What to Feed a Hamster or Gerbil
Pellets first, how much to feed when makers disagree, why the bowl lies about hoarding, safe fresh extras, and a gentle food switch.
Hamsters and gerbils do best on a uniform pellet made for them, with small extras of fresh vegetables.
The tricky parts are the amount, because makers disagree, and the hoarding. An empty bowl rarely means a hungry animal.
Syrian hamsterAt a glance
- Best staple A uniform pellet or lab block, not seeds alone
- How much Your bag's amount; makers disagree
- Hoarding Check the stash before you refill
- Fresh food Tiny vegetable pieces a few times a week
- Avoid Citrus, grapes, raisins, sugary treats
- Switching Mix in slowly over up to four weeks
One food, three animals
The same hamster and gerbil food suits all three. The amount and the extras are what change.
No maker we checked makes separate Syrian, dwarf and gerbil foods.
- Syrian hamster
- Dwarf hamster
- Gerbil
- Syrian hamster
- The biggest. Fruit is fine as a small treat.
- Dwarf hamster
- The smallest. No fruit or sugary treats.
- Gerbil
- Lives in pairs. A handful of hay each day helps.
Syrian hamster
The largest hamster, 120 to 200 grams. Lives alone.
Dwarf hamster
Only 30 to 50 grams, and prone to diabetes. Our dwarf hamster care sheet says no fruit and no sugary treats.
Gerbil
50 to 130 grams, and lives in same-sex pairs. Our gerbil care sheet adds a handful of grass hay every day.
Pellets first
Make a uniform pellet the base, so every bite has the same nutrition.
A seed mix lets your pet pick out the favorite bits, often the fatty sunflower seeds, and leave the rest. Oxbow and Supreme both say this selective eating is the reason they make uniform pellets.
- Fresh mix
- A day later
Do
- pick a uniform pellet or lab block as the main food.
- if you like a seed mix for variety, our hamster care sheets pair it half and half with a lab block.
Don't
- keep topping up a mix when only the plain pellets are left. That's the picking problem.
Compare 5 foods: protein, fat, fiber and calcium
| Food | Form | Protein | Fat | Fiber | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxbow Essentials Hamster & Gerbil | Pellet | min 15% | min 4.5% | 10-15% | 0.6-1.0% |
| Supreme Science Selective Hamster | Extruded nugget | 19% | 5% | 5% | 0.8% |
| Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Hamster & Gerbil | Seed mix | min 12% | min 6% | max 12% | not listed |
| Kaytee Fiesta Hamster & Gerbil | Seed mix | min 13.5% | min 6% | max 10% | not listed |
| Mazuri Rat & Mouse Diet (not hamster-specific) | Block | min 23% | min 6.5% | max 6% | not listed |
Figures are each maker's guaranteed analysis. Brands report fiber in different ways (a range, a maximum, or one number), so don't rank foods by fiber.
Per Kaytee's label, Fiesta contains peanuts, and both Kaytee foods are made where peanuts and tree nuts are processed.
How much to feed
Makers disagree on the amount. Start with your bag's number, then watch the stash and your pet's weight.
- Dwarf hamster
- Syrian hamster
- Dwarf hamster
- Oxbow's small-hamster amount, 1/8 cup (about 2 tablespoons).
- Syrian hamster
- Oxbow's large-hamster amount, 1/3 cup.
Oxbow sets its amount by size and age:
| Who | Oxbow's daily amount |
|---|---|
| Adult small hamster | 1/8 cup |
| Adult gerbil or large hamster | 1/3 cup |
| Young (under 6 months), pregnant or nursing | Unlimited |
Other makers say less:
- Kaytee: 2 tablespoons (about 20 g) per animal.
- Supreme: 5 to 10 g for an average adult hamster, which is under a tablespoon.
Our care sheets start lower than Oxbow: about 1 tablespoon per gerbil, 1 to 1.5 tablespoons for a dwarf hamster, and 1.5 to 2 for a Syrian.
Check the stash
An empty bowl can mean a full stash, not a hungry pet.
- Empty dish: it doesn't prove your pet ate it all. Hamsters carry food off in their cheek pouches.
- Nest: your pet sleeps here, close to its food.
- Stash: look here before you refill. Oxbow says to check hamster stockpiles daily.
- Empty dish: it doesn't prove your pet ate it all. Hamsters carry food off in their cheek pouches.
- Nest: your pet sleeps here, close to its food.
- Stash: look here before you refill. Oxbow says to check hamster stockpiles daily.
- Fresh vegetables don't keep. Remove any your pet hasn't eaten before they spoil.
- Our hamster care sheets suggest scattering the daily food around the habitat instead of a bowl. Foraging keeps them busy.
Fresh food and treats
Tiny pieces of vegetable a few times a week. Fruit only for Syrians and gerbils, and only as a treat.
A sample week
Syrian hamster
Dwarf hamster
Gerbil
Feed Optional Rest day
Show as a table
| Animal | Pellets | Fresh vegetables | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syrian hamster | Every day | 3-4 times a week | Optional, a small treat |
| Dwarf hamster | Every day | 2-3 times a week | None (too sugary) |
| Gerbil | Every day | Optional, tiny bits now and then | Optional, tiny bits now and then |
For hamsters, a piece about the size of your pet's ear is plenty.
- Tiny pieces OK
- Sparingly
- Avoid
- Tiny pieces OK
- Broccoli for all three. Cucumber for hamsters, carrot for Syrians and gerbils. Supreme says small amounts of cooked egg are fine.
- Sparingly
- Sunflower seeds are fatty. Apple without seeds, never for dwarf hamsters.
- Avoid
- Citrus fruit, plus grapes, raisins and sugary treats.
Good vegetables
Broccoli suits all three. Hamsters can also have cucumber, zucchini and spinach. Syrians add carrot and sweet potato, dwarfs add celery, and gerbils can have tiny bits of carrot.
Fruit
Syrians can have apple without seeds, banana, blueberries or strawberries as a treat. Gerbils can have a tiny bit of apple. Dwarf hamsters get none.
Treats
Mealworms suit all three. Hamsters also like plain oats, and dwarfs enjoy millet or flax sprays. Oxbow says treats should be 5% or less of the daily diet.
Do
- keep pieces tiny, and offer a handful of grass hay. Oxbow suggests free-choice hay for hamsters and gerbils.
Don't
- feed citrus, grapes or raisins. Our gerbil care sheet lists them as foods to avoid.
- give yogurt drops, honey sticks or molasses seed rings to dwarf hamsters or gerbils.
Switching foods
Change food slowly. A sudden switch can upset the gut.
Week 1: 25% new food, 75% old.
Week 2: half and half.
Week 3: 75% new, 25% old.
Week 4: all new food.
Mix a little more new food in each step.
Oxbow suggests four weeks. Kaytee says 7 to 10 days. Slower is gentler.
Body check
Weigh your pet now and then. A steady weight is a good sign.
Typical adult weights from our care sheets: Syrian 120 to 200 g, dwarf 30 to 50 g, gerbil 50 to 130 g. A small kitchen scale works well.
- Underweight
- Healthy
- Overweight
- Underweight
- Thin, with a bony back.
- Healthy
- Smooth and rounded.
- Overweight
- Heavy and round.
Watch for:
- sudden weight loss or gain
- drinking and peeing much more than usual, especially in dwarf hamsters
- not eating, or drooling (often overgrown teeth)
- diarrhea or a wet, soiled rear
Storing food and water
Keep food sealed, cool and dry. Fresh water every day.
Opened food
Kaytee says use it within 30 to 45 days of opening, and refrigerate or freeze it to keep it longer.
Water
Fresh water every day. Gerbils chew thin plastic bottles, so our gerbil care sheet suggests a glass or thick plastic bottle.
Quick answers
How much should I feed my hamster? Start with your bag's amount. Oxbow says 1/8 cup a day for a small adult hamster and 1/3 cup for a gerbil or large hamster. Others say less, so watch the stash and weight.
Pellets or seed mix? Pellets. A mix lets your pet pick out the favorite seeds and leave the rest. If you use a mix for variety, pair it with a lab block.
Why is the bowl always empty? Your pet is probably hoarding. Check the nest and the corners for a stash before you add more.
Can my dwarf hamster have fruit? No. Dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes, so skip fruit and sugary treats. Try a mealworm, plain oats or a millet spray.
Can I use rat food? Mazuri lists hamsters and gerbils on its Rat & Mouse Diet page, though it isn't a hamster formula. Our hamster care sheets mix a lab block like it with a seed mix.
Do hamsters and gerbils need hay? Not as a staple, but it's good for chewing. Oxbow suggests free-choice hay, and our gerbil care sheet adds a handful every day.
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Reviewed by our team 2026-11-06. Nutrition figures are each maker's published guaranteed analysis.
