How Much to Feed Hamsters in a Day

Many children receive a hamster as a first pet. Although generally easy to care for, hamsters have specific dietary needs. Follow them carefully to promote good health throughout your hamster's two- to three-year lifespan.

  1. Main Course

    • Eighty percent of the hamster's diet should consist of the pellets sold in pet stores. Avoid commercially prepared foods containing seeds. According to veterinarian Mark Burgess, the seeds' protein can stress a hamster's digestive system.

      Offer about 1 tbsp. of the main course daily. It should be served in a small, non-chewable bowl placed at the opposite corner of the cage from where the hamster defecates.

    Snacks

    • Snacks can make up the other 20 percent of the hamster's diet. A small amount of grass hay, leafy greens and cauliflower may be offered daily. Hamsters also like fruit, but the sugar, like protein, may cause digestive upset.

    Hard Chewies

    • The reason hamsters chew incessantly is because their incisor teeth never stop growing. Help your hamster keep his incisors whittled down to a healthy length by offering a bit of dog biscuit or a twig once weekly.