The Best Diet for Hamsters

I like to feed my hamsters a "base diet," and supplement with a lot of other good stuff. Feeding your hamster nothing but kibble is like eating nothing but Power Bars and a multivitamin - all day, every day. Wouldn't you want some fresh fruits and veggies, and the occasional steak?

Base Diet

Your hamster's base diet should be a fresh, high quality pellet food. Don't skimp! Avoid any mixes that seem to have a lot of pellet dust at the bottom of the bag. This can indicate that it has been sitting on the shelf for a very long time. You would not want to eat stale food, and neither does your hamster.

Be sure to buy pellets labeled for hamsters and gerbils. DO NOT feed a pellet labeled for guinea pigs.

Hay

Most pet stores sell tiny bundles of alfalfa or timothy hay. Although these are marketed for guinea pigs, your hamster will enjoy a little nibble as well.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fresh fruit and vegetables can give a hamster diarrhea, if it is not used to them. When I buy a hamster, I start out by giving it a tiny bit of fresh produce 1-2 time the first week, 2-3 times the next week, and 3-4 times the week after that. After a month, I work SLOWLY to giving it something fresh every day.

Your hamster will like tiny bits of just about any kind of vegetable. It may be more picky about fruit. Most hamsters enjoy apples, pears, banana, and berries. As a general rule, they do not appreciate anything too acidic, such as oranges and grapefruits.

There is a short list of fruits and vegetables which you should NOT feed to your hamster:

• Onions (recent studies show that onion toxicity can build up over your pet's lifespan. This goes for dogs and cats, as well as hamsters).
• Garlic (ditto).
• Rhubarb stems or leaves.
• Raw potato, and potato stems or eyes (cooked or raw).
• Tomato leaves.
• Kidney beans.

Protein

Most hamster owners do not realize that hamsters, unlike most other pocket pets, are omnivorous in the wild. This means that they eat insects and meat.

Your hamster does not require very much meat in its diet. In fact, its protein requirements will probably be met by the base diet, and some vegetables that you feed. And too much protein can make a hamster sick.

That being said, your hamster will definitely appreciate the occasional protein snack! You can give your hamster a tiny bit of cooked chicken or beef. I recommend cooking a tiny sliver of meat in the microwave, then setting it in the fridge for half an hour to cool off.

I have also fed my hamsters meal worms, which I had on hand for another pet. You must give the meal worm directly to the hamster. Don't just drop it in the hamster's cage and walk away. If you are squeamish, you can hand it to your hamster with a pair of tweezers, or set it on a table in front of your hamster. Your hamster will devour this delicious treat with relish!