The main reasons for hamsters to compete for food include the following:
Hunger: When hamsters are hungry, they become very active and are likely to compete with other hamsters for food.
Insufficient food supply: If there is not enough food, hamsters will fight with each other for the limited food resources.
Territorial awareness: Hamsters have a strong sense of territory. When they think that their food is being encroached upon by other hamsters, they will compete for it.
Methods to solve the problem of hamsters competing for food:
Control the feeding of snacks: Reduce the amount of snacks. It is enough to feed snacks 1-2 times a week. If a hamster is extremely picky about food, you can stop giving snacks for a while and resume giving them after the picky eating situation improves.
Moderate hunger therapy: Refill the hamster food in the food bowl only after the food in it has been eaten up, so that the hamsters can feel hungry. When they are hungry, they may not be so picky about food.
Change the hamster food: Try changing to hamster food of different flavors to see which one the hamsters are more interested in. You can also try composite food, because composite food has a balanced nutrition and hamsters can't be picky about it.
Feed regularly and in a fixed amount: Control the daily feeding amount to 5%-10% of the hamster's body weight to make it feel a bit "hungry". At the same time, scatter the food when feeding to increase the fun of foraging.
The hazards of hamsters competing for food:
Malnutrition: If a hamster always eats certain specific foods, its nutrient intake will be single, which can easily lead to malnutrition.
Overgrown teeth: Eating soft foods for a long time will result in insufficient teeth grinding, and the teeth will become longer and longer, affecting eating.
Triggering diseases: Picky eating may lead to health problems such as diabetes, especially for hamsters that like to eat high-sugar foods, who are more prone to getting diabetes.