Do not overfeed your hamster--doing so could result in obesity or a disease such as diabetes. Owners of pet hamsters should rely on high-quality commercial hamster pellets to provide their pet with a balanced nutrition. Since hamsters are crepuscular (which means they are most active during twilight hours), they will often eat at dawn or dusk. Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital, 2020. Feeding your furry friend well will ensure that it lives as long as possible. It’s essential to know what do hamsters like before feeding it. The first thing to consider is that they are omnivorous animals and therefore their diet is quite varied. To feed your hamster, give it 1 tablespoon of hamster food, which you can buy from a pet store, once a day either in the morning or the evening. You will find that your hamster goes to the bathroom in one corner of his cage. Roborovski's are the only hamsters who are nearly completely vegetarian, although they… Skip the junk food and stick to healthy things like whole grains, fresh vegetables, and fruit (in moderation, otherwise diarrhea may result). The majority of a pet hamster's food should be made up of a good quality, store-bought food designed specifically for hamsters (not for rats, mice, or cats). Every day at wikiHow, we work hard to give you access to instructions and information that will help you live a better life, whether it's keeping you safer, healthier, or improving your well-being. Weaning the Baby Hamsters . I think I overfed her and this really helped. Change the bedding, clean all the toys with water, and wash the feeding bowl and the water bottle. Hamsters can be cute, small, cuddly, and playful. Their large cheek pouches are perhaps the most characteristic feature, and these pouches allow hamsters to bring large quantities of food back to their burrows, where they store it for later use. Hamsters do not have a sharp brain like yours to understand what is good for them and what is not. Clean your hamster's cage once a week. Hamsters can be hand-fed, however, they can also bite. What should I do about my hamster if I am going on a trip for two weeks? Make sure you have several bowls so that you can put his daily rations in a clean one and remove the old one for washing. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. How much should I feed my hamster? This list aims to give you some ideas that can spice up your hamster’s diet, as well as providing a safe food list. Onions, garlic, chives, and leeks; Your hamsters are curious little animals that love to sample on any type of food, and that is why you have to make sure that they stay away from these vegetables.You might think it is ok to feed your pet some onions because you like them and you often include them in your diet. This means that when a hamster is aged 15 to 18 months, he is considered to be middle-aged. You may also use puppy or kitten formula. In the wild, hamsters will forage for food during the night and wake up throughout the day to enjoy their findings. Also, you must also know the limitations of what your pet must consume, Check out How to Feed Hamsters. Without a mother hamster, you can feed the baby hamsters with Lactol. Find out from these guides what hamsters can eat. The hamster should only be fed an amount of fruit or vegetables that it will eat in a day as if the hamster is fed too much and stores any vegetables and fruit they can become mouldy. Support wikiHow by All species of hamsters need the general mixed food made for hamsters, but make sure it doesn't have lots of artificial colours and additives. Vegetables: Carrot; Broccoli; Cabbage; Cauliflower; Chicory; Spinach; Sweet peppers; Cucumber; Cress; Courgette; Fruits: Apple; Pear; Peach; Melon; Don’t feed citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons or grapefruits, to your hamster. "This was an amazing help! It can reduce overeating, cure infections, and prevent weight gain in hamsters. Senior hamsters are more susceptible to illness than younger hamsters. “With dwarfs, be careful not to put your hands by their bowls since they can be territorial,” Cribbs said. Most foods are designed for the larger Syrian hamster, whereas they are acceptable, they are not ideal. Feeding Feeding a Roborovski is no different from feeding any other kind of hamster, but there is a difference when putting your own touch outside of the Robo's regular diet. Living mealworms are a little more challenging to find than the dried variety. You must provide a diverse diet for proper nutrition, without altering your hamster’s feeding regimen too frequently. ", Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Just normal hamster food it doesn't really matter. Get someone to take care of him. We’ve made a list of some great foods that hamsters can enjoy safely, on the following page. You can feed your hamster a variety of human foods as long as you limit the treats to no more than 10 percent of your hamster's diet. I am purchasing a hamster soon, and I was trying a ton of sites on what to feed him/her. Good vegetables to feed your hamster include: turnips, carrots, chicory, spinach, parsley, pumpkin, endive, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and asparagus. They are designed to accommodate your hamster’s diverse nutritional needs. There are a couple of ways to feed hamsters mealworms. Read our, Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamsters: Species Profile, Campbell's Dwarf Russian Hamster: Species Profile, Syrian Hamster (Golden Hamster): Species Profile. These little creatures are constantly on the lookout for something tasty to munch on and they are also gatherers. This article, "My hamster will not wake up in the daytime even though she used to. ", "Great info! Therefore, it is important to follow a course of dry feed, provided by the veterinarian, and supplement it with these products occasionally and in … The mealworms can be alive or dead! Fruits are not compulsory for your hamsters to eat regularly. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. But your pet food choices at the pet store can be overwhelming even by narrowing it down to hamster food. Doing so will ensure that mold doesn't begin to grow due to the stored (and forgotten) food your hamster will leave around the cage. Some experts recommend night time feedings because hamsters are nocturnal and thus will be awake throughout the evening. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. You can feed your hamster once a day if you place a small quantity of dry food in a small bowl Fresh food and vegetables should be fed in tiny quantities and any that remains uneaten should be removed the same day. For the most part, dried mealworms for hamsters are a popular choice and many hamsters like them in that … In the wild, hamsters eat insects, frogs and even lizards. In pet shops you can find specific food for them known as … A balanced diet for a Dwarf Hamsters consists of 16-24% protein, 60-65% carbohydrates, and 5–7% fat, with access to fresh water at all times. Increase this to 3 drops every half-hour as it approaches 2 weeks of age. Although a hamster mix will provide the hamster with a good basic diet, hamsters also enjoy fruit and vegetables to eat. Additionally, feed your hamster a small portion of fruit, vegetables, or protein every day or every other day. However, it is important to know what can and cannot be fed to hamsters to avoid harming the hamster by feeding something which may be poisonous and to help keep the hamster healthy by feeding a healthy diet. Remove any uneaten food as it will go off fast. Do not use any cleaning products. Make sure you give them a good wash before you feed them to your hamster and only feed a small amount each day. Usually it's just a bag saying hamster food, can buy it cheap from wilkos and it is a muesli. A hamster can be picky with loose seed mixes, eating only their favorite items, resulting in an unbalanced diet. One of the main problems is that a hamster will often beg for food even when they are not hungry. The reason pregnant mothers and babies need more protein is that they need all the protein to grow. Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Hamsters are part of the rodent family and they come from Syria, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. Seeds and pits can be poisonous, so be sure to keep these away from your hamster. Make sure your hamster doesn’t put … Our knowledge of hamster nutrition and husbandry has come on a lot in the last few years, and these adorable creatures are finally getting recognition as great pets for adults and children alike. Remove any uneaten food at the end of each day to prevent it from rotting in the cage. While seeds contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, nutrients and healthy fats, not all of them are ok to feed to hamsters. Read this OneHowTo article and discover the vegetables hamsters can eat. You can buy hamster muesli from a pet shop (or even make your own, but this isn’t recommended). Fruit hamsters can eat include apples, blueberries, plums, figs, strawberries, bananas, cut grapes and pears. Treatment for this painful condition can be costly, and there is no cure. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/9e\/Feed-Hamsters-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Feed-Hamsters-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9e\/Feed-Hamsters-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid586185-v4-728px-Feed-Hamsters-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"