What & How to Feed Your Hamster
A healthy hamster is a happy hamster and a happy hamster is more likely to want to bond with you!
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What to Feed Your Hamster
Dry Food Mix (primary diet)
Hamsters are omnivores and need approx 18-20% protein in their diet.
In the US it’s generally agreed that the best, easily available diet for your hamster is achieved by mixing one full bag of Mazuri Rat & Mouse blocks (link to PetCo) with a full bag of Higgins Sunburst Seed Mix (Link to PetCo).
While many people prefer to feed their hamsters specialty mixes , swapping meal worms in place of lab blocks, lab blocks provide some essential nutrients in addition to providing an opportunity for your hamster to file down their teeth.
Personally, I stick with the Higgins/Mazuri mix, then suppliment with a variety of seed sprays, fresh veggies & dried insects for variety.
Hamsters can vary a lot in size and activity. A well-fed hamster will have a little bit of hoard somewhere in their enclosure - if your hamster has no hoard, they probably need a little more food! If they have a huge hoard, you can probably cut back a little.
You do not generally need to worry about hamsters over-eating, as long as your are providing a well-balanced diet with lots of space for exercise, your hamster can decide how much they need to eat!
Hamsters Love Variety
Hamsters have been shown to enjoy variety in their diet so I encourage you to stock up on an array of healthy, hamster “treats” (you’ll notice “yogurt drops” are not included, they are sugary and not healthy). I’ve included many options I use below. These treats can be used in boredom breakers, hidden around a play pen for a stimulating game of “find-the-broken-up-walnut-pieces” (my hamsters love this one!) or to practice hand taming.
I particularly love giving our robos tiny flax seeds, one at a time. It’s incredible how carefully they will take the seeds from our fingertips!
Whole peanuts or other types of nuts are fun because it takes a while for your hamster to break them open. For my robos and dwarves I have to start the process for them by breaking the shell and then they are usually able to finish it off from there. Syrian hamsters should be able to open a peanut shell on their own, but may need help with a walnut or other tree-nut.
Baby puffs are also fun treats for your hamsters and are great during the taming phase (because they are so large and easy to hand to a hamster!)
Dried mealworms are also a great treat and a great protein source- I currently get my dried mealworms from Hammy Paws Co on Etsy!
I suggest freezing all food for 48 hours to ensure there are no bugs in it (I have experienced this… don’t let it happen to you!)
Further Reading: Please see Hamster Club House for more detail about hamster nutrition and this super handy flyer from the Ontario Hamster Club all about what you can feed your hams (print it out and keep it on your fridge!).
Hamster Seed Sprays, Dried Flowers & Treats & Foraging Items
Hamster seed sprays are a great way to keep your hamsters busy by getting them to collect their seeds from tiny “seed trees” you place around their cage. Bonus, the seed sprays often look gorgeous!
Flower mixes are also much loved by hamsters. You can sprinkle the flower mix on their bedding or in some coconut soil and your hamsters will go crazy digging for it. Plus, it also looks beautiful!
Good quality seed sprays and flower mixes may not be cheap, but they can last a while if you give a bit each week. I don’t give all the seed sprays to my hamsters at once or they would eat them all in one sitting!
Including links to a few shops I have heard good things about / or have shopped at!
Tiny Flowers Shop (based in France, ships world wide): https://www.tinyflowersshop.com/
Rodent Forest (ships to EU only): https://www.instagram.com/rodent.forest/
Precious Pastries - based in New Jersey, US. They carry a variety of treats, chews and boredom breakers! https://www.etsy.com/shop/PreciousPastries
Oakwood Forest Shop - Oakwood Forest is based in the Netherlands (but ship world wide!) and sells gorgeous, high quality flowers & sprays. https://www.oakwoodforestshop.com/
Priderock Blooms - https://www.priderockblooms.co.uk/
Wonder Hamster Shop - I just put in an order here after seeing Casper the Roborovski get some! Their shop is through Etsy. They are based in Germany but shipping was very reasonable and they had a nice selection of products! Can’t wait to get it! Shop here —> https://www.etsy.com/shop/WonderhamsterShop
Hope’s Healthy Treats - I also just put in an order here (I have lots of hungry hams!) They are based in the UK but ship to many countries in Europe, Canada & the US.. Shop here —> https://www.etsy.com/shop/HopesHealthyTreats
Little Gems Bakery: Based in the UK, ships to UK, Europe, US & Canada. Shop here —> https://littlegemsbakery.com/shop
Hammy Paws Co: Based on Ohio, they carry a variety of treats, foraging mixes & hamster chews! Shop here —> https://www.etsy.com/shop/HammyPawsCo
Fresh Vegetables, Fruit & More!
Hamsters often enjoy eating a wide variety of foods. Since they are omnivores they can, for the most part, participate in the meals YOU eat, but skip the seasoning. It is generally advised that hamsters should avoid onions, garlic, tomatoes and citrus (acidic and spicy foods).
You should also stay away from sticky foods like peanut butter, as they may get stuck in cheek pouches (but hamsters can and love eating full peanuts!).
Each day, I try to save a bit of what I’m eating for my hamsters. This can include things like a bit of undressed salad, a small slice of apple, a bit of scrambled egg, etc! It’s great fun making my hamsters tiny plates of food, and even more fun seeing what they enjoy.
For a comprehensive list of what veggies and other foods you can feed your hamster, please the Hamster Hideout Forum
How Much and How Often?
I try to give my hamsters a small piece of fresh veggies at least 3-4 times a week. Don’t give too much in case it causes an upset stomach. You should introduce one new food at a time.
Fruit and other carbs should be given in moderation (1-2x per week). Some dwarf hamsters get diabetes and should avoid fruit (or anything sugary, like yogurt drops!) all together.
Bowls are nice when feeding veggies so they don’t get dirty. Links to some bowls I like below :)
Elderly or Sick Hamster Food
As hamsters reach the “elderly” stage of their lives (varies per hamster, but on average, about 1 1/2 years onward) you may want to supplement their diet with soft foods like baby food, “hamster porridge” , or Critical Care. I also suggest feeding other naturally soft foods like bananas, cooked noodles, and scrambled eggs.
I try to provide my hamsters with a balanced diet when they are sick or elderly, but I mainly focus on giving them foods they will eat, as getting calories into them when they don’t feel well can be tricky. While I normally would not feed my hamsters cooked noodles or bananas everyday (a bit carb heavy!), if it’s a food they are excited about eating and they need the nourishment due to age or illness, I don’t hold back. Bring on the noodles!
I tried MANY baby foods with my hamsters and found that on the whole they preferred Serenity Kids! They seemed to all love the variety of vegetable flavors. They also liked the chicken and turkey favorite (Oscar was a particular fan of the turkey!)
The baby food packets say to throw away after opening, but I would keep them refrigerated and use for about 4-5 days, then open a new packet. I tried to make sure the food didn’t sit out for more than a few hours. Generally speaking, my hamsters would smell a fresh addition to their cage and come out to eat it within a few minutes of my placing it there.
I’ve also tried Critical Care Omnivore (hard to find, but available here. It’s a powdered, complete nutrition mix meant for ill or elderly omnivore animals, like hamsters). My hamsters didn’t seem to love this for some reason and I’ve had better luck getting sick hamsters to eat by putting baby food or soft, scrambled egg on my finger tips and letting them lick it off. It’s not a bad idea to keep some critical care around with some small, plastic syringes in case you need it.
Giving your hamster medication
If you can find a fresh food your hamster cannot resist, it’s a great conduit for meds (and generally MUCH easier than trying to force them to have their meds via a syringe)! I have found that most of my hamsters will eat a piece of scrambled egg very quickly, so it’s been a great way for me to ensure they get their meds without the emotional trauma of being force fed meds through a syringe (for both of us). My latest elderly hamster, Oscar, seemed to be less interested in scrambled egg, but LOVED the turkey baby food so much I would rely on him finishing it all the moment I put it out. I was able to get him his Ivermectin & anti-inflammatory meds very easily this way (and he is a hamster who DOES NOT like to be handled… I can’t even imagine if I had to do that every day).
Of course, please only use medication on your hamster as prescribed by your vet! I have two vets in town I see, in addition to an emergency vet I can go to on nights or weekend when needed. I highly recommend finding an exotic vet who is accepting new patients now, when you don’t need them… because when you do, you’ll need to see them asap!
Below, see a photo of my rescue dwarf hamster, Shirley, enjoying some carrot & chicken baby food, in addition to some hamster porridge! Shirley was missing her top teeth and had to rely on a soft or ground up diet for the second half of her life.
How to Feed Your Hamster
Scatter Feeding:
Hamsters get a lot of joy from gathering their food and creating a hoard of neatly, sorted seeds in their nest. For this reason, many people scatter feed (meaning they sprinkle the dry hamster food around the hamster cage) for their hamster to find. This is what I do, and my hamsters seem to love it!
Bowl Feeding
Scatter feeding is not recommended for a new hamster or a hamster who has health concerns- in those cases you’ll want to make sure they are eating the food you are leaving for them. Some people just prefer using the bowl feeding method to monitor how much food their hamsters are getting. You can always provide additional stimulation by putting treats inside a boredom breaker and providing seed sprays.
Water Bowls vs Bottles
I like to provide both water dishes and bottles for my hamsters. I do this to provide backup, since sometimes the bottle stops working and other times my hamsters fill their water bowls with bedding for a reason I can’t discern. All of my hamsters use both the bowls and the bottles, so I continue to leave both in there so they can choose which they prefer.
For water bowls, it’s important that you place them on a flat surface to keep them from spilling. I usually place my water bowls on top of a multi chamber hide or platform.
I really like the adjustable water bottle from Niteangel, but also have this ceramic water bottle holder from LoveDrizzlesStudio and it works perfectly for my robos (although I replaced the bottle it came with with the You & Me, 4 oz variety (link to PetCo), I find these water bottles work best for my dwarf & robo hamsters). The ceramic variety may be a bit low to the ground for a Syrian hamster.
I clean and replace the bowl water daily. For the water bottles I wash them once a week and replace the water at this time. I use a straw cleaner to clean the inside of the metal shaft to ensure there isn’t a back up of icky bacteria inside the water bottle. I use dish soap and make sure to rinse very thoroughly (if they accidentally consume any dish soap this would probably make them quite sick, so I do take extra precaution to make sure the bottles are totally rinsed)
Please see this post from Hamstertivity all about how to place and maintain a water bowl.
