Food for Hamsters & Dwarf Hamsters in the Hamster Webshop!
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- Voor 17 uur besteld dezelfde dag verzonden!
- Achteraf betalen!
- 10 JAAR het BESTE voor knager & konijn!
Order Hamster Food & Dwarf Hamster Food easily and quickly at DRD Rodent Shop ® The online Hamster Webshop for your Hamster!
For food for your Hamster or Dwarf Hamster you are in the right place in our Hamster webshop . Here you will find different types and brands of hamster and dwarf hamster food for an attractive price. Little One, Bunny Nature, Witte Molen, Hope Farms, Versele Laga, Beaphar, etc. Ordering is quick and easy in our Hamster webshop.
Nutritional requirements of the Hamster and the Dwarf Hamster
Hamsters and Dwarf hamsters are granivores (seed eaters) . The diet of both Hamsters and Dwarf Hamsters therefore consists mainly of seeds and a small amount of vegetable food in the form of herbs , but also animal proteins . Hamsters catch small insects in the wild, so it is good if their diet also contains animal proteins.
The nutritional needs of the different hamster species differ from each other:
Roborovski Dwarf hamster: seeds, very little animal food
Russian Dwarf Hamster: seeds, grasses and herbs, insects
Campbelli Dwarf Hamster: seeds, grasses and herbs, insects
Chinese Dwarf Hamster: seeds and no grasses or herbs. The protein content is nil.
Syrian Hamster (Golden Hamster): seeds, grains, insects
Hoarding the Hamster and the Dwarf Hamster
Hamsters & Dwarf Hamsters carry their food in their cheek pouches . What you see is that the hamster stuffs its food into its cheek pouches and quickly takes it to its house or storage room. Transporting food in the cheek pouches is also known as 'Hoarding' . Thanks to the cheek pouch muscle, the food is held in the cheek pouch and the Hamster can transport it safely and quickly.
All in one chunk or a mix?
If your hamster or dwarf hamster is going to eat really selectively , so that he only eats the tasty things, it may be wise to switch to an all-in-one kibble . In this way, the hamster can no longer eat selectively. Each kibble has its own composition. Hamsters do need a few weeks to get used to different food. It is also possible that the hamster will eat less of the all-in-one kibble. This may have to do with the composition of the kibble. Some all-in-one kibbles have a very full composition, so that less of it needs to be eaten to meet the same nutritional requirement.
Is switching between Hamster food good?
Hamsters are much less sensitive to a change of food than, for example, a guinea pig or rabbit. Switching between feed is much easier with these animals. Nevertheless, we recommend that you always mix your own food with the new food for a few more days.
Coprophagy in Hamsters and Dwarf Hamsters
Did you know that hamsters eat their own night droppings just like rabbits? It really is! We call this behavior coprophagy and the animals do this to absorb plant nutrients even better and to absorb the Vitamin B12 that is created in the intestines.
Anatomy of Hamsters and Dwarf Hamsters
The Incisors
Hamsters have incisors that continue to grow. The food must therefore still be reasonably firm to bite (e.g. with different seeds that can be peeled)
The stomach
The stomach consists of two 'chambers', namely the forestomach and the glandular stomach. The pre-digestion of, among other things, the fibers begins in the forestomach.
The appendix
The 'granivorous' (seed-eating) hamster has a small appendix. It can only process raw fibers to a limited extent. The optimum crude fiber content in the feed is therefore below 10%
Animal proteins
Animal protein is needed for metabolism. The amount should be carefully adjusted to the needs of the animal.
High energy requirement
Hamsters are real bundles of energy. They like to move and have a higher energy requirement due to their high metabolism.
The natural rhythm of food gathering
Hamsters are foragers by nature and only have access to food for a short time. In the winter everything starts to become scarce and so they have to do their best in the summer to replenish the food supplies. The dwarf hamster is therefore always busy looking for and storing food. This behavior is very recognizable for many a hamster owner.
The hamster follows its natural rhythm when it comes to collecting food. He doesn't realize that the summer and food availability at our house are endless. He happily continues to collect and if you let him do his thing, a good supply will be built up.
High-energy food first
Life is hard in the wild, if you haven't collected enough, you won't make it. Those who do not have enough fat reserves will get cold and difficult. This is the main reason why hamsters first eat energy -rich food. Their instinct compels them to do this. Energy-rich food gives energy and makes it possible to build up a fat layer. The latter helps against the cold and provides a buffer if you have trouble finding food. They simply do not know that the animals do not have to be afraid of this at our house and that is why they continue to eat the energy-rich food first.
By energy-rich food we mean food with a higher content of: (natural) sugars, carbohydrates/starch and fats. The animals will therefore eat sweets (sugars/carbohydrates) first, followed by fruit (natural sugars), pea flakes (starch) and sunflower seeds (fats). We also call this preference selective eating .
Important: Carbohydrates, sugars and fats are indispensable for dwarf hamsters. They need these nutrients in abundance to meet their energetic existence. Too much of these nutrients is not good, but too little is just as bad!
This is how we prevent selective eating!
Be strict!
There is actually one good way to avoid selective eating and that is to be stern . The animals should be given the prescribed portion of feed and only receive a new portion when the old one has been eaten. In this way, selective eating is no longer possible. However, many owners find it difficult to be so strict with their pet.
If you decide to suddenly act strict with feeding, you can see that your hamster will eat less. This is a natural reaction of the animal. His food supply is getting smaller and this creates a feeling of scarcity. He has to eat less now or he won't make it through the winter (he thinks). The owner is shocked by this, my animal suddenly eats less and probably also loses weight. These are signals we don't like to see!
Adjust nutrition
It can help to switch to a food with a different composition or to remove the tasty things that the hamster takes from the food and only give it when the other things have been eaten.
Everything in one chunk
A last resort is the all-in-one kibble. These kibbles are all the same, so that no selective eating behavior can occur and therefore no nutritional deficiencies. The all-in-one kibble does not quite fit into the natural diet menu. The animals therefore need a longer adjustment period, but once they have become accustomed to an all-in-one kibble, they eat it very well and remain stable in terms of condition and weight.
For rabbits and guinea pigs, the all-in-one kibble is already well established and is one of the primary ways of feeding. The animals are in a better condition if they are fed an all-in-one pellet.
For an owner who wants to be 100% sure that his animal always receives all the nutrients, the all-in-one kibble is a godsend.
It remains an art to keep the hamster's eating habits in balance. Because of its collecting and therefore hiding behavior, it is sometimes quite a task to find all the food supplies. If your hamster eats selectively, but if it otherwise looks good, there is no reason to panic. Some animals seem to eat selectively, but secretly balance their food in a good way. These animals have a good weight, beautiful fur and sparkling eyes.
