HAMSTER RESOURCES MADE EASY A BONUS BOOK
TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: Hamster Food and Treats
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• Your Hamster needs a balanced Diet • Your Own Homemade Hamster Treats
CHAPTER TWO: When the Hamster is Sick
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• Common Hamster Sicknesses • Taking Care of a Sick Hamster
HAMSTER RESOURCES MADE EASY A BONUS BOOK
CHAPTER THREE: Choose your Veterinarian
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• Where to Start • When the Veterinarian Recommends Treatment
CHAPTER FOUR: Hamster Toys • • • • •
Wheels and Run-Abouts Chew Toys Climbing and Houses Plastic Toys Sand and Digging
CHAPTER FIVE: Hamster Recepies • • • • • • • • • •
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Banana Hamster Treat Hamster Dream Dinner Hamster Soup Berry Nice Cookies for Hamsters Hamster Treats Recipe Veggie Taco Micro Veggie Pizza Hamster-Bananasplit Make Micro-Burgers for your hamster Cake for Your Hamster
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Chapter One:
HAMSTER FOOD AND TREATS Hamsters are living things. They need to eat too. Typically, we think of pets as some animal we can feed anything. But we need to consider that they need to eat properly. Hamsters are no exception. They have specific food that they can and cannot eat. What they eat will affect their welfare. Garbage in. Garbage out. Healthy food in. Healthy hamster.
YOUR HAMSTER NEEDS A BALANCED DIET Almost 90% of hamster sickness are either directly or indirectly caused by your hamster’s eating habits and diet. Obviously, they do not have any capacity to choose the food they eat. Be careful about what you feed your pet. Your hamster needs a balanced diet. It has all the ingredients to help your hamster be in tip top shape. A healthy hamster is a happy hamster. Your hamster’s food must contain the following minerals and nutrients in order to keep your hamster in tip top shape. Proteins If you want to have a growing hamster, this is the nutrient you need him to digest. Proteins are important for the building of tissue. They are specifically vital for young stock and pregnant mothers. Carbohydrates and Fats: Carbohydrates and Fats produce energy. Carbohydrates help keep the muscles and glands healthy. Fats provide the fuel for the body and warmth (as in heat). They also promote hormone production and beneficial for the nervous system. Of course, too much is bad. If you feed too much food rich in carbohydrates and fats, it is stored in the body as “fat”. It will cause breeding problems and irregularities and poor health leading to illness and possible death.
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Vitamins and minerals: Unlike us humans who gobble up vitamins like Pez candies, hamsters need only small amounts of vitamins. But don’t let it fool you. This small amount will greatly influence the stability of their health. Should there be a shortage of vitamins, it can lead to health problems that leads to death. For minerals, it is similar to vitamins. Less is more. They have the same effect with vitamins. That’s why they go together. Water Water is the universal solvent. Whether human, animal or plant, we need water especially your hamster. When you serve water to your pet, be sure you put it in a special bottle that can dispense the water (which are available in stores). Do not put them in dishes because it can be easily flipped or tipped over. Be sure to give water to your hamster at all times.
MEATS AND PROTEINS FOODS • Cooked Ground Beef (Rinse well in hot water to remove any grease) • Cooked Chicken or Turkey (Steamed or baked) • Low Fat Cottage Cheese • Fish Cod (Cooked removing bones and skin) • Grasshoppers (Pet Shop) • Mealworms (Pet Shop)
• Crickets (Pet Shop) • Bread(whole grain no white bread) soaked in milk (Low Fat, Skim, Soy) • Eggs (boiled or scrambled) • Plain Tofu • Plain Low Fat Yogurt • Dog Biscuits (No Garlic, onion, or onion powder) • Monkey Chow • Lab Blocks
FRUITS • • • • • • • •
Apple (seedless) Banana Blackberries Blueberries Cantaloupe. Cherries Cranberries Grapes(seedless)
• • • • • • •
Lychee Mango Melon Peaches (no stone) Plums (no pits) Raspberries Raspberry Leaves (helpful for diarrhea) • Strawberries
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Your Own Homemade Hamster Treats One of the great things about home made treats is that you know what is going inside that batch. You can make sure you will be giving the finest and safest ingredients for your hamster. Let us teach you how to do it.
Step 1
A superb source vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, roughage and fiber, provide your hamster commercial hamster food or fresh fruits and vegetables as a major part of their diet.
Barley, corn, soybeans, what and most grains are great dietary supplements. Refrain from giving oats as it can scratch their cheek while they chew. Ouch.
Step 3
Give sunflower seeds - one of your hamster’s favorite treats. If your hamster is lactating, give them more so they can make more milk. Of course, not too much or they will get too fat.
Bird Seed. Rape. Millet. These are great solid food for babies and young hamsters. Mix various seeds for variety.
Step 5
Step 2
Step 4
Small Hard Dog biscuits. Yes. You read it correctly. Have your hamster chew on it from time to time. This will be good for his teeth both as a tooth-grinding agent and has high content of calcium and phosphorus.
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LIST OF POSSIBLE HAMSTER TREATS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Acorns Almonds (sweet almonds, shelled) Beechnuts Biscuits Boiled Potatoes Brazil Nuts Bread (fresh or stale) Breakfast Cereals Cake - but not chocolate cake Cashew Nuts Chicken (cooked) Cheese Coconuts Crickets Currents Dog Biscuits
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Egg (scrambled or boiled) Fish (cooked) Hazel Nuts Mealworms Meat (cooked) Nuts Pecan Nuts Peanuts (shelled or unshelled) Pistachio Nuts Prunes Raisins Sweet Chestnuts Sultanas Toast Walnuts
HAMSTER TREATS TO AVOID • • • • •
Almonds (bitter almonds, raw) Buttercups Chocolate Garlic* Onions
• Rabbit Mix (containing antibiotic ingredients) • Raw Kidney Beans • Sweets • Toffee
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Check for credentials. He should be accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) or any recognized local or state veterinary associations. How about being a member of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)? This ensures the public that this clinic has the highest standards and quality in equipment, facilities, and pet care. Visit the clinic Check the place out. Visit the clinic before bringing your pet. Look around. Is it clean and safe? Do they have excellent facilities. Talk to office staff and check if they are friendly. It does add to the appeal to have courteous people. If you are not confident, then it might better to look somewhere else. Qualify the staff There is no shame in qualifying the staff. You need to know if the people who will take care of your pet are really trained and certified whether they are veterinary assistants or technicians. They will be doing different tasks such as bandaging injuries, assisting with surgeries, giving injections and administering fluids. If they are capable, then you will also have the peace of mind. Fees and payment options We know that medical services do not come cheap. You can ask about fees and payment options for your pet. Of course, veterinarians' fees vary from practice to practice. You may ask if there is a payment plan option which will be a good thing especially when an unforeseen financial problem happens or when your hamster needs an expensive procedure to undergo.
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Wheels and RunAbouts Hamsters are just so fond of the hamster wheel. This is one way to exercise their tiny bodies. Of course, your hamster's cage should have a wheel that fits inside. Make sure the wheel is in its proper size. To cut down the risk of injuries, get a solid surface wheel. Also known as hamster balls, RunAbouts are these clear plastic balls where you put your hamster inside and let them run around freely on the floor without worry of them getting away on you. We all know that hamsters are fast runners and can creep into places they should not be in. With the hamster ball, we won’t have a problem with that. Plus they come in different styles.
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Chew Toys Hamsters are chewers. They need items and toys they can gnaw on to keep their constantly growing teeth in good condition. An ideal choice would be wooden pet chew toys. Make sure they are safe. Stay away from cedar or other evergreen type woods. Check if they are pesticide and chemical free. If you are not sure of its safety, better stick with items made for use by pets. If you have pesticide-free fruit tree branches from your backyard or hardwood wood blocks or shapes that are not chemically treated, then they are okay for your hamster. Willow balls, rings and tunnels that are also marketed for rabbits can be used for hamsters.
Cardboard is also good for chewing. Choose cardboard with as little ink as possible on it. Ink may have things that are unsafe for hamsters. Also, hamsters love cardboard tubes from paper towel and toilet paper rolls. Most hamsters do not encounter problems when they regularly chew these items.
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Hamster Soup • 1 leftover ham bone, recommended (optional) • 3 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth • 1 (14 ounce) can water (use empty broth can) • 1 small onion, halved quartered • 1 1/2 cups baby carrots • 1 teaspoon curry • 1 tablespoon honey • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon pepper • 1/2 teaspoon paprika • 1 1/2 cups diced ham, honey glazed if possible • 1 (28 ounce) can new potatoes, chopped • 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup Directions: 1. In your crock pot combined together the ham bone, onion, carrots, curry, honey, salt, pepper, and paprika. 2. Turn to high and let cook for 6 hours. 3. Remove the ham bone and discard. 4. Add diced ham, new potatoes, and cream of mushroom, stir to combine. 5. Let cook for at least 30 more minutes. 6. Serve over rice, egg noodles, or just by itself with a nice country salad and a big knot of bread. 7. You can add 2 cans of cream of mushroom if you like it more like chowder than soup.
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