Eerie edible eyeballs!

To make these creepy eyeballs you need:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup of plain flour
• water
• red or pink food colouring (substitute with a mushed up berry)
• Coloured yoghurt drop (or cut a small circle of fruit or veg)
• Hamster safe chocolate drop

Method: (makes four life sized eye balls)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c (350f)
2. Mix your cup of oats with half a cup of flour, add water until a thick dough is formed.
3. Roll out in to four even balls (or more if you are making smaller ones) set aside.
4. Make a second dough using your food colouring (or substitute) and roll out flat, cut in to very thin strips (a few mm wide).
5. Wet your porridge balls slightly (I used a basting brush) and stick 4 or 5 strips of your pink ‘veins’ on in wiggly lines.
6. Take your coloured yoghurt drop (or substitute) and stick that at the front, then with a tiny amount of flour and water, make a paste to stick on a 1/4 of a chocolate drop for your ‘pupil’
7. bake for ten minutes on grease proof paper. Be careful of your yoghurt drop burning as it ruins the effect.
8. Enjoy!

Scarily simple pumpkin pies!

Pumpkin pies

Ingredients:

• Plain or wholemeal flour
• Water
• Orange veg (use pumpkin for real effect!)
• Optional: Cream cheese or porridge for “blob of cream”
• Bun tray
• Cookie cutter

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven 180c (350F)
2. Mix 3 heaped tablespoons of flour with some water to create your dough, roll out in to a thin circle
3. use a cookie cutter slightly larger than the base of your bun tray and place your dough in to the bun tray like a dish
4. (If you can, place some pie beads or marbles in to stop it rising) bake for 5 mins
5. While it cooks, cut your veg in to a circle the size of the base of your pie, microwave in a small bowl of water for 1 minute. (you could alternatively mash your veg)
6. Place your veg in to your pie dish and bake for a further 5 mins.
7. Done! For final touches use a blob of cream cheese or cooked porridge for that “dollop of cream” that pumpkin pie traditionally has.

Oats and banana boredom breakers!

Boredom breaker

(makes 3-4; freeze extra if necessary)

What you need:

• 1 Chopstick per treat stick ( I used 4)
• Twine or a peg to attach to bars
• 1 Banana
• 1/2 cup plain/wholemeal flour
• 1 cup (125ml) rolled porridge oats
• 1 cup millet (125ml) (substitute with crushed cereal or hamster food)
• 1/2 cup water (62ml)
• 1 tsp honey
• A handful of your hamster favourite treats (I used mealworms, raisins would be a good option)

Method:

1. Mix your banana with your cup of rolled oats and honey
2. Add your water, millet and extra teats.
3. Slowly add your flour whilst mixing to create a wet and sticky dough.
4. Take half of your mixture and spread it in to a rectangle on your baking tray (this is to sandwich the chopsticks)
5. Place your chop sticks (the ends) evenly spaced on top of the mixture then cover with the other half.
6. Bake at 180c (350F)
7. After 5-10 mins cooking run a knife in between each of the sticks to create the separate bars.
8. 20 mins cooking, turn the oven off and separate and flip over the sticks. leave in the oven while it cools.

Strawberry Suprise Chew biscuits

Strawberry biscuits

Ingredients:

• 6 Strawberries/ half a cup (can substitute for other berries)
• 2 handfuls crushed plain cereal
• 2 Cups of flour
• 1 egg
• Handful of chopped herbs (optional, I chose parsley)

Method:

1. Crush your cereals in to a bowl, add chopped strawberry, your egg and chopped herbs
2. Mix, then add flour 1/4 cup at a time
3. When the dough is too thick to mix start to knead in the flour until it forms a thick dough
4. Roll out and cut with a small cutter poke the tops with a fork
5. Place on a lined baking tray and cook for 20 mins at 180c (350F)
6. After 20 minutes, let them sit in the oven while it cools for a further 30 mins.

Healthy Chew Biscuits

After discussing the prod and cons of biscuits such as Bonios, milk bones, meat bones etc I decided to create a healthy option for those looking to give stuff with less chemicals, presevatives etc.

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• 1 handful of unsweetened cereal
• 1 handful of millet (swap for second handful of cereal if necessary)
• 1 egg
• around 2 cups of plain or wholemeal flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius (350f)
2. Mush the banana in a bowl, crush the cereal with your hands and sprinkle on top
3. Add millet and egg and whisk with en electric whisk (or normal if you don’t have one)
4. Add Half a cup of flour, whisk and repeat. After about 1.5 cups keep adding till the mixture forms a thick dough
5. Kneed for 1 minute till the dough looks smooth
6. Roll out on to some flour and use a cookie cutter in a size and shape of your choice and place the biscuits on to a lightly greased baking tray (parchment paper is helpful) Poke each biscuit several times with a fork
7. Bake for 20 mins, turn the oven off at this point and leave them in while the oven cools.
8. They should come out very hard and crispy like a Bonio.

Tell me what you think, any suggestions welcome!

Top tip: For longer lasting treats I place them in sandwich bags in the freezer to save having to make them all the time.

French fries!

These are super simple, barely even need a recipe, but I figured showing off the picture made it worthwhile! All you need is potato and a *tiny* bit of oil Slice the potato in to thin strips and boil until soft, but not at the “mashed potato” stage. Slice in to tiny thin strips and bake in the oven (you’re best doing it when foods cooking to not waste it) until crispy. Use a tiny blob of oil wiped over some grease proof paper to stop the chips sticking.

Reccomended serving: 1-3 small chips per hamster.

Ice lollies!

So summer is here, and it’s time to cool down those lovely hammies! Walnut took a trip to the beach today and nommed on a yummy cucumber and carrot ice lolly.

Ice lolly

Ingredients:

• Vegetables or fruits of your choice
• Cocktail stick
• Peanut butter (optional)

Method:

1. Cut your vegetables in to strips in order you want them to appear on your lolly
2. Cut a tall arch shape to create the desired lolly shape
3. Place the cockail stick in between each peice of veg/fruit (place peanut butter between layers if you want)
4. Place in the freezer till lightly chilled.

When you give it to your hams, hold the stick for them and do not give them the stick alone as it has sharp ends!

I never fully freeze these treats in case they choose to pouch, and anyone who has ever got their tongue stuck to an icelolly will know… it hurts!

Sundae!

Summer is here! Time to keep those hammies cooled, hydrated, and full of healthy foods!

Sundae

Ingredients:

• Soft fruits (I chose banana and strawberry)
• Natural yoghurt (optional)
• Slice of cucumber
• Millet or crushed cereal, for sprinkles
• Optional: mealworm ‘spoon’

Method:

1. Scoop the insides out of the cucumber to create a bowl
2. Mush your fruits (and yoghurt if using) till they are nicely blended and place a spoonful on your bowl
3. Add your ‘sprinkles’
4. Add your ‘spoon’ if you want
5. Place in freezer for 30 mins until nicely chilled (not frozen completely) and give to your hams!

‘Hammy dogers’ (Jammy Dogers)

Now if you don’t know what a Jammy Doger is, it’s two biscuits with jam in the middle, and the top biscuit has a loveheart shape cut out of it. But since jam is too sugary for hamsters here is a healthier alternative.

Hammy Doger

Ingredients:

• Plain flour
• Unsweetened cereal of your choice (cheerios, cornflakes, bran flakes)
• Strawberry (substitute with another red fruit if needed)
• Smooth peanut butter

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180c (350f)
2. Crush your chosen cereal in to tiny crumbs
3. mix 1 part flour to 1 part cereal
4. Add a little water until it forms dough (mix it)
5. Roll out over some flour and cut in to small circles (using a cutter or anything tubular)
6. (For the heart shaped ones, I used a straw to cut the shapes out)
7. Bake in the oven until they are hard on the outside
8. While they bake, mush your red fruits in to a pulp
9. When the biscuits are cooked, add peanut butter across the whole biscuit and a blob of strawberry just in the middle
10. Sandwich 2 together, and when cool feed to your ham!

Sushi!

Sushi

Ingredients:

• Cooked rice or porridge (or both mixed)
• A slice of cucumber
• veg or meat for centre

Method:

1. Cook the rice/porridge (make sure the rice is cooked in a pan not the microwave, porridge can be microwaved)
2. Cut a slice of cucumber and cut a ring out the outside leaving a doughnut shape
3. Place cooked rice/porridge in to cucumber doughnut and add meat/veggies to the middle

Done!