Need some help with food choices please

[Maz]

That ones does look good actually. It does have lentils but they are much further down the list. It shows 18.79% protein but the lentils will be included in the protein percentage so it would still need some protein supplementing as a) the hamsters may not eat the lentils and b) the lentils aren't easy for them to digest.

As a "homemade" mix it won't include any fortified vitamins and minerals. The idea is they get enough from the natural mix but - people tend to add 2 or 3 science selective pellets as well just to ensure they get the full nutrition, vitamins etc. This would also help supplement the protein. So that would mean buying a bag of Hamster Science selective pellets as well.

Actually - it lists that it already includes science selective pellets! However if they are mixed in with the food the hamster may not eat one every day, so it would still be better to put 2 or 3 pellets out separately, because then they will take them. They could miss them among the food when foraging. Hamsters like the science selective pellets as they smell sort of yeasty or of gravy.

There is a Syrian version as well but that does seem to rely on lentils for protein, so not so good.

 

[Animal_Lover1120]

That ones does look good actually. It does have lentils but they are much further down the list. It shows 18.79% protein but the lentils will be included in the protein percentage so it would still need some protein supplementing as a) the hamsters may not eat the lentils and b) the lentils aren't easy for them to digest.

As a "homemade" mix it won't include any fortified vitamins and minerals. The idea is they get enough from the natural mix but - people tend to add 2 or 3 science selective pellets as well just to ensure they get the full nutrition, vitamins etc. This would also help supplement the protein. So that would mean buying a bag of Hamster Science selective pellets as well.

Actually - it lists that it already includes science selective pellets! However if they are mixed in with the food the hamster may not eat one every day, so it would still be better to put 2 or 3 pellets out separately, because then they will take them. They could miss them among the food when foraging. Hamsters like the science selective pellets as they smell sort of yeasty or of gravy.

There is a Syrian version as well but that does seem to rely on lentils for protein, so not so good.

If you read like I just did the version with pellets has Science Selective but its only in the pellet mix. Robin does recommend the pellet mix but there are some cons vs the non pellet mix and my daughter's fans all say they buy the non pellet. If you feel the boys need the Science Select then I will try the pellet. If your interested read the page and her FAQ she explains it. I need to look at the Syrian mix to see if it includes Science Select.

Fortified Adult Russian/Chinese Dwarf Hamster Mix​

Ingredients: Science Selective Hamster pellets, millet blend (japanese, yellow, red proso, white proso, golden), canary grass seed, timothy grass seed, fescue grass seed, amaranth, sorghum, safflower seed, sesame seed, milk thistle seed, nyjer seed, barley, buckwheat, hemp seed, alfalfa seed, clover seed, quinoa, flax seed, mealworms, pumpkin seed, sunflower seeds, fennel seed, rose petals, hibiscus petals, mung beans, lentils, split peas, oats, zucchini, chicken, green beans, dandelion leaves, broccoli, spinach, parsley, celery seed, caraway seed, calendula petals, shrimp, brown rice, farro, spelt, wheat, peanuts, fenugreek seed, carrot.

49 ingredients
40% pellets, 14% flour seeds, 16% oil seeds, 6% grains, 12% grass seed, 5% legumes, 3% vegetables, 2% herbs/flowers, 2% animal protein

Flour:Oil Ratio: 70:30

GA:
Protein: 18.07%
Fat: 8.16%
Fiber: 9.65%

 

[Animal_Lover1120]

That ones does look good actually. It does have lentils but they are much further down the list. It shows 18.79% protein but the lentils will be included in the protein percentage so it would still need some protein supplementing as a) the hamsters may not eat the lentils and b) the lentils aren't easy for them to digest.

As a "homemade" mix it won't include any fortified vitamins and minerals. The idea is they get enough from the natural mix but - people tend to add 2 or 3 science selective pellets as well just to ensure they get the full nutrition, vitamins etc. This would also help supplement the protein. So that would mean buying a bag of Hamster Science selective pellets as well.

Actually - it lists that it already includes science selective pellets! However if they are mixed in with the food the hamster may not eat one every day, so it would still be better to put 2 or 3 pellets out separately, because then they will take them. They could miss them among the food when foraging. Hamsters like the science selective pellets as they smell sort of yeasty or of gravy.

There is a Syrian version as well but that does seem to rely on lentils for protein, so not so good.

Okay here is the Syrian mix with pellets -

Fortified Adult Syrian Mix​

Ingredients: Science Selective Hamster pellets, barley, oats, wheat, millet blend (japanese, yellow, red proso, white proso, golden), sorghum, pumpkin seed, buckwheat, sweet corn, spelt, lentils, safflower seed, sunflower seed, canary grass seed, chickpeas, milk thistle seed, hemp seed, nyjer seed, chicken, quinoa, hibiscus petals, brown rice, farro, mung beans, flax seed, green beans, carrot, zucchini, tomato, mealworms, peanuts, split peas, sesame seed, fennel seed, fescue grass seed, broccoli, shrimp, spinach, dandelion leaves, rose petals, calendula petals, alfalfa seed, clover seed, caraway seed, parsley, cherries, grapes, apples, raspberries.

52 ingredients
40% pellets, 8% flour seeds, 12% oil seeds, 21% grains, 2% grass seed, 7% legumes, 6% vegetables/fruits, 2% herbs/flowers, 2% animal protein

Flour:Oil Ratio: 76:24

GA:
Protein: 17.64%
Fat: 7.24%
Fiber: 9.76%

 

[Animal_Lover1120]

That ones does look good actually. It does have lentils but they are much further down the list. It shows 18.79% protein but the lentils will be included in the protein percentage so it would still need some protein supplementing as a) the hamsters may not eat the lentils and b) the lentils aren't easy for them to digest.

As a "homemade" mix it won't include any fortified vitamins and minerals. The idea is they get enough from the natural mix but - people tend to add 2 or 3 science selective pellets as well just to ensure they get the full nutrition, vitamins etc. This would also help supplement the protein. So that would mean buying a bag of Hamster Science selective pellets as well.

Actually - it lists that it already includes science selective pellets! However if they are mixed in with the food the hamster may not eat one every day, so it would still be better to put 2 or 3 pellets out separately, because then they will take them. They could miss them among the food when foraging. Hamsters like the science selective pellets as they smell sort of yeasty or of gravy.

There is a Syrian version as well but that does seem to rely on lentils for protein, so not so good.

Robin says in her FAQ she can omit anything we are not happy with so I can ask her to omit the lentis from both if you think its good to do.

 

[Maz]

If you omit the lentils you'd need to know what the protein % is afterwards to know how much to supplement. As mentioned above, I would get a bag of science selective, get the mix with or without the science selective, but give 2 or 3 pellets of science selective separately, daily on a separate dish

 

[Animal_Lover1120]

If you omit the lentils you'd need to know what the protein % is afterwards to know how much to supplement. As mentioned above, I would get a bag of science selective, get the mix with or without the science selective, but give 2 or 3 pellets of science selective separately, daily on a separate dish

The pellet mix already comes with the Science Select so why would I buy another bag of it if I am going with the pellet mix and not the non pellet one? I also asked her what can we put into the mix to replace the protein being removed (lentis). Cant I take the pellets out of the mix and give them separately is it necessary to buy more when its in the mix I will buy?

She responded: When we alter a mix to remove lentils, we adjust other ingredients in the mix so that the GA (Guaranteed Analysis) stays similar to the original mix.

 

[Animal_Lover1120]

If you omit the lentils you'd need to know what the protein % is afterwards to know how much to supplement. As mentioned above, I would get a bag of science selective, get the mix with or without the science selective, but give 2 or 3 pellets of science selective separately, daily on a separate di

If you omit the lentils you'd need to know what the protein % is afterwards to know how much to supplement. As mentioned above, I would get a bag of science selective, get the mix with or without the science selective, but give 2 or 3 pellets of science selective separately, daily on a separate dish

Maz she just sent me this message about lentils:
Also, just an FYI on the lentils--totally safe in small quantities. They do contain lectins, which can act as a nutrient absorber, but since they only make up a small portion of the diet it's a very negligible impact on the overall mix. We're still happy to customize it if it's still a concern to you, but I will say that the fears surrounding lectins are definitely made larger than they probably should be in the hamster community.
10:22 PM

(The other legumes in the mix also contain small amounts of lectins, but lentils just ended up getting all the bad reputation for some reason lol. We always keep legumes less than 10-12% of the mix for that reason.)

 

[Maz]

Yes it's difficult sometimes as people have different views on lentils. On here we tend to suggest avoiding them if possible. Good if she can add something else instead. Yes you could pick the science selective pellets out and give them separately - just thought it could be a bit tedious picking them out.

Hamster Helper had a good anti lentil video on Instagram Their foods are lentil free. But uk only I think. The mixes you saw have a lot of variety and good ingredients though, if the nutrition balances out.

 

[Animal_Lover1120]

Yes it's difficult sometimes as people have different views on lentils. On here we tend to suggest avoiding them if possible. Good if she can add something else instead. Yes you could pick the science selective pellets out and give them separately - just thought it could be a bit tedious picking them out.

Hamster Helper had a good anti lentil video on Instagram Their foods are lentil free. But uk only I think. The mixes you saw have a lot of variety and good ingredients though, if the nutrition balances out.

I only thought of doing it because I was afraid they would get too much of the pellets. When I take a tablespoon out to give them I'm sure pellets will be in that scoop so if I bought the extra bag of pellets and gave them more I kind of panicked and thought I would be over feeding them with pellets. I have no issue with buying a bag of it I just don't want to over feed the dwarfs or the Syrian. That was where I was coming from.

 

[Maz]

You won't overfeed them. Whatever they take goes to their hoards and they eat what they want/need from there. Even if you gave them a whole bowl full of science selective pellets, a Syrian would probably one eat one pellet or maybe nibble a second one, because they eat such tiny amounts each day!

I think it sounds good to ask for the lentils to be replaced with something else - she sounds really helpful. Main reason I suggested giving science selective separately was so you can see that the pellets have gone. It's harder to see if they're mixed in with the rest of the bowl. But yes it would be perfectly fine to just pick out the included ones. Personally I'd get the mix without the pellets and have a separate bag of pellets. And just put 2 to 3 out for a syrian and 2 out for a dwarf each day But whatever is easiest for you. I would hate to have to rummage through the food trying to find the pellets . But maybe it's not so bad. Science selective is a good thing to have in if you ever have an older hamster who starts to have eating difficulties or tooth problems, because you can soak the pellets when they need a soft food diet and it ensures they get balanced nutrition in old age

Also I personally wouldn't give a hamster lentils because there are much healthier things to give them. Some hamsters just won't eat them anyway and then a big chunk of the protein count is gone from the mix.

But if she substitutes the lentils for something else, it doesn't really matter if the balance is out in the mix, if you're giving the science selective as well Most hamsters will eat science selective and you'll see if they've taken the pellets.

I think the dwarf hamsters will start hoarding now you're cleaning out less often You're doing a grand job with your three hammies and it's great you're looking for information and getting everything right for them

 

[Angel’s Teddybear]

Gah, these conversations bring back memories of when I was making my own food mix!

 

[Animal_Lover1120]

You won't overfeed them. Whatever they take goes to their hoards and they eat what they want/need from there. Even if you gave them a whole bowl full of science selective pellets, a Syrian would probably one eat one pellet or maybe nibble a second one, because they eat such tiny amounts each day!

I think it sounds good to ask for the lentils to be replaced with something else - she sounds really helpful. Main reason I suggested giving science selective separately was so you can see that the pellets have gone. It's harder to see if they're mixed in with the rest of the bowl. But yes it would be perfectly fine to just pick out the included ones. Personally I'd get the mix without the pellets and have a separate bag of pellets. And just put 2 to 3 out for a syrian and 2 out for a dwarf each day But whatever is easiest for you. I would hate to have to rummage through the food trying to find the pellets . But maybe it's not so bad. Science selective is a good thing to have in if you ever have an older hamster who starts to have eating difficulties or tooth problems, because you can soak the pellets when they need a soft food diet and it ensures they get balanced nutrition in old age

Also I personally wouldn't give a hamster lentils because there are much healthier things to give them. Some hamsters just won't eat them anyway and then a big chunk of the protein count is gone from the mix.

But if she substitutes the lentils for something else, it doesn't really matter if the balance is out in the mix, if you're giving the science selective as well Most hamsters will eat science selective and you'll see if they've taken the pellets.

I think the dwarf hamsters will start hoarding now you're cleaning out less often You're doing a grand job with your three hammies and it's great you're looking for information and getting everything right for them

Thank you for the compliments. I believe in always research, always ask so I can do the right thing in anything I take on. Animals like children need the backing of someone with an open mind and a good heart and soul. I try for the sake of the animal to learn and keep learning and growing.

 

[Maz]

How are you getting on with your lovely hammies?

 

[Animal_Lover1120]

Hi thank you for asking. My daughter is working hard to tame them and she is doing a great job. I decided to go with Robin's food and will get used to the worms in it. I am trying to finish off the current food mix I created and when its down enough I will order the dwarfs their bag and the Syrian her bag. I do think one of the dwarf boys is getting fat even though I don't think I feed too much but I will keep watching him. It's Ki the white one with the stripe down his back and red eyes.

 

[Maz]

Sounds like a good choice He is very cute. Just wondering if he had a vet check when you got him. His eyes do look quite slanted and smaller. It may be just the way he is but it could be worth getting them checked.

 

[Animal_Lover1120]

No I didn't think to take him to the vet since his poop looks good and he is eating his greens and veggies and some of his seed mix. I guess I could get him to the vet but didn't want to upset him by traveling so I just watch and I make sure he can see out of his eyes. Just all the work taming him I didn't want to push it but if you are concerned I guess I can make an appointment. Our vet is expensive with exotics that is another reason I've been watching him on my own. Just to show you I have to pay $110.00 just to walk into the door anything she does I am charged for. Dogs are cheaper then piggies and hammies around here.