Hamsters are omnivorous, which means they eat both vegetables and meat. Their natural foods include grains, seeds, vegetables, and insects, and they will like corn, oats, or wheat mixed with dry dog food. Premixed hamster food from a pet store has complete nutrition,  but some hamsters won't eat it.

Their favourite foods are foods native to their dry habitat, like seeds. For protein and variety, they will eat some small insects.

They like vegetables, but be moderate in how much you feed them. The key word for the hamster diet is *variety*. It keeps them healthy.

   But don't feed your hamster chocolates and other sweet things.

Either feed the hamster at the same time each day or  leave a constant food supply. Hamsters will not overeat but will often store food in their cheek pouches and put it in a hiding place to eat later. Remove food that is no longer fresh each day, and clean out the "hidden" food once a week. Put food in heavy ceramic or plastic food dishes (so they won't tip over) and clean them weekly.

Hamsters need to have fresh water constantly available. The best sort of container is a drip bottle, which can be attached to the side of the cage. A bottle with a wide neck and metal top will be easy to clean every other day. The hamster will quickly learn how to sip from it.