Do you need to know what hamsters eat in order to properly take care of your new pet? Hamsters, like most animals, love to eat. Not only that, they love to hoard their food as well. You will see them stuffing various foods into their expanding cheek pouches and scurrying to their food stash or hideaway.
You probably already know that good hamster care means that you will provide a good grain mix from the pet store as the base of your hamster's diet. For most hamsters, about a tablespoon of this per day should suffice. What is most interesting about the grain mix is that hamsters will choose the grains that provide the nutrients they need. They instinctively know or learn which grains provide their bodies with what is required.
One debate about the grain mix is whether it should be sprinkled throughout the cage or placed in a ceramic bowl. Proponents of the sprinkling method say that hamsters need to forage for food just like they do in the wild. They can go all around the cage finding food, putting it in their pouches, and taking it back to their feeding area or hoarding spots. Those who are against sprinkling say that the food can quickly become unclean with waste and make keeping the cage clean very difficult. Also, with the bowl method, you can more clearly track exactly what your hamster is eating.
It might be a good idea to jot down what your hamster eats at least for the first few months. You can also note if it appears a certain grain from the mix is eaten more frequently than other grains. It might be vital information for your veterinarian should your hamster ever become sick.
In the wild, hamsters typically eat wild grains, small insects, and grasses. So it is essential that you also provide some variety in captivity. Some hamster owners even provide a mealworm or two to their hamsters though this is not very common. Instead, a few different types of snacks provided on a daily basis will do the trick.
Snacks you can supplement with include fruits and vegetables. Some of the best fruits and vegetables for your hamster include things like grapes, cabbage, broccoli, cucumber, celery, sweet potato, spinach, and peas. Be careful with the leafy greens, as diarrhea can sometimes be the result.
The best way to offer your pet these snacks is by hand if you haven't tamed your hamster yet. They will quickly learn to relate your hand with tasty treats, which will make handling them much easier down the road.
Other snacks and treats are available at pet food stores but you should read the labels to make sure there is nothing dangerous for your specific breed of hamster. Dog biscuits are one good option because hamsters can gnaw on them with their teeth. There are also some incredibly cute videos out there on the Internet of hamsters running around with large doggie bones in their mouths!
Other treats you can provide on a more limited basis include hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, nutritional yeast (just a smidge once per week), and fish liver oil (1-2 drops on their grains). Do not ever feed your hamster chocolates or sweets, as hamsters are pretty susceptible to diabetes.
Now that you know what hamsters eat, you can make sure you hamster stays satisfied and healthy with a wide variety of choices.
You probably already know that good hamster care means that you will provide a good grain mix from the pet store as the base of your hamster's diet. For most hamsters, about a tablespoon of this per day should suffice. What is most interesting about the grain mix is that hamsters will choose the grains that provide the nutrients they need. They instinctively know or learn which grains provide their bodies with what is required.
One debate about the grain mix is whether it should be sprinkled throughout the cage or placed in a ceramic bowl. Proponents of the sprinkling method say that hamsters need to forage for food just like they do in the wild. They can go all around the cage finding food, putting it in their pouches, and taking it back to their feeding area or hoarding spots. Those who are against sprinkling say that the food can quickly become unclean with waste and make keeping the cage clean very difficult. Also, with the bowl method, you can more clearly track exactly what your hamster is eating.
It might be a good idea to jot down what your hamster eats at least for the first few months. You can also note if it appears a certain grain from the mix is eaten more frequently than other grains. It might be vital information for your veterinarian should your hamster ever become sick.
In the wild, hamsters typically eat wild grains, small insects, and grasses. So it is essential that you also provide some variety in captivity. Some hamster owners even provide a mealworm or two to their hamsters though this is not very common. Instead, a few different types of snacks provided on a daily basis will do the trick.
Snacks you can supplement with include fruits and vegetables. Some of the best fruits and vegetables for your hamster include things like grapes, cabbage, broccoli, cucumber, celery, sweet potato, spinach, and peas. Be careful with the leafy greens, as diarrhea can sometimes be the result.
The best way to offer your pet these snacks is by hand if you haven't tamed your hamster yet. They will quickly learn to relate your hand with tasty treats, which will make handling them much easier down the road.
Other snacks and treats are available at pet food stores but you should read the labels to make sure there is nothing dangerous for your specific breed of hamster. Dog biscuits are one good option because hamsters can gnaw on them with their teeth. There are also some incredibly cute videos out there on the Internet of hamsters running around with large doggie bones in their mouths!
Other treats you can provide on a more limited basis include hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, nutritional yeast (just a smidge once per week), and fish liver oil (1-2 drops on their grains). Do not ever feed your hamster chocolates or sweets, as hamsters are pretty susceptible to diabetes.
Now that you know what hamsters eat, you can make sure you hamster stays satisfied and healthy with a wide variety of choices.