What do hamsters eat?

Hamsters are dearly loved by children, so many families have them as pets. These are cute and funny animals, which seemed to gnaw everything that came to their "hand". However, owners should understand that feeding a small rodent has its own subtleties.

In nature, the food of hamsters directly depends on the characteristics of the habitat of the animals. Under natural conditions, these small animals prefer to live in the field, because their main food is cereals. If there is a village or other settlement not far from the area, animals must visit it, looking for places to store the harvested vegetables and fruits. They also look for food in vegetable gardens and orchards, eagerly eat grapes, apples, raspberries, strawberries and other crops grown by people.

In the warm season, greens become the basis of food, funny pussies eat young juicy grass, shoots and leaves, and if they meet worms or spiders on their way, be sure they will not disdain them either.

The feeding of hamsters in captivity should be close to natural, which is why 70% of the menu is usually cereal food, including oats, millet and buckwheat.... It is best to purchase ready-made mixtures in pet stores - they are enriched with vitamins, micro- and macroelements, which are important for the health of a small rodent.However, you can make a grain mixture yourself by purchasing several types of cereals on the agricultural market. In such a case, it will be necessary to additionally introduce vitamin and mineral supplements into the diet.

In houses, hamsters gnaw with great pleasure a variety of vegetables, sweet fruits and juicy berriesthey always like boiled chicken, pumpkin and sunflower seedsand besides, dry crumbly cottage cheese, chicken, duck or quail eggs - such products are not introduced into the diet every day - 2-3 feedings per week are quite enough.

Vitamins and minerals are usually added to animal feeds by mixing with fruits - however, you need to monitor the reaction of the rodent's body, since there are often cases when hamsters are allergic to one or another component of the complex.

Must be present in the animal menu young greens - vitamin supplements from dill, dandelion and milk thistle are very useful for pets.

As you know, hamsters are mostly nocturnal, therefore the main intake of food falls on the evening... Although the animals should be offered food twice - usually in the morning they are given 1 tablespoon of dry grain food, and in the evening vegetables, cereals, protein feed and fleshy fruits are added to cereals.

It should be remembered that for any rodent, food is not only a means of subsistence, but also a source of replenishment of their food reserves. If you notice that the food offered by you begins to disappear from the feeder at a tremendous speed, this does not mean that the hamster eats too much - most likely, he is just hiding food "for a rainy day." Therefore, from time to time you need to revise the contents of the cell and remove all unnecessary products, and in order for your pet to not be so sad to part with the accumulation, leave some seeds and cereal grains in his pantry.

The nutrition of little hamsters deserves special attention. In the overwhelming majority of cases, their feeding lies with the female, and even the complementary food necessary for her cubs she personally delivers to the equipped nest. But there are situations when the mother dies or, for some reason, shows aggression towards the children and refuses to feed them. In such a situation, taking care of the babies falls entirely on the breeders.

Don't be upset - in any pet store you can buy specialized formula for feeding newborn kittens, they are quite suitable for hamsters... They are bred in ordinary water to the consistency of milk, this solution is given to the cubs using a plastic pipette or a thin paintbrush at intervals of 2 hours. After each feeding, it is necessary to massage the tummies of the crumbs in a circular motion in a clockwise direction - this will help to avoid digestive problems.

When the newborn is 2 weeks old, the menu can be supplemented with mashed porridge cooked in plain water without sugar and oil, in the third week, you can enter vegetable or meat puree into the menu (any one designed for feeding children will do, for example, "Tema" or "Agusha" ). Closer to the month, you can add grated cottage cheese, boiled egg yolk and pumpkin. During this period, you can gradually transfer hamsters to adult food, but up to one and a half months, mixtures should still remain the main feed.

Caring owners choose ready-made food for their pets - they are sold in any pet store. Such a cereal mixture already contains the required amount of nutrients, micro- and macroelements, depending on the manufacturer, even pressed herbs can be included in the composition.

The advantages of ready-made grain feed are obvious:

• no need to select grains and mix them in optimal proportions, everything is already composed and balanced;
• it is convenient to observe the dosage;
• this food will not deteriorate when stored in the "pantry" of the animal.

In nature, hamsters often feed on various cereals and nuts, therefore, even in captivity, you can offer your fluffy pet:

• sunflower seeds, as well as pumpkin and melon, however, such components can be included in the menu infrequently, they are too high in calories and fatty;
• green peas, lentils, chopped chickpeas and other legumes;
• nuts - it is best to use walnuts, as well as peanuts, hazelnuts and pine nuts;
• corn - Suitable for all rodent species, except for Campbell's hamsters.

However, not all nuts can be safely introduced into the diet of a homemade fluffy. Hamsters are categorically contraindicated:

• almond - it causes poisoning of the animal;
• Brazilian nut - the product is too heavy for the hamster's digestive tract;
• fruit pits - they contain poisonous hydrocyanic acid and dangerous toxins.

As you know, vitamins do not harm anyone, and hamsters are no exception. For a small rodent, you can use almost all fruits growing in the area where animals live, so let's dwell on those fruits that hamsters should feed not recommended: citrus fruits (tangerines, grapefruits, lemons, limes and oranges), pineapples, pomegranates, as well as kiwi and avocados.

As for the berries, the recommendations here are similar - less sweet and moderate consumption. Most suitable for hamsters:

• Strawberry:
• cherry and sweet cherry;
• currant;
• blueberry;
• blueberry;
• gooseberry.

Hamsters need juicy greens, it is advisable to introduce them to the menu every day. You can get everything you need in your garden: dill, celery and lettuce leaves, carrot or beet tops. If possible, treat pets with young twigs of fruit plants and dandelion leaves, young bamboo will not harm this animal.

But it is not entirely correct to treat a hamster with sorrel, mint, basil, oregano, spicy plants. Of course, even simple street grass, especially the one whose origin is difficult to determine, should not be given to your beloved hamster.

You need to treat the animal once a week sprouted oats or wheat grains - they contain the entire set of vitamins important for the health of the rodent, supporting its full growth and development.

In captivity, fresh vegetables must certainly be included in the hamster's menu, they must be given even in that situation if you buy ready-made cereal mixtures for feeding the animal.

The hamster is shown:

• zucchini and squash;
• carrots and beets;
• pumpkin;
• broccoli and cauliflower;
• leaf salad;
• cucumber;
• a tomato;
• eggplant.

But the taboo on products such as:

• White cabbage - provokes pain in the stomach and intestines;
• potatoes - contains too much starch.

Of course, the use of canned vegetables is categorically unacceptable - they contain a lot of salt and vinegar, and they are just as dangerous for the hamster as all other seasonings.

As we have already mentioned, a hamster is not a cute animal at all, but a real predator, therefore, in order to maintain normal vital activity, it definitely needs proteins at least 2-3 times a week.

The following are suitable as their source:

• boiled chicken (white meat);
• chicken egg white (you can replace it with quail);
• boiled white fish without pits;
• dairy and fermented milk products with a low fat content;
• insects (you can buy them at any pet store).

In general, you already have an idea of ​​what you can feed your hamster with and what you shouldn't. In addition to everything that we have already mentioned, you can additionally include in the list of prohibited products:

• bread - the yeast contained in it leads to indigestion and fermentation in the intestines;
• spices, spicy and pungent herbs;
• all products with high fat content;
• everything fried, smoked, pickled and canned.

Any sweets are strictly contraindicated for rodents: ice cream, halva, as well as kozinaki, honey, biscuit, candy and, of course, chocolate, for any hamster, they represent a poison that slowly kills them.

The menu should not include such products as butter, heavy cream, homemade sour cream, yogurt, kefir and milk.

Pasta and bread crumbs are also dangerous for the pet - they contain ingredients that are dangerous for your fur.

As evidenced by the reviews of individual breeders, their pussies often take part in "family dinners" - they consume the same things as their owners. It is quite interesting to watch how the rodent is "eyeing" a large dish, but nevertheless, such feeding is not necessary to welcome - human food is often too heavy for hamsters, therefore it is permissible only in small doses.

It is believed that, like any other rodents, hamsters are not indifferent to cheese and do not deny themselves the pleasure of gnawing this product to their fullest. However, in practice, such food is completely unhealthy for fluffs - it contains too much salt, animal fat and seasonings, therefore, it has the most detrimental effect on the health of the pet. However, it is still allowed to consume such a product once a week in the amount of no more than two sunflower seeds.

In nature, hamsters love to feast on earthworms - they eat them with great pleasure. However, you should not dig them up in your garden - they can be carriers of an infectious disease, and therefore, quite often, after such a treat, the rodent gets sick.

Keep in mind that if you compose your hamster's diet from those products that you buy on the market, then you are definitely risking your pet's health. After all, you cannot know for certain where exactly the young greens, this or that fruit, came from the seller. Perhaps they were raised next to a dusty, polluted highway, it is possible that to accelerate the growth of the culture, it was treated with chemicals that are very dangerous for any hamster.

In conclusion, let us dwell on the question of how to water a rodent. In some manuals for the care of this animal, there is information that these animals can easily do without water, getting all the necessary amount of liquid from berries, fruits, and vegetables. This statement is erroneous and even dangerous - rodents need water every day, otherwise it will wither away from thirst.

It is desirable that the liquid in the cage is in a special drinker fixed on the cage rods.It is better to use bottled or filtered water, do not forget to change it daily, even if the hamster has drunk very little.

The question of feeding a hamster must be approached with all responsibility. Each breeder must independently decide what he will feed his pet based on his preferences, financial capabilities and recommendations of veterinarians. remember, that not only the strength and vigor of a cute fluffy, but also his health, as well as life expectancy, largely depends on the quality of the food offered.

For information on how to feed the hamster, see the next video.