Food! Yummy!

Well, who doesn't enjoy food? Hamsters are no exception! The great thing about hamsters is that they never overeat. With other animals, you have to be careful about how much you feed them. If they eat too much, they'll get sick. Hamsters have a great advantage. They will never eat too much. They eat enough just to fill themselves up, and then save the rest for later.

Chirpy looking out of her cage All hamsters have cheek pouches on either side of their head. When a wild hamster goes out foraging, he'll stuff his cheek pouches full of food during the night and return to his burrow at dawn to unload the booty in his burrow. A pet hamster of course doesn't need to hoard to survive, but he still retains this instinct. A pet hamster stuffs his cheek pouches full of litter to replace the shavings he kicked out of his nesting house, and food to eat a midnight....er....midday snack. This hoarding instinct comes in handy if you ever go on a short vacation. Hamsters can be left alone for a few days, because they save food for later. Just be sure to leave enough food and water for the little guy before you go.

Regarding diet, hamsters are very inexpensive to feed. The main thing you feed you hamster should be the grain/seed mix made specifically for them, available at most every pet store. But hamsters need variety, too. Giving your hamster fresh fruit and/or vegetables everyday is a must. These contain nutrients that the hamster needs. When giving your hamster fruits or vegetables, make sure you hand feed it to the little furry friend. If you hand feed it to the hamster, he'll eat it right away, and will be less likely to hoard it. Hamsters shouldn't be allowed to hoard fresh fruits and veggies for too long, because it may get rotten, and rotten food is harmful for the hamster. Other things you can hand feed your hamster are yogurt and hard-boiled eggs. Hammies love yogurt. And they're so crazy over eggs. Your hamster will also enjoy pasta and raisins

In your hamster's food dish, it's also good to give a few supplemental foods every day. You can give them among other things, rice (it's okay if it's uncooked), oatmeal (again, okay if uncooked), walnuts, and cereal. Make sure you don't give your hamster too many nuts, as they're fattening. And regarding cereal, don't give your hamster that sugarcoated stuff. Give you hamster stuff that's low in fat and sugar, like Rice Crispies, Cornflakes, Kix, or Cheerios.

This may sound strange, but it's also wise to give your hamsters dog biscuits. These are great for helping the hamster wear down his teeth, plus hamsters like the taste. Dog biscuits also contain meat. This is a good way to give your hamster some protein, too.

You may also want to give your hamster a treat now and then, something that you can buy in a pet store. There are treat sticks or bells, and there are also yogurt drops. You may also see also treats in the pet store. Just make sure that the treats are meant for hamsters. Or small animals in general.