What Is the Primary Source of Food for Dwarf Hamster?

There are four species of pet dwarf hamsters--the Russian (or Campbell's) dwarf, the winter white, the Chinese dwarf and the Roborovski. All have the same diet because they are from similar habitats.

  1. In the Wild

    • All pet dwarf hamster species are from desert or areas with few plants. The main foods for these wild hamsters are seeds, according to "Hamsters," by Nancy Ferris and others.

    Captivity

    • Commercial hamster food is best as the main source of food in a pet hamster's diet. It will contain seeds and pelts made of grains, according to Hamsterific.com.

    Difference

    • Pet dwarf hamsters do not use the energy that wild dwarf hamsters do, so they need a diet lower in calories to avoid getting fat.

    Considerations

    • Because hamsters' teeth keep growing throughout their lives, wild and captive dwarf hamsters need hard food to help keep teeth from becoming too long.

    Warning

    • Some hard foods can kill dwarf hamsters, including onions, peanuts, almonds and uncooked kidney beans. Dwarf hamsters do not know instinctively what foods are good and what are bad, according to "Hamsters."