All About Hamster Care

Hamsters  actually  need  a lot  more  space  than  most  people  would  think, so  those  tiny  pet store  cages  just wont  cut  it.  In the  USA  the bare  minimum cage  size  for  hamsters is  450sq  inches  of  unbroken  floor  space,  meaning   you cant  get 5  cages  that  are  each 100sq inches  and  connect  them  all  with  tunnels.  All  the  floor  space  has  to  be  in  1  cage, and  levels  dont  add  to  floor space, either.   

A  hamsters diet should  consist  of  a  high  quality  seed  mix  such as  Higgins  Sunburst Hamster  and  Gerbil food,  hamster safe  veggies 2-3  times  a  week. Some  hamster  safe  veggies  include;  romaine  lettuce,  cucumber,  carrots, cabbage,  etc.  And  since  hamsters  are  omnivores,  they  will  also  need  some  sort  of  protein   in  their  diet as  well.  A good source  of  protein  for hamsters is freeze dried  mealworms.

As most  of  you  should  know,  hamsters  need  a  wheel  to get  their  energy  out and  also  for  exercise.  When  picking  out  a  wheel  for  your hamster,  avoid wire and  mesh  wheels as if a hamster is constantly running  on  that, not  only  can their  feet  get  caught  in  the  little  holes,  they  can get  these sores  on  their  feet  known  as  bumblefoot.  Also  avoid  anything under  9  inches  for a  Syrian or Chinese  hamster, and anything under  7  inches  for  any  kind  of dwarf.  Even  if  you  think  your  wheel  is  big  enough,  always  check  and  make sure  that your  hamsters  spine/neck  isn’t   curving  at  all.

The simple  answer  to  that  question  is  no. Hamsters are  naturally solitary  animals,  therefore,  if  you house  2  hamsters together, they will fight and possibly kill each other. There is some cases however, where some dwarf hamsters can be housed together, but that’s very rare and isn’t recommended. 

What bedding should I use for my hamster? Well, it can be a bit tricky finding the perfect bedding for your hamster, some can be too dusty, others can just not be good at all. I’m going to tell you what beddings are good, and which ones are bad. Just like with most other small pets, you want to avoid pine, cedar, and anything scented, as those all cause upper respiratory infections. Some good beddings we recommend are paper based bedding, and aspen shavings. And hamsters need at least 6 inches of bedding in one area of the cage to be able to burrow properly.

Did you know, hamsters keep themselves clean like a cat does? Therefore, hamsters, unlike humans and dogs, can’t bathe in water. The reason for that is, hamsters have oils on their fur to keep themselves warm and clean, and when you bathe a hamster, it washes off all of those oils and your hamster loses the ability to keep itself warm. A good alternative to water, is actually sand! Hamsters can bathe in sand, and it doesn’t take off their natural oils. When picking out the perfect sand for your hamster, avoid anything labeled “dust” or “powder”, as those can cause upper respiratory infections. Some good sands include, children’s play sand (bake on 350°F  for 1 hour, and sift before using), and reptile sand (without calcium).

Every pet needs some sort of enrichment, and hamsters are no exception. Did you know, their teeth never stop growing? So they will need a lot of things to chew on to keep their teeth trimmed down. Since they’re prey animals, they will also need places to hide. Your hamster should have at least 3 hides in its cage, but the more the merrier.