It is important to feed your hamster a healthy and balanced diet. It should consist of lab blocks, as the main staple diet, supplemented with a good quality seed mix and occasional fruits and vegetables.
Hamsters require the following in terms of nutrition:
Protein: 17-22%
Fat: 4-7%
Fiber: 8-15%
Lab Blocks
Lab blocks are the best diet for hamsters because they have everything your hamster needs. When feeding lab blocks, the hamster can’t pick and choose items out of the food. When fed only seed mixes, hamsters can pick and choose their favorites ingredients, thus causing an unbalanced diet and all kinds of problems from obesity to health issues. I recommend the lab-quality rather than the pet-quality lab blocks as it was found the animals like them better when “taste tests” have been done. There are only two brands of lab blocks recommended by us Envigo Teklad, a very high quality lab block, followed by Mazuri Rat & Mouse Diet.
Envigo Teklad lab blocks are a nutritionally complete food. They contain all the essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids and macronutrients your hamster needs. These blocks contain natural-ingredient specifically formulated to provide the proper balance of all known nutrients considered essential for the growth, maintenance, and reproduction of rats, mice, gerbils and hamsters. These diets conform to the nutrient requirements for rodents established by the National Research Council (1995). These lab blocks were designed to be used in labs to reduce research variables, thus by feeding these lab blocks you don’t have to worry that your hamsters doesn’t get proper nutrition.
We recommend Teklad lab blocks because it is the formula we are using and we are not compromising quality when it comes to our hamsters. Teklad lab blocks come in a few formulas. We use:
- Teklad 8640 formula (22% protein/5% fat) for nursing mothers, pups, and hamsters under one year. They are given higher protein foods to accommodate for their rapid growth.
- Teklad 2018 formula (18% protein/6% fat) for mature (over one year) and senior hamsters.
These block are not available for purchase in pet stores. However, they are available to order online from Wee Companions or through us. Lab blocks should always be available to your hamster.
Mazuri Rat & Mouse Diet is also a nutritionally complete food. It is a vegetarian formulation with no animal products and contains natural vitamin E. It contains a higher level of protein at 23% protein and 6% fat. If you are using this lab block, make sure to provide a higher quantity of seed mix, to reduce the overall protein ratio.
It is available for purchase in pet stores, like Petco , for around $7 (online price).
Tips: Most pet stores match their online prices. Petco price matches petco.com prices. Petsmart price matches amazon.com, chewy.com and petsmart.com prices.
Seed Mix
By adding a good quality seed mix to your hamster’s diet you add variety and diversification to the lab block diet. We offer seed mix as a supplement, by throwing a handful twice a week in their cage. This will stimulate their natural foraging behavior. We recommend Higgins Sunburst Food Mix for Hamster & Gerbil because of the high quality ingredients.
Higgins Sunburst for Hamsters & Gerbils is a premium, high quality seed mix. It contains a variety of healthy ingredients, Omega fatty acids and probiotics. It contains 15% protein, 7% fat and 9.5% fiber, making it a very good supplement. It should always be used in conjunction with lab blocks.
It is available for purchase in pet stores, like Petco , for around $6 (online price). Most pet stores match their online prices.
Fruits & Vegetables
Fruits and vegetable make great and healthy treats.
- Acai
- Apple (seedless)
- Apricot
- Banana
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Boysenberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries (without pit)
- Cranberries
- Cucumbers
- Currants
- Dates
- Elderberries
- Figs
- Gooseberries
- Grapes (seedless)
- Guava
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Kumquat
- Lychee
- Mango
- Melon
- Nectarines
- Papaya
- Passion fruit
- Peach (no stone)
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Plum (no pits)
- Pomegranate
- Raspberry
- Raspberry Leaves (helpful for diarrhea)
- Starfruit
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes (Ripe, No Leaves/Stem)
- Watermelon
- Arugula
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Basil
- Beans
- Beet
- Bell pepper
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrot
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Collards
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Dandelion
- Dill
- Edamame
- Endive
- Fennel
- Ginger
- Green beans
- Jicama
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mushroom
- Parsley
- Parsnip
- Peas
- Potato (Cooked)
- Pumpkin
- Radicchio
- Soybeans
- Snow Peas
- Spinach
- Squash
- Sweet Potato (Cooked)
- Swiss Chard
- Zucchini
- Cooked Plain Chicken
- Cheese
- Cottage Cheese
- Crickets
- Eggs
- Grasshoppers
- Cooked Plain Beef
- Meal worms
- Salmon
- Tofu
- Cooked Plain Turkey
- Almonds
- Barley
- Black Eyed Peas
- Buckwheat
- Bulgar Wheat
- Chickpeas
- Chia Seeds
- Coconut
- Couscous
- Flax Seeds
- Lentils
- Millet
- Nutritional Yeast
- Oat Flakes
- Pastas, cooked and dry
- Peanuts
- Popped Corn (no salt or butter)
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Quinoa
- Rice, cooked and dry
- Rye Flakes
- Sesame Seeds
- Split Peas
- Sunflower Seeds
- Walnuts
- Wheat Germ
- Baby Food
- Gerber Puffs
- Grandma Lucy Dog Cookies
- Milk bones
- Buddy biscuits
- Rice or oatmeal baby cereal
- Plain cereals
- Freeze dried chicken dog treats
- Whimzees
- Chili peppers
- Cilantro
- Deli meats
- Eggplant
- Uncooked Beans
- Raw Potato
- Spam or other canned meats
- Rhubarb Leaves
