Hamsters Eat Porridge?
Yeah sure they do!
Although porridge or any sort of moist mash-like foods is not their most (primitive) natural diet, but our domestic hamsters have since evolved slightly and with gradual and sensible portions given, a porridge meal can be a source of comfort food to some hamsters.
Normally, my recommendations for any hamster to try my porridge is when he/she is reaching an elderly age and finding it difficult to eat hard foods, or when they're having decreasing appetite and need a more palatable meal to encourage eating.
The porridge is also suitable for expecting/nursing hamster moms who needs the boost of nutrition for herself and her babies, as well as hammies under certain ailments and on medication. Oftentimes, my advise for customers is to feed gradually and with smaller portions to gauge their hamster's intake of the porridge and adjust the feeding portions accordingly.
If your hamster is healthy, of sensible weight and has no issues eating, you may not necessarily need the porridge for frequent feedings. The porridge could be a supplement to your hamster's existing dry food diet as long as you feed with measured portions and monitor your hamster's health.
I would also like to highlight that my recipe for this porridge is created with diabetic hamsters in mind. I do not use salt and sugar, and with mostly complex carbohydrates at 15%-18% content in the porridge.
Each cube of porridge is approximately 1.5 teaspoon of food with (stock) liquid that drains out to about 0.5 teaspoon. Rest assure that this quantity of liquid is not going to give your hamster diarrhoea/wet stools/wet tail.
An average adult hamster drinks about 2-4 teaspoon of water a day.
According to Hamsters101.com -
Here is a listing of specifications, per 100g of body weight per hamster daily.
- Syrian male hamsters consume roughly 5 ml of water daily
- Syrian female hamsters consume around 14 ml of water per day
- Male Chinese hamsters drink 11.4ml of water per day
- Female Chinese hamsters drink 12.9 mL daily