Raw Hamster?

[kiwiLOVE]

I was think'in of putting my hammie on a raw diet,
but don't really know what to expect... has anyone tried that?

[Veganforlife]

Here's some info from the National Hamster Council:
http://www.soehamsterclub.com/nhcfeed.html

[Ginger]

I have 4 rats that are raw. I just give them a variety of the stuff I eat. They are all very happy and healthy looking. I've had them at least a year now.

[chilove]

My two rats are raw and have been for about a year. They are super healthy. They eat mostly fruit with some avocado, some nuts and some carrots, broccoli and greens,

Blessings,

Audrey
www.rawhealing.com

[kiwiLOVE]

Thanks for the infos!
My hammie's gonna be a raw foodie! :p

[the_lab_rat]

Hey KiwiLove,

I have a hammie too! :D I've been debating whether to make her a raw hamster or not. One possible problem is if you feed them too much fruit or watery veggies, they can get um...runny poop. And if that happens, they can get dehydrated very easily. Their stomachs aren't as tough as rats', it seems. I've had rats and they can eat anything and be ok, but hamsters seem a bit more delicate. I'd recommend gradually increasing the amount of raw foods you give your hammie and watch him carefully to make sure he's not having any problems. Also make sure there are enough dry foods available too, like seeds especially and some nuts and hay or alfalfa (actually, my hammie just builds nests out of the hay, she doesn't really eat most of it...lol!) Oh, and maybe watch the amount of sugary fruits too... I was just on vacation and my family fed my hamster tons of grapes, and when I got home I had to totally eliminate all her fruits and veggies until her stomach gets back to normal :rolleyes:

[kiwiLOVE]

WOW!
Thanks lab rat!
That's good info.

I was wondering how my hamster would react to the increase of fruits, but you cleared up that confusion.

Thanks again!

[JennaBoBenna]

Be careful about feeding your hammie pistachios!! I gave some to my rat and that night I was smelling it! :rolleyes:

[the_lab_rat]

I found a list of good and bad food for hammies: http://www.hamsterific.com/HamsterUniversity/FoodList.html

I had another one too, but darn it I lost the url :( It was more extensive and also said any potatoes (including sweet) should be cooked not raw, and not to give hammies melons because the water content could cause diarreah (sp?) Oh, and it said very small amounts of nutritional yeast is ok because the B vitamins help reduce hamster stress! :D

[Rawkinlocs]

We have a hammie, a rabbit and a rat. I give them raw food (careful to avoid super watery stuff) but we also give the pellets stuff from the pet store. I would like to wean them off of that stuff though. Thanks for this thread and the links therein!