Saturday, May 22, 2010

What are some fruits and veggies,and nuts i can give my teddy hamster?

he is about 9 months old
Answers:
I have a male syrian who is 14 months old. He adores bananas, mushrooms, brocolli, peas, sweetcorn, and pears, but is not keen on strawberries or carrots.
The only things you need to beware of is firstly citrus fruit, its poisonous. Lettuce and cucumber can cause an upset belly because of the high water content, but my Harry must have a stomach made of steel because it does not affect him at all. Tomatoes, onions and uncooked potatoes are also poisonous.
Hamsters love all nuts though, especially if they have a hard shell to crunch through to get to them. Mine loves monkey nuts, he goes crazy ripping the shell apart. Brazil, and hazelnuts are also popular. But all are high in fat so just keep an eye on his weight!
You can feed any veggie or fruit really, including ones with seeds and skin. They just dig out the seeds, and it feels very natural to them.
STAY AWAY from pitted fruits and veggies like peaches and avocados.
Don't OVER feed fresh foods either as this is a main cause of wet tail. A few sprigs a week is all they need.
The best treats for hamsters are foods that are similar to what they might eat in the wild. Fresh (rinsed with water) veggies are good, for example, carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, romaine lettuce, spinach and other greens. Fresh fruits (rinsed in water) are good too, for example, apples, pears, bananas, grapes and most berries. But remember never to give any citrus fruits like oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruit, etc. All fruit should be fed in moderation as they are high in sugar and more like eating sweets.
In addition to fresh fruits and veggies you can also offer many whole grain foods and cereal. They love whole grain bread, and you can give it plain or dip it in plain yogurt or skim milk. Cereals like Corn Flakes, plain Cheerios, Kashi, and other low salt and low or sugar free cereals are fine to give too, NO Fruity Pebbles! Plain oats are very nutritious, and they can be given dry or soaked in skim milk.
Protein is an important part of a hamster鈥檚 diet as well. Plain scrambled or boiled eggs are a nice treat. Hamsters also love the occasional, pet store bought, meal worm or cricket.
The thing to remember when fixing your hamsters' dinner is that moderation and variety are very important. Always provide the standard seed and pellet mix daily, and only offer some of these treats in addition to it.
Be careful with feeding nuts, they are high in fat and can cause obestiy. You are best off feeding leafy greens to your hamster, and limiting fruit and nuts.
Lettuce, Carrots, Apple (go easy, alot can cause diarrhea) Bannanas, Strawberries, Watermelon, Baby food for a sick hamster, Grapes.

No comments:

Post a Comment