How Much Do I Feed My Hamster [Food and Water Guide]
We’ve all seen the memes and the cute pictures of a big, fat hamster, kicking back and making us laugh.
The sad part is that a fat hamster is not a healthy hamster.
Let’s talk about exactly how much to feed your hamster and how much water they need.
How much food do I feed a dwarf hamster?
A Dwarf hamster should be fed 1/3 tablespoon (4.65g) of food per day. More precisely dwarf hamsters should consume 1.1 grams of food for every 10 grams of the hamster’s body weight. That’s 1.1g / 10 g BW / per day.
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The total amount of food depends on the size of your hamster.
How much food does a Syrian or Golden Hamster eat?
Syrian, Chinese, Golden, and other non-dwarf hamsters should be fed 2/3 tablespoon (9.9g) of food per day. More precisely non-dwarf hamsters should consume 11 grams of food for every 100 grams of the hamster’s body weight. That’s 11 g / 100 g BW / per day.
Be sure your hamster’s diet is well balanced and only contains safe foods.
Hamster Food Consumption Table
| Hamster Breed | Weight (g) | Daily Food (g) Low | Daily Food (g) High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roborovski Hamster | 18-28 | 1.98 | 3.08 |
| Dwarf Campbell’s Russian Hamster | 40-60 | 4.40 | 6.60 |
| Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster | 70-90 | 7.70 | 9.90 |
| Chinese Striped Hamster | 20-35 | 2.20 | 3.85 |
| Sokolov’s Hamster | 22-35 | 2.42 | 3.85 |
| Chinese (Rat) Hamster | 30-45 | 3.30 | 4.95 |
| Armenian (Grey Dwarf) Hamster | 30-60 | 3.30 | 6.60 |
| Lesser Long-Tailed Hamster | 35-50 | 3.85 | 5.50 |
| Tibetan Hamster | 35-45 | 3.85 | 4.95 |
| Ladak Hamster | 35-45 | 3.85 | 4.95 |
| Greater Long-Tailed Hamster | 40-55 | 4.40 | 6.05 |
| Eversmann’s (Kazahk) Hamster | 65-75 | 7.15 | 8.25 |
| Mongolian Hamster | 65-75 | 7.15 | 8.25 |
| Gansu Hamster | 65-75 | 7.15 | 8.25 |
| Syrian Hamster | 145-170 | 15.95 | 18.70 |
| Turkish (Brandt’s) Hamster | 145-170 | 15.95 | 18.70 |
| Romanian Hamster | 80-115 | 8.80 | 1.65 |
| Ciscaucasian Hamster | 60-105 | 6.60 | 0.55 |
| European Hamster | 220-460 | 24.20 | 50.60 |
How much water should my hamster drink?
Full-size, adult, pet hamsters should drink, on average, 8.5mL / 100g BW / day. That means for every 100g of weight, your hamster should be drinking 8.5mL of water per day. A 40g Roborovski should drink 3.4mL of water per day while a 90g Syrian should drink 7.65mL of water per day. Severely low or excessively large amounts of water consumption are signs of underlying health problems in hamsters that need immediate veterinary care.
The math looks like this:
(hamster weight (grams) / 100) * 8.5 = mL per day of water
We’ll save your brain and time. Just use our Hamster Water Intake calculator. Just remember these are averages. In fact, studies have shown that female hamsters actually consume more water per day than males, sometimes by more than double. Wow!
| Hamster Breed | Daily Water (mL) Low | Daily Water (mL) Low | Daily Water (mL) High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roborovski Hamster | 18-28 | 1.53 | 2.38 |
| Dwarf Campbell’s Russian Hamster | 40-60 | 3.40 | 5.10 |
| Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster | 70-90 | 5.95 | 7.65 |
| Chinese Striped Hamster | 20-35 | 1.70 | 2.98 |
| Sokolov’s Hamster | 22-35 | 1.87 | 2.98 |
| Chinese (Rat) Hamster | 30-45 | 2.55 | 3.83 |
| Armenian (Grey Dwarf) Hamster | 30-60 | 2.55 | 5.10 |
| Lesser Long-Tailed Hamster | 35-50 | 2.98 | 4.25 |
| Tibetan Hamster | 35-45 | 2.98 | 3.83 |
| Ladak Hamster | 35-45 | 2.98 | 3.83 |
| Greater Long-Tailed Hamster | 40-55 | 3.40 | 4.68 |
| Eversmann’s (Kazahk) Hamster | 65-75 | 5.53 | 6.38 |
| Mongolian Hamster | 65-75 | 5.53 | 6.38 |
| Gansu Hamster | 65-75 | 5.53 | 6.38 |
| Syrian Hamster | 145-170 | 12.33 | 14.45 |
| Turkish (Brandt’s) Hamster | 145-170 | 12.33 | 14.45 |
| Romanian Hamster | 80-115 | 6.80 | 1.28 |
| Ciscaucasian Hamster | 60-105 | 5.10 | 0.43 |
| European Hamster | 220-460 | 18.70 | 39.10 |
Hamsters should be provided water so that it is always available. They will drink it throughout the day and night. Veterinarians and scientists call this “ad libitum” meaning water is available at all times.
Resources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK231928/
- https://lvma.org/LVMA/For_Pet_Owners/Educational_Material/Biology_of_the_Hamster.aspx
- https://nibblesandeats.com
If you think your pet is ill, call a vet immediately. All health-related questions should be referred to your veterinarian. They can examine your pet, understand its health history, and make well informed recommendations for your pet.
903pets.com Staff
