One of the best ways to make sure that your hamster is healthy is to provide the right and balanced hamster food. There are many options out there and a lot of misleading information that will make you buy and feed your hamster the wrong set of diets.
Surprisingly, there is a lot of food that is harmful and must not be given to your hamster. There are also threats that you should not give too often to avoid health issues. This article discusses the best hamster food, show a list what dry mix is best to buy, which fruit and vegetable are safe, and other safe and best food to feed your fur baby.
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WHAT IS THE BALANCED DIET FOR YOUR HAMSTER
As a hamster parent, knowing the right and healthy diet is a must. It’s one of the basic hamster supplies that you need to have ready and constantly have in stock to keep a balanced diet.
Here are the following nutrients that you should consider when preparing and buying the right food for your hamster:
- Proteins – necessary for tissue and muscle growth
- Carbohydrates and Fats – give energy and warmth, but if given too much can cause weight gain and illness
- Vitamins – only a small amount of vitamins is necessary but very essential
- Minerals – like vitamins, only a small amount is required, best to find in milk, vegetables, green foods, and grains
- Water
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT FOOD IS SAFE FOR YOUR HAMSTER
Not because a certain food is safe for humans or your dog doesn’t mean that it’s safe to give to your hamster as well. This section will discuss why it is important to know what food is safe for your hamster and which is not. Giving the right diet keeps a hamster happy and, of course, healthy.
Hamsters are prone to diabetes and obesity
Hamsters are known to be prone to diabetes and obesity, hence, watching what food to give and not to give is very crucial to avoid these diseases. Plus, make sure that your hamster gets plenty of exercise daily.
They often get bored with their food
Hamster often gets bored with their food and treat, therefore, knowing which treats, and food are safe to be on your roaster is important. Dry mixes also don’t provide the bought amount of vitamins and protein, it will be best to know which ones you can mix together.
Hamsters rely on you
Hamsters don’t know which food is good and bad for them, hence, it is important that you be knowledgeable about which ones are no-go.
Can hamsters eat chocolate
Absolutely not. Hamsters can’t eat chocolate because of the chemical it contains called theobromine. Humans can tolerate this. However, hamsters and other animals cannot metabolize this, meaning it will remain in their bloodstream for 24 hours. Animals can get poisoned by theobromine even with just a few grams, which can lead to death.
Can hamsters eat basil
Yes, but only in small amounts. You can either mix it in their regular dry mix or hand-fed a pinch. Don’t give them too much of it to avoid upsetting their stomach. If hamsters load too much basil in their pouch, it might cause some issues too.
MUST-READ: 20+ FAQ about hamster food – what hamsters can and cannot eat
HOW LONG CAN HAMSTERS GO WITHOUT FOOD
Hamsters can last for weeks or even months without food if they save enough food and are left with a food bowl full of dry mix. Since hamsters hoard food, it will depend on how much food hamsters hide. Let’s say you left your hamster alone for a week with a full food bowl, this amount of food plus their hoarded food will lastha them for weeks.
On the other hand, if your hamster escaped from the cage, they probably have some dry mix in its cheek pouch. But that won’t be enough to last them more than 24 hours, not to mention the lack of access to water.
CAN HAMSTERS EAT COOKED FOOD
Yes, cooking meals for your hamster is highly recommended. As long as you are a ware of a few, yet crucial things:
- boil the food, rather than frying
- don’t use seasonings such as salt, pepper, etc
- provide only healthy items (break chicken, tofu, vegetables, egg whites)
- avoid high-fat meals (pork, beef, sausages)
- feed your hamster cooked meals at least 2-3 times a week
DO HAMSTERS EAT MEALWORMS
Yes, hamsters love mealworms. You can give a raw/live mealworm and/or drymealworm. If you give the dry mealwom, make sure to cut off the head of the worm so it can’t bite your hamster’s mouth/cheeks and cause injury/infection.
Make sure to only give mealworms once a day. If you are giving dried meal worms, don’t give more than 2-3 pieces because those are greasy.
BEST HAMSTER FOOD AND BEST DRY MIXES
Dry mixes are those packaged nut and seed mixes that you can buy in retail pet stores. They are easy to find and provide plenty of variety in each pack. However, many dry mixes contain nuts and seeds that a hamster shouldn’t be eating (like sweet raisins), while some of these packs are missing essentials that your hamster should be getting daily.
When buying a pack of dry mix, it’s best to look at the nutritional content list and see the percentage of each vitamin and nutrient in each package. Here is the list of the most important nutritional content that you should focus on:
- Protein: minimum of 19%
- ALSO CHECK: Healthy and best hamster treats that you can buy over-the-counter
IMPORTANT: Is a hamster food bowl is better than an automatic dispenser?
Harry Hamster Mix
These dry mixes are sold by “Tiny Friends Farm” and “Supreme”. These two brands’ versions of Harry Hamsters offer the following in each pack: different types of peanuts and seeds, which are very good providers of protein, vitamins, and minerals. These are important to keep your hamster’s skin and coat healthy.
JR Farm
Another good option is JR Farm’s dry mix. It has lots of ingredients, such as oat, different types of seeds and nuts, hay, bean flakes, bread flakes, and wheat flakes, to name a few. However, it is recommended to supplement this with high-protein food and extra mealworms. You can add Science Selective Nugget with JR Farm as well.
Supreme Science Selective
This dry mix is best to be added to other dry mixes as it provides extra protein. However, it is important to only give 2-3 pieces each feeding time as this can cause weight gain. Although these reasons shouldn’t stop you from feeding your hamster this type of food – simply give it in moderation.
Burgess SupaHamster & Burgess Dwarf
Burgess has two dry mix packages; one for Syrian and one for Dwarf. It provides food mixes such as dried mealworms, grains, seeds, nuts, and fruit flakes. It’s on the pricey side, but it offers really good and balanced nutrients.
Kaytee Fiesta Hamster Food
One of the favourite brands in the hamster community is Kaytee. Their dry mix offers a good variety, such as nuts, seeds, vegetable flakes, and dried fruits, to name a few. However, it needs to be supplemented with extra protein.
Oxbow Mix
This is another brand that many hamster owners trust. They focus on making vegetable treats that are naturally baked and filled with a lot of vitamins and nutrients. The treats come in different flavours for your hamsters to choose from.
Oxbow Mix is one of the most recommended dry mixes by hamster owners. It’s safe to say that it’s one of the best hamster foods you can buy over the counter.
Mazuri
Mazuri or Mazuri blocks are also great main food for your hamster. It has 23% protein, Vitamin E, seeds, and other nutrients and vitamins that a hamster needs. We still recommend you switch it up with another dry mix in case your hamster gets bored with eating the same thing every day.
Higgins Sunburst
Popular to many hamster owners, Higgins’ Sunburst is a good dry mix for your hamster as the main food. You can also add some treats to give an extra boost and entice your hamster to eat a healthier diet.
Wild Harvest Advanced Nutrition Diet for Hamsters
This dry mix for hamsters has grains, seeds, dried vegetables, and dried fruit. It comes in small and big packs. I recommend you try a small one first and see if your hamster likes it or not. It contained 18% protein (which is the minimum a hamster needs).
Mix It Yourself
You can also mix the following together to provide a complete and balanced diet for your hamster:
- Harry hamster
- Burgess SupaHamster/Burgess Dwarf
- with extra mealworms
- and top it up with 2-3 Science Selective Nuggets
LIST OF WHAT HAMSTERS CAN EAT – FRESH FOOD
This section will show you the safe fruits to feed to your hamster to make sure that your pet is getting a complete and balanced diet.
Safe fruits, vegetables, and meat
Here is a list of fruits, vegetables, and meat that are safe for hamsters:
Safe fruits
- Apple – no seed
- Apricot
- Banana – best to be given mixed with something else, it can be stuck in their pouches too, hence don’t give it too often
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cherries – no stones
- Cranberries
- Coconuts
- Kiwi
- Lychee – no stones
- Mango
- Melon – in small amounts, it can cause stomach pain due to high water content
- Peach – no stones
- Pear – no seeds
- Plum – no seeds
- Raspberries
- Raspberry leaves – can be helpful for diarrhoea
- Seedless grapes
- Strawberries
- Sultanas/Raisins – not sweetened
Vegetables
Not all vegetables are safe for hamsters, check the list below and read this article about safe live plants for hamsters:
- Asparagus
- Bean Sprouts
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli
- Cabbage – moderately
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Chard
- Chestnuts
- Chickweed
- Chicory
- Clover
- Corn on the con – sweetcorn
- Cucumber
- Dandelion leaves
- Endive
- Green beans
- Kale
- Parsnips
- Peas
- Potatoes – must be cooked, don’t feed raw, plain boiling only
- Radicchio
- Romaine Lettuce
- Spinach
- Squash
- Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet bell peppers
- Swiss chard
- Turnip
- Water chestnuts
- Zucchini – courgette
Meat and protein
- Ground beef – cooked, rinse in hot water to remove grease, cool down before feeding
- Chicken or Turkey – cooked, steamed or baked
- Fish cod – cooked, remove bones and skin
- Grasshopper – can be bought in pet stores
- Mealworms – can be bought in pet stores and bird food section
- Crickets – available at pet stores
- Eggs – boiled or scrambled
- Plain tofu
- Dog biscuit – no garlic or onion powder
Others
- Alfalfa
- Bread – must be whole grain not white, can be soaked in kitten milk
- Brown rice – plain
- Cereals – – sugarless
- Cheese – mild cheeses like cheddar, must be given in moderation
- Cottage cheese -low fat
- Flaxseed
- Lentils
- Nuts – unsalted, unsweetened, unflavoured by powder, herb or spices
- Oatmeal – dry or soaked in some water or kitten milk
- Pasta – boiled, wheat or spinach instead of white pasta
- Popcorn – no salt, sugar or butter
- Pumpkin seed – unsalted
- Sesame seed
- Yoghurt – plain, low fat, low sugar
WHAT CAN HAMSTERS NOT EAT
These are unsafe food for a couple of reasons such as, can choke your hamster, the food can be stuck in their pouch that can spoil in there and cause illness, hamsters can’t digest it properly, it can upset their stomach, bad for their teeth, can cause rapid weight gain (trigger diabetes or obesity) to name a few.
- Apple seed
- Avocado – contains cardiac glycosides
- Canned food
- Chips and junk food
- Chives
- Chocolate
- Eggplant
- Fool’s parsley
- Garlic
- Grape seeds
- Jams and other preserved foods
- Leeks
- Lemon or lime – no acidic fruit
- Onion
- Orange, tangerine – any citrus fruits are a no-go
- Pickles
- Pork products
- Raw potato
- Raw kidney beans
- Raw rhubarb
- Scallions
- Spices
- Tomato and tomato leaves
IS BABY FOOD SAFE FOR HAMSTERS
Baby food is great for elderly hamsters who can’t chew solid food anymore, however, you have to choose the right one properly. When buying baby food, you must check the ingredients.
Avoid ingredients such as artificial additives, herbs, spices, onion, garlic, tomato, leeks and citrus flavour, and other ingredients under the unsafe foods list.
FINAL THOUGHTS
So far, that’s what we have for you about the best hamster food. We’ll keep this post updated as much as we can to provide larger options for you to choose from. If you have any recommendations that we should add both dry mixes and food that should be avoided, let us know in the comment section below.
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