Best Hamster Food: Updated

Did you just bring home a new hamster? Are you working on planning out the best diet to meet your hamster’s needs? We understand how important it is to do your research before choosing food for a beloved pet! You may be looking for pellets, seeds, fresh food, organic food, treats, or some mix of all of these options. If you have adopted a dwarf hamster then they will need to avoid added sugar to prevent diabetes.

Hamsters love foods that are varied in taste and texture. Your new pet will depend on you to see that they have all of the nutrition they need through a combination of hamster food, treats and fresh fruits and vegetables. You will love watching them pick, choose, eat and pack their cheeks full of food to stash and horde for later! Some of these charming little pets even sort their stashes to make snack selection easy!

We’ve written this review to share more information about some of the best hamster foods that are available. Continue reading to learn more about the foods that we selected as our favorites after conducting extensive research and analyzing numerous reviews.

The Top Picks for the Best Hamster Food: Ranked

#1 Best Overall: Kaytee Fiesta Pet Hamster Food

We selected Kaytee Fiesta Hamster Food as our overall top pick for several reasons.

This mix is designed to provide hamsters the nutrients they need to remain healthy. It is formulated with prebiotics and probiotics to keep a hamster’s digestive system healthy. The food is also formulated with antioxidants to support the hamster’s immune system.

This food also consists of a variety of pieces in different textures and shapes to keep hamsters interested, while also helping keep their teeth healthy. This is actually really important as hamsters have incisor teeth that grow continually through their lives — meaning that they have to do a lot of gnawing to keep them at a manageable length. Therefore, the varied shapes and textures in this food are great for helping them do just that.

The Fiesta mix includes a variety of fruit and vegetables as well. The addition of these different fruits and vegetables helps to provide additional essential nutrients and provides a greater variety of flavors for hamsters to enjoy and stash in their cheek pouch. Additionally, if you have gerbils at home too then this food can be fed to them as well.

However, although this food has a lot going for it, customers found that some hamsters don’t like all of the food that it contains and only eat their favorite parts.

Pros and Cons of the Kaytee Fiesta Pet Hamster Food

Overall Best

Kaytee Fiesta Pet Hamster Food

• Contains Prebiotics and Probiotics for Healthy Digestion
• Offers Natural Antioxidents to Promote Healthy Immune System
• Contains a Variety of Grains, Seeds, and Fruits
• Encourages Chewing Activity for Dental Health

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2. Best for Picky Eaters: Oxbow Essentials Hamster and Gerbil Food

If you have a picky eater, consider feeding them the Oxbow Essentials Hamster & Gerbil Food.

This food features uniform kibble shapes which prevents hamsters from eating only their favorite parts. This means that they will get all the essential vitamins and nutrients they need and won’t be lacking in a specific area.

The food is formulated with prebiotics and antioxidants to help keep the hamster’s digestive and immune system healthy. It includes a balanced mix of protein and carbohydrates to keep hamsters healthy and ensure they’re getting the nutrients they need to enjoy an active and healthy life. Additionally, this food is completely free from harmful additives such as artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. It is also fortified with stabilized vitamins C, A, and B12 for a healthy immune system and to meet the recommendations from pet nutritionists and veterinarians.

Unfortunately, some pet parents found that the pieces are too big for some smaller hamsters — particularly dwarf hamsters.

Pros and Cons of the Oxbow Essentials Hamster and Gerbil Food

Best for Picky Eaters

Oxbow Essentials Hamster and Gerbil Food

• Formulated under the direction of top veterinarians and nutritionists
• This complete formula contains all the nutrients your hamster needs to thrive
• Free from harmful additives such as artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives
• Fortified with stabilized vitamin C, A, and B12 for a healthy immune system
• Made from high-fiber Timothy hay

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3. Best Treats: Kaytee Baked Apple Timothy Biscuits

When you’re looking for a great hamster treat to spoil your furry friend a bit, take a look at the Kaytee Baked Apple Timothy Biscuits.

The formula for these biscuits includes high-fiber timothy hay and apples. Not only will hamsters enjoy the taste, but they’ll be getting the benefits of both of these healthy foods. They are also packed full of vitamins and minerals so you can be assured that your pet is only eating the very best treats around.

These biscuits are formulated without any potentially harmful artificial flavors or colors. Also, the shape of these biscuits promotes chewing which in turn helps to keep your hamster’s teeth healthy.

However, some owners found that these biscuits were a little too large and tough for smaller hamsters, although they also said this could be solved by breaking them in half.

Pros and Cons of the Kaytee Baked Apple Timothy Biscuits

Best Treats

Kaytee Baked Apple Timothy Biscuits

• Baked with Sun Cured Timothy Hay, Apples, and Molasses
• High in Fiber, Vitamins and Nutrients
• Encourages Foraging and Natural Chewing Activity

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4. Best All Natural: Supreme Tiny Friends Farm Hazel Hamster Tasty Mix

If you’re looking for an all natural food for your hamster then we recommend the Supreme Tiny Friends Farm Hazel Hamster Tasty Mix which is an all natural, tasty blend containing everything your hamster needs to be healthy and happy.

This food has a variety of shapes and flavors which encourages foraging as well as helping to maintain healthy teeth by promoting chewing.

It is nutritionally balanced and suitable for hamsters of all breeds — including dwarf hamsters — as it contains no added sugar. This special blend contains delicious ingredients such as whole peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, maize, oats, wheat, and peas. It also has added vitamins to provide a tasty everyday diet that helps promote your pet’s natural wellbeing and vitality. However, some customers found that their hamsters only choose to eat their favorite parts and leave others.

Pros and Cons of the Supreme Tiny Friends Farm Hazel Hamster Tasty Mix

Best All Natural

Supreme Tiny Friends Farm Hazel Hamster Tasty Mix 2lbs

• All Natural, Nutritionally Balanced
• Promotes Natural Foraging
• Great Taste with No Added Sugar
• Vitamins Added to Promote Health & Vitality
• Suitable For All Breeds Including Dwarf Hamsters

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Our Criteria: What to Look For in Hamster Food

When planning out a diet for your hamster, there are a few key components to include:

• Hamster pellets (not muesli-style mixes, since hamsters tend to only eat the high sugar pellets and leave the rest, which can make them gain too much weight and cause tooth problems)
• Small servings of fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, and herbs
• High-fiber timothy hay
• Mealworms, nuts, and other treats (on occasion)
• Fresh, clean water

Treats and Fresh Foods to Feed a Hamster

In addition to choosing the main food for your hamster, you can also supplement their diet using fresh foods and some special treats. Aim to make sure that at least 90% of their diet is made up of the seeded or pelleted mix you choose, as these mixes are formulated to make sure their nutritional needs are being met. Do not feed whole oats as they can damage your hamster’s delicate cheek pouches.

Choose healthy foods like fresh vegetables, whole grains, and small amounts of fresh fruit. Avoid purchasing treats from stores, since most of the honey and seed sticks and yogurt drops sold for hamsters are actually too sugary to be healthy. If you have a dwarf hamster, you should be particularly careful to avoid giving them any sugary foods, or even fruits, since they are more likely to suffer from diabetes.

Here are a few foods you can consider feeding to your hamster:

• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Peas
• Spinach
• Romaine lettuce
• Dandelion greens
• Broccoli
• Squash
• Sweet potato
• Blueberries
• Apples
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Mealworms
• Crickets

In their natural habitat hamsters eat a range of grasses, wind-blown seeds and grain. Hamsters are often mistaken as herbivores, but they are omnivores and do need protein in their diet to keep them healthy.

A hamster’s diet is mostly cereals and other hard foods, which are chewed and digested slowly. This slow eating would make them easy targets in the wild, which is why they pack their food in their cheek pouches to take back to their burrow to eat it in the safety of their own home. Your pet will do this naturally, hoarding spare food, in case it becomes difficult to find at a later date. They may not realize that you will keep the food coming!

Hamsters need feeding every day. As they are nocturnal an evening feed is better for them. They will normally wake at feeding time and will be happy to play with you once they have been fed.

The Different Types of Hamster Food: Pros and Cons Compared

Two of the more common types of hamster food you can purchase include pelleted foods and seeded mixes. Each of these food types has some pros and cons to consider.

Pelleted Hamster Food

Seeded Hamster Food

The Best Hamster Food: Summary

There is a vast quantity of hamster food on the market today, but not every food is created equal. It’s important to make sure that you select the right one for your pet’s needs. This means that you need to consider what type of food to feed — pelleted food or a seeded mixture — and determine that it is providing a balanced diet for your furry friend. We hope that this product review has given you a detailed insight into the best food choices for your hamster.

Up Next…

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• The Best Hamster Cages: Reviewed and Ranked — This list of the best hamster cages will make choosing a home for your new pet a cinch.