Pellets: Versele-Laga Complete Hamster & Gerbil (ate a little)

[hamsworth]

I bought Versele-Laga Complete Hamster & Gerbil All-in-One Nutrition (1.13 kg) from PetValu.

Listed Prices
PetValu: $22.99 CAD for 1.13 kg / 2.5 pounds. (November 2024.)

My Syrian and dwarf at the time ate a little of this but not that much. It did seem more appealing to them than other pellet brands. It doesn't contain timothy. It looks like it's more wheat-based. I want to say that they may have liked it more because it contains some sources of protein: chicken, flax, salmon, egg. However, I've just noticed that it's overall crude protein is only 13% compared to Oxbow Essentials Hamster & Gerbil Food, which has 15% crude protein and none of that stuff. It has omega fatty acids from the salmon and flax.

I'm tempted to make a spreadsheet to compare the ingredients and content.

It's still a big bag of food that they won't eat much of. You can at least scatter more of this than usual and then throw it out while spot cleaning bedding.


Versele-Laga Complete Hamster & Gerbil (1.13 kg)

Pellets_Versele-Laga Complete Hamster & Gerbil.png

Ingredients
Ground Wheat, Ground Corn, Peas, Wheat Middlings, Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Flaxseed, Chicken Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Cranberries, Brewer's Dried Yeast, Salmon Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols), Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Dicalcium Phosphate, Fructooligosaccharides, Dried Egg Product, Choline Chloride, Rosemary Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, DL-Methionine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Analysis
Crude Protein (min.) 13.0%
Crude Fat (min.) 4.0%
Crude Fiber (max.) 6.0%
Moisture (max.) 10.0%
Calcium (min.) 0.6%
Phosphorus (min.) 0.4%
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (min.) 0.75%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min.) 0.6%

[Lillias]

I appreciate that this pellet is somewhat grain-based and has some real ingredients. But many people use pellets to boost the protein in their mix, and this pellet would actually lower it. It seems like the corn is there for cost-savings. Hamsters can eat corn, but I don't like to see it as the second highest ingredient because there are more nutritious options and this pellet needed more protein.

[hamsworth]

Yeah? I hadn't paid attention to the protein percent before, but that makes sense.

I actually haven't thought about protein in years. Since reading about protein concerns, I've supplemented my hamsters' diets with things like chickpeas, tiny pieces of meat, mealworms, hemp, and flax. I think I concluded that pellet and seed mixes I could buy around here weren't high enough in protein.