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welcome | facts | choosing | feeding | looking after | care | links | leaflets As we said at the very beginning you must be committed to providing the very best for your hamster. It is amazing how many people don’t think it’s necessary to interact with their hamsters once they bring them home. But it is, and it is something you need to consider BEFORE you buy your pet. Click on a link below to find out more about looking after your Hamster: |
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In the wild hamsters live in deserts or barren places, and spend the majority of time foraging for food. They are used to being in large, open spaces so need good, secure, but roomy housing. Bought cages and runs are not cheap but they are perfect for your pet. Hamsters can be housed in a wire cage with a plastic base, a plastic hamster home or an adapted aquarium (vivarium) with a well-ventilated cover. Wooden cages should not be used as hamsters can chew their way out! The most important thing to remember is that a hamster home can never be too big – they love to explore and exercise. Multi-level cages are a good idea as they add interest to the hamster’s environment – but be careful with plastic tubes as the larger Syrian hamsters may get stuck. The hamster home must always have a place for your hamster to rest and hide, and another area for play, exercise and feeding. Hamsters must always be kept indoors and careful thought should be given to where your hamster’s home is situated. The temperature in the room should be constant, away from direct sunlight and draughts, away from constant noise (ie: a freezer). Because they have sensitive hearing they should never be placed near a television, CD player, hi-fi, etc. Ensure your hamster’s cage has lots of room
for them to exercise. It is best to buy your cage and equipment before
you purchase your hamster so that your hamster can be placed straight
into its cage on arrival home, keeping stress to a minimum.
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Cages should be cleaned out on a regular basis. This is especially important in warmer weather in order to prevent flies being attracted to the cage, as this may result in an infestation of maggots. In the wetter months, bedding can become damp and mouldy from extreme weather. Did you know that hamsters can catch nasty diseases from dirty cages? So make sure you pay lots of attention to keeping your hamster’s cage clean and hygienic. Here are some tips to help you: Every day Once A Week
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Keeping your hamster warm and cosy at night is very important. You also need bedding that is absorbent which makes cleaning easier for you. Do not use bedding that is synthetic as this could harm your hamster if he ate it and might block his cheek pouches, food pipe or gut. It is also recommended that all bedding should have been dust-extracted as this reduces irritation to the eyes, nose and respiratory system. To find out more about suitable bedding products, click here.
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It is extremely important that your hamster has the opportunity to exercise every day. Even house hamsters require fresh air, daylight and grass. Exercise is essential to: maintain high levels of fitness Anyway, your hamster will love running around and playing with his toys! If you want to provide a wheel for your hamster to play in, it MUST be big enough so that the hamster does not have to bend his back when he is inside, and must have a solid floor rather than rungs as these can cause injuries to the feet and tail. Although hamsters sleep during the day, they are really energetic and will exercise for 3-4 hours a night. Place the wheel in the cage for a few hours only, to avoid over-exercising. Hamsters love climbing, so hang some sisal rope so they can climb (and gnaw on) it. Make an exercise yard for them using a large cardboard box with bedding on the bottom. Drop in toilet roll or kitchen roll tubes to run through and apple wood to gnaw on. Always keep an eye on your hamster whilst he is in the exercise yard – make sure they are supervised or they may escape. Hamsters are naturally very active and inquisitive animals. They like to keep themselves busy and, when allowed, spend the majority of their time running around and investigating their surroundings. Their natural instincts are to forage and explore. Mealtime is always over too quickly and this could mean that your hamster will get bored. It only takes a few items to create an exciting environment for them to be in. Hamsters like to look under, hide in, or climb on to empty cardboard boxes, baskets or plastic flowerpots. Small pots and plastic pipes make great hiding places and excellent tunnels. Change the items around occasionally to provide added interest for your hamster. Piles of twigs (natural wood – willow, beech, hazel or apple) make platforms for them to explore or rest under. Hamsters will chew the wood and this will help keep their teeth in trim! Feeding time for a domestic animal is often over
in minutes whereas, in the wild, feeding takes most of the night as
they forage for their favourite foods. By hiding food and the occasional
treat under cardboard boxes, in empty plant or yoghurt pots, or in
different areas of the animal’s
cage, your hamster will be forced to hunt for his food – this will
keep him occupied for many happy hours and prevent boredom.
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To ensure that your hamster becomes tame and affectionate it is important that you handle it frequently and correctly. Picking up a hamster incorrectly could lead to your hamster being permanently frightened and may lead to it becoming aggressive. Hamsters can often be a little nippy, and this is for a number of reasons: It is important to handle your hamster correctly from an early age. Any rough or incorrect handling can lead to fear later on resulting in aggression – the animal’s response to fear. Handling your hamster will help build their confidence in you, and make them more sociable. You need to ensure that they associate handling with something pleasurable for them. Before attempting handling, make sure that your hamster is awake and alert. Try not to wake your hamster suddenly if he is asleep. Always approach him slowly and gently. Place a closed fist in front of your pet, and allow him to approach and sniff. Hamsters rely on olfactory cues rather than sound and, therefore, smell is important so they can detect what is approaching. If your hamster is confident and appears interested, slowly unclench your fist and offer your palm. He may well crawl on to your hand or you can gently scoop him up. Cup him in the palms of your two hands to ensure that he is safe and won’t be dropped. Lift him up slowly as picking him up too quickly would be the equivalent of going up the Empire State Building in 3 seconds! To ensure he is safe at all times you should hold them over your lap or close to your chest. If he wriggles during handling they may fall and their skeletons are so small and delicate that they are unlikely to survive. This is also true of rough handling – never squeeze or tighten your grip around the hamster during handling. Small children often do not realise how hard they are squeezing. Never scruff a hamster to pick him up as it can put immense pressure on the head region and possible result in a prolapsed eye. If your hamster is difficult to catch or aggressive,
a simple solution is to use a cup or mug and gently “usher” him in. Place him
in a container if he tends to wriggle during transportation. If he is
prone to nipping you can use a soft toothbrush to stroke him gently prior
to handling. Initially he may bite the toothbrush but continue stroking.
He will soon understand that, even if he bites, the stroking will continue – and
that it doesn’t hurt him in any case. Continue with this until
he no longer bites the brush and, when ready replace the brush with your
finger. This whole process may take a few weeks, but will be worth it
for both of you in the end.
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Hamster do not require washing and don’t generally require grooming (except long-haired breeds), but if some wood-shavings get trapped in the coat, a special hamster brush, or an old soft toothbrush, will be ideal to remove them. They will love the occasional dust bath. Place some of Chinchilla Sand (add a link to Charlie sand page) in a shallow dish and allow them to bathe. Whilst handling your hamster every day, it is important
to check their eyes, ears, nose and under the tail for any discharge,
sore areas, scabs, soiling, etc. Also check that his coat is clean
and shiny and there are not any lumps or bumps, and that his teeth
and nails aren’t too
long.
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We touched briefly on pairing hamsters at the beginning, but it needs explaining in more detail. Hamsters in the wild live in large colonies with a well-structured hierarchy. Syrian or Golden Hamsters must be kept alone, but the dwarf varieties are happy in a pair or a group. If you are intending to have more than one hamster, you must have a cage which is large enough. It is best to acquire littermates in order to avoid fighting. Female pairs or groups will be fine. Males will live happily together but may become agitated if in the vicinity of females. Females and males will be happy together but will result in litters. You should never breed from related individuals.
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A hamster is inexpensive to buy, but you must be prepared
to pay for veterinary treatment if he becomes ill. (See the next section
called “Is my Hamster well?” for more details on signs of
illness and behaviour.)
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If you do decide to breed from your female hamster, you
will need to give her twice as much food as normal whilst she is pregnant,
as the demand for nutrients during this time is much greater. Once she
has had the litter she will need three times as much food as normal whilst
she is lactating (feeding her babies herself). Do not be tempted to touch
the pups for the first week as the mother hamster may reject them.
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When Hamsters reach the senior stage of life, it is equally important to consider changes in their environment and diet. Older animals tend to be less active and will have lower energy requirements. They may begin to put on weight, so reduce their food intake to prevent obesity. Encourage them to exercise daily to maintain as high a level of fitness as possible. This will also help them fight off disease. Diabetes is also common in dwarf hamsters so seek expert advice on changes to their diet. Hamsters can also develop cataracts (this is often linked to diabetes). This is not a problem, but it is advisable not to move things around in their cage so that they become fully familiar with their surroundings. Hamsters with cataracts may also nip your fingers because they are unable to see your hand clearly, so let them sniff your hand first. Check them daily for signs of illness or disease and you should help
your hamster have a long and healthy life.
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If you want to go on holiday, you must ensure that someone
is happy to look after your pet properly whilst you are away, or you
must be prepared to pay for them to board.
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