Hamster food during rationing after WWII

[Maz]

There's a very interesting article on the archived web page of the former British Hamster Association. I've linked the article below and the information in it is from an early book called "Hamster Guidance" by Jean E Cook - published around 1960 (but talking about 1948 period). It says the foreward of the book was written by Edward Hindle Sc.D, FSS - it says (probably incorrectly), that Hindle received the first pair of hamsters from Syria. In fact Hindle was given some Hamsters by Saul Adler (who brought them into the Uk) - see the post below - but Hindle was instrumental in Hamsters becoming available on the pet market.

The History of the Syrian Hamster

Naturalists first catalogued the Syrian Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) in the late 1700s. In the 1930s, medical researchers first obtained Syrian hamsters and further domestication led to the Hamster becoming a pet. Their natural habitat is a small region of Northwest Syria near the city of...

www.thehamsterforum.com

Hamsters didn't eat as well as they do now Food rationing continued for some years after WWII and apparently it was illegal to give human grade food to animals.

"... at that time there were no special hamster mixes and by law no foods suitable for human consumption might be fed to animals whilst food rationing, including bread, was still in force. The basic food was Spratt's Cat food with added vegetables and household scraps.This was made into a mash and and moistened with goat's milk or gravy. As this might be deficient in fat and minerals it was advised that one teaspoonful of cod liver oil for every 25 hamsters be added twice a week and a little salt and limestone also included. For extra protein and variety it was suggested that worms or caterpillars be given and also that acorns and blackberries would be enjoyed. Expectant females should have bone meal and cod liver oil added to the mash daily as well as goat's milk available."

It seems hamsters survived on this combination of cat food, goat's milk, gravy and cod liver oil and a bit of veg! It's hard to imagine them eating caterpillars. But perhaps the diet was ok. It sounds lacking in grains however.

It also mentions the type of hamsters cages used in the 1940s initially which sound pretty bad - a wood box with a bit of mesh.

Welcome to the British Hamster Association website

The book the food information is taken from doesn't seem to be in print any more, but I found it on a vintage book selling site (mainly sells antique books). Notably it cost 8d (that is eight old pennies), less than a shilling, which was 12d (a shilling became 5 new pence or the 5p piece).

The Golden Hamster | General Management Including Breeding, Housing, Exhibiting and Ailments [Ditchfield's Little Wonder Books Series No. 28A] by Cook, Jean E. [Frank Ditchfield | Ditchfield British Books Ltd.] Once T. W. Pond: (1960) | Little Stour

Published by Frank Ditchfield 65 Albert Street, Regent's Park, London | 161 Morrison Street, Edinburgh circa . - 1960 - Publisher's original wire stitched illustrated paper wrap covers [soft back] 12mo 5¼'' x 4¼''. Contains 32 pp + covers with monochrome text illustrations. Very scarce series...

www.abebooks.com

This is the Edward Hindle referred to - he was a zoologist.

Edward Hindle - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The wikipedia article doesn't mention his involvement with hamsters but does mention his time at the Hunterian Museum, and the Hunterian Museum web page has informed about his involvement with Hamsters.

"He is also well known for the introduction of the golden hamster into the home and the laboratory."

Papers of Edward Hindle, 1886-1973, biologist and zoologist, Regius Professor of Zoology, University of Glasgow, Scotland, 1935-1944 - Archives Hub

archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk

This article quotes an introduction to another booklet, written by Edward Hindle who said

I received two pairs of these animals from Dr. S. Adler in the following year, and built up a stock maintained first at Hampstead and subsequently in my department at the University of Glasgow From the outset I had no difficulty in breeding them and was able to distribute specimens to any one interested. The London Zoological Gardens received a few pairs shortly before the war, which bred so prolifically that they were put on sale, and helped to make the Golden Hamster known to a much wider public.
Their rapid increase in general popularity dates from the end of the war and now they seem to have become thoroughly established as a domestic pet.

A photo of Edward Hindle (from this site)

History of the Golden Hamster: 2. Syria, Palestine and London

In 1985 Michael Ross Murphy (1945-2018) wrote an account of the capture and domestication of the Golden Hamster. All hamsters of this speci...

zoologyweblog.blogspot.com

The article also has information about Hamsters brought to the Uk by James Skerne in 1879 (mentioned in the wheel history post so I'll add it there too).

History of the Golden Hamster: 6. Golden Hamsters kept in Scotland at the turn of the 20th Century

All the captive Golden Hamsters up to the 1970s were descended from a single litter collected by Israel Aharoni near Aleppo in 1930. That s...

zoologyweblog.blogspot.com

 

[Socks Mum]

Humans are indebted to hamsters who unfortunately became research animals in laboratories

 

[Socks Mum]

I suppose if a hamster was hungry enough he would eat the hamster food. It is probably what was fed to dogs at the time. A teaspoon of cod liver oil per 25 hamsters . I have this image of a little queue of hamsters waiting for a bowl of mash

 

[Maz]

Yes I couldn’t work that out at first but I assume it meant making up enough mash for 25 hamsters and adding a teaspoon of cod liver oil. Presumably a tip for breeders! Difficult to wii of to out for someone with only one hamster! I’m amazed they ate it with cod liver oil in as it tastes awful - I’m imagining hammies pulling faces. But yes if owners weren’t allowed to give human food then I imagine they did use tinned foods or cat food and scraps/leftovers. It’s amazing that hamsters survived the war and post war!

 

[Socks Mum]

I wonder if birds, especially chickens and ducks were fed meal worms by then. That would have been nicer than cod liver oil