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As an instinctively hoarding animal by nature it’s often hard to tell how much your dwarf hamster has eaten, as they also enjoy removing food from their feeders and bowls and hiding it away. On average the adult hamster will eat 1/4 of an ounce or 5 to 7 grams of food and up to one teaspoon or 5ml of fresh water daily.
This may not seem like a lot of food however considering the size of the dwarf hamster isn’t very large either! As Dwarf hamsters are more active in the evening through to early morning is a great time to have fresh food and water available to them.
What is fed to them daily plays an important role in their health and longevity:
– Pelleted hamster daily diet that is commercially available with a 14 percent protein content or higher is ideal. Laboratory rodents have a diet around 18 to 19 percent protein and this closely resembles the hamsters nutritional requirements.
– Be sure to check the expiry or date of manufacturer of pellet food and that it is hasn’t expired a store in a sealed container.
– Fresh water that chlorine and chloramine free like a commercially bottled drinking water
– Hamsters enjoy birdseed and insects as a occasional treat. Pet store bought insects of meal worms or small crickets are the safest.
– A small occasional amount of fresh veggies for a special treat once in a while, but be sure not to overdue it and keep it in very small quantities. As they much prefer to eat these types of food over their nutritiously balance pellets and too many fruits and vegetables can cause intestinal upset leading to diarrhea. Some fruit and veggies can also can cause dry skin and food allergies.
Fresh hamster food pellets with an occasional special treat of raw vegetable makes an interesting and nutritious meal for your pet!
What can be harmful to feed your dwarf hamster:
– candy, dried fruits and sticky stuff or dry foods
– cooked or processed foods
– chocolate, caffeine or any type of “junk food”
– If your unsure of the nutritional content of any food, best not to feed it to them
– Avoid water that is distilled, de- mineralized, deionized or carbonated spring water
Remember to check your pets water sipper tube is clean, unblocked and easily accessible and remember to change the water supply daily always giving them more than they can drink.
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Source by Kym Sutherland
