Fussy hamster?

[fridakahlo]

Hi all, when I got Sparkle winter white dwarf couple weeks ago, I got Bunny Nature dwarf feed for her, but she doesn't seem to be eating any of it. Do I need to look for another mix?
She likes the sprays, peanuts, meal worms, broccoli and courgette, and had a bit of cheese last night.

 

[Maz]

She is maybe only taking food at night and hoarding it. They don’t always take all of it. I would leave it a bit longer. Sometimes when it seems they are hardly eating anything you still find an enormous hoard in a few weeks time. Also it’s early days so she is maybe adjusting and enjoying her sprays and exploring everything.

Do you put her food in a dish or scatter it? Or both?

 

[elusive]

It can take them a while to adjust to a new food especially if it’s quite different to whatever they were fed before you get them so it’s probably worth waiting a bit longer to see how she goes with it.
It’s quite a good mix although I must admit when I tried it my hams weren’t overly keen but many hams do eat it.
They do only eat about a teaspoon a day or even less is they have more treats so it can be hard to tell just how much they’re eating,.
Can you tell if she’s just picking bits out and leaving other bits?

 

[fridakahlo]

I read when you first get them put in their dish to monitor what they are eating. Just a teaspoon every night. She is picking bits out and leaving all the tiny seeds, which seems to be a lot of the mix. I haven't yet done a clean of her burrow to let her settle in, but I will soon and see what she's stored away!

 

[Maz]

I think as she gets a bit older and settled in, she will pouch more of it. They often do leave all sorts. I'd maybe put more than a teaspoon out or a very heaped teaspoon perhaps so she has more to go at to start with.

 

[elusive]

I use a dish to begin with but usually scatter some too but a dish is the best way to monitor what they eat.
I agree you could put more in the bowl, I always allow extra so they can make a stash as well as eating what they need.
There are often some seeds or bits in the mix they won’t like but she may be eating enough of the main ingredients, I can’t remember what the ingredients are exactly off hand.

 

[Maz]

This is for Bunny Dream Dwarf expert - is that the one you have?

Ingredients:
Yellow millet, canary seed, pea flakes, quinoa seeds (6%), barley, mung beans (5%), puffed amaranth (5%), barley flakes, oats, silver millet, perilla seeds (3%), red millet, carrots, linseeds (2%), grass seeds, parsnips, dandelion leaves, lucerne, mealworms (1%), yarrow, ribwort, sesame (1%), calcium carbonate, beetroot, calendula blossoms, chamomile blossoms, rose blossoms, wheat bran (millet 24%).

Bunny Dwarf HamsterDream Expert | Free P&P €49+

Bunny Dwarf HamsterDream Expert is a species-appropriate complete food for dwarf hamsters, with a range of vital nutrients, delicious ingredients & no pellets.

www.zooplus.com

 

[elusive]

Thanks Maz.
Mine have never been keen on quinoa (except sprouted) or amaranth & grass seeds so they may be the tiny seeds she’s tending to ignore, there is quite a lot of dried veg in it too which some aren’t so keen on.
I would wait a while longer & see how she goes as you haven’t had her long but if she really doesn’t seem to be eating enough of it maybe consider switching to another mix, the Little one is pretty good.

 

[Maz]

My Syrian Raffy picks out and leaves loads of stuff but he is still healthy at over two years old I think they mainly eat from their hoards, so what they take from the bowl is foraging basically. We don't really know how much they eat or what. I see the point if there is a lot left in the bowl or certain things are left but it's not something I've usually worried about. Maybe we can see which mix it is before suggesting something else - ie which Bunny Dream mix it is. As Elusive says, there are other options.

 

[fridakahlo]

Thanks Maz.
Mine have never been keen on quinoa (except sprouted) or amaranth & grass seeds so they may be the tiny seeds she’s tending to ignore, there is quite a lot of dried veg in it too which some aren’t so keen on.
I would wait a while longer & see how she goes as you haven’t had her long but if she really doesn’t seem to be eating enough of it maybe consider switching to another mix, the Little one is pretty good.

I could actually get some of it out of the dish and try sprouting it - good idea

 

[fridakahlo]

This is for Bunny Dream Dwarf expert - is that the one you have?

Ingredients:
Yellow millet, canary seed, pea flakes, quinoa seeds (6%), barley, mung beans (5%), puffed amaranth (5%), barley flakes, oats, silver millet, perilla seeds (3%), red millet, carrots, linseeds (2%), grass seeds, parsnips, dandelion leaves, lucerne, mealworms (1%), yarrow, ribwort, sesame (1%), calcium carbonate, beetroot, calendula blossoms, chamomile blossoms, rose blossoms, wheat bran (millet 24%).

Bunny Dwarf HamsterDream Expert | Free P&P €49+

Bunny Dwarf HamsterDream Expert is a species-appropriate complete food for dwarf hamsters, with a range of vital nutrients, delicious ingredients & no pellets.

www.zooplus.com

Yes this one

 

[fridakahlo]

I am giving the extras as well I said on the first post.
Thanks all, I feel much better about it.

 

[fridakahlo]

This is the actual food

 

[Maz]

Ah that’s a new one - same brand but with flowers. Are you in the Uk?

 

[fridakahlo]

Yes UK, its on ebay

 

[fridakahlo]

Hi just an update on Sparkle- she is now clearing her food bowl! So I've started sprinkling it and she is loving foraging around. So I've had her 3 weeks now and she's really settled in and very friendly

 

[Maz]

Aw that's great news

 

[RainbowBrite]

Aw, what a lovely update. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Frida]

Lovely update on Sparkle

 

[elusive]

That’s so good to hear!