Hamsters can be sensitive creatures. They need a balanced diet with the correct proportions to keep a healthy weight and not have stomach aches.
You should feed your hamster approximately two tablespoons (30 ml) of food daily, depending on its weight. Pelleted feed makes up 75% of the diet, and 25% can be various vegetables and treats. Of that 25%, the foods can measure 1.5–4.5 teaspoons (22-66.5 ml). Portions are the size of a few peas.
This article will go a bit more in-depth on the appropriate amount to feed your hamster. Keep reading for considerations on how much to offer and how often.
How Much Food To Feed Hamsters
On average, hamsters eat two tablespoons (30 ml) of food per day. However, dwarf varieties need only one tablespoon (15 ml), so the amount varies depending on the breed, age, and health condition. If they begin to collect food in their cheeks, not finish their food, or eat fast, you will want to adjust the amount.
The rule to help you decide proportionately how much food to feed your hamster is 75% pellets and 25% variety. This way, the hamster is guaranteed to receive balanced micro and macro nutrition from the complete feed. But the hamster can also have fresh treats.
When you give your hamster fruit, make sure the fruit is ripe, and you offer pea-sized servings. The same rule applies to vegetables. Hamsters can have a bad reaction if they get too much of one thing.
Lettuce is easier on hamsters because it’s mostly water. But also because it is mostly water, too much can cause diarrhea.
When introducing new treats, start small. Make infrequent offerings, and work your way to whole servings regularly. This slow integration will prevent stomach upsets. It also applies to hamsters that have always had a strict pellet diet, and you are adding fresh food for the first time.
Here are some amounts and frequencies recommended for different types of food:
- Vegetables like lettuce, dandelion greens, and cucumbers. Offered daily with one to two teaspoons (15-30 ml).
- Fruits like apples without seeds, bananas, and cantaloupe. Offered every other day with less than one teaspoon (less than 15 ml).
- Grains like cooked brown rice, oats, and whole-grain cereal. Offered daily with half a teaspoon to one teaspoon (7-15 ml).
- Proteins like hard-boiled eggs, crickets, and mealworms. Offered two to three times per week with half a teaspoon (7 ml).
- Fats like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and pecans. Offered two to three times per week with half a teaspoon (7 ml).
One way to tell if you are feeding too much food is to check on your hamster’s food store. If the hamster collects a lot over several days, you can offer less.
Also, check, Why Is My Hamster Bleeding From Its Bottom?
What Hamsters Eat
Hamsters are naturally omnivores with more leanings toward being herbivorous. So the healthiest diet for them involves lots of plant material.
Depending on if the food is a seed, fruit, or other parts of the plant, the animal can get a variety of fats, proteins, and carbs. When they eat something that’s not a plant, they can eat insects like mealworms and crickets. In the wild, they would also go after small lizards and frogs.
About 15% of their diet is protein, and 5% is fat.
Roughage
Hamster teeth constantly grow, so they need to chew to keep their teeth under control. Sometimes they have chew toys, coconut shells, and cardboard.
Grapevines and dogwood branches are healt