Hamster vitamins are most often found in small bottles containing 1 or 2 ounces of liquid multi-vitamins. Recommended dosage is a few drops daily, per ounce of food or water. The cost is usually under $5 at most pet shops. Hamster treats containing supplemental vitamins can also be a good addition to your hamster’s diet. Hamster vitamin sprays are another optional delivery method. The different types of hamster vitamins are usually quite affordable, drops, as treats and sprays can all be found for well under $10 at most pet shops depending on the quantity purchased.

The specific vitamins in hamster formulas are much like the basic multi-vitamin needs for all mammals. Hamsters need vitamin E in their diet for skin and hair health. Vitamin C promotes healing, vitamin K helps the reproductive organs, and vitamin D is vital for bone strength. The B vitamins are essential for the nervous system and zinc and copper are needed too. Vitamin A is included in hamster vitamins only in very small amounts as too much vitamin A can cause liver or reproductive problems.

Another nutrient option is to provide your hamsters with a mineral stone. A stone mounted on the inside of a cage will allow hamsters to lick and gnaw on it, getting extra minerals in the process. They will also get extra calcium in their diet and keep their teeth in great shape too. Whatever your hamster eats, it is up to you to make sure it also gets the right amounts of vitamins and minerals, because a hamster with a balanced and complete nutrient intake will live longer and be much happier in the long run.

A balanced diet for hamsters will consist of the proper amounts of proteins, carbohydrates (and fats), minerals, vitamins and water. A balanced diet can help keep your pet hamster healthy, happy and disease-free for the duration of his life. Most commercially packaged hamster food mixes available at pet shops will meet those basic nutritional needs with a blend of seeds, corn, oats, barley, wheat, alfalfa and dehydrated vegetables.

Hamsters enjoy and can benefit from dietary treats added to their basic food mix, but it is important to choose only treats that add nutrition and do not harm your hamster. Birdseed, small bits of cat or dog biscuits and small amounts of fresh vegetables can be added one or twice a week. Sweet treats and chocolate are not acceptable hamster foods at any time.

Good basic commercial hamster food mixes generally sell for about $2 per pound. If you buy in smaller quantities, the price will go up. If you step up to the large 25lb. bags of hamster food mix you can usually bring the cost down to about $1 per pound. A good basic hamster mix costing about $1 per pound in quantity will contain a mix of ingredients like:

Alfalfa Pellets, Flaked Corn, Ground Wheat, Flaked Beans, Flaked Field Peas, Soybean Meal, Linseed Cake, Straw Pellets, Oats, Sunflower Seeds, Toasted Wheat, Dehulled Peanuts, Corn, Wrinkled Peas, Oat Middlings, Wheat Middlings, Shelled Peanuts, Soybean Oil, Vitamins & Minerals.

Premium commercial hamster food mixes will sometimes contain additional nutrients like vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and extra fiber. You will pay about $2 per pound in quantity for mixes that contain ingredients like:

Corn, Oats, Wheat, Milo, Sunflower, Millet, Green Split Peas, Oats, Ground Wheat, Shelled Peanuts, Pumpkin Seed, Sun-cured Alfalfa Meal, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Ground Corn, Barley, Safflower, Raisins, Dehydrated Carrots, Dried Bananas, Canadian Field Peas, Dried Papaya, Dehydrated Sweet Potatoes, Dehydrated Apples, Ground Oats, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Soy Oil, Dried Cane Molasses, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin A Supplement, L-Lysine, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement, Ethoxyquin, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin B12, Vitamin E, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Cholecalciferol, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Folic Acid, Cobalt Carbonate & Sodium Selenite.

Regardless of the mix you choose, it has been proven that a healthy diet equals a healthy animal. If you treat your pet hamster to a properly balanced diet it will be both happy and healthy.

Danger Foods for Hamsters – Avoid!

• Almonds (contains cyanic acid)
• Apple Seeds
• Canned food
• Chocolate
• Candies
• Chips and Junk food
• Pork Products
• Potatoes (raw)
• Raw Kidney Beans
• Eggplant
• Fool’s Parsley
• Grape Seeds
• Avocado (contains cardiac glycosides)
• Raw Rhubarb
• Tomato leaves
• Oranges or Tangerines (no citrus fruits)
• No watermelon (causes diarrhea)
• Cherry Stone
• Peach Stone & Leaves
• Apricot Stone
• Lemon or Lime
• Jams and jellies
• Spices
• Garlic
• Onions
• Leeks
• Scallions
• Chives
• Pickles

The best foods to give hamsters are those that are found in their native habitats. Thus, though you may feel inclined to give a hamster food that is processed or manufactured and sold as hamster food, it is healthier to give such an animals things like cereals, nuts, carrots, and even seeds. You want to give a hamster foods they can chew on. This is good for their teeth and for their nutrition.

Be careful not to feed a hamster only vegetables. An occasional piece of celery or carrot is great, but if you give a hamster too much, he or she could end up with some bowel movement issues. You should stick with natural foods versus processed hamster foods for the same reasons humans stay away from processed food: it’s healthier to go the natural route. If you do want to use some of the manufactured or processed hamster foods sold at pet stores, try to balance such foods with fresh greens and seeds.

The healthier the foods you give the hamsters, the better. If you are cautious about the foods the hamsters consume, you can then be sure that the animal will live a full and happy life. Hamsters that are taken care of will need less medical attention. Thus, being conscious of the food you give the animal will save you a lot of time, grief, and money. All you have to do is treat your hamster like you would want to be treated and to give healthy all-natural foods, and you are good to go!