What weight should a Syrian male be at 4 months.... bit worried

[oddvon]

Hi Folks ... as you may know I adopted Buddy about 4 weeks ago and think he was 3-4 months old... I didnt have scales as I wasn't worried ....

I think he's too light for his age now being at 92 grammes at something like 4 or 5 months old???

I changed out his entire substrate and bedding as wasn't 100 % certain it wasn't pine... or dust free/low...

( It at least didnt say pine on bag and customer review said it was spruce.. but like I m saying I am a bit worried about his weight...so Ive gone for caution...)

He is soooo speedy...... he just doesnt stop.......much more ... speedy ....?? than my previous hamster ( so many years ago !! )

Im feeding Vitakraft ... Menu Vital. with bits of veg ... no treats or sugars .... he's speedy enough !!!

 

[Daisy]

Hello,

92g is light but not unusually so for a young hamster. More important than the exact number on the scales is how he looks and feels. Does he look and feel frail and boney? If not, he's probably fine. It won't be due to the bedding in any case.

Does the Vitakraft food bag say how much protein and fat it has?

 

[Daisy]

I just found the nutritional information online. It was 14% protein. Research suggests that Syrians fed 14% protein might grow more slowly than hamsters on higher-protein diets but will catch up in the long term. However it might be more ideal to boost the protein slightly with things like egg, meat, fish, insects, and high protein seeds like pumpkin seeds.

 

[oddvon]

Ok thank you for your reassuring and quick answer I will look at adding protein then.... He's fine.... just doesnt seem to stop long enough to gain weight ....I don't remember hamsters being quite so speedy.... my experience from years ago was a more relaxed kinda vibe... Buddy is just Hi ... .... whoosh he's moving on again.. Im looking for ward to him feeling more chunky in my hands .... but he's still a baby I guess... thanks .

 

[Maz]

Hi. He could just be a small hamster or just need to do a bit more growing. My current Syrian was only 97g when he came and I was told he was about 3 months old. I thought he was just a very small hamster but within a few months he was about 180 grammes. With the right diet and care he flourished. As Daisy mentioned, protein is very important in the first year of their life. It's what helps them grow and develop and they need it for muscles as well. He should be getting a minimum of 18% protein, a good muesli mix, and a tiny bit of fresh veg daily.

I think you're in the Uk aren't you? The only mix with the correct protein levels in, is Harry Hamster. But it doesn't have the greatest variety. I mix that 50/50 with the Bunny Dream Hamster mix which has more variety but only 15.6% protein. Harry Hamster has 18% - so if you add them together and divide by two, mixing those two would give a protein level of 16.8% - which is fine for an older hamster, but the protein would need supplementing for a young hamster.

I would suggest switching to a mix with more protein and see how he does. You could start by switching him to Harry Hamster, which is easily available. And then look at something to mix it with to give more variety. Supplementing the protein after that could be, as Daisy says, some chopped hard boiled egg once or twice a week, and a nut once or twice a week. They can also have leftovers of meat if it's plain cooked and no gravy or sauces - eg a tiny bit of roast chicken, if you've had chicken one time. Or you can buy freeze dried chicken bites (they are usually cat treats but just chicken and nothing else).

 

[Maz]

Harry Hamster is available in a lot of places - Amazon and some pet shops. If you wanted to mix it with Bunny Dream then it's online only from Vetsend. If that's going to work out too expensive, then you could just give him Harry Hamster as his only mix and give variety by sprinkling the occasional seeds like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or pine nuts.

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[oddvon]

Thank you MaZ... yep Uk so Ill get Harry Hamster .. he ignores dried worms ... but the chicken cat treats is a good shout as I have a cat ... so double value there....(... its why I chose a solid perspex sided cage...). thank you for confirming he's most likely skinny rather than ill....
I will post weight updates when I notice a gain.

 

[Maz]

Was he a rescue? Mine was and when he started to get bigger I decided it was just that he hadn’t been thriving in his first few months. Depending on what kind of life they had before you get them. I was told he was just a small hamster. Maybe Buddy is just a small hamster but if you give him a good protein diet you’ll find out . And it will be a good building block for him.

If you have freeze dried chicken for your cat make sure it’s just chicken in it. I think pure bites is the one some people use. If you make a hard boiled egg once a week you can just keep it in the fridge for a few days. I take the shell off the first time I’m going to guide some and chop a bit off and then leave the rest in the fridge and give it a couple of days later. Then eat the rest myself haha.

So maybe give some of that 2 or 3 times a week. Just a tiny piece no bigger than his ear. It’ll keep in the fridge for about five days once hard boiled.

 

[oddvon]

Not a rescue proper...more like an adoption ...as he previously had to be in a Childs bedroom...noise issues ...in a small cage ..
...so I offered to take over ..which was a win...win .... I could supply a bigger cage in a non bedroom space etc.....plus they can visit and so can still enjoy him.

 

[Maz]

Mine was a child's pet as well and was very scared of hands.

 

[oddvon]

Just ordered Bunny Nature Hamster dream...its expensive ... but cheaper than vets bills so..... ... also I love the sound of the range of food types in that mix so feel good about that...

he's not scared of hands and I can handle him fine .. He's not timid....so thats all good. ( nipped to test what Im made of ... but not a meaningful bite yet ! ) Thanks again Maz

 

[Maz]

He does sound very much like Raffy was He's over two years old now and still full of energy.

 

[oddvon]

Thank you for your reassurance... Im a bit twitchy because I have adopted him from a younger family member ... and Im very conscious that he's ok with me.... " not on my watch " kinda vibe ... I will chill once he gets to about 120 grammes....then Ill know he's safely arrived ...

 

[Maz]

Some smaller hamsters are only ever 100g so don’t worry too much

 

[oddvon]

ok I guess Im comparing him directly to my other Hamster... Fidget from years ago.. he seemed massive compared... but then thinking about it... I was smaller.

 

[Maz]

They can be anything from 100g to 300g! Depending on the size of the hamster. Less than 100g is a bit unusual and the protein will probably help him build up a bit .