How did you research Chubby Cheeks? Are you qualified to do that?
Chubby Cheeks was developed based on extensive independent research, verified and cross-checked with core scientific studies by an independent, impartial veterinary nutritionist.  One of the first things we noticed was that many animal food companies use paid scientists to produce tailored research, which they then own and don’t share.  We wanted to do the opposite, and use the unbiased work of decades of study to get underneath popular myth and third-hand sources, and create a product that makes no claims that can’t be openly evidenced with real, published research. 

What tests have been carried out to ensure that Chubby Cheeks is a complete food?
Chubby Cheeks has been lab tested and inspected to species-specific DEFRA standards: macronutrients and nutritional values are displayed on our packaging. 
Everything in Chubby Cheeks is tasty and appetising to Syrians, and nothing is a filler or a dietary waste: the ingredients, together, perfectly fit to what they need for optimum health.

Hamsters are picky.  Isn’t a pellet food better?
One of the most controversial conversations in animal nutrition: opinions on extruded pellets are divided. Chubby Cheeks believes that the healthiest approach is a thoroughly researched balance between hamsters’ natural behaviour, and their optimal nutritional needs.  Their food needs to be appealing and enticing, or they simply choose to ignore elements of it, even those containing vital nutrients.  There have been some fascinating (though not especially ethical by today’s standards) studies on this.  We’ve observed a large sample of hamsters - humanely, in fact they loved it! - to balance their natural choosiness with complete macronutrition. 

In summary, Chubby Cheeks does not endorse a pellet only diet. Hamsters thrive on our seed mix.
 

How do I know Chubby Cheeks is made safely?
We make Chubby Cheeks in small batches in our FSA-compliant kitchen.  Everyone who handles CC holds a Food Hygiene 2 certificate, and our production methods comply with HACCP guidelines. 
As many of our ingredients as possible are organically grown, and no pesticides or artificial chemicals enter the food.  We also use as many human food grade ingredients as possible.  We quality-check every single ingredient thoroughly before introducing it to our preparation. Ingredients are frozen before food preparation to eliminate the risk of weevils and other bugs that may be introduced due to using organic ingredients.

What is lab testing and why is it important?

Our protein, fat and fibre values have been confirmed by a food specific laboratory to ensure they are correct for the average bag of food you recieve. That means you can trust our nutritional analysis to be accurate and your hamster is getting optimal nutrition.

Will you be developing food for other hamster species?
We are, and we’re in the final stages of research.  We won’t release these food mixes before we are certain that we have exhaustively researched and tested them, so watch this space!  The release of our dwarf mix is imminent.

I’ve seen something on social media about your food, or another food, and want to check it
Please feel absolutely free to contact us if you have any queries about our food.  We are always very happy to direct you to the science behind hamster nutrition.  Chubby Cheeks development is based on proven scientific facts only: a lot of unevidenced information is circulated on social media, and a lot of original research has been shared so many times by people with well-meaning, but differing motives, that a lot of what’s seen as fact has strayed from the science. 

Best Before Date

Our best before date is stated clearly on all of our products. For our food it is approximately 6 months but the exact date will be shown. Our seed mix is likely to last longer than 6 months when properly stored in an airtight container, but it is your choice whether to use our food after the date has passed. 

Defamation

We would love to hear about any defamatory or derogatory comments made online about our food or our company.  We have a wonderful team of solicitors who will deal with any and all misinformation.  Chubby Cheeks, shortly to be known as Hammykins® (a registered trademark) will vigorously defend our reputation and intellectual property.