Chubby Cheeks - Species Appropriate Hamster Care for Beginners

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Some physical features of hamsters make it sometimes difficult to figure out – hamsters have a naturally chubby physique, even those hamsters who are not considered fat, overweight, or obese. The thing that you should start with is reducing the amount of food you give to your hamster. The best rule of thumb is to provide food to your hamster once a day. The ideal food to give is 2 teaspoons of a perfectly balanced feed in the case of Syrian hamsters.

Forage and fresh vegetables should also be provided several times a week in addition to a species appropriate seed mix. Your hamster should have an ample amount of forage at all times in the form of dried herbs and seed sprays. Most hamsters have no issue with an unlimited amount of forage, but if you notice that your hamster is very interested in a specific type of forage, it should be limited and fed in moderation. For a list of safe fresh foods, please visit bit.ly/chcsafefoodslist! This recipe contains sunflower seeds, grains, and wheat along with yucca to help mitigate the odor of stools. In addition to providing well-rounded nutrition, Kaytee also includes DHA and Omega-3 for optimal cognitive function, heart support, and eye health. Prebiotics and probiotics are included as well to encourage healthy digestion. How often should I feed my hamster? Your hamster should be enjoying one mealtime per day. This meal should be about one tablespoon of hamster food provided in a ceramic bowl to avoid scratches into plastic material where bacteria could grow. Since hamsters are nocturnal, feeding at night may be the best option; however, the most important aspect of mealtime is consistency. Once you have designated a feeding time, make it a habit so that your hamster can count on the schedule provided. Your hamster’s diet can be supplemented with some fresh food ingredients every other day – examples include raisins, berries, carrots, pumpkin, and cauliflower. You could also opt for a protein-rich food, like small pieces of a hard-boiled egg. Whatever you are feeding your hamster, be sure to clean up after mealtime to ensure a healthy, clean space free of spoiled food, mold, and bacteria. Keep in mind that while it is ultra-important to provide your hamster with a balanced diet, there are certain foods that should be avoided at all costs. Examples of foods that should be avoided include onion, citrus fruits, and kidney beans.Oxbow Essential’s has created a product that provides your hamster (or gerbil) with a balanced set of nutrients that not only promote a healthy weight, but also support digestive function and even dental health. Each morsel is fortified with a blend of vitamin C, vitamin A, and B12 to keep immune health strong. Since hamsters are herbivores, maintaining a fiber-rich diet is of ultra-importance. hamster wheel: placing a hamster wheel in your hamster’s cage is one of the easiest ways to help increasing exercise times. Hamsters will run for hours in the wheel at times! exercise ball: let them roam and explore your home while getting more exercise. Monitor your hamster while inside the exercise ball at all times. What type of nutrition is going into their bodies and how many calories are they consuming compared to how many calories they are burning. There are a lot of medical issues found in hamsters that are directly related to obesity. If a hamster is fat, it can suffer from the following health conditions:

I always recommend that you speak with your veterinarian before you change up your pet’s diet to make sure that nothing else is going on medically, and that the specific change in diet is healthy for your hamster. Diet Change: play for treats: you can create an obstacle course or can play a game of come-and-get-it where your hamsters reward for moving about, is a simple, healthy, low calorie and low sugar treat. For instance, if you mix some seeds for them, they will only eat those which they consider tasty. The rest of the seeds will remain there until they are very hungry and have nothing else to eat.New hamster owners usually prepare more food for their hamsters, assuming that they have eaten all the food and are hungry. However, the reality is far from their assumption.

This weight loss should not be drastic, but taking it slowly will help keep your pet healthier for longer. Small-sized hamster wheels can result in serious injuries and health complications for your hamster. Shift To a Balanced Diet Timothy Hay – Timothy hay is a green hay that has a sweet smell; it provides hamsters with the fiber they need. It also stimulates their inherent instinct to forage. A handful of timothy hay provided two to three times a week is a good addition to your hamster’s diet. Many commercially available foods already include this ingredient in their formulations. Hamsters are popular human companions for multiple reasons: not only are they tiny and adorable, they are easy to care for and require only a small amount of space. Their lifespans are much shorter than most other pets and providing a quality diet helps to ensure they will live the longest, healthiest life possible. These little ones can live two to three years – with proper nutritional support, they can reach their maximum lifespan with ease. The amount of fat accumulated in the body of your hamster is directly related to the time it will live. Healthy hamsters, without any obesity, live significantly longer as compared to fat hamsters.

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Overall Best Hamster Food – Your little furball gets wholesome ingredients that promote health with Kaytee’s hamster and gerbil formula. Small pets require a protein-rich diet to help them with muscle development, immune support, and also to keep a healthy coat and maintain good skin. This recipe delivers all the essential nutrients your little one needs to maintain excellent health inside and look it from the outside.

Most hamsters owners are aware of the fact that Syrian hamsters are one of the largest breeds of hamsters. These golden hamsters are also one of the cutest and most easy to manage. Seed mixes should last up to a year if properly stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place. The average syrian hamster, those hamsters you typically see in pet stores, weighs approximately 5 – 7 ounces, while a small or dwarf breed of hamster weighs around 0.5 – 1.5 ounces. This is why many dwarf hamster owners are afraid to bring their hamsters out of the cage. Are you also a part of this group? Don’t worry because we have come up with an exclusive method for dwarf hamster owners. Now that we’ve decided that doing something about the weight gain will only help your little buddy out… let’s find out just how we should do that, and do it safely. How To Get a Fat Hamster To Lose Weight:If the food is only a day older and is not contaminated by the hamster, let him finish that first. Increase The Space And Number Of Accessories When we confine them in a small cage without much space or any accessory for physical exercise, they gain weight. Just like us, if all a hamster has to do all day is eat, fat will start accumulating instantly. Hamsters have survived for many centuries because they really push their limits to get food in the wild. The same amount of physical activity or slightly less than that is necessary for the hamsters to keep them healthy. Unbalanced Diet However, if you suspect that your hamster is overweight after weighing them, looking at the diet that you are feeding them, as well as the amount of exercise that your hamster gets on a daily basis, will help guide you and your veterinarian as to how to help your pet lose the necessary weight they need to be healthy and happy again.