Hello

[GenXPrd]

Vladimir and I say hello everyone

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome Vladimir is very sweet and a lovely colour You might want to consider a different food mix for him though - is that Oxbow pellets he has?

 

[GenXPrd]

Hello and welcome Vladimir is very sweet and a lovely colour You might want to consider a different food mix for him though - is that Oxbow pellets he

Hello and welcome Vladimir is very sweet and a lovely colour You might want to consider a different food mix for him though - is that Oxbow pellets he has?

Thank you for the invitation as well as Thank you for the compliment on his color that's what drew me to him when I saw him. Yes that is the Oxbow pellets he is eating. I have thought about that as far as a different food mix it is what food he was already on when I got him so I didn't want to do a big shock to his digestive system at the time but now that I'm getting to the end of the bag I have been contemplating a different food mix. Is there a specific one that you recommend? Also is there just a general idea of what's best to stick with for a food mix? This is the first Russian dwarf hamster I've owned and in all honesty he's technically supposed to be my Maine Coon cat''s pet. Something for him to watch in his cage, as well as in his exercise ball, & ect. but not to get ahold of and not left unsupervised. Just putting that out there for those that want to try to come at me for that. So any specific tips, tricks or ideas are greatly appreciated also.

 

[Maz]

Hi. Yes it's not a great food for hamsters as it contains a lot of roughage and hay, which hamsters don't digest well - that's more for guinea pigs - so it can affect their nutritional uptake. Are you in the US? It can be difficult to find good hamster mixes in the US.

And it depends how much you want to spend as well! There are some very good hamster mixes now with a lot of variety - some are available on etsy. This one is quite popular but it is more expensive than a commercial mix. Also with these "home made" variety mixes, it's still a good idea to add a few science selective pellets to ensure they get all the vitamins and nutrients.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1183002311/chubby-hamster-cheeks-syrian-hamster?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=chubby+cheeks&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&content_source=bdee0ad6-311b-45dd-89a9-1042862bb026%253A4c0bae46e83d8bcb6f6ed590ce0fde2dc21e32d2&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=bdee0ad6-311b-45dd-89a9-1042862bb026%3A4c0bae46e83d8bcb6f6ed590ce0fde2dc21e32d2

For something cheaper, with good variety, there is Higgins Vita Garden which is sugar free but a bit low on protein so that needs supplementing. It seems harder to get hold of these days as doesn't seem to be on Amazon any more, but maybe a local pet store sells it? It only has 15% protein so it needs a few protein extras giving. They need about 18% to 22% protein. Depending on age - how old is he? 15% protein is ok for a hamster over a year old.

Vita Garden Hamster Gerbil — Higgins Premium Pet Foods

www.higginspremium.com

A couple of important tips though - hamster balls are very bad for dwarf hamsters - they're not recommended any more. It can stress them or they can get a toe caught.

And it's also best to keep a cat away from a hamster. Even if the cat can't get to the hamster, the smell of a cat nearby can still cause a lot of fear for a hamster and cats have been known to pull a cage down or knock it off onto the floor. We usually recommend keeping a hamster in a room where the cat doesn't go at all ideally.

So maybe a few changes needed? What kind of cage is Vladimir in?

 

[Lovelyness]

Vladimir is very cute

 

[Rescued One]

Hi. Yes it's not a great food for hamsters as it contains a lot of roughage and hay, which hamsters don't digest well - that's more for guinea pigs - so it can affect their nutritional uptake. Are you in the US? It can be difficult to find good hamster mixes in the US.

And it depends how much you want to spend as well! There are some very good hamster mixes now with a lot of variety - some are available on etsy. This one is quite popular but it is more expensive than a commercial mix. Also with these "home made" variety mixes, it's still a good idea to add a few science selective pellets to ensure they get all the vitamins and nutrients.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1183002311/chubby-hamster-cheeks-syrian-hamster?ls=s&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=chubby+cheeks&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&content_source=bdee0ad6-311b-45dd-89a9-1042862bb026%253A4c0bae46e83d8bcb6f6ed590ce0fde2dc21e32d2&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=bdee0ad6-311b-45dd-89a9-1042862bb026%3A4c0bae46e83d8bcb6f6ed590ce0fde2dc21e32d2

For something cheaper, with good variety, there is Higgins Vita Garden which is sugar free but a bit low on protein so that needs supplementing. It seems harder to get hold of these days as doesn't seem to be on Amazon any more, but maybe a local pet store sells it? It only has 15% protein so it needs a few protein extras giving. They need about 18% to 22% protein. Depending on age - how old is he? 15% protein is ok for a hamster over a year old.

Vita Garden Hamster Gerbil — Higgins Premium Pet Foods

www.higginspremium.com

A couple of important tips though - hamster balls are very bad for dwarf hamsters - they're not recommended any more. It can stress them or they can get a toe caught.

And it's also best to keep a cat away from a hamster. Even if the cat can't get to the hamster, the smell of a cat nearby can still cause a lot of fear for a hamster and cats have been known to pull a cage down or knock it off onto the floor. We usually recommend keeping a hamster in a room where the cat doesn't go at all ideally.

So maybe a few changes needed? What kind of cage is Vladimir in?

We can get Higgins Sunburst here in the US at Petsmart, Petco, and Chewy.com

 

[Rescued One]

Vladimir is adorable. Welcome!
I agree wit Maz about the cat - maybe a quiet room for Vlad and "kitty tv" for the Maine Coon?

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[Maz]

I think consensus was that Higgins Vita Garden was supposed to be better than sunburst as it was sugar free And had more variety. Is the Vita Garden not easily available now?

Some people buy the Getzoo hamster food from Germany (via Etsy). It costs a bit more though.