Hm....

[conuly]

Lizziey, this site says it's okay for hamsters to have occasional hard boiled eggs, eating yeast, and the all important fish liver oil. Oh, and some doggy biscuits now and again, which sounds like a good idea, and cheap, if I could trust pet food companies....

Both that site and this one mention meal worms. This one also mentions alfalfa. But that's their product, so I'm not surprised.

This site says you should have blocks of wood, branches, etc. for climbing, and mentions dried fruit (maybe raisins) as food....

I don't know enough about hamsters. Clearly. And Lizziey's hamster could do with more variety in the diet (apparently) and more interesting surroundings. Branches I can get, though, that'll be easy. Right?

Okay, I know you people, some of you know about rodents in general and/or hamsters in specific. Hey, you can all spell the word, and that's really good enough for me. HELP!

Edit: Wikipedia suggests, among other things, a sand bath. It also recommends having hay at all times, for both food and nesting, and says hamsters should not have very many sweet fruits, and emphasises the importance of a salt stone. Wikipedia puts a lot of thought into the care of the common hamster. IF wikipedia is correct, I have a shopping list to make out.

Comments

Ultimate Scott Rossi Hamster Guide

[scottrossi.livejournal.com]

free cage things: i usually used used toilet paper or paper towel tubes for my many hamsters to explore and chew. i also gave them little balls of paper and old towels my mom had discarded, for them to use with their beds.

treats: seeds, peanuts and sunflower seeds (small doses, unless you want a FAT hamster!) cereal.

toys: wheel, hamster ball, steppy thing, hidey hole nook thing (unless you use the paper towel/tp tube)

love: unconditional

bad: if hamster is bad, hold them by the scruff of their neck to train them. i never had a problem with biting, i always made sure they knew i wanted to hold them, let them get used to me.