A well-balanced meal is a core part of almost everyone’s life, both inside and outside the animal kingdom. While we may prefer more fruits, veggies, and meat than most other living things, there is a definitive balance that all can achieve, and your hamster is no exception to this culinary rule.

Domesticated hamsters typically eat commercial pellet blends in most households, as they are easy to obtain and relatively cheap, and a vast majority of them will meet your hamster’s standard needs.

Still, variety is the spice of life, and hamsters are omnivores, meaning they can enjoy everything from diced fruits and vegetables to the occasional mealworm or two. This leads us to the question: What is the best hamster food? They are as follows:

 

• Kaytee Field+Forest
• Oxbow Essentials hamster food
• Generic Gourmet hamster & gerbil food
• Mazuri hamster & gerbil diet
• Sunseed Vita Prima dwarf hamster food
• Small Pet Select-Sampler Box: Timothy, oat & orchard Hay
• Gold Buckle Co dried organic Alfalfa hay
• Generic orchard grass hay

 

In this article, we will discuss the foods mentioned above in more detail. We also have some great options! With that being said, we encourage you to continue reading.

 

What Is A Hamster’s Diet Like?

 

A hamster’s diet dramatically varies depending on whether or not the hamster in question is domesticated. Pet hamsters will notably eat a large amount of pellet-based foods in most situations, but if left to their own devices in the wild, they are quite partial to eating seeds, fruits, and other leafy green vegetables that they might be able to get their furry little paws on.

If plant life is lacking or the hamster wants to shake things up, they have also been known to indulge in mealworms and other similar insects for a bit of extra flavor and protein. However, getting their hands on these delicacies might be more challenging than expected, greatly limiting how many they would hypothetically consume.

 

What Is The Best Food For A Hamster?

 

The best food for a hamster would be one that caters to its needs, personal choice, and availability for the owner. Technically, healthy pellet blend foods are some of the best foods you can get for your hamster because they take the work out of achieving its nutritional needs and expedite the process so that you can keep going about your daily life.

Removing owners from the equation, however, the best foods for a hamster typically provide good fats and easily digestible proteins. They also avoid choking hazards and citrus or spicy foods, which can cause indigestion and stomach pains. To that end, despite being bland, hay is a phenomenal food source, as it’s easy to procure, but it needs to be dust, damp, and mold-free.

Veggies like romaine lettuce, cucumbers, and even spinach are good alternatives for your hamster. As far as seeds are concerned, up to three sunflower seeds can be given to your hamster a day, but any more than that can lead to obesity. Finally, fruit can be substituted, but the same issue of them leading to obesity is on the table due to their high innate sugars.

 

Pellets & Seeds

 

Keeping things quick and easy, we’ll start with the best pellet blends you can choose, as they offer the most balanced meal and are typically the most cost-effective. Bear in mind, however, that the number of seeds should be portioned correctly, and you’ll want to make sure you give each portion once over to ensure your hamster isn’t getting lucky with too many seeds for its good!

1. Kaytee Field+Forest

 

Kaytee field+forest features a proper pellet blend that will be more than enough for your hamster (or gerbil) to graze on at its own leisure. Formulated with grains, vegetables, and added proteins, this blend is guaranteed to leave your hamster full. Best of all, it doesn’t have any additional artificial preservatives, so you can rest assured knowing your hamster is eating well, perhaps even better than some of us!

2. Oxbow Essentials Hamster Food

 

The interesting ring shape utilized for Oxbow’s pellet design isn’t the only fascinating part of this blend. Made of three different kinds of grain and devoid of fillers and other unnecessary gunk, Oxbow’s Essentials will guarantee that your hamster will lead not only a healthy life but a happy one, too, boasting 100% of your hamster’s daily recommended vitamins and minerals, you truly cannot go wrong here, and regardless of what size you go with, all packages are incredibly affordable as well.

3. Generic Gourmet Hamster & Gerbil Food

 

There is a lot to be said of a Brand that goes by Generic but sells gourmet hamster food, but we’ll leave the puns and jokes to those better suited for it. Silliness aside, this mixed medley of food groups will leave your hamster-filling full and revitalized. With hay, oats, dried carrots, rice, and yellow mealworms, this is a buffet of a mixed ensemble, fit for any regal hamsters you might be raising.

4. Mazuri Hamster & Gerbil Diet

 

Designed to help facilitate a healthy growing hamster and stabilize nutrition without sacrificing anything along the way, Mazuri’s Hamster pellet blend is perfect for your fluffy friend. With added fiber and probiotics to help aid in smooth digestion, coupled with a texture that can stem gnawing and reinforce good dental health, it’s easy to see why Mazuri ranks on this list.

5. Sunseed Vita Prima Dwarf Hamster Food

 

Bringing things to a close, we have the Sunseed Vita Prima blend of hamster food, ideally targeted for Dwarf Hamsters only. This blend offers the same amazing digestion benefits while bolstering dental care, making it a must if you plan on raising dwarf hamsters that will live happy, long lives.

 

Hay

 

In most cases, hay isn’t meant to be part of a hamster’s diet and is more of a natural supplement or filler. However, in a worst-case scenario or unique health choice, you can go with an all-hay diet. However, you’ll need to make considerable effort to ensure your hamster is still meeting its nutritional needs, be it from treats or otherwise.

1. Small Pet Select-Sampler Box, 2ND Cutting, 3RD Cutting Timothy Hay, Oat Hay, & Orchard Hay

 

Suppose you’ve never tried a sampler box personally (not of hay, of course). In that case, you are missing out on life, as being indecisive has never felt so rewarding; having the luxury of trying different foods without paying full price for any of them specifically can bring a great sense of joy and satisfaction or alleviate the regret of getting something you don’t like.

 

Keeping in that same vein, the Small Pet Select sampler box brings that freedom of choice to your door with four different hay types. This will allow you to better gauge what kinds of hay your hamster prefers specifically and then make a calculated investment in what it enjoys most.

2. Gold Buckle Co Dried Organic Alfalfa Hay

 

Alfalfa hay is known for being the go-to food source for both rabbits and hamsters. It is rich in Vitamins A, D, E, and K and a fantastic source of fiber and protein. It’s easy to see why simplicity is often the best choice and why going with Gold Buckle Co’s organic hay would be a no-brainer for those of us looking to feed our hamsters a hay-based diet.

3. Generic Orchard Grass Hay

 

Bunny Honey’s Orchard grass hay is a fresh cut, and simple hay that your hamster can enjoy daily, suitable for all ages of hamster and edible by guinea pigs, rabbits, and other small pets you can cover a lot of ground figuratively and literally with this hay, grown to be all-natural and pesticide-free, your little bundle of fluff won’t have to endure any stomach pains after eating this, and you won’t have any headaches worrying about what’s going into your pet’s food.

 

Treats

 

Even olympian-tiered athletes need a good treat every once in a while, but hamsters get a little more flexibility with their diets, and to that end, you’ll want to ensure the tasty vittles you give to your hamster are more than simply a delight for the tastebuds, but something that can offer better nutrition, or at the very least, a glossier coat.

1. Kaytee Food from The Wild Natural

 

Kaytee is a pet brand specializing in small breeds but dabbles in many others. To that end, this snack mixture is perfect for your little fluffball’s needs, but remember that this is precisely what it is named: a snack food, not a proper pellet blend. As such, it should not be given to your hamster daily, or you’ll risk obesity. However, sprinkling with other balanced meals can add variety to meal time.

2. Kaytee Granola Bites with Superfoods Spinach and Carrot

 

Everyone can appreciate a good granola cluster, and now your hamster can enjoy a nice crunchy snack alongside you with Kaytee’s Granola Bite. These bites feature spinach and carrots to give your hamster a little extra pep in its step after indulging in something scrumptious.

The granola bites are wonderful to give to your hamster as a reward. You can also make a game out of them by hiding them in various places around your hamster’s enclosure, promoting activity and bonding simultaneously.

3. Niteangel Hamster Freeze-Dried Tofu

 

As unique as it might sound, tofu is a fantastic treat for hamsters. Niteangel’s brand makes exquisite use of this fact by bringing an excellent snack to your hamsters, or rats, for that matter.

The snack is rich in protein and is an excellent complimentary choice alongside any well-balanced meal. You can begin giving this treat to your hamsters at any age, but you’ll find the greatest value in it among adult hamsters with more robust diets and developed digestive tracts.

4. Vitakraft Drops Mini Banana & Cherry Flavor Treat

 

In most circumstances, you wouldn’t want to feed bananas to your hamster because their soft texture poses a relatively large choking hazard. However, Vitakraft opens the door to this almost forbidden flavor by drying the blends out and adding a cherry option, bringing together a well-balanced, healthy snack. As with any dry food, however, you’ll want to ensure that your hamster has access to a water source, which can dry its mouth quite easily.

5. Sofier 32Pcs Timothy Hay Sticks

 

Hay can do anything for hamsters and small animals, be it bedding, a food source, or even a snack. Sofier capitalizes on this understanding with four unique hay stick blends: rose, myosotis, Timothy, and calendula Timothy hay variants.

These hay variants promote stronger digestion and are a fantastic alternative to chewing. Your hamster’s teeth and attitude will be in great shape if you treat them to one of these sensational goodies.

 

What Is A Hamster’s Favorite Food?

 

Amongst most species of hamsters, leafy greens like spinach are almost universally chosen as a hamster’s favorite direct food source, competing closely with carrots and broccoli.

If we were to stray from directly nutritional food sources and enter the snacks arena, most hamsters could not get enough sunflower seeds to be satiated. Still, it is incredibly unhealthy for them to eat them so liberally, so you should limit your hamster to just three a day maximum.

 

Can Hamsters Eat Any Fresh Fruit Or Vegetables

 

No, there are a handful of vegetables and fruits that are not safe for your hamster to eat due to either how the food is consistency-wise or what the foods can do to your hamster while attempting to digest it. You will want to monitor your hamster’s surroundings and educate anyone involved in feeding the hamster to ensure they never come into contact with any of these food types.

 

What Are Some Foods Hamsters Cannot Eat?

 

There are many foods hamsters cannot eat. Some of these foods are as follows:

 

• Citrus fruits
• Chocolate
• Apple seeds
• Any beans
• Almonds
• Sugary and salty foods
• Red meat
• Onions
• Alcohol
• Garlic

 

While there are more than these that your hamster should not have access to under any circumstances, these are the ones that your hamster can get a hold of either by uninformed choice or accidental exposure. Regardless, these food types can be dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

If your hamster happens to ingest any of these, you’ll want to contact a veterinarian immediately to find out the most effective treatment plan and how to alleviate your pet’s symptoms.

 

Conclusion

 

Picking a specific food type for your hamster can be just as troublesome as figuring out what you personally might want to eat. However, at the end of the day, you’ll want to find something that is both nutritional, flavourful, and affordable. Hopefully, some of these choices will help ease that decision for you and allow you to make an informed choice on what is best for both you and your hamster.