the Djungarian hamster is as important as food. Purchase a drinking bowl for hamsters with a drinking spout in the form of a tube and a ball at your local pet store. The ball of such a bowl regulates the flow of water when the hamster drinks from it.

    Remember what you should not feed your Djungarian hamster. While there are many types of human food you can feed your hamster, there are some foods that can make your hamster sick and should be excluded from his diet. For example, you should not give your Djungarian hamster certain vegetables and fruits, including tomato greens, raw potatoes and onions. You should also avoid citrus fruits (oranges, lemons) as these fruits are too rich in acid.

    Part 2

    Feed your Djungarian hamster
    1. Choose a suitable food bowl for your Djungarian hamster. A small ceramic food bowl is ideal for your Junkar hamster. If you buy a large bowl, you will increase the likelihood of overfeeding your pet. In addition, large bowls take up a lot of space in the cage. Ceramic bowls are not afraid of being chewed and thus have an advantage over plastic bowls. Scratches on a plastic bowl can encourage bacteria to grow, so using a ceramic bowl reduces the chance of bacteria growing in or on the bowl.

      Feed your hamster at the same time every day. There is currently some debate about when is the best time to feed hamsters: in the morning or in the evening. The advantage of evening feedings is that the hamster will be awake at this time, since he is a nocturnal animal. On the other hand, morning feeding will mean that food will be present in the cage when the hamster periodically wakes up during the day.

      Monitor your hamster's eating habits. The Djungarian hamster's diet should contain a variety of types of food so that it can get all the nutrients it needs in the right amount. However, your hamster may not like everything you give him. If you notice that he constantly refuses certain type feed, replace it with something else.

      Don't overfeed your hamster. He only needs one tablespoon of food per day,

The largest percentage of deaths of hamsters at home is caused by gastrointestinal diseases, which arise in most cases due to non-compliance with measures to prevent them during feeding. Therefore, it is very important to maintain hygiene, diet and feeding regimen.

Like any domestic animal, a hamster needs adequate nutrition for normal functioning and reproduction. The food for the animal must contain in sufficient quantity and the required proportion those elements that are spent in the animal’s body for the formation of energy, the growth of new cells and tissues. So, a hamster needs proteins vitally,

fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water.

It is worth noting that all components of the feed mixture must be balanced in the required proportions and meet the needs of animals at any given period of their life.

When feeding hamsters, it is advisable to use diets compiled by veterinary specialists taking into account the needs of animals depending on the time of year (Table 2). In winter and early spring, 0.3 g should be added to the feed fish oil, 0.2-0.4 g of yeast and 0.2-0.3 g of salt per animal.

The daily rate of food consumption by a hamster depends on its size and age (Table 3). Small and young animals require relatively large amounts of food. So, if your pet weighs between 10 and 14 g, daily norm food for him

should be 70-80% of his body weight, and in some cases - 100% or more. As they grow older, the weight of young animals gradually increases, and the amount of food they eat per day changes accordingly.

The ratio of different types of food, even for one hamster, can vary depending on its physiological state and external conditions (most often the air temperature in the room). The appetites of individuals of the same species can vary greatly, and, of course, each animal has its own preferences for certain foods. In this regard, strictly ensure that the animal eats all the food offered to it, and does not choose only its favorite food in the feeder.

Despite the fact that currently for everyone age group For hamsters, norms and diets have been developed; the amount of food per day is determined, as a rule, experimentally.

Table 1 Daily diet of a hamster depending on the time of year

Type of feed Time of the year
Winter Spring Summer Autumn
Vegetables 50 g 50 g 50 g 50 g
Roots 15 g 15 g 10 g 10 g
Bread 15 g 15 g 10 g 10 g
Milk 10 ml 10 ml 10 ml 10 ml
Corn 20 g 20 g 20 g 20 g
Fresh herbs 300 g 300 g
Hay 10 g 10 g

table 2 The daily diet of a hamster depending on its age

Hamsters are unpretentious eaters. You can safely give your pet almost everything you eat yourself. The main thing is to follow the rule: food should be varied.

Since the hamster sleeps all day and wakes up only at 8 pm, evening feeding is usually timed at this time. The animals are fed once a day in the evening or 2 times - in the morning and in the evening. Food must be fresh and good quality.

It is up to you to decide what food and what feeding to give your pet. However, keep in mind that you need to feed the animal at the same time and with the same type of food. For example, morning feeding can be done at 7 o'clock, offering the hamster juicy and green food, boiled vegetables and protein supplements, and evening feeding - at 19 o'clock. For the second feeding, the animal should be given grain mixtures or porridge and, of course, some kind of treat.

If your hamster becomes overweight quickly, this will have a negative impact on his health over time. You can correct the situation by reducing the amount of food and making him move more. Bakery products must be completely excluded from the animal’s diet.

Feeding regimen and hygiene

Hamsters should be fed strictly at certain times, 2-3 times a day (pregnant females are fed 3-4 times a day), giving them food at regular intervals. Evening feeding should be complete and consist of 40% of the animal’s daily diet. Indiscriminate feeding of pets can lead to dysfunction of the normal functioning of the digestive organs, which will have a detrimental effect on the digestibility of the food eaten and, over time, will lead to metabolic disorders.

If your hamster stops spinning the wheel and starts chewing on its axle or iron bars, do not be alarmed and do not rush to get him out of the cage. He's probably sharpening his teeth. And to prevent the animal from gnawing on anything, put a special stone for rodents, a piece of chalk or a branch of a fruit tree in the cage.

As a rule, in the morning feeding hamsters are given succulent food, and in the afternoon and evening - ready-made or grain food, as well as hay and milk (lactating females). In the spring and summer, instead of hay, the animals are fed greens. In winter, it is good to give animals sprouted grains of wheat and oats, as well as various fortified food (fresh vegetables, dried nettles and alfalfa). Tree branches can be given to hamsters in unlimited quantities. When feeding hamsters, the following rules must be observed:

Under no circumstances should animals be fed cold or frozen food.

as well as withered or moldy food;

The feeder and drinker must be washed daily;

Hay and green food should be placed in the feeder, otherwise the grass scattered around the cage will quickly become dirty

and will fall into disrepair;

Before feeding green and juicy food to pigs, it must be thoroughly washed and dried;

It is better to give food in a ceramic bowl, since animals can knock over a plastic bowl;

After each feeding, you need to remove any leftover food from the cage.

Regular digestive disorders and, as a consequence, metabolic disorders occur in hamsters from constant overeating. Therefore you should not feed

pets every time they start to stand on their hind legs. Perhaps this behavior is not associated with hunger at all, but with boredom: sometimes it is enough to let the hamsters out for a walk around the room or install a new toy in the cage so that the animals have something to do.

New food should be introduced into the animals’ diet gradually: after offering the hamsters a small amount of new food, you need to monitor their behavior and digestive processes (based on the consistency of excrement).

Grain, bran, root vegetables, hay, fresh grass, even mushrooms and plant waste - all this is eaten by hamsters. But the food must be good quality and fresh. Musty grain, rotten root crops, rotten grass inevitably cause gastrointestinal diseases, often with fatal consequences.

According to most hobbyists, the best food for hamsters is wheat bran, oats, carrots and green food (spring and summer) or hay (autumn and winter).

Before giving cucumbers, tomatoes and various fruits to hamsters, they must be washed well, but not peeled. But sweet bell peppers, after thoroughly washing, must be freed from thin skin and seeds and only then fed to the animals.

The following foods are harmful to hamsters:

Moldy, rotten and contaminated products, as well as food that has expired;

Red cabbage;

Sweets;

Leftover food from the owner's table;

Damp feed;

Unripe and overripe fruits and berries.

How many times a day should you feed your hamster? and got the best answer

Answer from Polina Rukhova[newbie]
Usually food is served 2 times a day. Don't worry - your hamster won't eat more than he needs. He hoards uneaten food. Here it is important to ensure that spoiled foods do not remain in his nest for a long time, and to examine the hamster’s supplies for the presence of uneaten apples, cucumbers, etc. Otherwise, the hamster may become poisoned.

Answer from Yergey Yuryev[guru]
4 times and water


Answer from Marie[newbie]
2-3 times a day.


Answer from Anna Bodrova[newbie]
2 times. Put food there for him, fill a bowl, and let him eat, they still won’t eat more than they need


Answer from N@T@SHK@-ROMA6KA[guru]
We feed once a day in the evening, change the water every two days


Answer from Tina Kelven[guru]
The main feeding is once a day in the evening, when the hamster wakes up. Since the hamster is a nocturnal animal, it will need energy to run and play at night. The hamster should always have a grain mixture, as well as water, but it is advisable to give fruits, herbs, protein foods (for example, eggs, cottage cheese, meat) in the evening so that the hamster eats it while it is fresh. The remains of these products should be thrown away in the morning (look in the house, they like to drag food into the house) if the hamster has not eaten, otherwise they will spoil and the animal may be poisoned. Change the water every 2-3 days if the hamster drinks from a ball bowl, and if from a bowl, then every evening.


Answer from Oksana Pokrovskaya[newbie]
In the morning fresh vegetables fruits in the evening grain mixture fresh water constantly seasonally fresh grass is also not bad

The hamster is a cute, funny animal that is fun to watch and brings joy and fun to your home. That is why, when purchasing this small animal, we often do not understand that its nutrition should be taken more than seriously. Eating from a person's "master's" table is completely unacceptable for a hamster. Some foods can make the animal very ill. Therefore, in order for your little pet to delight you with its virtuosity for a long time, it is better to know exactly what you should feed it.

In ancient times, hamsters were wild animals. They lived mainly in the steppes, where you don’t have much freedom in choosing food. If the hamster found grain, then, as a thrifty rodent, he would definitely take it into his hole, since he knew that it would be difficult in winter, and he needed to stock up for all the cold weather. Such “thriftiness” of rodents due to the massive destruction of crops is, of course, not welcomed by agronomists. also in wildlife In addition to grain, hamsters eat larvae and caterpillars.

This is interesting! Wild hamsters living in harsh natural conditions can pose a huge danger to animals that are much smaller than them. In addition to plant foods, hamsters will not disdain small animals, carrion and insects.

If you bring home a hamster, be prepared to feed it food that must contain all the necessary trace elements and all vitamin composition: We are talking about vegetables. In winter, unlike in summer, the hamster should be given more nutrients along with food, which will contain carbohydrates, protein foods, and fats. Among other things, the animal must have fresh water next to its food.

Remember that keeping hamsters is not so difficult, the main thing is that you take a responsible approach to the issue of feeding this intelligent animal. Therefore, we decided to familiarize you in detail with which foods are preferable to give to a hamster, and which are strictly prohibited for him.

What can you feed hamsters and what not?

What diet for a pet hamster is considered balanced and correct? What should he be given daily, what should he be limited in, and what should he not be fed?

If you feed your hamster everything that you bought for him at the market or in the supermarket, you are definitely risking his health. After all, you don’t know where the saleswoman got the green salad or carrots on the counter, and you also don’t know how the vegetables were processed before they arrived at the store. And if vegetables and fruits were fertilized with substances that are very harmful in their chemical composition, or they were grown next to a dusty, dirty road.

That's why safest food for your pet only the one that you or your friends have grown in their own garden.

Fact! Every year, 2 adult hamsters die from cucumbers or salads treated with chemicals.

The most vital food for small domestic rodents is, of course, any grains, dry food and cereals. It is better to buy boxes of dry food with additives in stores that specifically sell dry food and food for animals.

Be sure to include in your hamster's daily diet:

  • Pea, barley, rolled oats, wheat, millet, oatmeal, corn and lentils
  • Protein food consisting of: low-fat dairy products (one percent fat content is allowed in regular yogurt, without additives, kefir and cottage cheese); chicken meat; river fish and shrimp; quail or fresh chicken eggs; insects, gammarus, grasshoppers and dried worms from a zoological store.
  • Additional food - wheat and oat ears, dried hay. In order for the hamster to have the opportunity to grind his teeth in the cage, you should place a twig of any fruit tree or a birch twig.
  • Fresh dill, lettuce leaves, parsley or clover.
  • Minerals along with vitamins. We advise you not to buy vitamins individually in specialized stores, but rather take a package with mineral supplements. However, before you give your pet vitamins, monitor the animal’s reaction: will he like them? There are hamsters that cannot stand this or that vitamin. If there is an urgent need to support the health of a small pet, it is better to grind the vitamins into powder and add them to the main liquid food, or mix them with fruits and vegetables. Be careful not to overfeed your hamster with vitamins, otherwise he may develop various diseases due to side effects. Please note that recently, each pet store has been selling special wheels for rodents to help the animal grind its teeth.
  • Fresh water. Drinking is vital for any animal, just as it is for humans. There is no water in cereals and grains, so a domestic hamster, which spends most of its life in a cage, definitely needs water.

To feed your hamster if diarrhea or constipation occurs, you can give:

  • Cereals boiled in water. Before cooking the cereal, it should be soaked in water in advance.
  • Rice boiled in plain water. It helps the hamster with diarrhea and intestinal disorders.
  • A drop of sunflower oil is added to the basic diet for constipation.

What can you give your pet hamster in small doses:

  • Several vegetables and fruits, except cabbage of any kind, exotic fruits, beets.
  • Sweet dry, unsalted popcorn.
  • Any nuts - walnuts, hazelnuts or sesame.

What should you not feed hamsters?

We have already written that pet hamsters are strictly cannot be given any exotic fruits, spicy, salty, peppery or too sweet, as well as fatty foods for which the animal’s small digestive system is not designed at all.

This means that honey, any sweets, kozinaki, ice cream, halva and shortbread dough are contraindicated for a hamster: for a pet this is a slow-killing poison. The rodent's diet should be free of any milk, butter, cream, kefir and sour cream. Cabbage, fried meat, chocolate products, pasta, bread, breadcrumbs are contraindicated for your pet, as they contain an ingredient that is dangerous for the hamster. Yes, yes, don’t be surprised, hamsters should absolutely not be given bread, only grain.

Naturally, garlic, hot peppers, onions, and sorrel should not be given to a rodent. Do not forget about melons and watermelons, as well as apricot or cherry pits, which contain acid that is harmful to the hamster.

Every time, make sure that the hamster eats only fresh, unspoiled food and feed, ripe fruits and vegetables, and has the required amount of fresh water. This is the only way your playful pet will delight you and your family for a long time with its cheerfulness, activity and healthy appearance!