These little funny animals that fit in the palm of your hand, many successfully replace conventional pets. But its tiny dimensions of care and attention they require no less than, for example, cat or dog. Given the very small lifetime pet hamsters, owners are trying to provide them with the most favorable living conditions. So the question is, what to feed the hamster, is for them to not idle.
If your house has appeared the representative of a large army of pets, you will likely also reflect on how to feed the hamster. So let's find out, that the Council in this respect veterinarians, zoologists and experienced owners of hamsters.
The basis of the diet
The main dish on the menu hamsters (and other rodents) - cereals: grain and grain mixture. Giving such food they need every day one or two feeding. What should be included in the cereal mixture for your hamster? Ready-mix, as a rule, include wheat, oats, sunflower seeds, peanuts (groundnuts) and peas. In addition to these main components of the mixture can be supplemented with corn grain, grass and millet grains.
The daily rate of grain mixture ranges from one to three teaspoons bed - it depends on the breed and size of a hamster. If your pet eats twice a day, the grain mixture should be included in the evening menu, because it is at this time of the day the animal is the most active.
Additional mandatory products
In addition to grain (dry food) in the diet must include a hamster and juicy food: vegetables, fruits and herbs. Note, however, that not all of these products are suitable for domestic hamster menu. Permitted fruits and vegetables: carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, beets, squash, corn, apples, bananas, pears, apricots and peaches, strawberries, gooseberries, lettuce, dill, parsley, celery. To add a juicy menu hamster can and fresh clover and dandelion leaves and leaves of poplar, birch, pear, cherry and apple trees. However, given all the products hamster need in small amounts as a useful but limited goodies.
In addition to plant foods hamsters needs and animal protein. What to feed the hamster to supplement his diet this food? As a source of animal protein hamster should offer low-fat boiled meat or fish, eggs and cheese. Also easy to find in pet shops special food from insects, which feed aquarium fish and turtles (butterflies, grasshoppers, flour and earthworms).
For proper metabolism, good health and a nice appearance of hamsters needed vitamins. Perhaps, that the food you feed your pet, contains enough vitamins, but if there is a shortage of them, turn the menu vitamin supplements. They may be different in composition and taste, so pick what you like best hamster.
Besides the food your pet needs and even in water. It is believed that for a hamster that is enough liquid, it receives a juicy fodder. This is true, but the water it does not hurt. So you'd better let us clean and fresh water to your hamster, and he himself will decide how much she needed him. By the way, the usual bowl hamster can easily flip, so equip a special cage drinkers.
For complementary feeding sick hamster or young, you can use vegetable and meat baby food, porridge cooked in water or soaked in water, cereals, vegetable oil.
Illegal and unwanted products
Among the potentially harmful products for hamster veterinarians include:
- complete feed mixtures for birds;
- bread and bread;
- Brazil nuts and acorns;
- potatoes and persimmons;
- Drops.
List definitely harmful and is strictly prohibited products is as follows:
- spices, sugar and salt;
- whole milk, cream, sour cream and butter;
- sausages of all kinds;
- exotic fruits, cantaloupe and watermelon;
- Citrus;
- dried pasta and cereals;
- honey and mushrooms;
- confectionery;
- almond, apricot and cherry pits;
- pine branches;
- sorrel;
- cabbage, onion and garlic;
- any fried foods.
Terms feeding
In addition to the knowledge of good and bad products, the owners are interested in and how to feed the hamster. Because it is important not only the composition of the menu, but also the number of different products and their ratio in the diet. Here are some recommendations in this regard.
Grain base diet mix, which complements the juicy and protein foods. Fruits, vegetables and herbs - every day. Any protein food, whether it's chicken, cottage cheese, yogurt or an egg, you need to give the hamster no more frequently than once a week. In addition, veterinarians do not recommend mixing different protein meal in one feeding to give only one product. Otherwise, you run the risk of provoking kidney disease your pet.
The diet of pregnant women and the females should be different from the everyday. For example, in the animal protein they need greater than normal hamsters. And that means, and give them such food must often - two or three times a week. By the way, hamsters peculiar to cannibalism, and often the females just eat the whole litter. To avoid this, some breeders recommend as often as possible to feed the pregnant female chicken. But such a rich meat diet can lead to the opposite result if homyachiha "will talk." To prevent this disaster veterinarians recommend giving pregnant females Gamavit (once a day, for three days before giving birth, at 0, 5 ml).
Lettuce can provoke kidney disease hamsters, so they need to be given every day. Nuts in a lot of bad for the liver, so they feed the hamster should be no more than twice a week. The only nuts, for which such a restriction does not apply - cedar.
Frequent feeding sunflower seeds disrupt metabolism. But pumpkin is no harm hamster will not cause - only benefits. Besides pumpkin seeds hamster thistle seeds are very useful - it improves liver function, growth and quality of wool. These seeds need to give hamsters a teaspoon a day.
Despite the fact that there are rules of feeding hamsters, experienced owners believe that the feed in the trough should be constant. Firstly, it will enable hamster eat when necessary (if it is really hungry), and secondly, it will implement a natural instinct hamsters do stocks. And to diversify boring routine hamster living in captivity, can be mixed with a filler or feed scattered over pallet. Then, your pet will be able to spend days in an exciting and busy looking "harvested" food. And you will not suffer the question "how often to feed the hamster? "And everyone will be happy.
