110 replies to this topic

[RoboPaws]

Thanks

[I love Hamsters 21]

Would Higgins Sunburst Mixed with Mazuri Rat and Mouse Lab Blocks be a pretty good diet for my 8 week old Hamster that I'm getting Friday

[Hamster Heart]

Hazel Hamster went down in their protein for hamsters. SO now I will be mixing Hazel Hamster with Oxbow and Bonozanze (sorry if I spelled it wrong) to create a healthy balanced diet. With plenty of protein does anyone think it is a good idea? If not please tell me your mixes and what you feed your hamster.

[nebit]

Hazel Hamster went down in their protein for hamsters. SO now I will be mixing Hazel Hamster with Oxbow and Bonozanze (sorry if I spelled it wrong) to create a healthy balanced diet. With plenty of protein does anyone think it is a good idea? If not please tell me your mixes and what you feed your hamster.

I don't think this sounds like a good mix- where is the protein coming from? Hazel is 16% protein, Oxbow is 15% protein, Bonanza, depending on which formula you use is just 12-12.5% protein. Protein is an average, not additive. So with these foods combined, you get protein somewhere between 12-16% depending on how much is used, not 12+15+16= 43% (and if it DID work that way- you'd have the opposite problem- that's way too much!).

 

Bonanza is also a very low-grade food with lots of fillers and sugars and artificial colorings etc.

 

If you make your own thread, people will be very willing to help you figure something out. A great and easy mix for most people is available at Petco- in a large container, mix a 2.5 pound bag of Higgins Sunburst with a 2 pound bag of Mazuri Rat/Mouse blocks. Feed the resulting mix as normal until empty. This mix gives you-

TOTAL PROTEIN    18.00%
TOTAL FAT    6.78%
TOTAL FIBER    7.28%

[Hamster Heart]

Help! I need to start giving my hamster 100% turkey breast to boost up their protein. How many times a week or how much should I feed my hamster.

[nebit]

Help! I need to start giving my hamster 100% turkey breast to boost up their protein. How many times a week or how much should I feed my hamster.

To answer this we need to know what food you are feeding. If you start your own thread, people will be happy to walk you through it.

[Hamster Heart]

I feed my hamster Hazel Hamster, and Hazel Hamster did move its protein down to 16%. I also add in the same amount of Oxbow which has 15% of protein.

[nebit]

I feed my hamster Hazel Hamster, and Hazel Hamster did move its protein down to 16%. I also add in the same amount of Oxbow which has 15% of protein.

Same amount by weight? Or by volume? Why Oxbow? It's mostly making this mix even lower variety.

[Hamster Heart]

I heard from many hamster owners that Oxbow is great to add in. I add one Tablespoon and one teaspoon of hazel hamster and 1 teaspoon of Oxbow. I am also thinking about giving my hamster some Bonanza soon just as another mixture. Any other hamster foods that you recommend would be great and I want to make sure my hamster get enough protein in his diet. But I do not want to switch out of Hazel Hamster but any new add ins would be great. Thanks

[nebit]

I heard from many hamster owners that Oxbow is great to add in. I add one Tablespoon and one teaspoon of hazel hamster and 1 teaspoon of Oxbow. I am also thinking about giving my hamster some Bonanza soon just as another mixture. Any other hamster foods that you recommend would be great and I want to make sure my hamster get enough protein in his diet. But I do not want to switch out of Hazel Hamster but any new add ins would be great. Thanks

I can see you're trying really hard to give your hamster a good diet!

 

A few small things-

 

The only way to figure out the protein/fat/fiber of a diet is if the diet is mixed together by weight. I can't figure it out if you're going to mix it together by teaspoons, cups, number of pieces etc. There's just no way to accurately figure it out without weighing each ingredient/mix.

 

Hazel is an ok food, but it's chunky and has low protein, and some quality issues It also only has about 8 whole ingredients, so not a ton of variety.

 

Oxbow is a nice food, but it's got no variety, and it's low protein. It can be really useful in SOME mixes, but it can also be a really bad addition to others.

 

Bonanza is so low protein it will be nearly impossible to work with. It's also got some quality issues.

 

Here's what I recommend. If you have a Petco near you, buy a 2.5 pound bag of Higgins Sunburst. And a 2 pound bag of Mazuri Rat/Mouse blocks. Higgins is a VERY high quality mix, and it has TONS of variety. it has 17 whole ingredients, many of them unique, compared to Hazel's 8. Mazuri is a high quality pellet that pairs really well with the Higgins. And if you just mix two full bags together you get a GA of-

TOTAL PROTEIN    18.00%
TOTAL FAT    6.78%
TOTAL FIBER    7.28%

 

If you don't have a Petco and can't order from them, there are some other mixes, but that's a really nice one, probably one of the best, and fairly easy too.

[Hamster Heart]

Okay thanks. I will probably start mixing the Higgins Sunburst with Hazel Hamster and probably some others. Thanks 

[nebit]

Okay thanks. I will probably start mixing the Higgins Sunburst with Hazel Hamster and probably some others. Thanks 

Unfortunately Higgins does not work with Hazel. Neither is high in protein. And Hazel mostly dilutes the quality of the Higgins. You still need a very high protein lab block, one that pairs well with your seed mix portion.

[Hamster Heart]

Well in the Higgins food it is suppostu be used for mice and rats. And I have a hamster, is that safe to use for him. If it is I will gradually change his diet.

[Hamster Heart]

Oh sorry I spelled a word wrong, oops 

[nebit]

The Higgins is for hamsters.

The Mazuri is for mice and rats but the company, which is well respected for producing laboratory and zoological diets, after discontinuing their hamster blocks, has said their rat/mouse blocks are suitable for hamsters. As a lab diet manufacturer they also provide nutrition sheets listing all micronutrients, unlike pet manufacturers, and careful analysis between the old hamster diet and the rat/mouse does show the rat/mouse to be adequate for hamsters.