Cheeks and Squeaks Hamsters
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  • More
    • Home
    • About Cheeks
      • Breeding Ethics
      • Meet The Girls
      • Why choose Cheeks?
    • Our Hamsters
      • Adoption Info
      • Breeding Hamsters
      • Litters
    • Suitable Cages & more
      • Hamster Cage 101
      • Niteangel
      • Prevue 528: Walkthrough
      • Bin Cages
      • Ikea Detolf
      • Bar Cages
      • Tank Cages
    • Accessories
      • New Hamster Shopping List
      • Our Fave Products
      • Wheel Info
      • Sand
      • Playpen
    • Hamster Food
      • Food
    • Vet Care and Resources
      • Veterinary Care
      • More Resources
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ's
Cheeks and Squeaks Hamsters
  • Home
  • About Cheeks
  • Our Hamsters
  • Suitable Cages & more
  • Accessories
  • Hamster Food
  • Vet Care and Resources
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ's

Food

Feeding FAQ's

What type of food do we recommend?

Lab Blocks

CSH and all of the other ethical breeders we work with use Harlan Teklad lab blocks. We use formula 8640. It is an excellent diet and our animals do exceptionally well on it. If you are interested in learning more about this food, we encourage you to read the California Hamster Association's article on the topic. UPDATE: Harlan Teklad formula 8640 is no longer available. For now we are recommending Mazuri Rat and Mouse. 


Seed Mix

We also offer our hamsters a seed mix for dietary variety and to encourage natural foraging behaviours. Higgins Sunburst is a suitable mix (as treats, not the main source of nutrition) to purchase at Petco. We offer a handful of this once a week, simply sprinkled over the bedding.


Fresh Foods

Fresh fruit and veggies a couple times a week will make your hammy very happy as well! Find safe fresh food options below!

Fresh Foods

How do I feed my Hamster?

We practice free feeding. You hamster should always have access to their staple diet (blocks). When the bowl is empty, simply fill it up! Hamsters regulate their own diet and exercise extremely well.


For seed mixes, offer a handful, once or twice per week. We recommend scattering it over the bedding.

Where do I buy Harlan Teklad Foods?

UPDATE: Harlan Teklad formula 8640 is no longer available. For now we are recommending Mazuri Rat and Mouse. This can be purchased at most pet food stores like Chewy and Petco. 


Do not buy pet food off of Amazon. 

What Foods Should I Avoid?

You should avoid hay-based foods, seed mixes, and low protein diets. Unfortunately, this eliminates most foods on the market--including the most popular, Oxbow.

We particularly dislike the Oxbow diet because it is completely inappropriate for hamsters. It is hay-based and extremely low in protein. Hamsters do not digest hay well, so most of the nutrients the food does provide is passed right through the body. While most hamsters are able to survive on this formula, they never thrive. Hamsters on this diet often have poor size, condition, and health overall.

Seed mixes, as discussed above, are great for providing variety. However, they allow the hamster to pick and choose their diet, and in doing so, they often leave the healthiest bits behind. Additionally, this means the diet is very unbalanced from day to day, which is rather undesirable. For these reasons, a seed mix should never be a staple diet.


For more info on foods to avoid, check out the article from the California Hamster Association. 

Take me to the CHA

Fresh Foods

Fruit

Proteins & Grains

Veggies

  • Acai
  • Apples
  • Apricots
  • Bananas
  • Blueberries
  • Blackberries
  • Boysenberries
  • Cantaloupe
  • Cherries (without pip)
  • Cranberries
  • Cucumbers
  • Currants
  • Dates
  • Elderberries
  • Figs
  • Gooseberries
  • Grapes
  • Guava
  • Honeydew melons
  • Kiwis
  • Kumquat
  • Lychees
  • Mangos
  • Nectarines
  • Papaya
  • Passion fruit
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Pineapple
  • Plums
  • Pomegranate
  • Raspberries
  • Starfruit
  • Strawberries
  • Tomatoes (Ripe, No Leaves/Stem)
  • Watermelon

Veggies

Proteins & Grains

Veggies

  • Amaranth
  • Arrugula
  • Artichoke
  • Asparagus
  • Basil
  • Beans
  • Beet
  • Bok Choy
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carrot
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Collards
  • Corn
  • Cucumber
  • Dandelion
  • Dill
  • Fennel
  • Ginger
  • Kale
  • Mushroom
  • Parsley
  • Parsnip
  • Peas
  • Pepper (Bell)
  • Potato (Cooked!)
  • Pumpkin
  • Radicchio
  • Romaine Lettuce
  • Soybeans
  • Spinach
  • Squash
  • Sweet Potato (Cooked)
  • Swiss Chard
  • Tomato
  • Zucchini/Courgette

Proteins & Grains

Proteins & Grains

Proteins & Grains

  • Almonds
  • Amaranth
  • Barley
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Black Turtle Beans
  • Buckwheat
  • Bulgar Wheat
  • Chickpeas (Garbonzo Beans)
  • Chia Seeds
  • Cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, Marble, Parmesan, etc.)
  • Cooked Ground Beef--rinse well in hot water to remove any grease
  • Cooked Chicken or Turkey--steamed or baked, skin removed
  • Eggs--boiled or cooked
  • Low Fat Cottage Cheese--low sodium prefe

  • Almonds
  • Amaranth
  • Barley
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Black Turtle Beans
  • Buckwheat
  • Bulgar Wheat
  • Chickpeas (Garbonzo Beans)
  • Chia Seeds
  • Cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, Marble, Parmesan, etc.)
  • Cooked Ground Beef--rinse well in hot water to remove any grease
  • Cooked Chicken or Turkey--steamed or baked, skin removed
  • Eggs--boiled or cooked
  • Low Fat Cottage Cheese--low sodium preferred
  • Couscous
  • Farro
  • Fish Cod--cooked, with bones and skin removed
  • Flax Seeds
  • Grasshoppers--from the pet store, not outdoors
  • Hemp Hearts
  • Lentils
  • Mealworms--from the pet store, not outdoors
  • Millet
  • Mung Beans
  • Nutritional Yeast
  • Oat Flakes
  • Pastas, cooked and dry
  • Peanuts
  • Plain Tofu
  • Popcorn
  • Pumpkin Seeds
  • Quinoa
  • Rice, cooked and dry
  • Rye Flakes
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Split Peas
  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Walnuts
  • Wheat Germ
  • Yogurt

Cheeks and Squeaks Hamsters

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Thanks for Considering Cheeks!

Please note that our minimum wait time is at least 10-12 months.


Submit your application to join our waitlist! 

That will start the process for you. 


Xoxo, Cheeks