Hamsters and Gerbils are common small pets in the UK, with an estimated 900,000 UK households owning a pet Hamster in 2023 and 300,000 owning a pet Gerbil. Knowing what to feed your pet hamster or gerbil is really important to ensure they have a balanced nutritious diet that meets their needs.  

As with all pet foods, there are a wide range of options available, and it can be a minefield in trying to pick the most suitable option. This article is going to talk about the different foodstuffs available for both hamsters and gerbils and recommend the most suitable options. As with all dietary advice it is never one size fits all, so if you have any specific questions or concerns related to your own pet, please do seek out specific advice from your veterinary surgeon.  

What should I feed my pet hamster? 

Hamsters are omnivores, which means they eat a variety of different foodstuffs of both animal and plant origin. In the wild they would mostly eat a mix of insect and plant material. When we have an animal as a pet they are not exactly the same as their wild counterparts, but they are very similar and as such we need to do our best to replicate their natural diet.  

In pet shops lots of different hamster foods are offered, these usually broadly take the form of either pellets or muesli style foods. Muesli style foods are not recommended as they allow the hamster to select which pieces of the food they prefer and leave other bits (often the more “boring but healthy” components!). Overall, this results in an unbalanced diet and some vital nutrients being missed from their diet. 

Commercial pellet food made specifically for hamsters is recommended. These pellets are specially formulated to provide your hamster with all the nutrients they need. You should feed the amount stated on the packaging and not exceed this, as over consumption of pellets can lead to obesity.  

In addition to pellets your hamster can be offered one to two teaspoons of fresh herbs and vegetables once a day. This is important to give your hamster some variety in their diet, so it’s important to use a different selection of produce and not feed the same thing every day. As with any fresh produce, ensure it is washed before feeding it to your hamster to avoid any potentially harmful substances, bacteria or residues that may be on the outside of the produce.  

Fruit can be given to hamsters in small quantities as an occasional treat but be particularly careful not to feed this often or in large amounts as some species of hamster can be prone to health conditions such as diabetes.  

Before feeding any fruit, vegetables or herbs to your hamster you must ensure that they are safe for hamsters to consume. You can find a list of suitable hamster-safe options here. 

Another great addition to your hamsters diet and environment is a small amount of fresh timothy hay. This is good for hamsters to chew on and helps with maintaining their dental and gut health.  

Other treats that can be offered to hamsters in small amounts to add variety and enrichment to their diet include small amounts of hard boiled eggs and mealworms. You can read more about feeding hamsters on the PDSA website here. 

What should I feed my pet gerbil? 

Like hamsters, gerbils are also omnivores. Wild gerbils eat a varied diet of grasses, plants, grains, seeds, insects and larvae. As with hamsters, it is important that we try and replicate the nutrients in a wild gerbil’s diet as much as possible for gerbils kept as pets to ensure they get all the vitamins, minerals and macronutrients they need to maintain their health.  

Many pet stores sell a range of food products marketed as gerbil food. Like with hamsters, this is broadly either a muesli style or pelleted style of food; and once again, the pelleted food is usually a better choice for gerbils as it is a complete feed. Gerbils too tend to pick and choose at muesli, while the pellets do not allow choice of which bits to ingest and which bits to leave, giving more certainty that the food they are consuming is meeting their nutritional needs.   

In addition to a complete pelleted food, offering a small amount of fresh varied fruit and vegetables that are safe for gerbils to consume is also important to ensure they have a variety in their diet. As with hamsters and when feeding any pet fruit or vegetables, it is important the produce is fresh and washed before being fed to your pet, and that it is removed from the café on the same day to prevent it spoiling. 

You can read more about feeding gerbils and suitable fruit and vegetables they can consume here. 

How should I feed my hamster and gerbil? 

Varying the way you feed your hamster and gerbil is a great way to add enrichment into their routine and keep things interesting.  

Traditionally food has always been put into a food bowl inside the enclosure. Whilst this is not a bad thing to do, we can go further and use food as a tool to encourage natural behaviours such as foraging and digging.  

Examples of ways to do this include: 

  • Weighing out the total amount of pelleted food required for your pet hamster or gerbil for the day – this information can be found on the back of the bag of feed, please note it is important to stick to this and not be tempted to provide more as overfeeding can lead to obesity and associated health issues.  
  • Putting 1/3 of the total amount of food into a traditional stainless steel or ceramic feed bowl in the enclosure – ensure this is cleaned daily and is an appropriate size so that your pet can easily feed from it  
  • Scattering 1/3 of the food in a clean burrowing area to encourage your pet to dig and explore looking for their food  
  • Using the remaining 1/3 of food inside a feeding toy, such as a small pet feeding ball. Important – ensure you watch your pet whilst they are using this to ensure they don’t chew the plastic and once they have eaten all the food from it, remove it from their enclosure.  
  • Placing the small amount of fresh vegetables being fed that day in a small clean bowl in the enclosure and ensure this is removed and cleaned out once finished. 

Summary: 

  • Choosing the correct diet for your pet hamster or gerbil is really important to make sure they get all of the nutrients they need to stay healthy 
  • Aim to select a pelleted diet specifically formulated for a hamster or gerbil, and ensure you following the feeding directions on the packet  
  • Fresh vegetables and fruit can be important additions to the diet but should be fed in small amounts, ensuring the produce picked is safe for your pet, whilst being aware that excessive feeding of fruit and vegetables can lead to health issues  
  • Varying the way you offer food to your pet hamster or gerbil is a great way of encouraging natural behaviours and keeping their environment interesting  
  • If you have any specific questions about your individual pet’s health and nutrition requirements always contact your veterinary surgeon for specific advice