If you’ve just brought a hamster home, feeding can feel confusing — how much is too much? Most pet hamsters do well on a good-quality base mix, topped up with small amounts of fresh and dried plant foods for variety and enrichment. As a rough guide, an adult Syrian hamster needs about a tablespoon of food a day; dwarf hamsters and gerbils need less. They’re natural hoarders, so a full bowl doesn’t always mean they’ve eaten it all. Scattering dried veg, herbs or flowers around the enclosure turns dinner into enrichment.