Hamster Treats
Healthy Hamster Treats And Foods Your Hammy Will Love
Giving healthy hamster treats to your little buddy will make a happy, but not necessarily fat hamster that will live as long as possible and live a comfortable and healthy life. This entails feeding your pet the proper amounts of food, and the right kinds of food.
All pet owners instinctively want to reward their pets with treats. If done judiciously this is fine. Just don’t give in to your hamster begging for more. This will increases his capacity for food so that he needs unhealthy amounts to satisfy his hunger.
The following are some healthy treats and foods for regular meals that your hamster is sure to love, which are found in the grocery or pet store and require little time to prepare.
Most commercial hamster food has the proper balance of nutrients, but in loose form, they may only eat their favorite parts. Use commercial food in block form to be sure they eat a balanced blend. The block also gives them something to gnaw on. Supplement some occasional loose hamster food for variety.
Suggestions for meals and treats:
Cut fruit such as strawberries or oranges
Grass, lettuce, carrots – limit to one small serving a day to avoid diarrhea
Peanut butter and crackers
Cat treats and dog biscuits
High quality monkey food
Meal worms
Acorns, cashews, brazil nuts, chestnuts, walnuts, pistachio nuts
Crickets
Raisins or prunes
A small piece of cooked fish, beef or chicken (There is controversy about giving meats to hamsters. The key is to limit it to a SMALL piece, and only on rare occasions)
A small piece of cheese
Boiled potatoes
Alfalfa
Watercress
Butter beans
Sunflower seeds
Rice cakes
Natural or unsweetened breakfast cereal (be sure it doesn’t have any of the items in the “do not feed” list
A teaspoon of peanut butter mixed with seeds
A few drops of cod liver oil added to food once a week
Pieces of hard-boiled eggs. This should be infrequent. Remove left over pieces of egg within 24 hours to avoid rotting
Canary and budgerigars (bird) seed; limit to one teaspoon per week
Special occasion meatloaf: Mix one teaspoon each of oats (not instant), high protein puppy food, and low fat milk, with pieces of bread soaked in low fat milk, and shredded veggies. Add a drop of vitamin supplement and mix to a saucy consistency. Do not leave out longer than one hour.
The following foods, either individually or as an ingredient, should not be fed to a hamster: Rabbit food, sweets, chocolate, garlic, onion, almonds, kidney beans, packaged hamster treats with added sugar, anything containing pork.
In addition to good food and hamster treats, give your pet ways to exercise. One idea is a branch from a willow tree. If you don’t have one in your yard check the pet store. They not only like to chew on the wood, but they like to climb and play with it. The willow tree branch will be good for their teeth as well.