Hamster mixes 2026

[Maz]

I've always given a tablespoonful a day, which I believe is 15g. Just always done that - but maybe it's less wasteful if scatter feeding, with 10g. If it was in a bowl, 10g wouldn't look very much I think. I tend to put half in a bowl and scatter feed the other half.

I wouldn't replace any weight with the science selective - just treat it as an "extra". There's no set way to do it really, but when I've done it before previously I just tend to add 2 or 3 pellets each day when feeding, but I feed daily and empty anything left in the bowl after 2 days and refill it. I've usually found hamsters are only interested in the new/fresh food. So even if you left food out for a week they might not touch it after the first day. Hence feeding daily can be quite important and they do need their hoards as well.

Mine are a bit spoiled They get a tablespoonful of hamster mix daily, a piece of fresh veg daily (tiny piece no bigger than their ear) on a separate little dish somewhere else (they make a beeline for that straight away usually), and an "extra" each day. Maybe a few pumpkin seeds or half a walnut or a coconute flake piece etc. Occasionally they have fruit instead of veg. Apple or a blueberry are popular.

 

[Magpie]

Thanks maz. I was feeding from a bowl at first when we got her but changed to scatter feeding as read that was best to reduce selective eating and encourage foraging behaviour. For a while I was doing half and half to ease my mind that she was getting food! Now I can see that she finds and eats/stores fine. I scatter about and put a fair bit mixed in her bowl of beech chips which she seems to enjoy digging through to find treasure.

I was just going off the packet which suggested 5-10g/day. She was weighed at 130g on Monday which I think is ok?

I also give her a small portion of fresh veg (ear sized) and a couple of sunflower or pumpkin seeds by hand every night as part of trying to hand tame. I try to change up the veg a bit depending on what i have and do fruit once a week for a change. Sometimes give a wee bit of cashew or pecan nut in place of seeds as high value bribery!

Will go with the flow a bit and see how she does- will just add a bit extra SS in with the daily portion of Hammykins once it’s here and ready to use from freezing.

 

[Magpie]

Well,I used to leave a separate dish of science selective and changed it every few days. But I found in the end she wasn't eating it at all then. I sort of duped her into eating it by mixing it into her hammykins. I used to scatter feed,but I only do that with her forage now,because when I put her food into a hide or dish,I can see her eating it. I give her a spoonful every couple of days,I have a coffee scoop that is ideal for her portion control. You don't need to give less hammykins as hammy will only eat what she wants and stash some. They remind me of cats as they don't tend to over eat,at least in my experience.

Thank you!

 

[Maz]

Thanks maz. I was feeding from a bowl at first when we got her but changed to scatter feeding as read that was best to reduce selective eating and encourage foraging behaviour. For a while I was doing half and half to ease my mind that she was getting food! Now I can see that she finds and eats/stores fine. I scatter about and put a fair bit mixed in her bowl of beech chips which she seems to enjoy digging through to find treasure.

I was just going off the packet which suggested 5-10g/day. She was weighed at 130g on Monday which I think is ok?

I also give her a small portion of fresh veg (ear sized) and a couple of sunflower or pumpkin seeds by hand every night as part of trying to hand tame. I try to change up the veg a bit depending on what i have and do fruit once a week for a change. Sometimes give a wee bit of cashew or pecan nut in place of seeds as high value bribery!

Will go with the flow a bit and see how she does- will just add a bit extra SS in with the daily portion of Hammykins once it’s here and ready to use from freezing.

That sounds fine Hamsters vary in weight a lot between 100g and 300g! Depending on whether it's a big Syrian or a small syrian. She is also probably not yet fully grown. 130g sounds fine.

 

[Yorkie]

Thanks maz. I was feeding from a bowl at first when we got her but changed to scatter feeding as read that was best to reduce selective eating and encourage foraging behaviour. For a while I was doing half and half to ease my mind that she was getting food! Now I can see that she finds and eats/stores fine. I scatter about and put a fair bit mixed in her bowl of beech chips which she seems to enjoy digging through to find treasure.

I was just going off the packet which suggested 5-10g/day. She was weighed at 130g on Monday which I think is ok?

I also give her a small portion of fresh veg (ear sized) and a couple of sunflower or pumpkin seeds by hand every night as part of trying to hand tame. I try to change up the veg a bit depending on what i have and do fruit once a week for a change. Sometimes give a wee bit of cashew or pecan nut in place of seeds as high value bribery!

Will go with the flow a bit and see how she does- will just add a bit extra SS in with the daily portion of Hammykins once it’s here and ready to use from freezing.

Going with the flow is the best option as tastes vary from hammy to hammy. Yours is still only young at the mo,and her size will probably surprise you at some point. I have never had a small female Syrian ,so I am curious to see how large yours grows .

 

[Maz]

I think I'd at least give two heaped teaspoonfuls! Two level teaspoonfuls wouldn't be very much

 

[Magpie]

I think I'd at least give two heaped teaspoonfuls! Two level teaspoonfuls wouldn't be very much

It’s not much when you see it in a bowl. I can up her to 3 teaspoons which will be 15g and see how she goes with that. Like I say she never eats the corn or the big dark green pieces.

 

[Magpie]

Going with the flow is the best option as tastes vary from hammy to hammy. Yours is still only young at the mo,and her size will probably surprise you at some point. I have never had a small female Syrian ,so I am curious to see how large yours grows .

I think she’s grown a lot since we got her but it’s hard to tell when you see them every day. she can look quite different depending on what she is doing too!

 

[Maz]

Just adding the Hamster Helper mixes on here They do a Syrian mix and a dwarf hamster mix. I've only tried the Syrian mix and it seems good. Protein is 17.48% so it has a good level of protein and so basically an all in one food. Supplementing a little bit would do no harm but it's pretty much near the 18% recommended. (Up to 22% is fine as well during the hamster's first year).

I like the ingredients as it doesn't contain any lentils - it has black soldier fly larvae and dried shrimps for part of the protein.

As with any non commercial mix, it won't contain fortified vitamins and while the hamster should get all the nutrients needed from the mix, it depends if they eat it all, so it's still a good idea to add 2 or 3 science selective pellets, to ensure the right balance.

The Dwarf hamster mix has 18.47% protein so has plenty of protein. It does contain raspberry leaf - a very small amount I think as it's near the end of the ingredients list - which is fine, although in my opinion it's best avoided with pregnant hamsters, as it can potentially cause miscarriages (in humans) - however this is mainly only a consideration for breeders and not many members on here will have pregnant hamsters! Otherwise it's a positive thing as a uterine tonic. Although you do hear of the occasional hamster who was already pregnant when acquired from a pet shop, but thankfully not so often these days, and you would know about it fairly quickly.

It's also reasonably priced and available in the Uk.

Complete Syrian Hamster Food

Big flavour. Big nutrition. Big cheeks! This isn’t your average pet shop food. It’s a lovingly balanced mix, handmade in small, weighted batches to ensure consistent nutritional values every time.

hamsterhelper.co.uk

Complete Dwarf Hamster Food

Small but mighty, just like your dwarf hamster. Crafted with care, this small-batch food mix is specially designed to meet the unique dietary needs of dwarf hamsters.

hamsterhelper.co.uk

Another one I use quite regularly and my hamsters love is the Mixerama Syrian Gourmet Menu from Germany. It is slightly low on protein at 16.5% so does need a bit of supplementing for hamsters under a year old, but it's not a bad percentage. Pros: Their food is pressure treated, which is supposed to kill moth and other insect eggs (although I still freeze it to be on the safe side as it may not be 100% foolproof but it helps!). Cons: The cost of shipping. I get two 500g bags at a time, and the cost is reasonable at 7 euros a bag. However the shipping is 24 euros! So my two bags ends up costing 38 euros (about £33).

EDIT: Thanks to @Yorkie for pointing out that the Mixerama food can now be purchased in the Uk from Hope's Healthy Treats Without paying the high shipping cost!

This one contains red clover, which again, is best avoided for pregnant hamsters, but fine for non pregnant hamsters.

The links show in German but the text, when you open the page, is in English (I think - unless my browser translated it!)

Mittelhamster Gourmet Menü | Futtermischung für Hamster

Futter orientiert sich an den Ansprüchen des Syrischen Goldhamsters.

www.mixerama.de

Mixerama also do quite a few different mixes for dwarf hamsters - include one specifically for Roborovski's and a grain-free one intended for Campbells hamsters prone to diabetes (which could also be suitable for hybrid hamsters). That one has good levels of protein but if the hamster doesn't eat the crickets, the protein might need supplementing.

Zwerghamster Roborowski Gourmet Menü | Futtermischung für Hamster

Hauptfutter für Roborowskis enthält einen hohen Anteil an Grassamen.

www.mixerama.de

Zwerghamster Campbell "Low Carb" | Futtermischung für Hamster

Getreidefreie Mischung für Campbells ist bei Diabetes und Adipositas.

www.mixerama.de

 

[Hammy Chum]

Chumley has a mix of Science select pellets and premium hamster mix from our local pet food chain in his bowl daily, then a small fresh treat in his 'treat' bowl. He strongly dislikes food being scattered, so much so that he will collect it up and deposit it back in his food bowl if I dare to mix things up a bit. Not that hes particular

 

[Maz]

Aw hamsters are all individuals! Mine seem to prefer having the food on a dish as well although it's quite a large dish. I just scatter a little bit of it or the cage ends up full of food! As a suggestion I would mix the science selective with a quality muesli mix Or at least with Harry Hamster. Pet food chain food is often quite poor ingredients (although maybe this is a specific one you know about).

 

[Yorkie]

Just thought we could do with an updated thread on current hamster mixes. @Yorkie was talking about one called Hammykins (is that right?) that used to be called Chubby Cheeks. And I know there are quite a few options this days, in addition to the usual commercial ones from Bunny Dream, Rodipet, Harry Hamster etc.

So I'll ask @Yorkie to update again on the Hammykins mix. Does it look as nice as it does in the photos? Because my Mixerama one doesn't The Mixerama one looks amazing in the photos and kind of all brown in reality. But the hamsters really love it.

I currently use a mix of Harry Hamster, Bunny Dream and Mixerama. I don't know why I still bother with the Harry Hamster but it was all you could get during the pandemic and it was a while before I could get Bunny Dream again. However the Syrians do seem to like some of the bigger pieces in the Harry Hamster so I kept it in the mix. And they get the variety from the Bunny Dream and Mixerama. And I supplement the protein a bit.

It's the Mixerama "Goldhamster Gourmet Menu" I get. And it seems to taste better than it looks! (Based on hamster reaction). I sent for it at a time when I had had a minor moth outbreak and Mixerama say they pressure treat all their food so it kills off any moth eggs etc. I still freeze it for a week as well - but didn't quite switch over to it partly because the postage is extremely expensive and also it can take a while to get here. Plus the hamsters seem happy with the current mix and variety.

The food itself is not that expensive, but the tax and postage on top made it about 40 euros (about £34) for two bags of food! Hence I use it as a one third mix with the HH and Bunny dream.

Mittelhamster Gourmet Menü | Futtermischung für Hamster

Futter orientiert sich an den Ansprüchen des Syrischen Goldhamsters.

www.mixerama.de

In addition to those mentioned above, there is also the Little One mix which is still fairly easily available and inexpensive - however it is very low on protein so not the best option for new hamster owners IMO who may not realise the protein needs supplementing.

I went "off" the Rodipet Syrian mix after having a bad batch once (which was during the pandemic so maybe a one off).

Update for mixerama ,Hopes Healthy Treats are now supplying it for a fraction of the price you were paying. 8.99 on single purchase and 8.50 on subscription. I just bought some just to give Robin a little variety ,she had some this morning and was impressed.

Just adding the Hamster Helper mixes on here They do a Syrian mix and a dwarf hamster mix. I've only tried the Syrian mix and it seems good. Protein is 17.48% so it has a good level of protein and so basically an all in one food. Supplementing a little bit would do no harm but it's pretty much near the 18% recommended. (Up to 22% is fine as well during the hamster's first year).

I like the ingredients as it doesn't contain any lentils - it has black soldier fly larvae and dried shrimps for part of the protein.

As with any non commercial mix, it won't contain fortified vitamins and while the hamster should get all the nutrients needed from the mix, it depends if they eat it all, so it's still a good idea to add 2 or 3 science selective pellets, to ensure the right balance.

The Dwarf hamster mix has 18.47% protein so has plenty of protein. It does contain raspberry leaf - a very small amount I think as it's near the end of the ingredients list - which is fine, although in my opinion it's best avoided with pregnant hamsters, as it can potentially cause miscarriages (in humans) - however this is mainly only a consideration for breeders and not many members on here will have pregnant hamsters! Otherwise it's a positive thing as a uterine tonic. Although you do hear of the occasional hamster who was already pregnant when acquired from a pet shop, but thankfully not so often these days, and you would know about it fairly quickly.

It's also reasonably priced and available in the Uk.

Complete Syrian Hamster Food

Big flavour. Big nutrition. Big cheeks! This isn’t your average pet shop food. It’s a lovingly balanced mix, handmade in small, weighted batches to ensure consistent nutritional values every time.

hamsterhelper.co.uk

Complete Dwarf Hamster Food

Small but mighty, just like your dwarf hamster. Crafted with care, this small-batch food mix is specially designed to meet the unique dietary needs of dwarf hamsters.

hamsterhelper.co.uk

Another one I use quite regularly and my hamsters love is the Mixerama Syrian Gourmet Menu from Germany. It is slightly low on protein at 16.5% so does need a bit of supplementing for hamsters under a year old, but it's not a bad percentage. Pros: Their food is pressure treated, which is supposed to kill moth and other insect eggs (although I still freeze it to be on the safe side as it may not be 100% foolproof but it helps!). Cons: The cost of shipping. I get two 500g bags at a time, and the cost is reasonable at 7 euros a bag. However the shipping is 24 euros! So my two bags ends up costing 38 euros (about £33).

This one contains red clover, which again, is best avoided for pregnant hamsters, but fine for non pregnant hamsters.

The links show in German but the text, when you open the page, is in English (I think - unless my browser translated it!)

Mittelhamster Gourmet Menü | Futtermischung für Hamster

Futter orientiert sich an den Ansprüchen des Syrischen Goldhamsters.

www.mixerama.de

Mixerama also do quite a few different mixes for dwarf hamsters - include one specifically for Roborovski's and a grain-free one intended for Campbells hamsters prone to diabetes (which could also be suitable for hybrid hamsters). That one has good levels of protein but if the hamster doesn't eat the crickets, the protein might need supplementing.

Zwerghamster Roborowski Gourmet Menü | Futtermischung für Hamster

Hauptfutter für Roborowskis enthält einen hohen Anteil an Grassamen.

www.mixerama.de

Zwerghamster Campbell "Low Carb" | Futtermischung für Hamster

Getreidefreie Mischung für Campbells ist bei Diabetes und Adipositas.

www.mixerama.de

Don't know if you saw my comment in here,but Hopes Healthy Treats are selling it now. It's 8.99 if unsubscribed and 8.49 if you subscribe. Plus postage of 3.99,but I absorb this by buying other things ,and way cheaper than buying from Germany. I also subscribe to her subscription box to have ideas,as you know how female hamsters are? Lol I bought some of this food for Robin this week just to let her have a bit of variety ,I gave her some yesterday and today and she is enjoying the differences .

 

[Maz]

Ooh thank you @Yorkie - that sounds way better. Wish I'd seen that before as I've just paid the shipping a few days ago I wonder how HHT can get it with cheaper shipping. Must have a deal with them. It's the Syrian gourmet one I get. Off to check HHT. Mind you I have had real problems with HHT delivery in the past a few times. Things not turning up for weeks, not turning up at all or turning up broken and difficult to contact them to replace something. I will try ordering food from them then in future and hopefully delivery will be fine for a food package

I've edited my post above to add that! I just had a look and HHT are selling the Syrian Gourmet mix (which I think is a good choice) and one of the dwarf hamster mixes the "Dwarf Magic" version. It would be great if they could also stock the Dwarf Campbells mixes as they are good for hybrid hamsters

 

[Yorkie]

Ooh thank you @Yorkie - that sounds way better. Wish I'd seen that before as I've just paid the shipping a few days ago I wonder how HHT can get it with cheaper shipping. Must have a deal with them. It's the Syrian gourmet one I get. Off to check HHT. Mind you I have had real problems with HHT delivery in the past a few times. Things not turning up for weeks, not turning up at all or turning up broken and difficult to contact them to replace something.

Hope you have better luck this time. I find them to be quite easy to contact and they have resolved any issues promptly for me. We live in South Wales and they are sending from England,so maybe I have been lucky. And yes,I bought the Golden Hamster gourmet mix ,Robin loves it. Always good to get a deal .

 

[Maz]

Hope you have better luck this time. I find them to be quite easy to contact and they have resolved any issues promptly for me. We live in South Wales and they are sending from England,so maybe I have been lucky. And yes,I bought the Golden Hamster gourmet mix ,Robin loves it. Always good to get a deal .

I'm really glad Robin loves it - mine love it as well.

 

[Maz]

I'm really glad Robin loves it - mine love it as well.

Edit - actually this particular Syrian Mixerama mix has red clover flowers in - just to make you aware. They are best avoided in pregnant females as they are also a herb that is a uterine stimulant (ie can lead to miscarriage). And also used with caution in females with any hormone sensitive conditions. You could maybe just pick them out.

 

[Yorkie]

Edit - actually this particular Syrian Mixerama mix has red clover flowers in - just to make you aware. They are best avoided in pregnant females as they are also a herb that is a uterine stimulant (ie can lead to miscarriage). And also used with caution in females with any hormone sensitive conditions. You could maybe just pick them out.

Thanks for the heads up

 

[Yorkie]

Just double checked the ingredients,apparently the red clover is minimal,and thankfully I don't intend to feed her this all the time.I I nly bought it to offer something different as we all like variety. The way she jumped on it proved it lol

 

[Magpie]

How would you suggest supplementing protein if using the mixerama?

Thinking I might try this after the Hammykins as it looks lovely and the pink pee we seem to be getting from the beetroot and other red veg in HK is slightly off putting…

 

[Maz]

How would you suggest supplementing protein if using the mixerama?

Thinking I might try this after the Hammykins as it looks lovely and the pink pee we seem to be getting from the beetroot and other red veg in HK is slightly off putting…

I was going to suggest the Mixerama to you but didn’t because I thought Mr Maggie was a girl at the time - considering her recent issues - but as she’s a boy I think it’s a very good option. The protein level is actually quite good in this mix so it wouldn’t need a lot of supplementing. Personally I would give half a shelled walnut twice a week (also a treat) and maybe a bit of scrambled or chopped boiled egg once or twice a week. During his first year. Once they are a year old the protein level is about right without any need to supplement )although the occasional walnut treat usually goes down well anyway).