How and what to feed hamsters: diet at home. Syrian hamster nutrition

It is impossible to determine experimentally what hamsters eat at home. Hungry animals will begin to grab everything, including foods that are unsuitable for them. Before you get a pet, find out what it can and cannot eat.

The animal’s natural food depends on its habitat, and what hamsters eat also depends on this. They prefer to settle in fields, so their main diet is grain crops. If there is a village nearby, animals are sure to visit it. There they deal with stored vegetables and fruits. Fresh greens are part of the diet. The hamster eats grass and field plants. Beetles, spiders and caterpillars are the favorite prey of rodents. The character of animals is far from angelic; if they come across a wounded animal, the rodent will not disdain fresh meat.

What does a hamster eat at home?

The closer the home diet is to natural, the better for the animal. In the wild, no one cooks him fried potatoes and dumplings. Therefore, homemade fried, salted, smoked and sweet foods will very quickly destroy the baby.

Hamsters should not eat fatty, spicy foods or canned foods.

The main part of the diet is grains. Watch how hamsters eat and choose the appropriate mixture. Special mixtures can be purchased at the store. Vitamins are usually added to more expensive mixtures.

Willingly eats animals and fruits at home. This is important if there is no water bottle in the cage. give to animals in finely chopped form or in large pieces so that teeth can be ground down.

Perishable foods should be removed from the cage after 6-8 hours so as not to poison the babies.

Do not give to animals:

• potatoes;
• exotic fruits;
• Brazil nuts.

Domestic hamsters enjoy eating boiled eggs, insects, low-fat cottage cheese, seeds and nuts. There is no need to stuff animals with meat 3 times a day. Such food should appear “on the table” 2-3 times a week.

The protein component must be present in the menu of pregnant and lactating females almost every day.

Earthworms- very nutritious food, the hamster eats them with great appetite, but you cannot dig worms in the garden. Pets can become infected with something. Must be in a cage for grinding down incisors.

How much do pet hamsters eat?

Animals are nocturnal, so their main meal is in the evening. The amount of food that should be given to the baby depends on the size of the animal. When feeding twice a day, the Syrian should be given 1 tbsp. spoon of the mixture in the morning and evening, and 1 teaspoon of dzungaria. In the evening, provide the animal with juicy fruits and vegetables, and in the morning, carefully remove any uneaten remains from the cage.

For a hamster, food is not only daily diet, but also reserves. The animal will hide uneaten food for a rainy day. In addition to removing perishable foods, look through and throw away supplies as you clean to prevent little ones from eating spoiled food. To prevent the rodent from being too offended, place a few seeds in a clean pantry.

How do rodents drink?

The inhabitants of the steppe do not need baths with water to drink, and they clean their skins in containers with sand. However, it must be in a cage with an animal. It can be hanging or in the form of a small bowl. If you have a bowl of water, it should be changed daily, even if the water does not seem dirty. The water must be boiled. IN as a last resort, hamsters eat juicy fruits and vegetables instead of water, for example. But the absence of a drinking bowl requires the owner to carefully monitor that the animal does not suffer from thirst.

What can you give hamsters from homemade food?

If you want to pamper your pets with homemade dishes, remember that animals should not be given sweets or fatty foods. You can cook it for kids in water. Buckwheat, rolled oats, millet, wheat, lentils– add variety to your pet’s table. From homemade food, animals can be given low-fat cottage cheese, boiled eggs and chicken breast. Canned food is allowed only from infant formula: meat puree, vegetable and fruit puree, which do not contain salt, preservatives and sugar.

Delicacies or what hamsters can eat

In addition to the basic diet, there are not too well-known delicacies for family pets. These products can be offered to animals in addition to food:

• chumiza;
• flax seeds in small quantities;
• home-dried dried fruits, not market ones;
• moth and its larvae of home breeding.

This list can be supplemented by the animal’s personal preferences. If you give new food the first time, give a small piece, “for one bite.”

What fruits can pets eat?

There are certain rules that should be followed when feeding fruits to animals. They should be followed so that the food does not harm you:

• feed the animals seasonal, locally grown fruits;
• the fruits must be sufficiently ripe, but not rotten;
• sour fruits are dangerous for animals;
• Rodents should not eat fruits with seeds; remove them before feeding;
• do not give fruit more often than 1-2 times a week;
• Do not give animals exotic tropical fruits.

Remember that the diet of the Syrians is slightly different. Dzungarians are prone to diabetes mellitus, so they can receive fruit much less often than the Syrians.

What do little hamsters eat?

Usually the mother herself feeds the babies if she has created normal conditions. She even delivers complementary food to the house herself. There is no need to approach the animal. But it happens that children become orphans or the hamster runs away. We have to gather courage and feed the children.

If such a disaster occurs after giving birth, you can make the food yourself, but it is better to buy a formula for feeding kittens at a pet store. Dilute it to milk and feed the babies every 2 hours using a pipette or paint brush. The brush should be dipped in the mixture and given to the kids. After feeding, massage your baby's tummy so that he can "go to the toilet." Keep the bottles warm, but don't overheat. The temperature should not be higher than 31 ºС.
A two-week-old baby can be given:

• baby formulas Agusha and Gerber;
• porridge without sugar and milk;
• fresh, clean greens grown at home.

Pumpkin or meat puree from baby food, pureed cottage cheese, you can mash the egg yolk.

A three-week-old animal can be given chopped “adult” food. Continue feeding mixtures until one month old. Grate cucumber and carrots for the kids. Place a water bowl in the cage. Hamsters eat on their own.

Pregnant and lactating females must be given chicken breast, insects and boiled eggs. A sufficient amount of succulent food and water should always be in the cage.

What can hamsters eat and what can’t they eat?

Favorite food for hamsters is selected empirically from the list of permitted products. You need to understand that your pet may prefer one particular type of food, but... Try to choose from each category what the animal likes to eat.

Hamster's daily diet

Animal protein should be given 2-3 times a week, 1 type from the list

Everyone knows that he is loved by many a pet doesn't cause much trouble and eats little.

But it is not enough to provide the hamster with comfort by placing it in a spacious room. To another important component full life This funny little animal needs proper nutrition.

The material contains all necessary information about what hamsters eat at home and what diet is most suitable for them.

Nutritional Features

The food must meet all the needs of the hamster. This is quite possible if you take the issue of nutrition seriously and plan your diet correctly.

Important!The main cause of death in pet hamsters is disease. gastrointestinal tract and non-compliance with certain feeding features.

• complete diet;
• correct diet;
• maintaining food hygiene.

Complete diet

Hamsters belong to the order of rodents, so for a full life, the diet must contain food of plant and animal origin.

In winter, it is important to provide the hamster with a constant supply of hay - it acts as a substitute for fresh greens.
Sometimes hamsters prefer to eat small insects (grasshoppers, locusts, ants and worms), which are rich in calcium and iron. It is advisable to buy this kind of insects only at a pet store.

Diet

Veterinarians advise feeding your hamster twice a day: in the morning and in the evening.

The bulk of the dry food is served in the evening, since the hamster is a crepuscular animal and usually wakes up in the late afternoon.

It is advisable to feed hamsters at the same time. This regime will not lead the hamster to severe hunger and subsequent overeating.

Did you know? A hamster's cheek pouches can hold an amount of food equal to the hamster's weight.

Depending on the age and size, the hamster needs different amounts of food. Relative to its size, the hamster eats enough a large number of food. So, daily norm food should make up 80–100% of the hamster’s body weight. The animal's appetite may depend on the breed, personal preferences, and air temperature.

A hamster is a thrifty animal, and its feeder should always contain a sufficient amount of food and various treats.

The hamster's diet should be varied, this will saturate the body with useful substances. So, the optimal diet should consist of:

• from all kinds of cereals: it can be oats, wheat, millet, corn, peas, beans;
• croup: buckwheat, rice, oats, etc.;
• nuts: walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pine nuts;
• seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, watermelon;
• fresh vegetables: pumpkin, carrot;
• berries: currants, cherries (pitted), raspberries, etc.;
• some fruits: apricot, apples, pear, grapes;
• dried fruits: dried apricots, raisins, prunes;
• greenery: clover leaves, plantain leaves, ordinary meadow grass, beet or carrot tops, parsley (in small quantities), dill, lettuce.

Mandatory condition: all these products must be fresh and not spoiled.

Ready food

Special services help to meet nutritional needs as much as possible. ready-made mixtures, developed by veterinarians. Such mixtures contain a balanced content of essential microelements and nutrients taking into account the needs of the hamster.
Finished feed is divided into:

• basic, as daily nutrition;
• feed additives, as additional support for the body different periods life;
• food treats, as an incentive supplement to the diet.

You cannot buy feed mixtures intended for other animals, despite the fact that the base in them is almost the same. When mixing, various (vitamin and non-vitamin) additives may be added that are not suitable for the hamster’s body.

Important! Ready-made feed mixtures may contain ethoxyquin, a preservative to increase shelf life, which can cause poisoning and illness in hamsters.

The most reliable and safe way make sure the hamster is eating " proper food“, - prepare the mixture yourself, which is quite simple to do at home. To do this, mix cereals that are healthy for the hamster, add nuts and dried fruits. For example: 20 g oats, 10 g wheat, 5 g sprouted wheat, 3 g pumpkin seeds, 2 g sunflower seeds, 10 g dried fruits, 10 g walnut, 5 g hazelnuts.

As a result, there is not too much finished feed, which will prevent it from deteriorating and becoming stale.

During the season of fresh vegetables, before feeding the hamster, you can add a few small pieces of carrots and zucchini to this mixture. In addition, a sprig of greenery would be useful.

Porridge

It is useful to add ready-made porridges to the menu: buckwheat, oatmeal, wheat. They are prepared (or steamed) only in water, with the addition of a small amount of vegetable oil.

Such porridges are very useful and necessary for cubs and young hamsters with not yet strong incisors.

Cereals and legumes

Of all the grains, oats, barley and buckwheat are considered the most healthy.

Thus, oats and barley are rich in vitamins, micro- and macroelements, and buckwheat is healthy due to the protein and minerals it contains.

You don't need to give your hamster rice - that's it useful components in rice are removed during processing, and what remains after processing contains mainly only starch. It will not bring any benefit to the hamster.

The best legumes are young peas, lentils, chickpeas, green beans. They are rich in potassium, phosphorus, carotene, iron and contain vitamin C.

Hamsters love sunflower seeds and often eat only them. Therefore, try to give them in small quantities so that the hamster has a need to eat other food.

Did you know?Stocks of seeds and grains in hamsters natural conditions can reach 90 kg.

IN general diet grains and legumes should make up at least 30%.

Nuts

It is advisable to give nuts in limited quantities. This is a high-calorie product, and so that your pet does not gain excess weight, you should not abuse them. In nutrition, they should act as a delicacy.

Must be present in the diet on an ongoing basis as a storehouse of protein and useful elements for the hamster's body, nuts such as walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews. It is necessary to give nuts already peeled so that the hamster does not injure its cheek pouches.

Milk

Hamsters love milk. It contains the necessary liquid and highly digestible protein. It contains many vitamins and minerals necessary for the hamster’s body. Milk contains sugar in small quantities, so it should be given no more than twice a month to be beneficial. You can soak it in milk small piece stale bread and serve it to your hamster as a reward treat.

From fermented milk products It is allowed to give kefir, but not more than 1% fat content.

Meat

Once a week you can add a small amount of meat to your diet. A hamster will benefit from boiled chicken breast, boiled beef heart and liver. These products will affect good view fur. From meat to hamsters you can't give pork, it will lead to serious illnesses gastrointestinal tract.

The main condition when feeding meat is to feed a small amount that the hamster can consume at a time, without any leftovers.

Pasta and bakery products

Oddly enough, but hamsters love to eat boiled pasta. They should be served in limited quantities, only boiled, without adding salt, much less any spices.

Periodically (very rarely) stale bread is added to the main diet.

The thing is that hamsters eat bread with pleasure, but it is prepared on the basis of yeast, which also leads to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Vegetables and fruits

Vegetables and fruits should be present in the diet on an ongoing basis. These are cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes and many others growing in the garden.

Vegetables can be raw or cooked. The only prohibition is no cold or frozen vegetables and fruits.

Also, you should not give your hamster spoiled or stale food, otherwise the animal may get sick.

Important! When stocking up on fresh vegetables, the hamster may eat them already spoiled, so it is necessary to monitor your pet’s cage and throw away such “stocks” in a timely manner.

Vitamin complexes

Another important component of a hamster’s complete diet is vitamins. He consumes most of the vitamins with food, but additional support for the hamster’s body will not be superfluous to diseases.

In winter, when there is a shortage green vegetables In nutrition, it is useful to give your hamster sprouted grains (oats, wheat). This will replenish the animal’s body with vitamins.
The most common way is to buy special vitamin complexes in veterinary pharmacies. When buying vitamins of this kind, you should pay attention to their release form. Tablets and powders are considered a convenient form.

Vitamins in the form of granules or rice balls are used as prevention and medicinal properties do not possess.

Besides vitamin complexes, hamsters need to be fed with minerals. As mineral supplement Meat and bone meal is added to the feed, but not more than twice a week. When serving, meat and bone meal is mixed with porridge at the rate of 1–3% (young or adult) of the amount of porridge.

Additives to the basic diet include salt. It is useful in small quantities - at a dosage of 0.02 g for young and 0.05 g for adult hamsters per day.

Water balance

Pet hamsters cannot replenish their water balance from products, so there should always be sufficient fresh water in the cage. This is due to the fact that the hamster eats mostly dry food.
The water must be changed every day, thus preventing it from stagnating in the cage. Bad water will harm the hamster's health.

Some veterinarians use it as a preventive measure colds It is sometimes recommended to pour chamomile decoction (1 tsp per 0.5 cup of water) into the hamster's drinking bowl instead of water. This decoction is suitable for no more than 12 hours.

The hamster's water bowl should be washed every day without using special detergents or using regular baking soda.

Prohibited Products

But not everything is so simple with the diet of hamsters. There are a number of products prohibited for consumption.

Here is a list of things that are not recommended to feed hamsters at home:

• bread;
• cabbage;
• almond;
• sausages;
• sweets;
• Exotic fruits;
• citrus.

It is forbidden to feed food seasoned with salt and spices. Prohibited products also include food that has been heat treatment(implied fried food).

Important! To grind down teeth, you should not give your hamster branches of coniferous trees and cones because of the resins they contain.

Remember: what hamsters eat at home directly affects the quality and length of their life. Carefully following the basic rules healthy eating, you will certainly provide your pet with a long and healthy life.

What to feed a hamster at home? Hm. It's easier to say what not to feed. Because these rodents eat everything. But this does not mean that owners should carelessly throw any product into the cage. Some food is deadly, but the animal eats it anyway. Well, let's discuss it in detail.

General rules

“One adult hamster can be given no more than 2 tbsp per day. l. stern". Who came up with this phrase? A rodent should always have food. Maybe he will only eat a teaspoon. But, if there is little food in the feeder, he will begin to stock up instead normal nutrition. Moreover, it is completely indiscernible whether they are seeds or raw carrots. Then all this stuff begins to rot, mold and stink. Do you need it?

Don't be greedy, give your hamster more food. He will understand that there is no need to worry about the future, and he will eat no more than he should.

“Sometimes you can pamper your hamster with sausage or sausages.” What nonsense. The current sausage contains so many “useful” substances that Mendeleev and his table would cry with envy. And then feed the poor animal!

No sausages, smoked meats or fish! Just one bite can kill your rodent.

“Cook porridge for your hamster in milk, adding a little sugar and salt for taste.” More like a recommendation on how to kill an animal. Because:

1. Hamsters should not be given milk! By the way, cheese is also undesirable. You can have a small piece of unleavened cottage cheese once a week, or it is better to replace it with boiled chicken protein.
2. Sugar and salt are strictly prohibited! It's deadly. And a tiny dose is enough.
3. Cereals are given to hamsters only in raw form. Boiled ones can cause constipation and severe gas formation.

One gets the impression that such would-be advisers generally write from idiots and have never even seen a hamster in a picture.

“To grind down teeth, place pine or spruce branches in the cage.” In principle, hamsters need wood. But not coniferous. Let these be branches of any deciduous tree. Be sure to wash them and, if possible, remove the bark.

“Hamsters are steppe animals and can for a long time do without water." Another heresy. Only camels can survive without water for a long time. And hamsters need it. Therefore, there should always be liquid in the drinker.

By the way, you don’t have to watch how much the rodent drinks. It may seem to you that the fluid is not decreasing. But that’s why he’s a hamster, not a camel, so he can drink just a little. Rest assured, he does this regularly.

“If there is no special food on sale, then purchase it for any other rodents.” No, this is just some kind of mockery! I would also advise you to buy cat or dog food. Just to be sure.

Have no doubt, a hamster will eat anyone, but then don’t be surprised sudden death or animal disease. It’s better not to buy anything at all than to conduct such experiments.

“Occasionally, give your rodent a piece of pineapple or avocado.” What nonsense! Where do such exotic fruits come from in the steppe? In general, if you doubt whether you can give your pet a product, then just use logic. This happens in the natural environment, so feel free to offer it to your hamster. This doesn’t grow in the steppe zone, so give up the idea.

For example, bread, cookies, crackers. There is no doubt that most rodents love these products. But bread doesn't grow on trees. Accordingly, it is not recommended to give such a treat to a hamster, even sometimes.

Or almonds. Well, it looks like a nut, are they ok for rodents? But no. Almonds are not a nut, but a kernel from a seed. Everyone knows that hydrocyanic acid is poison. And that it is contained in the kernels of almost all stone fruits: apricots, almonds, plums, cherries. This treat will quickly make your hamster stretch out its legs. And yes, these trees do not grow in the steppe.

How to make a diet for a hamster yourself

It's actually very simple. For full development in daily menu should include grains and cereal crops, succulent and animal feed, vitamin supplements. All food must be fresh and clean. So, what should you feed your hamster?

Grain feed. Oats, wheat, corn, rice (a little), barley. Nuts (in small quantities), sunflower seeds, melon, watermelon, pumpkin. Buckwheat, sesame, millet, rolled oats. But it’s better not to get carried away with legumes. Digestive system The hamster may react to them very unexpectedly.

Juicy feed. For the most part this fresh grass(dandelions, carrots and beet tops, clover, plantain, meadow plants). You can also give pieces of carrots, apples, pumpkin, and zucchini. Beet, bell pepper, tomatoes - these are also given raw. But it is not recommended to give potatoes, even boiled ones.

By the way, dried fruits and vegetables are suitable as treats. Just not candied fruits! And don’t overuse them, give them occasionally and a little. The same rule applies to fresh berries(currants, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries).

Animal feed. Not everyone knows, but hamsters happily eat locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, worms, and ants. Just don’t catch insects yourself. You never know what kind of nasty things they can bring on their paws. It is better to buy them in a special section of the pet store. It will turn out safe and inexpensive, especially since very little such nutrition is required.

Vitamin supplements. You can't throw a piece of chalk into a cage and think that's enough. The hamster should have enough minerals in full. And, no matter how varied the menu is, there will always be something missing.

How to get out of the situation if you don’t buy expensive food with special additives? Go to the pet store. Buy a mineral tablet or stone. By the way, their prices are quite affordable. Solve two problems at once in one shot:

• the hamster will receive all the vitamins and microelements
• the animal will have something to grind its long teeth on

As you can see, everything can be solved quite easily. Just don’t drag any cobblestone from the street! It doesn't have useful substances. The hamster will not be interested in your brick.

What else to treat your pet

Hay. The most common meadow, in your area. Just cut it into pieces of about 11-14 cm. This way the hamster won’t be able to get confused in it and won’t stuff it behind his cheeks as a reserve, risking scratching his mouth.

Jerusalem artichoke, radish, squash, green peas in pods. Green salad, sprouted wheat grains with sprouts, dill, parsley.

To avoid protein deficiency, you can give a piece of boiled chicken meat without spices and once a week. Excellent substitute for peeled boiled shrimp. Again, without fanaticism.

You can give dried apricots and raisins, but only occasionally. The fact is that these products contain a large amount of sugar, so if they are abused, the hamster can become obese.

And further. All nuts must be without shells, otherwise the hamster will hurt its cheeks. By the way, acorns and cones, as some sources recommend, should not be given to rodents. They sharpen your teeth very well, but there is no benefit at all. For the same reason, do not give hamsters pasta in any form.

What to feed a hamster at home? Balanced diet. Just don't buy cheap ones ready-made feed. They still won’t be able to provide a complete diet. It is much easier to create a menu for a rodent yourself. It's not difficult, and how much does your hamster need?

Video: proper nutrition for hamsters

With the appearance of beloved pets in the home, a lot of worries arise. Nutrition is one of the main issues in caring for animals. Hamsters are small rodents, but just like any pet they need high-quality food.

What do hamsters eat at home, what do hamsters eat in their natural habitat?

Small pets are very popular among families with children. Fluffy hamsters are often purchased because they are popular with both adults and children. The activity and health of small rodents will depend on their nutrition and care. A properly formulated diet affects the development of any pet.

Today you can buy in all pet stores a wide variety of food for many types of pets. They are specially developed taking into account the needs of pets. Despite this, many owners feed their animals incorrectly, which affects their health and life expectancy.

To understand how to properly feed a hamster, you need to know what is included in their natural diet. It is known that for hamsters natural environment habitats are steppes and fields. In such areas they dig holes for housing. They not only live in them, but also stock up on food. The main food for these cute fluffy rodents is cereal plants. The basis of their diet is:

• wheat;
• oats;
• corn;
• millet and other cereals.

During the winter cold, these reserves are gradually eaten up and in the spring rodents are forced to switch to protein foods of animal origin. These include:

• Beetles.
• Worms.
• Butterflies and other insects.

Larger rodents sometimes prey on small animals. Animals need different vitamins, so they eat vegetables and fruits- beets, apples, pears, carrots and other common types.

Judging by their diet in their natural environment, hamsters are omnivorous animals. You can feed them different foods, but in small portions.

Biological mechanisms are also relevant at home. The diet in the natural environment must be taken into account when creating a menu for your hamster.

To ready-made food from pet stores all included necessary ingredients - millet and oats, sunflower seeds and peas, nuts and corn. By pouring such food into the feeder, you can immediately determine what your pet likes most.

The mixtures also often include granulated greens, fortified mixtures and mixed feed. They can be purchased separately at a pet store if they are not included in your hamster's main food. Experts recommend feeding your hamster one type of food, to which he is accustomed and loves.

Upper and lower jaw These rodents have structural features. They have large incisors without roots. They grow throughout the animal's life. Due to this feature of large incisors, the hamster must eat solid food. Due to this, the teeth will not be able to grow too large. Too large incisors will interfere with his eating.

Hamsters have cheek pouches in which they store food. During a meal, the animal puts about 20% of its food in its natural pantry and then eats it in a secluded place.

Diet: what can hamsters eat?

Keeping hamsters at home is not difficult. However, having brought home this cute creature, you need to know what is better and healthier to feed it. Homemade food should not be very different from natural food.

The basis of the diet should be cereals buckwheat, oats, wheat, barley. You also need to add to the mixture legumes- peas, beans, lentils, beans. Very often, pumpkin, melon and sunflower seeds are added to prepared foods. good in homemade food add nuts - cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, chickpeas and others.

Fresh herbs- a must-have supplement in the daily diet. They mainly use parsley, lettuce, dill, clover, dandelion, and nettle.

Small rodents eat with pleasure vegetables and fruits. They are necessary for the full development and growth of the pet. Fruits and vegetables in your diet will help strengthen your immune system. In winter it is more difficult to provide him with these types of products, but they can be given in dried form. Frozen berries, fruits and some types of vegetables are also used to feed hamsters.

You should not give food to a rodent from your home table. What do hamsters like, what treats? If you want to pamper him with something tasty, then it is best to give your hamster the following products:

1. Bamboo and wheat shoots.
2. Branches of deciduous and fruit trees in spring.

Hamsters love to chew tree branches, which clean their teeth and also saturate the animal’s body with all vital vitamins and microelements.

For normal development domestic rodent necessary protein food . The best option- boiled chicken meat, but without salt and spices. You can offer earthworms and shrimp meat. Good source protein - eggs (quail or chicken). They should not be given more than twice a week.

A good option fermented milk products- homemade yogurt or kefir up to 1% fat. More fatty foods will cause problems with the digestive system. If they occur due to such products, you can give your hamster congee to restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

These cute animals in daytime They almost always sleep and are active towards night. In this regard, the main meal occurs in the evening. Preferably give food at one time so that the hamster gets used to its feeding schedule. The prepared food in the feeder should always be fresh and balanced. In the evening, it is recommended to give him porridge and a mixture of grains. You can also give a treat in the evening.

In the morning it is better to offer lighter food, for example, greens and vegetables. Great importance has the quality of products so that they are fresh and natural.

Prohibited Products

Now we know what hamsters can eat and what foods they like. There are also foods that are considered prohibited. Every caring owner should understand that not all food products will benefit your pet.

These include fatty and salty foods, smoked and sweet dishes. It is also not recommended to give citrus and exotic fruits. Garlic, cabbage, onions, watermelon, and potatoes are prohibited.

Before introducing a new food into the diet, it is worth considering whether the hamster eats such food in its natural habitat. The more natural the food, the more benefits it will bring to the animal and it will have fewer health problems.

Drinking regime of hamsters

Any animal should have a cage drinking water. As for hamsters, the basis of their diet is dry cereal food. Because of this, they need constant access to fresh water.

If you give them fruits, vegetables and herbs, rodents are not so willing to drink water. Despite this, the water bowl should be washed regularly and fill up with fresh water.

And also, you should make sure that the rodent’s cage has running wheel. Sometimes the hamster is released from the house to run around the room under supervision. Such walks will help avoid obesity when he becomes an adult.

If you follow all the rules of feeding, your pet will retain it for a long time. good health. He will be active, fluffy and beautiful.

Pet rodents are fascinating creatures that both children and adults love to watch. When deciding to get a pet, the owner takes full responsibility for the maintenance and feeding of the animal. A properly selected diet plays a big role in the health of a hamster. Despite the variety of special foods and snacks, every owner has a desire to please their pet with some delicious product from your own diet. Hamsters, as great food lovers, almost never refuse their master's treats, which is not always to their benefit. That's why caring owner should know everything about products that can be fed to a rodent at home without consequences.

What can you feed hamsters?

A safe feeding choice is balanced grain foods formulated specifically for rodents. They contain vitamins and hamster favorite treats like oats, wheat, corn and peas, as well as pumpkin seeds and nuts. This is the type of food that should be included in the main diet. Djungarian hamsters and other species of rodents.

Sunflower seeds are often added to food, but the less of them in the composition, the better for the animal. Despite the pleasant taste that hamsters love, food for them turns out to be too fatty. Replace the seeds with pieces of walnuts, hazelnuts or peanuts. Don't forget to clean the shell, as your hamster can easily damage his teeth trying to chew it on his own. Do not offer your pet almonds, apricots or cherry pits, they are toxic to the hamster's body.

When choosing food in the store, give preference to special mixtures designed for rodents, including Djungarian hamsters. Pay attention to the composition: it must be suitable for your pet’s age. When you want to please your hamster with a delicious treat, offer him an unusual food on a stick, which is covered with tasty grains. In this case, the pet will be able to grind its teeth and at the same time be an independent food provider. Cereal sticks can be served once a month. By the way, similar recommendations will be made for various crackers and biscuits for hamsters.

Animals eat bread with pleasure, but it is advisable to offer them whole grain varieties. You can feed with bread only in the autumn-winter period and in small portions. Be sure to observe the rodent's stool and, if signs of constipation appear, it is better to refuse bread. There should always be grain food in the feeder so that the hamster does not feel like there is a lack of food. Otherwise, he is inclined to save, begins to stockpile and ends up with banal malnutrition.

What can you feed hamsters besides dry food?

A mandatory addition to the diet is fresh grass and greens, especially in spring and summer. Useful vegetation:

• fresh dandelion leaves;
• carrot and beet tops;
• lettuce and celery;
• alfalfa and plantain;
• garden rose petals.

To feed your hamster greens at home, you need to be sure that they are completely safe. It's better to grow useful supplement on your own: on summer cottage or on the windowsill. Animals love aromatic parsley very much, but it should be given in small portions, since excess will cause laxative effect on the hamster's chair. By analogy, exclude parsley from the diet of a pregnant or lactating female.

When feeding your pet celery, monitor the animal’s reactions, since the concentration of harmful substances in this plant may well be too high for a small organism. Park areas away from busy city roads are suitable for collecting fresh weed. The best option is grass collected outside the city, away from dusty highways. If it is not possible to collect fresh grass, you can germinate wheat or oats at home. Choose the juiciest greens for your pet, be sure to wash and lightly dry before feeding.

Place young shoots of fruit or berry crops in the cage so that the rodent has the opportunity to grind down its teeth. Twigs of apple and pear trees, raspberries, currants and rose hips, linden and acacia work well. First, you need to rinse it well under running water, pour boiling water over it and let it cool, after which you can safely offer it to the animal.

IN winter time Provide your hamster with plenty of hay with the addition of wheat ears. It is not forbidden to pour grain feed directly into the litter, as some breeders do. The rodent will be interested in obtaining grains, choosing the most delicious ones for itself. Sometimes you can treat your hamster to homemade popcorn, excluding additives in the form of sugar, salt and flavor enhancers.

If dry food contains a meager amount of vegetables and fruits, feed your pet with the following crops:

• pumpkin and zucchini;
• sour varieties of apples;
• sweet peppers and radishes;
• strawberries and wild strawberries;
• cherries and currants;
• cucumbers and tomatoes;
• bananas in any form.

It is better to give vegetables without peeling and in small portions. Do not feed hamsters dried fruits, especially those with excess sugar. As an exception, you can treat your pet to raisins or a dried apple slice.

Once or twice a week, rodents can be fed cottage cheese, boiled eggs, chicken breast, lean beef and rabbit meat, boiled boneless fish. Eating animal products will not harm the rodent, since its wild counterparts can eat about 60% of such food. Twice a week you can give your pet grasshoppers or worms from a pet store, remembering to monitor portions in moderation.

What not to feed hamsters: prohibited foods

Don't feed the rodent white cabbage, onions, garlic and sorrel. If you really want to feed your pet a crunchy vegetable, give preference Chinese cabbage and lettuce leaves. It is undesirable to treat animals with potatoes; they are poorly digestible due to the high amount of starch. Beets are considered useless food for rodents: there is no harm or benefit from them. Green peas can lead to bloating, so the hamster can only have a small portion and always in the form of a puree.

A variety of citrus fruits and kiwis are poorly tolerated by rodents due to their high acidity. Sweet fruits like apricots and peaches are harmful to hamsters, so you need to choose the most sour fruits, but always ripe ones. You should not feed hamsters the fruits of watermelon or melon, as they contain a lot of nitrates.

Grapes must be given carefully, choosing ripe small to medium sized berries; they should not be overripe or fermented. If the hamster decides to hide it in a secluded place, he may get poisoned from spoiled supplies. Make sure that the fruit pieces are fresh and without large seeds.

Hamsters should not be fed salty or spicy food, avoid excessively fatty and exotic foods and sweets in your diet. Avoid feeding processed foods various types sausages and sausages. Do not offer your hamster cheese, as it contains a lot of salt, spices and is too fatty for a small organism.

Offer greens and fresh food to the animal in the morning or lunch hours so that uneaten leftovers can be removed from the cage in time and not create a pathogenic environment with unpleasant odors. If unusual products appear on your table that you want to pamper your pet with, make sure they are safe. If you are unsure, ask veterinarian, what you can and cannot feed your rodent from “untested” treats. This way you can keep your pet in good health and vigor.