How to feed a Syrian hamster?

Hamsters, including Syrian ones, can please the owners, but only on one condition that the food is organized correctly. There is no point in experimenting when you can find out the main points from the standard recommendations.

Feeding your Syrian hamster properly at home is not too difficult. These animals are very active in the evenings. For this reason, relatively little feed should be given in the morning. But in the afternoon, in the late afternoon, more high-calorie food is needed.

Additionally, you should check all secret places in the cages. Hamsters hide their reserves there, but they are not able to independently control their safety. The owners will have to take it upon themselves.

Often, a complete set of the necessary formulations can be purchased at one pet store. However, you need to carefully check the reputation of the supermarket so as not to buy obviously low-quality goods. Of course, it is required to study the company certificates of quality.

In the wild, hamsters often feed on:

• grains of cereals;
• juicy vegetable feed;
• worms;
• small insects.

Given the habitat of Syrian hamsters in meadows and forest-steppes, they love grains and seeds most of all. The easiest way to provide a pet with analogues of such food is to buy ready-made mixtures. When compiling them at enterprises, specialists mix:

• alfalfa;
• wheat;
• corn grains;
• oats;
• sunflower seeds;
• red millet.

But mixtures can include other ingredients as well.For example, walnuts, buckwheat, split peas, flax grains, peanuts and sesame seeds are added there.

When preparing a seed mixture for a pet on your own, you can be sure of the quality of all components. It is recommended to add pumpkin, melon and watermelon seeds. Thanks to them, you can make food more varied and deliver many nutrients. But all supplements should be consumed in limited quantities. In addition, you should refrain from unnecessary experiments and consult with a specialist before them.

The volume of ready-made cereal mixtures can be up to 0.06 kg per day. It is important to know that grain is occasionally exchanged for white bread. Since the animal is a rodent, dried corn and seeds will become a treat for it.

We must not forget about the supply of the animal with protein. Two or three times a week are added to food:

• skim cheese;
• boiled hard-boiled egg;
• boiled chicken;
• low fat fish.

Plant foods can also be a valuable source of protein. They give boiled or dried peas, beans or chickpeas. The animal will be happy and kefir. Hamsters should be fed in the mornings and evenings, given that the Syrian individuals often feed themselves at night.

Monotonous food is categorically unacceptable. A variety of cereals and dried fruits can be added to the composition of dry food. Carrots and pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, radishes, bell peppers can be added both raw and lightly boiled. Be sure to put in the feeder:

• pear;
• persimmon;
• mango;
• beets;
• strawberries;
• raspberries;
• other forest and garden berries;
• lettuce leaves;
• scalded leaves of young nettle.

Young Syrian individuals are distinguished by an underdeveloped, still very delicate digestive system. For this reason, the feeding of small hamsters should be built according to a special scheme. Animals should be fed frequently, but in small portions. The dry grain mixture should be continuously added to the trough. It is important to note that not all small hamsters love this product.

When dispensing fresh herbs and fruits, it is necessary to add no more than one type of food during the day, otherwise digestion can be harmed. For a similar reason, exotic fruits should be avoided. Germination at home can give good results:

• wheat;
• lettuce;
• peas;
• beans.

To ensure the normal development of pets, young plant shoots are necessarily added - they will saturate the body with microelements. At a month and even at an earlier age, many hamsters eat human baby food. The motive is simple - it contains meat, cereal and vegetable components.

The topic of feeding adult hamsters is also quite relevant. This group includes all animals from 2 years of age and older. Typical signs are apathy, decreased appetite. But, even without looking closely at the animal, it is easy to notice that his teeth are almost sharpened. For this reason, rough food will have to be completely abandoned.

Nuts, hard grains are ground to a mushy state. It is better to grate all vegetables and fruits - it is better to do this even with a banana, tomato, dill. You can still use ready-made dry formulations - with their help, it is possible to stabilize the work of digestion.

The feed in the diet of this group of individuals should deliver a maximum of microelements. It is best if a lot of food containing protein is provided once a day. You also need fresh herbs and cereal sprouts. There is no need to complain about the lack of appetite at this time. Moreover, the animal will worry if its feeder is empty.

It is advisable to put some chalk or mineral stones there. Both are sold in all pet stores. When gnawing into these rocks, the hamster will receive a maximum of salts and minerals, which is very important for the development of embryos, otherwise the lack of trace elements will be replenished by the main organism.

But the impressive variety of foods a Syrian hamster needs doesn't mean it's omnivorous. An inept or illiterate diet can cause significant damage to health. It is categorically impossible to feed him:

• fatty cottage cheese;
• sour cream and cheese;
• sugar (sand and refined sugar);
• cow oil;
• cream;
• table salt;
• herbs and spices;
• chocolate;
• sweets;
• ice cream;
• baked goods (especially baked goods);
• dry feed intended for other animals.

The danger is represented by mushrooms and acorns, Brazil nuts, almonds. Pomegranate, cherry, apricot, plum or cherry seeds, as well as other fruits and citrus fruits, can deform the cheek pouches. Nor should you rely on animal instincts. It will willingly eat lard, red meat, fatty fish. As a result, the body will receive an excess amount of fat.

Potatoes and cabbage of any varieties are banned. Garlic and onions, sorrel leaves, needles, branches of trees and shrubs can pose a threat. It is undesirable to introduce any juices (vegetable, fruit or berry) into the diet.

The only acceptable type of bread is homemade crackers. A manufactured product of this kind may contain hazardous components of synthetic origin. Often preservatives, flavorings, colorants and flavor enhancers are mixed therein. Grapes should be given only seedless. In order not to peel the berries by hand, it is better to choose raisins.

Boiled beef liver should be used with great care. This organ absorbs all the toxic substances that previously entered the cow's body. And cooking is unlikely to remove them sufficiently. If you give the liver, then only in limited quantities and without salt. All foods containing more than 3% fat are strictly prohibited.

Feeding your hamster white cabbage can even kill it. Exotic fruits should be used with caution. It is fundamentally unacceptable to use:

• canned food;
• stewed foods;
• fried food.

For turning teeth, you can feed the hamster hard pasta or crackers from time to time. The animal must have continuous access to clean fresh water. Noticing a digestive disorder, sunflower oil or boiled crushed rice is introduced into the diet. It is important to know that if such techniques do not immediately help, then you must immediately contact your veterinarian. From field and other plants, it is appropriate to add:

• knotweed;
• burdock;
• runny;
• parsley.

Tarragon, dandelion or wormwood should be used much more carefully. All herbs can be collected only in ecologically clean places, that is, away from roads, factories and boiler houses, from power plants. The herbs must be thoroughly washed with running water and dried carefully. For sharpening teeth, only branches from fruit plants are used.

Only the pulp should be taken from the pumpkin. Of course, the use of plants grown with added nitrates and pesticides is unacceptable. Root crops must be thoroughly washed.Don't give hamsters potato skins. All additives are cut into pieces that the animal can eat.

For information on what vegetables you can give your hamster, see the video below.