Hamster Feeding : Dietary Requirements

What kind of food hamster eats?


Your pet hamster requires a fairly regular diet consisting of proteins, vitamins and minerals. Your pet will be quite happy to be fed about once a day, usually in the early evening, when it is starting to wake up.

If you are using a seed-mixture from a pet store, remember that two tablespoons of food per night is more than adequate. Generally it's a good idea to purchase a good hamster food seed mixture at most pet stores.

You should supplement the seed diet with a regular mixture of fresh greens such as lettuce, raw green beans, and raw carrots. You should provide your hamster with only just enough greens for him to finish in 20 minutes. Any leftover greens should be removed from the cage.

If the hamster begins defecating more than normal, take him off the greens for two days, and then gradually introduce the greens back into his diet every other day for about 10 days. This should return its bowel movements to normal. Avoid making drastic changes in your pet's diet. If you decide to change your pet's regular diet, start by introducing the new diet a little at a time, mixed in with your pet's old diet. Gradually increase the amount of food supplied from the new diet, and decrease the amount of food from the old diet over the course of about two weeks. This will allow your pet's system the chance to get used to the new food.