what to feed dwarf hamsters

1. Feed your dwarf hamster commercial hamster food. Dwarf hamsters have a similar diet to other hamster varieties.
2. Give your hamster fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables add extra nutrition as well as variety to your hamster’s diet.
3. Include a good protein source in your dwarf hamster’s diet. Protein is an important nutrient for your dwarf hamster.
4. Add fiber to your dwarf hamster’s diet. Natural sources of fiber, such as timothy hay and alfalfa hay, are good sources of fiber.
Feed your dwarf hamster hard treats once a week. Hard treats help your dwarf hamster keep his incisors filed down, which is good for his overall dental hygiene.
Provide your dwarf hamster with fresh water. Water is just as important to your dwarf hamster’s diet as food.
Learn which foods you should not feed your dwarf hamster. ...

Full Answer

What vegetables are best for a dwarf hamster?

• Leafy vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, bok choy, and lettuce
• Kale, swiss chard, dandelion leaves, broccoli
• Cauliflower, cucumbers, zucchini, asparagus
• Celery, carrots, squash
• Radicchio, bell peppers, parsnips
• Sweet potatoes, cooked potatoes, hay, squash
• Melon, figs, parsley, turnip, green beans, etc.

What fresh food can you give dwarf hamsters?

Hamster’s love a fresh treat from time to time. Fruit and veg are part of a balanced diet and should always be provided. Natural foods like seeds and nuts are also very healthy and good food mixes will incorporate these into their recipe. List of the best fruits for a dwarf hamster: Apple (no seeds) Banana.

What is the best food for dwarf hamsters?

List of the best vegetables for a dwarf hamster:

• Asparagus
• Basil
• Bean sprouts
• Bell pepper
• Broccoli
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Choy sum
• Clover

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How much should I Feed my dwarf hamster?

Part 2 Part 2 of 2: Feeding Your Dwarf Hamster Download Article

1. Select the proper food bowl for your dwarf hamster. The ideal food bowl for your dwarf hamster is small and ceramic.
2. Feed your dwarf hamster at the same time each day. There is some debate as to whether hamsters should be fed in the morning of evening.
3. Observe your dwarf hamster's eating habits. ...
4. Do not overfeed your dwarf hamster. ...

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What is the best food to feed a dwarf hamster?

Green leafy Romaine or other lettuces are ideal, as well as spinach leaves. Broccoli, cauliflower and kale are crunchy additions to his diet. Other examples of healthy vegetables include cucumbers, celery, red and green peppers, bok choy and sweet potatoes. Beans and legumes are also an acceptable treat.

How often should I feed my dwarf hamster?

once per dayIn general, you should feed your hamster once per day, ideally in the evening when it's waking up and becoming active. Discard any uneaten food after 24 hours. Look for a commercial hamster food blend that's specifically formulated for dwarf hamsters.

What fruit can dwarf hamsters eat?

Fruits ˇ Hamsters love apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, grapes and bananas. Fruit should be offered in moderation, as a supplement to their regular pelleted diet.

What fruits and veggies can dwarf hamsters eat?

Fresh (rinsed with water) veggies are good, and examples include carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, romaine lettuce, spinach and other greens. Fresh fruits (rinsed in water) are good too, such as apples, pears, bananas, grapes and most berries.

Do dwarf hamsters get lonely?

It's tempting to bring home more than one hamster to keep just one from being lonely; but the reality is hamsters are solitary animals. Dwarf hamsters can be exceptions, but you have to monitor carefully. Having more than one hamster in a cage is often a recipe for trouble.

What is a hamsters favorite food?

Hamsters enjoy leafy greens such as dandelions and clover, and fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, carrots and cabbage.

What can hamsters drink?

Hamsters should only drink water. Water provides them with all they need to survive and stay hydrated, and there really is no other substitute. Whether you give your hamster tap water or filtered bottled water depends on the quality of the tap water where you live.

Do dwarf hamsters get their period?

Hamsters don't have a menstrual period in the same way women do, but you may notice a discharge during your pet's predictable, four-day reproductive cycle.

What is poisonous to hamsters?

While fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of a hamster's diet, there are certain foods that are toxic to hamsters. These include tomato leaves, almonds, avocado, potatoes, onion, garlic, chocolate, and apple seeds.

What do dwarf hamsters like to play with?

What Do Hamsters Like to Play With?Exercise Wheel. Hamsters love to run on exercise wheels. ... Chew Toys. Chew toys serve dual purposes: they provide amusement, but they also provide a surface for your hamster to gnaw on. ... Tunnels. Tunnels are a great source of amusement and exercise for hamsters. ... Hamster Balls.

Can dwarf hamsters eat meat?

Meat is a healthy hamster food as well as a good source of protein. Since wild hamsters eat insects, you might feed your hamster live or dried crickets or mealworms. If you're too squeamish to handle insects, hamsters can also eat some cooked meats. Cooked chicken and cooked beef are safe to feed to hamsters.

Can dwarf hamsters eat banana?

Dwarf hamsters are also highly susceptible to diabetes, making fruits with especially high sugar content poor choices for offering often. Keep figs, grapes, mango, bananas, cherries and apples to a minimum.

What is the best food for a dwarf hamster?

Protein is an important nutrient for your dwarf hamster. Fortunately, there are several great protein sources from which you can choose. For example, raw and unsalted seeds, such as sunflower, flax, and sesame, are high in protein. Lentils are another good protein source.

How to feed a dwarf hamster?

This is especially important for fruits and vegetables, since they can quickly become spoiled and moldy. Feed only the amount of fruit that your dwarf hamster can eat in a day. This may take some trial and error before you determine what that amount is.

What to do if my dwarf hamster is not eating?

If you notice that he's consistently not eating a certain food, switch it out for something else . For example, if you notice that he doesn't like one kind of fruit (e.g., apple), replace with it another fruit (e.g., banana).

What to do if hamster eats muesli?

Try pellets! Pellets prevent the hamster from selectively eating the tasty, but less nutritious, part of their food. The muesli-type hamster foods are a balanced diet only if the hamster eats all of it, rather than leaving the less tasty bits in the bowl.

What is the best fiber for hamsters?

Natural sources of fiber, such as timothy hay and alfalfa hay, are good sources of fiber. Your dwarf hamster may not be a fan of hay, but you can give him a small amount to see if he will like it. ...

What to feed hamsters?

Give your hamster fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables add extra nutrition as well as variety to your hamster’s diet. Make sure to wash the fruits and vegetables thoroughly with fresh water to remove any pesticides or other chemicals.

Can you feed a dwarf hamster pellets?

Commercial hamster food has a high nutritional value, but should not be the only type of food you feed your dwarf hamster. The pellet formulation allows your dwarf hamster to gnaw on his food, which can be good for his dental hygiene. Choose a commercial food that has about 15 to 20% protein.

What is the best food for a dwarf hamster?

Here are some of the best options when it comes to hamster food that’s best for dwarf hamsters: Kaytee Fiesta Hamster Food – this food mix is actually great for both dwarf hamsters and larger Syrian hamsters. It has natural veggies and fruits to add some variety and improve the nutrient content of the mix.

What Can Dwarf Hamsters Eat?

Firstly, we’ll let you take a look at a list of literally all things that dwarf hamsters are allowed to eat, and following that, we’ll explain things you should focus on.

How Often Should I Feed My Dwarf Hamster?

You should feed your hamster daily, they require fresh food every day. However, this depends on what you’re feeding it.

How Long Can Dwarf Hamsters Go Without Food?

So, you’re going to stay at work until late and you’re wondering whether your hamster will feel hungry? Don’t worry, hamsters can go three to four days without food, depending on when have they eaten last and how much have they eaten.

Why is my dwarf hamster diabetic?

The main cause of diabetes is poor feeding habits and high-sugar treats that are provided by the owner. This means that the responsibility of keeping your hamster diabetes-free befalls exclusively on your shoulders. Provide your hamster with a healthy and balanced diet, and avoid too much sugar in the pet’s food.

Why do hamsters hide food?

Hamsters also have the habit of filling their cheek pouches with secret stashes of food to build secret food stores near their bed. This is a natural instinct to keep food hidden away from other animals who may try to steal it. If you have more than a single hamster in the same cage, you may even find hamsters hiding food from one another.

What is the most popular hamster?

Dwarf hamsters definitely top the group for the most popular hamsters in the world. They’re immensely popular all around the world, and their numbers only grow by the day. If you’re an owner of this furry species, then you have to know their dietary requirements, how much they need to eat, and what they’re eating.

What to feed a dwarf hamster?

Grains, Seeds, & Nuts. Whole grains make for a great healthy snack for dwarf hamsters. When it comes to cooked pasta, whole-grain rice, and wheat toast, make sure that they are cooled before you serve them to your pet.

What is the bulk of hamster food?

Hamster mixes and pellets should make up the bulk of your hamster’s food as they come with more or less the complete nutritional requirements needed by your pet.

Do dwarf hamsters have diabetes?

Roborovski dwarf hamsters, however, are less likely to develop diabetes.

Can dwarf hamsters eat hamster seed?

While hamster seed mixes are appropriate for dwarfs, oftentimes they would pick only the ones they like and this could also lead to malnourishment as they would miss some of the nutrients in the seed mix.

Can hamsters eat fruit?

When it comes to fresh food, experts advise hamster owners to feed their pets fruits with high water content. However, this doesn’t mean you should go overboard with feeding your hamster high-water containing fruits because doing so might result in diarrhea – a disease which is all too common in the hamster world.

Is eating almonds bad for hamsters?

Almonds, for example, contain cyanide which is poisonous to hamsters. Garlic, onion, and chocolate are also toxic to hamsters just as they are to cats and dogs.

Can dwarf hamsters eat?

Dwarf hamsters can eat a variety of food but some are safer than most. Here is a comprehensive list of food that your dwarf hamsters would be able to eat without any risks to their health. This should be the main food group that you feed your dwarf hamster because it contains the essential nutrients your pet needs.

What is the best dwarf hamster food?

If the Higgins Sunburst is a bit too expensive for your taste, then you should seriously consider the Kaytee Forti Diet Ham ster Food. The Kaytee Forti Diet Hamster Food is the best dwarf hamster food for the money.

What is the best food for hamsters?

Feeding your hamster something healthy and natural is always win for you and your pet. The Sunseed food is fortified with omega-3 and probiotics to help support digestion. The Sunseed food is quite crunchy, which will help keep your hamster’s teeth in great shape.

What is browns tropical hamster food?

Brown’s Tropical has a variety of shapes and textures made up of fruits, vegetables, seeds, and grains. The Tropical Carnival hamster food is a great choice when it comes to getting all the necessary vitamins and nutrients into your dwarf hamster’s diet.

What is Oxbow hamster food?

Coming in towards the bottom of our list is the Oxbow Animal Health Hamster Fortified Food. This is a blend of timothy hay, oats, and barley. Oxbow food is generally excellent and often comes in at the top of our lists. The issue we have with this food is that it has no seeds, fruits, or vegetables mixed in. Although it’s possible to get these ingredients to your dwarf hamster in other ways, having a complete food solution is what most pet owners are looking for.

What is Hartz Bonanza Hamster food?

The Hartz Bonanza Hamster and Gerbil food comes in at the number six spot on our list. This is a high fiber mix filled with grains. Some of the ingredients include nuts and fortified pellets.

What are some good insects for hamsters?

Some of the best insects for dwarf hamsters are grasshoppers and crickets. When it comes to safe and healthy fruits and vegetables, there is a large variety of options that dwarf hamsters will likely enjoy. Some of the best fruits to share are pears, blueberries, and raspberries.

Can you feed hamsters food?

Although you should feed your hamster food outside of their manufactured dwarf hamster food, you do need to be careful of what you give them. Some foods are not tolerated well by dwarf hamsters and can even be toxic. A few of these foods include:

What to feed a hamster?

Supplement your hamster’s diet with fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. It is important not to go overboard with the fresh foods because they can go rotten in the cage, and also hamsters like to store food away. Excess fruit and veg can also cause stomach upsets and diarrhea. Wash any fruit and Veg before giving to your hamster in case it contains ...

How much protein does a dwarf hamster need?

Resealable Bag to keep Fresh. 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.

What are some foods that are toxic to hamsters?

Some foods are very harmful and toxic to hamsters. Prominent ones include chocolate, candy, and sweets. Avocados contain a dangerous substance that can cause animal heart failure. Bitter Almonds and Apple Seeds contain a substance called glycoside amygdalin, that when eaten can turn into hydrogen cyanide.

What is hamster mix?

Typically hamster mix contains nuts, seeds, pellets and grains. The pellet nature allows your pet to gnaw on the food making it beneficial to dental hygiene. It is advisable to choose a commercial hamster mix that meets all nutritional requirements. Food. Features.

Can hamsters eat vegetables?

Bear in mind hamsters like to take their food and store it in their nests, so it’s a good idea not to feed fresh every day. Rotting vegetables in the nest isn’t good for hamster hygiene ...

Can you give hamsters a treat?

If your hamster mix does not already contain them, you can buy them separately and give them one a day as a treat. They contain protein and fat so they should sparingly be given. Check out our best hamster treats page for more information on what is the best and safest hamster treat.

Do Syrian hamsters eat mealworms?

Dwarf hamster mix tends to contain a lot of small millet seeds that dwarf hamsters love, but Syrians tend to ignore. Dwarf hamster mix often includes mealworms that are a healthy protein source that Syrian hamsters will ignore. Supplement your hamster’s diet with fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. It is important not to go overboard ...

What Should I Feed My Chinese Dwarf Hamster When It Gets Sick?

You should blend protein-based food with added water such as – hardboiled egg, cooked chicken, nuts, etc.

What Are The Best Food Options For My Chinese Dwarf Hamster To Eat In Winter?

Replace your Chinese dwarf hamster’s regular diet with a protein-based diet and fresh vegetables during winter. A protein-based diet is a priority.

Did I Answer Everything You Wanted To Know About What Can I Feed My Chinese Dwarf Hamster?

There are many foods you can feed your Chinese Dwarf Hamster, but Not all types of food are good for them. I hope this guide has helped answer any questions you may have had about what food is best for Dwarf hamsters and how much of it they need.

What do hamsters eat?

However, in captivity, their diet is a lot more varied as they can be fed things such as fruits, vegetables, and meat products like cooked eggs or boiled chicken breast.

How to feed hamsters?

I recommend using an appropriate feeder (such as a hard plastic or cardboard tube) and putting the food inside with a cotton ball at one end that the hamster can get its face through to eat from.

What to feed hamsters in winter?

During winter, protein helps to keep your hamster warm, strong and active so they can play all day long! One easy way to do this is by including some sunflower seeds or other types of nuts into their diet, as they’ll provide plenty of protein .

How much food should a 3 month old hamster eat?

3 month to 1-year-old hamsters should be given only 1 square inch of vegetables (2 servings) per day.

How to handle a dwarf hamster?

Most dwarf hamsters take well to people holding them, but they will nip if they feel uncomfortable. 1 Calm, gentle handling from a young age can help them to feel safe when held. It's best to sit on the ground in a secured space (such as a small bedroom with the door shut) when holding your hamster, as these animals can move quite quickly and might break free of your hold if you're not paying attention. You don't ever want your hamster to drop from a great height—even a couple feet is a lot for them—as this can severely injure the little animal. It's also important never to squeeze your hamster in your hands, as this can result in injury for the animal or cause it to bite you. Plus, keep your dwarf hamster away from any other pets outside of its own species to prevent injuries.

How much does it cost to buy a dwarf hamster?

If you plan to purchase a hamster at a pet store, observe the animals closely to make sure they are being kept in sanitary conditions. Expect to pay around $20.

What is the personality of a dwarf hamster?

Dwarf Hamster Behavior and Temperament. Dwarf hamsters comprise many species, and each has some specific personality traits. 1  For instance, the Campbell hamster is a curious little creature that's notably easy to handle. The Robo (or Roborovski) hamster —a particularly tiny dwarf hamster that weighs in at just over 3/4 ounce—stays awake ...

How to keep hamsters from chewing on bedding?

Avoid cedar-based bedding, as it can be toxic to small animals. Include an exercise wheel in the enclosure that has a solid surface, not bars, for your hamster to run on. Also provide plenty of wooden chew sticks or mineral chews in the enclosure. Chewing maintains a hamster's incisor teeth, which grow continuously.

How big should a dwarf hamster cage be?

A dwarf hamster's habitat should be as large as possible, allowing for maximum exercise and play. A cage that's roughly 1 foot by 2 feet with a height of around a foot is the bare minimum that some animal groups recommend.

How long does it take for a hamster to die from a wet tail?

Hamsters with wet tail should be treated immediately by a vet, as this condition can lead to death within 48 to 72 hours.

How to keep hamsters safe?

Calm, gentle handling from a young age can help them to feel safe when held. 3  It's best to sit on the ground in a secured space (such as a small bedroom with the door shut) when holding your hamster, as these animals can move quite quickly and might break free of your hold if you're not paying attention.

How do dwarf hamsters stay healthy?

Dwarf hamsters are playful creatures and they need exercise to stay healthy, just like us! The best way you can do this is by providing plenty of opportunities for exercise such as hamster wheels, climbing frames and a large cage for exploration.

How to keep a dwarf hamster active?

Enrichment is an important part of hamster keeping. You need to keep your dwarf hamster active and mentally engaged throughout his life. The best way to do this is by investing in some fun dwarf hamster toys! Watching your dwarf hamster play with its toys is probably the best part of hamster keeping.

How to get a dwarf hamster to explore?

Place your hand flat of the surface of the hamster cage and allow your pet to explore – place a treat in the middle of your hand to encourage this. Once familiar with your hand, gently scoop the dwarf hamster from underneath and lightly stroke him/her.

What is the most common dwarf hamster?

Campbell’s hamsters are probably the most common dwarf species that you’ll find in the pet store. These animals are now available in a wide range of colors thanks to selective breeding and are usually very sociable.

Why do hamsters have bald spots?

Hair loss is a health issue many people come across and there are many causes. Sometime bald spots develop from a hamster frequently rubbing against its cage or rough cage accessories.

What do you need to bring a hamster home?

Before bringing your hamster home, it’s important to make sure you have all the supplies you need to provide a safe and healthy environment. Here’s a handy checklist: 1 Suitable hamster cage 2 Suitable bedding and substrate material 3 Hamster nesting area (hamster homes) 4 Food bowl 5 Water bottle 6 Toys for enrichment (climbing frames, tunnels, wheels, etc.) 7 Hamster ball (s) 8 Dwarf hamster foods and treats 9 Non-toxic cleaning products

What is the smallest hamster?

Robos are the smallest and the quickest of the fours breeds! These tiny creatures are only around 3 inches in length and this agility is what makes them quite hard to handle. If your Roborovski hamster escapes, good luck catching it!

How Does My Dwarf Hamster Feed?

It would be helpful for you to know that your dwarf hamster will eat just about any food item it encounters.

What Fruits Can Dwarf Hamsters Eat?

Your dwarf hamster wants fruits as much you. Fruits give it the same nutrients it gives your body.

What Species is My Hamster?

Hamsters are of two species, probably in consideration of their size—the dwarf hamsters and the Syrian hamsters.

How Should I Serve Fruits to My Dwarf Hamster?

We have discussed certain fruits that are healthy and safe for your dwarf hamsters.

What Fruits Are Harmful To My Dwarf Hamsters?

It is important you know certain fruits you can avoid for your dwarf hamster for some reasons.

How Often Should I Feed My Dwarf Hamster?

The gist is that hamsters need fresh food every single day. Thus, one square meal per day will be absolutely perfect to keep your pet hamster healthy.

What do hamsters need to keep healthy?

All that your hamster needs to keep healthy is a good diet and clean living conditions.