Hamster Owners...question

Aww I'm sorry to hear about mama hammie! I remember being so sad when I lost both of my females to wet-tail when I was younger. Hamsters are generally very healthy and fit animals, but the problem is their immune system - if something does go wrong, it is likely to kill them, no matter how small. Did you know that hamsters can even catch human colds? And not surprisingly, that too can kill them. It's a shame because they are such lovely animals, I've got an 8 week old syrian hamster, we've called him Chuck and he's so sweet! Feeding often causes a lot of controversy. With my hamster, I try to vary his diet, so he doesn't get bored of it, and to make sure he's getting all the nutrients he needs. I've got a basic hamster muesli mix from the pet shop, with seeds and pellets and things. The I got him some 100% herbal hamster food from e-bay, it's got dandelions and chamomile and all sorts of things in there that hamsters love to eat. I alternate these foods each day. I usually give him one bran-flake each day - because of the fibre content, it can prevent diarrhea. I give him corn-flakes too. I try not to give him any 'hamster sweet treats' because I read the ingredients once, and was shocked to find how much sugar is in them, which can't be good for something so small! I feed him fruit-wood, he likes that. Only recently I've started feeling him veggies, and when I do give them to him,I measure the piece against my pinky fingernail, and I give him no bigger than that. He also likes cheese - as long as it's mild white cheddar, it's good for hamsters because of the protein an calcium - again I measure it against my fingernail. I read somewhere that hamsters eat meat, also - I got a bit freaked out by this, but some people give them small quantities of monkeychow! Umm... I think that's all I feed him, he doesn't really like fruit that much, but fruit can cause diarrhea, because of it's high water content, but if everything is in moderation, and the great majority of his diet is his normal hamster mix, there should be no problem - I just follow these 3 rules - not too watery, nothing sugary, nothing salty. I know I waffled on a lot then, but a great site for hamster advice is http://www.hamsterific.com Hope this helps :o)

We fed ours anything that was made for hamsters. :) There are yogurt bites that ours loved! And there were some vita-bites that also help as a weekly source in vitamins to ensure the little tyke is getting what it needs. :) Mainly, since they have such a short life span, it is best to find what they like and enjoy them while they are around. I have found some live only a year while others might life just over two years. And they were all treated the same.

We always fed ours hamster/gerbil food from the pet store, and they lived a long time! We had one that lived almost 3 years. We only fed ours fresh fruits and vegetables about 1 a week, and then only a piece of a carrot, or a grape. Never very much.