The best food for the Dzungarian hamster

Dzungarian hamsters are one of the most beloved good-natured adorable animals for home keeping. They quickly get used to their hands and almost never bite. Very tiny, no more than 7-10 centimeters in length, they are much smaller than the Syrian size, unpretentious, do not require special attention.

It is important to remember: proper care and feeding are the keys to the good health and the long life of the rodent. Under natural conditions, the animals do not live long, barely reaching one and a half years. The reason for this is a disease, poor nutrition, predators hunting hamsters. A calm home environment, absence of stress, disease prolongs life up to 3 years or more.

The opinion that Dzungarian hamsters can eat everything is wrong. Although they look like mice, they are not nearly as sturdy. Fatties are constantly gnawing, not refusing any food offered. But only high-quality food, the right menu will help to ensure a good mood for hamsters and keep them healthy. When starting a small rodent, the owners need to familiarize themselves with the rules for keeping a dwarf hamster, find out how to feed dwarf hamsters at home.

Basic rules for keeping Dzungarian hamsters
When composing a diet for animals, one should focus on their natural nutritional needs. Life in the steppe conditions adapted them to a low-calorie food. Nutritious, fatty, it will damage the digestive system: the Dzungarian hamster is prone to obesity, and sweets are the cause of diabetes. In a confined space, when the animal does not have the opportunity to move a lot, the diet of the Dzungarian hamster should be composed correctly, avoiding the appearance of excess weight. On the day, a hamster needs only a tablespoon of feed. The activity of the rodent is increased by frequent walks, outdoor games, and, of course, the wheel on which the animals like to run.

Wild individuals feed on seeds and grain. Collecting supplies in a burrow, they are sealed in it, feeding on dry food during the cold period. In spring and summer, the diet is more varied: berries, fruits, vegetables, herbs, insects, and smaller animals are used. The teeth of the Dzungarian hamster grow all their lives, so it is necessary to give them the opportunity to grind them down.

The teeth of the Dzungarian hamster grow all their lives, so it is necessary to give them the opportunity to grind them down.

The metabolism of a small glutton is fast, hamsters eat constantly. Starvation of the Dzungarian hamster should not be allowed, because of this, his health will become worse. But obesity will not do the hamster anything good either.

What products are required and allowed


The well-being of the pet is facilitated by competent content, a carefully selected diet.

What should be given to a Dzungarian hamster at home? Food must contain:

Dry feed (grain mixtures).
Juicy food: greens, vegetables, fruits, herbs, berries.
Animal proteins (lean meat, fish, insects, eggs).
Mineral stone, vitamins, tree branches, shrubs.
Dry food
Grain mixes form the basis of food for Dzungarian hamsters.

What cereals are needed:

corn,
oats,
barley,
wheat,
rye.
Shoots of cereal plants sprouted on the windowsill are useful.

You can give nuts, seeds:

walnuts,
cashews, hazelnuts,
peanut,
flax, sunflower, sesame, pumpkin seeds.
It is recommended to purchase ready-made industrial special brands from the pet store, including the necessary nutrients, the required vitamins, and mineral supplements. They are hard enough that Dzungarian hamsters can grind down teeth that grow throughout their lives. Pay attention to quality products from trusted manufacturers. As in any business, it is better not to buy cheap dry food of economy class.

The ready-made mixtures include peas, rolled oats, oats, corn, nuts, seeds. This package lasts for two months. Can be diluted with buckwheat, lentils, beans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.

Fruits, berries
Fresh fruits are given peeled, seeds should be removed – they contain poisonous, deadly substances. It is important to remember that most juicy fruits contain a lot of carbohydrates; it is often unacceptable to feed sweet to your pet. The diet of a dwarf mammal should contain no more than 5% sugars.

Few fruits are allowed. From the age of two weeks, you can give, for example:

Apple – cut into small wedges. Sour, unripe, spoiled fruits cannot be a rodent.
Pears are given a couple of times a week. Frequent use has a laxative effect.
Peaches, cherries, plums – every 7-10 days.
Strawberries, grapes – a limited amount.
Tropical fruits (banana).
The presented list can be supplemented with dried fruits. In winter, it is difficult to provide complete, vitamin-rich foods. It is worth preparing the fruits for future use by freezing or drying them. Dried bananas, dried apricots, figs, raisins, dates, previously soaked in water for 3-4 hours, are introduced into the menu. They are added to food in a small amount due to the high glucose content.

Vegetables


The low sugar content is favorable for feeding the Dzungarian hamster with vegetables. Given twice a week.

What is allowed:

Cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin.
Cabbage (broccoli, cauliflower).
Radish, carrots.
Tomato is rare.
Bulgarian (sweet) pepper – unlimited.
Green beans – young shoots of asparagus, green peas.
Green forage
Greens are collected far from the city limits (it has the ability to absorb harmful substances from the soil, air), highways, washed, dried.

Allowed:

Household herbs (dill, parsley (not allowed for nursing, pregnant women), lettuce, coriander, basil). Celery is limited, it contains a lot of liquid. The tops of carrots, beets will also be useful.
Wild plants (plantain, dandelion, nettle, clover, alfalfa, bamboo shoots).
Succulent feeds often contain pesticides and are thoroughly soaked for several hours. It is better if the greens are grown by the owners on their own, without the use of chemicals that can cause poisoning, cause the death of the pet.

Hay of alfalfa, timothy will be a good source of fiber, necessary for intestinal motility.

Tree branches
It is necessary to place branches of fruit and deciduous trees in the cage. They are required for grinding teeth. Before use, the branches are washed, boiled for about an hour, dried. Conifers cannot be used – they contain essential oils, resins.

What else should be given to Dzungarian hamsters
Other foods are important to maintain a good mood and well-being. These include:

Mineral stone.


Hard treats (dog biscuits) are given every seven days to grind down the incisors. If the teeth become excessively long, they can damage the palate.
Protein food (low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, boiled rabbit, turkey, chicken, eggs, low-fat boiled fish, earthworms purchased at the pet store, butterflies, daphnia, Gammarus, grasshoppers, peeled shrimp. A Turkmen cockroach is ideal). Wild-caught insects are often contaminated with microorganisms that cause disease in rodents.
Clean, daily changed water, even if the animal drinks a little. The stagnant liquid is poured out. Filtered spring water will do. Protect the drinker from sunlight, which can cause algae to grow inside the container.
The feeder is washed regularly. Grain, dry food is poured every day. Learning to a new component is carried out gradually, starting with a small crumb. Throw away the leftovers. A small glutton is inclined to stockpile; eating spoiled food is fraught with poisoning.

In case of indigestion, the Dzungarians are given rice broth, which has an enveloping, fastening effect. Babies who find themselves without mother’s milk are supplemented with dairy-free formulas, ordinary cereals soaked in water, vegetable, meat baby puree without adding salt or sugar.

cute hamster
What can not be fed
Some foods used by humans are poisonous to animals. It is impossible to treat everyone without fear for the health of the rodent. The animal is small in size, an insignificant crumb will cause suffocation, intoxication, death.

What is forbidden for a Dzungarian hamster to eat:

Cabbage, beans, bread – cause fermentation, start the processes of putrefaction in the intestines.
Potatoes – Contains a lot of starch.
Spices – irritate the digestive tract.
Mint.
Mushrooms are hard food.
Onions, garlic, sorrel.
Honey, chocolate (rich in theobromine, which affects the cardiovascular system).
Sour berries: sea buckthorn, drumstick.
Raspberry – weakens.
Almonds – contain toxic cyanic, hydrocyanic acid.
Melons, watermelons – often processed with nitrates.
Fatty food.
Bakery products, pasta. Black bread – has high acidity, causes gas formation.
Milk, sour cream, cream, butter.
Sausage, sausages include prohibited soy, starch, spices.
Muesli, breakfast cereals – rich in sugar, harmful flavorings.
Exotic fruits – persimmon – are rich in astringents, tannins that cause constipation. Avocado (mass fat), pineapple, pomegranate, mango, kiwi, orange, lemon (acid).
Pits of apricot, peaches, cherries.
Unpeeled seeds, pasta – injure the cheek pouches of animals.
Brightly colored berries, fruits – cause allergic reactions. Watery eyes, redness of the skin, itching – a reason to refuse the product.
Fatty cheeses – contain an excess of salt, milk sugar – lactose, which is difficult for the stomach to digest.
Spices are rich in essential oils that cause allergies.
It is highly undesirable to treat an animal with food from the table, sweet, spicy, salty, flour, fried, flavored with spices, spices. Food from the refrigerator is prohibited, it must be at room temperature.

What is given to weakened, elderly individuals?
With age, the teeth of the animal become weak, food is difficult to chew. You need special, mashed, ground food. Chopped nuts, crushed peas, rye bread crumbs, rolled oats, baby food, cereals, puree without spices are suitable. It is impossible to refuse the grain component – cereals contribute to the activation, normal activity of the digestive organs. You can offer a grated fruit mixture, add medicines, vitamins to the trough with the prepared product. Human drugs cannot be given – their dosage and composition are destructive.

The pet’s menu needs to be diversified. You cannot constantly feed the same foods. Mono-diets are not allowed. It is good if dry, juicy, protein foods are present in the diet every day.
It is useful to give chamomile broth to sick, elderly pets. If the animal is weak, refuses to eat, the food is ground to a paste consistency, fed, and watered warm from a syringe without a needle.

The nutrition of a small mammal at home is entirely up to you. When living in an apartment, a pet needs a reasonably composed menu that includes vital components. Try to make a crumbs menu that includes a lot of fresh, healthy vegetables.

Treat your pet correctly, at the same time, without relying on his choice. Poisonous plants are laid in the feeder, the baby will eat without a doubt, he is illegible, omnivorous. He will have high-calorie food to taste. The pet will be happy to eat sweets. Remember: in nature, rodents do not receive such food, which means that there is no benefit in it.

The bowl is selected in accordance with the nutritional needs of the animal, it should be small, not allowing overfeeding, made of ceramic. This will not allow it to be gnawed or choked on parts of the dishes.

There is controversy over the need for various products. These are, for example, beets and radishes. In case of doubts about the usefulness, potential risk, fears for the existence of a pet, it is better to refuse, not to conduct experiments. There are many more useful and useful products.

If the animal was bought for children, adults should immediately explain to the kids the rules of keeping, proper feeding of the pet. Play with the animal, keep in constant contact. Then the life of your tiny funny friend will be joyful, happy, long.

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