This is an updated version of another thread I made a long, long time ago. I figured I'd add more detail and information to it to make it more thorough.
What is homemade hamster diet?
Simply put, a homemade hamster diet is a seed mix made from scratch.
Reasons to go homemade
Why make a homemade diet for a hamster? What are the advantages to doing so instead of just buying a bag of food at the store?
To add variety - The main reason to make a homemade diet is to add a degree of variety that wouldn't otherwise be possible. Supplementing only goes so far. "Extras" can only be added as a maximum of 20% of a hamster's diet. A homemade diet, being nutritionally balanced, can be more than 20% of the diet, and therefore opens the doors for more variety.
To increase quality - Another big reason for going homemade is to increase the overall quality of the diet. A homemade diet is generally going to be composed of mostly (though not entirely) human-grade ingredients, and would not have any added sugars, preservatives, or dyes.
To account for allergies or other conditions - You can control exactly what does and doesn't go into a homemade diet. This allows for adjustment for both human and hamster conditions.
Myths about homemade
There are some serious misunderstandings about homemade hamster diets. This unfortunately leads to difficulties when making a homemade diet isn’t as expected.
It's cheaper - Please do not go into a homemade diet assuming that it will be cheaper unless you've already done the research to support that. Because you're very likely to be disappointed. A proper homemade diet is often going to be much, much more expensive than anything store-bought. There may be exceptions depending on location, but this is generally the case.
It's more convenient – This myth is based on the idea that a homemade diet won’t require any shopping. People get the idea that a diet can be made from things found in a typical household pantry - I’ve seen many people asking if they can make hamster food out of things like mixed nuts, popcorn, cereal, and dog food. And there certainly are recipes out there that suggest ingredients like this. However, this is not how to make a proper homemade diet. You will need to actually go out and buy specialized ingredients. The ingredients you need are not going to be things you just have lying around the house.
Should you try to make your own hamster food?
It really depends on your finances, time, resources, and dedication. Making homemade hamster food is an amazing option, but it's not for everyone.
The rewards of making a homemade hamster diet are great. Your hamster will get a healthy, tasty, high-variety diet that is tailored to its exact needs. You can include tons of unique and interesting ingredients that are not generally found in commercial mixes.
Once you have the recipe, it becomes very easy. The costs don't go away, of course, but all you have to do is measure and follow your recipe.
However, making a homemade diet is no small feat. Your hamster's life and health hang in the balance. If you're going to make a homemade diet, you need to take the process very seriously, and put a lot of time and effort into it. Be aware that it's not something you can quickly throw together in an afternoon. It often takes many months (possibly even a year or more) of research and tinkering to come up with a decent homemade mix.
Things to know before you start
It can be expensive - I know I said this before, but I think it's worth repeating. Making a homemade diet is not cheap. It's hard to go into the specifics, because I realize that food prices vary a bit place to place. But let me give a quick example. I've calculated the per-pound cost of making my homemade diet. If Hazel Hamster was the same price as my homemade diet, a bag of it would cost between $40 and $50.
Upfront costs are significant - Because of the tiny amounts that you'll be using, you basically have to buy about a year's worth of food at a time. The upfront cost of that can be pretty steep. I typically end up spending $60 on veggies, $30 on seeds, and maybe $20 on meats / insects. As I said, that lasts a year, but it's still a lot of money to pay at one time.
It's a lot of math - Putting together a homemade diet requires calculating the nutrition of that diet from the nutrition of every ingredient used. The best way to do this is to make a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
Ingredients must be measured by weight, not volume - You cannot construct a homemade diet by measuring things in cups or tablespoons. These measures are meant for liquids, not solids. Different ingredients have different densities. A tablespoon of dried chicken is not the same amount as a tablespoon of oats. Using volumetric measurements is going to screw up the entire recipe, because the true ratios won't be what you measured out and planned.
You still need to buy store-bought food - That's the biggest kick in the teeth for making a homemade diet. No matter how much work and money you put in and how good your diet is...homemade diets should never be fed alone. There are a few major reasons for this, and I'll talk about them more in detail in a later section.
Supplies
Scale - This is the most important thing you will need for making your diet. You cannot make a homemade diet without a good-quality, sensitive pocket scale. The scale needs to not only measure grams, but must measure to the nearest 1/10th of a gram (0.1g). Personally, I prefer using one that's sensitive to the nearest 1/100th of a gram (0.01g). You can get a scale like this on Amazon for about $10 - $20.
Calibration weight - Your scale will also need to be calibrated. Weights range from $2 - $20 depending on the size you need.
Zip-top baggies / small containers - You'll need a way to store your seeds. I realize that most houses have plastic baggies already. But you're going to need quite a few (at least 1 full box), so it's best to buy your own to avoid upsetting others in the household. I would strongly recommend spending the extra few dollars on some good-quality ones, as opposed to buying the cheapest you can. Remember that these will have to hold up for a year or so.
Small boxes - Piggybacking on the previous point, you'll need boxes or something similar to store all the baggies in. I use latching shoeboxes for mine.
Ingredients
This is a major source of confusion for a lot of people, and understandably so. Most commercial mixes don't have that many ingredients, so it can be hard to figure out what exactly to put in a mix.
Personally, I divide my mix into 4 main groupings:
Seeds (required)
Hamsters are granivores (seed-eaters), so seeds should be a major part of their diet. Seeds can be divided into a few different categories.
First, we have grains or cereals. The actual definition of a grain is that it comes from a grass plant. What's more important to know for hamster diets is that grains are typically high in carbohydrates and low in fats. Grains include things like oats, wheat, rye, barley, rice, spelt, kamut, sorgum, and millet. I personally also group buckwheat and quinoa in with grains, despite the fact that they are not biologically considered grains. The reason for this is that their nutritional profiles are more similar to grains than any other group of ingredients.
Next, we have "flower seeds." These are seeds that come from flowers as opposed to grasses. These seeds tend to be very high in fat and lower in carbohydrates. This group includes sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, chia seeds, canola seeds, and sesame seeds. Pumpkin and squash seeds can kind of fall into this category as well (they are nutritionally similar), even though they come from fruit instead of flowers.
Legumes (required)
Legumes are technically a type of seed, but they are considered to be quite different from seeds by most people, so I find it's worth categorizing them separately. Strictly speaking, legumes are the seeds of the family Fabaceae. For our purposes, think beans and peas. And the nutritionally important part of legumes is that they are high in protein and rich in fiber. Their protein-richness makes them very valuable in a mix. This is especially true for the ones that are low in fat. Legumes include things like navy beans, chickpeas, split peas, soybeans, mung beans, and lentils. They also technically include peanuts.
Dehydrated Vegetables (required)
Vegetables are an essential part of a homemade diet. I would strongly advise against making a homemade diet without vegetables, because doing so is actually potentially dangerous to your hamster's health. Any hamster-safe vegetables are good. Some nutrient-packed ones that I recommend are squash, zucchini, bell pepper, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. The importance of vegetables is that they are high in fiber and rich in micronutrients. The fiber part is very important. Many vegetables contain special types of prebiotic fiber--that is, fiber that nourishes beneficial bacteria in the gut. This is important because a homemade mix will not contain the added beneficial bacteria products that a commercial mix will have. The prebiotics in vegetables at least partially make up for this deficiency.
Animal Protein (probably required)
Animal products are, like vegetables, fairly self-explanatory. The nutritional key of animal products is that they are high in protein. The most common animal products in mixes are insects like mealworms, crickets, and grasshoppers. Another option is to use freeze-dried meats meant for dogs and cats. These are very common in pet stores and are available in many different varieties. Chicken, turkey, and beef are all available. When using freeze-dried meats, stick to muscle tissue, not organ meat like liver. Liver is very high in fat and cholesterol, and is a little too rich for a non-carnivorous animal like a hamster. Animal protein is not strictly required in a homemade diet, but is highly beneficial.
Nuts (optional)
Nuts are simply defined as seeds with hard shells. Nuts include pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, Brazil nuts, and others. Nuts are typically high in fat, and often high in protein. The fats and oils in nuts are often very beneficial for coat and skin health. Nuts are not really a required part of a homemade diet. They make great treats, but it can be hard to incorporate them into the daily diet without raising fat levels too high.
Dehydrated Fruits (optional)
Dried fruits can be palatable addition to a homemade diet. Some fruits are high in micronutrients, but are also very high in sugar. Like nuts, fruits can be added to a homemade mix, but may be better off as treats.
Step 1 - Info Gathering
The absolute first thing you should do is figure out what ingredients are available to you and where you can get them. This is a crucial step, because it's going to show you whether or not making a homemade diet is even feasible for you.
For dehydrated veggies...you're almost certainly going to need to order online. I've never seen anything in stores along these lines that would work for a hamster food mix, and believe me I've looked. I'm sure this varies by area, and you can certainly check, but I wouldn't count on finding anything. I personally order from Harmony House Foods, and I've been pleased with their products. Alternately, you can dehydrate your own vegetables. This will require an investment in a dehydrator if you don't already own one, time, and plenty of fresh vegetables. It's possible, but it is a lot of work and time.
For seeds, search your area for stores that sell bulk grains. Whole Foods Market is a national chain that carries a huge selection of bulk foods. This is where I get most of my seeds. If you don't have a WFM near you, start searching for "natural food stores" and the like. If all else fails, check your grocery stores. I have seen bags of whole seeds sold in the pasta and breakfast aisles of regular grocery stores. You can also check pet stores and farm supply stores for bird mixes.
Once you find a promising store(s), go there with a note-taking tool in hand. Write down everything you see that you could possibly use. Even if you're not sure that it's hamster-safe or if you would want to use it...write it down anyway. Writing down prices isn't a bad idea either!
After that, research the ingredients you find. Look at their nutritional profiles and figure out what their pros and cons are. Look at other recipes to figure out how to group them into categories. Get a general feel for what your ingredients offer and what a homemade mix should look like as a whole.
Step 2 - Ingredient choices and proportions
Now that you know what you have access to, you need to decide on what you are going to use in your mix. There are a few important points to consider here.
How many different ingredients should be in a homemade mix? I would say at bare minimum, you should have 12 different ingredients in your mix. That sounds like a lot, but when you break it down by category, it really isn't. That allows for (as an example) 5 types of seeds, 2 types of legumes, 3 types of vegetables, and 2 types of animal protein. I would advise going more into the 20 - 30 ingredient range.
What are proportions should the different categories be? This can vary from mix to mix, and from person to person. I've had success using 40% seeds, 30% vegetables, 20% legumes and 10% animal protein. This certainly isn't the only way to do things. I will say that in general, I believe that seeds should be on the higher end and animal protein on the low end.
Step 3 - Calculations
There are 2 main things you need to figure out for each ingredient you choose to use:
1) The protein/ fat / fiber levels of the ingredient
2) The percentage of your total mix the ingredient will be
These two things, when multiplied, will allow you to determine the contributed level of protein (c-protein), the contributed level of fat (c-fat), and the contributed level of fiber (c-fiber) for each ingredient. In other words, how much protein, fat, or fiber that ingredient "adds" to the mix in the proportion it's being used in.
You must calculate a c-protein, c-fat, and c-fiber for every ingredient. When you add together the c-protein numbers for all ingredients, you get the final protein percentage for the entire mix. When you add together the c-fat numbers for all ingredients, you get the final fat percentage for the entire mix. When you add together all the c-fiber numbers for all ingredients, you get the final fiber percentage for the entire mix.
Some examples:
Example 1:
Example 2:
The c-value of an ingredient will always be less than the actual amount of that nutrient in the ingredient. This is simply because for any ingredient, you're feeding it as less than 100% of the diet.
Can't I just use someone else's recipe?
Yes and no.
You will definitely need to consult others' recipes for your starting point. There's nothing wrong with doing this, and it's actually recommended. However, it's not necessarily a great idea to just copy another person's recipe exactly and use it as your own.
The first reason is that changing even a single ingredient can drastically alter the nutrition of a mix. If you can't get an ingredient that's listed in a recipe, you can't just copy the rest of the recipe exactly except for that ingredient. Removing one ingredient means that you have to make adjustments to all of the others. For this reason, it generally works better for you to come up with your own mix based on others' work--not directly copying it.
The second reason is that you have no idea how much research someone did on their mix. Anyone can post a recipe and say that it's a healthy mix. That doesn't mean that it is. There are plenty of highly questionable recipes floating around for homemade hamster mixes.
The third reason is probably the most important. Developing your own recipe is a huge learning experience. When you modify or change your recipe, you are able to see exactly how each ingredient affects the overall mix. You gain a deeper understanding of your ingredients and of the mix as a whole. If you just copy someone else's recipe...you miss out on all that experience. And then, what happens if the recipe doesn't work for your hamster? What happens if, down the line, you find yourself unable to get several ingredients? Will you have the experience and knowledge necessary to make substitutions and changes as needed?
Treating and storing ingredients
When talking about seeds, we need to talk about grain weevils. Grain weevils are a type of beetle that feeds on and reproduces in grains. They actually lay eggs inside of individual grains. The eggs hatch, and the larvae grows and develops in the grain, feeding on the grain for nourishment. The beetles eventually emerge, leaving only an empty shell behind.
Grain weevils can be found in any type of seed, from any source. I've had grains from Whole Foods infested with weevils.
I don't know that there's any surefire way to kill grain weevils. But the method I've found works best is a freeze-thaw-freeze cycle.
1) Freeze the grains for at least 4 - 5 days. This kills any adults. This may not kill eggs, because many insect eggs are highly cold-resistant.
2) Thaw the grains for 3 - 4 days. This gives the eggs time to hatch, but not enough time to reproduce.
3) Freeze again for 3 - 4 days. This kills the newly hatched larvae, and therefore hopefully all of the weevils that may be lurking in the grains.
Feeding a "hybrid" diet
So you're all done creating a homemade diet, and now your hamster can have this diet as their sole source of nutrition. Right?
Wrong.
I would strongly advise against feeding any homemade diet alone. It doesn't matter how carefully researched and good the homemade diet is - feeding such a diet alone is risky at best, and dangerous at worst.
Commercial diets contain 2 types of added ingredients that the average hamster owner does not have access too.
The first is the fermentation products of various bacteria. These ingredients aid in gut health and digestion. A homemade diet will lack these ingredients, which could be potentially dangerous.
The second is added micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). In making a homemade diet, we do not account for micronutrients, because it's basically impossible to do so. This isn't to say that homemade diets don’t have any micronutrients (because they certainly do). The issue is that the micronutrients may be out of balance without artificially adding some in, like food companies do. Obviously, the average hamster owner does not have pure Vitamin A or copper lying around, so ensuring the proper amounts of each nutrient is nearly impossible.
Feeding a commercial diet alongside of a homemade diet (I refer to this as a "hybrid diet") helps to account for these issues, because it fills in any gaps that the homemade diet might have.
So how much homemade and how much commercial? There is no single answer to this. I personally would not feed a homemade diet as more than 50% of the diet. It’s going to be up to you to determine what levels you feel comfortable with.
Edited by Taxonomist, 31 August 2015 - 10:05 PM.
I like that you also encouraged the hybrid diet because of the reasons you listed.
)
