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[LunarFlame]

Hamster-safe foods.

I know as a new owner, I struggled to find a comprehensive list regarding what is safe for my hamsters to eat. So I did some research and decided to compile a list of safe foods for Syrian hamsters as well as dwarfs. There may be some errors, as I am not an expert or a veterinarian, so use this list with caution. New foods should be fed sparingly and in small quantities. You don’t want to upset your ham’s tummy!

A note about dwarf diets:

Many people will debate whether or not dwarf hamsters should have foods with sugar in them. Because dwarf hamsters are especially susceptible to diabetes, it is important to either extremely limit or completly remove sugary foods from their diet. Because of this, I have made a second list of the more sugary fruits and veg which *can* be fed to Syrians, but not to dwarfs!

Foods Safe for Both Syrians and Dwarfs:

Veggies:
Asparagus
Basil
Bean Sprouts
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage (in small amounts)
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chestnuts
Chickweed
Chicory
Clover
Cucumbers
Dandelion flowers and leaves
Endive
Green Beans
Green Pepper
Kale
Orange Pepper
Parsnips
Potatoes (cooked)
Radicchio
Red Pepper
Romaine Lettuce
Spinach
Swiss chard
Turnip
Water Chestnuts
Water Cress
Yellow Pepper
Zucchini


Meat/Protein foods:
Cooked, unseasoned ground beef (lean preferred)
Baked/Steamed, unseasoned Turkey/Chicken
Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Grasshoppers (pet shop only!)
Mealworms (pet shop only!)
Crickets (pet shop only!)
Eggs (boiled/scrambled, plain!)
Plain Tofu
Plain Yogurt (no sugar added)
Dog Biscuits (make sure there is no garlic/onion in these!)

Other Foods:
Acorns
Alfalfa
Baby Food (no onion, garlic, low sugar, and containing NO preservatives)
Buckwheat
Bran or Wheat Germ
Brown rice (cooked, plain)
Cereals (low/no sugar)
Cheese (mild, lower fat, small quantities)
Dry Toast (whole wheat, NO white)
Flax seeds
Lentils
Nuts (except almonds)
Oatmeal (plain, dry, or soak in skim/soy/low fat milk)
Pasta (cooked, plain, wheat or spinach)
Peanuts (plain, unsalted)
Popcorn (plain, unsalted)
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Soybeans (roasted, salt-free)
Squash Seeds
Sunflower Seeds

Additional Foods which should only be fed to Syrians:

Fruits:
Apple (seedless)
Banana
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherry
Grape (seedless)
Honey Dew Melon
Lychee
Mango
Papaya
Peaches (remove pit)
Pear
Plums (remove pit)
Raspberries
Star Fruit
Strawberries

Veggies:
Carrots
Corn
Peas
Squash
Sweet Potatoes

Foods that never should be fed:
Buttercups (flower)
Chocolate (toxic)
Onion (possibly toxic in some animals)
Garlic (possibly toxic in some animals)
Peanut Butter (can get stuck in pouches)
Sandwich meats (contain too much salt, high nitrates)
Almonds (possibly toxic/ Cyanic acid)
Apple Seeds
Canned foods and other processed foods
Candy/ Junk Foods
Pork
Potatoes (raw)
Kidney Beans
Eggplant
Fool’s Parsley
Grape Seeds
Avocado
Raw Rhubarb
Tomato leaves
Citrus fruits (including orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc)
Watermelon
Fruit pits/ most fruit seeds
Jams/jellies
Salt
Spices/Seasonings
Leeks
Scallions
Chives
Pickles

Sources:
http://www.hamsterific.com/HamsterUniversity/FoodList.html
http://www.geocities.com/taffy3001/food_list.html

Thank you for reading this list. If you see any changes that should be made, or foods that need to be added, let me know!

This post has been edited by LunarFlame: May 23 2008, 11:59 PM

[robinhamster]

Thanks for that . I havent been sure what was safe to feed my new WW.

[Kaede]

Wow, thanks for posting this! Helped a lot!

[wiffy]

This is a great topic so I have it pinned.

If there are foods to add, please post here and I'll update the first post whenever I can!

[phll363]

there is a list on petwebsite clicky there might be some stuff on there thats been missed out.

[Supermunchie]

Thats a fantastic list Lunar
I bought Biscuit's mealworms from a store, origginally for birds, I've fed these to Cinnamon, Cappuccino and now Biscuit

[donchaevastop]

Thanks for the list, it really helped on what to feed my hamsters!

[Fish]

have to fix my hamster's diet... Thanks for this!

[HookedonHammies]

That's a brilliant list! Now I can really start my new hamster off with a good diet!

[Fish]

My first hamster died.. but i guess he was not well when we bought it... I'm afraid to give him cheese because that was the last food he age then died.. is it good to give cheese? EDEN Cheese to be exact.. Thanks for your help!

[genevekwek98]

erm..can u feed ur hamsters with pears ?

[robinhamster]

is it good to give cheese

Yes, just not in excess as it can be very fatty for hamsters.

erm..can u feed ur hamsters with pears

Syrians yes, dwarfs no.

[Yanglicious]

Robin - yes you can, just in a smaller amount.

[faithie]

I love this list! I never even considered feeding my hammy anything other than hamster food. I fed him a little piece of plum yesterday and he loved it! I do have a question though. I have some fresh peas in the pod, would it be okay to give him some of the pea pod as well? should the peas be cooked first?

[ananas]

So the crickets/mealworms and stuff- do you feed them live?