The picky eater of hamsters can lead to waste of rat food and poor health for hamsters. When hamsters are found to be picky eaters, we must ensure the health of the hamsters, gradually correct the bad habit of hamsters and improve daily prevention.
Give Hamsters an Adaptation Period When Changing Food
It is very common to change the food for your beloved rat. For example, the original rat food cannot be bought, or a better rat food is found. The reasons can be thousands of kinds, but we must pay attention to any changes.
There is a transition period for hamsters, sometimes the transition period is very short and people can't perceive it, and sometimes the transition period is very long and even the hamster can't switch preferences.
Therefore, when we consider changing the food for the hamster, we should not replace it all at one time. We can consider replacing the old and new food in proportion to take care of the hamster's food preference transition.
If most of the new rat food can be eaten by the hamsters every time, then you can rest assured to replace all the new rat food with new rat food.
Stop Giving Food to Picky Eaters For a Couple of Days
If you find that your mouse lover does not like to eat a certain rat food ingredient, and it is the kind of waste that exceeds your tolerance limit, then it is necessary to train your hamster.
If your hamster's physique is good, then you have to be hungry for a few meals to see if there is any improvement. If your hamster's physique is a little weak, be careful not to starve to get sick, this is not worth the gain.
Put all the food you don't like to eat in the food bowl, and occasionally hand-feed some of the food you originally liked to eat, to ensure that you don't get sick from hunger.
Try to Consider Diversification in Daily Feeding
Given the hamster's strong hunting habits, hamsters may lose their joy in items that have been used for a long time.
For example, if a single toy in the hamster cage is not changed for a long time, the hamster will not be very active to play and if it has always been a single-ingredient rat food, the hamster will gradually lose interest. So when we usually feed, we can consider mixing a variety of rat food, and feed some hamster snacks and nutritional products from time to time, so that your hamster will always be interested in eating, to avoid the occurrence of picky eaters.
Reduce or Skip Snacks for some time
Too many snacks cause hamsters to be picky eaters. This is a common situation. We always give some rewards when interacting with hamsters, but it is difficult to control the amount. As a result, hamsters will rely on snacks to fill their stomachs and do not like to eat staple food. For picky eaters caused by too many snacks, we just need to reduce or not give snacks for some time.
I don’t know if you feel this way. Sometimes raising a hamster is like raising a child, because it also has the stinky problem of being picky eaters!
Although there is nothing wrong with being picky eaters occasionally, if you develop a habit, you may become picky eaters, which will not only cause headaches but also cost money.
What are the Hazards of Hamsters Being Picky Eaters?
Eat only snacks:
Although the snacks eaten by some hamsters contain certain addictive elements, if the snacks replace the main food, it will lead to excessive intake of additives in the snacks, which may cause the hamsters to become fat. Although snacks also contain certain nutrients, they cannot replace staple foods. Feeding in moderation is good for health.
Eat only vegetables:
Although vegetables are good, they should not be eaten in excess. After all, vegetables contain a lot of water, and hamsters are prone to diarrhea and wet tails after eating them.
A single diet:
For example, the owner makes the hamster into a habit when it is very young, and the hamster will become a picky eater when it grows up, so don't always feed it one or two nourishing food when it is young, it can be richer. It is a habit of taste from childhood, and you will become a picky eater when you grow up. The growth process of hamsters is very fast. Even if they enter the adult stage in 2 months, the breeders can control them well.
How to Correct the Picky Eater of Hamsters?
Gradually Replace the Staple Food
When hamsters change their main food, don't change them all at once. For most hamsters, changing food requires a transition period. Therefore, the transition should be made by replacing the old and new food in proportion and gradually replacing all of them.
When changing the food for the mice, don't change it all at once. Any change requires a transition period for hamsters. We can consider transitioning by replacing the old and new food in proportion to take care of the mouse's food preferences. If you can eat most of the new rat food every time, you can rest assured to replace all the new rat food.
This method is for hamsters who are very picky eaters, for which measures must be taken, and it is not a problem for hamsters to starve for a few meals. Of course, if your hamster is not in good health, this method is not recommended!
Diversified feeding
Some hamsters still retain a certain habit of hunting, and if the owner feeds a single-ingredient rat food for a long time, they may lose interest in things. Given that hamsters have a strong hunting habit, some mice are prone to lose interest after being fed a single-ingredient rat food for a long time.
When feeding, you should mix a variety of rat food, and then give the hamster some snacks and nutrients from time to time. In this way, it can not only ensure the freshness of the hamster's diet but also prevent them from being picky eaters.
Therefore, when we usually feed, we can consider mixing a variety of rat food, and feed some snacks and nutritional products from time to time, which must be specially used for hamsters. In this way, the hamster will always have a "freshness" and avoid the occurrence of picky eaters.
Also, a comfortable environment can help hamsters keep them in a good mood and can keep them clean. Giving them a wooden hamster cage is necessary and good for their health.