Owning a hamster can be a very rewarding experience and lead to countless hours of enjoyment; but with it, comes responsibility in the way of proper maintenance and husbandry. In this comprehensive guide, you can read about topics ranging from picking the right pet, finding an appropriately sized cage, selecting safe bedding materials, choosing healthy food options, treating illness and injuries, breeding and carrying for babies and much much more.
Learn how to take care of a hamster by following the information and advice bellow:
Picking the Right Hamster
There are several breeds and number of colors and coats to choose from these days. But beyond the pure esthetics or the appearance of the hamster, one needs to select a hamster that they can can manage to take care of. Different breeds have different dispositions and different tendencies. If you are a beginner, choose a Syrian or Golden hamster breed; they are probably the most friendly and curious of all the breeds. Some Dwarf species are harder to keep due to their small stature and their skittish and shy behavior. Find out if you are allowed to own small pets in your state.
Selecting a Cage Habitat
There are several options for selecting a cage. Each options has its pros and its cons. The best habitats however, are large and spacious. Whether they are made of plastic, metal wire or glass, they key here is to buy the largest home for your pet that you can afford at the time. Get one that you can add on to over time. This will make your hamsters happy and not stir crazy or bored.
Choosing Your Bedding
Choose your hamster bedding carefully. Some bedding preforms better than others. You can make your own bedding but its better to buy packaged hamster bedding form a local pet store. These usually stand up well to wear and tear and absorb waste rather well. Avoid using cedar chips because of the the combination of urine and cedar wood can be toxic. Pine chips can be toxic too if the wood has been treated with chemicals.
Feeding Your Hamsters Food and Water
Hamsters like a diet that consists of both plants and protein. Like most small rodents, they do mostly eat plants, fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts but they also occasional like to eat a bug or two. This is the diet they would have in their natural habitat. There are several types of diets that should be considered based on the age and health of your hamster. some older ones can’t handle all the protein and thus should be fed a lower ratio of protein to greens. Additionally, if a hamster has too much greens, fruits or vegetables, it can lead to diarrhea. This would then require a reduction in the amount of these types of foods in their diet.
Accessories for Exercise and Fun
Hamsters need a lot of space to be happy and several options for exercise. You could never give your pet a cage as large as its natural habitat, so it’s important to provide good care in the way of an exercise wheel, ball, ladders, tubes and tunnels. With a wide range of accessories to keep it occupied and fit, the hamster won’t become stressed from a lack of exercise or stimulation. Other accessories like a sleeping house will also reduce stress as it give them a safe place to hide. Read more about accessories…
Observing Behaviors
A happy and healthy hamster will poke it’s head up and look curiously at you when you open its cage. If it seems to have no interest or cowers in fear, this could be a sign of an illness or a lack of trust. If it’s sleeping, it’s best to slowly wake it up if you want to handle it. Startling a hamster while it slumbers can be very stressful on it. This could lead to getting bitten. However, the most important behavior to be concerned about is any unhealthy repetitive habit. if it keeps running in circles of constantly gnaws on the cage bars, this could be a sign that it doesn’t ave enough stimulation or space to roam around in.
Treating illnesses
Hamster get sick just like any other living creature. Many of the illnesses are similar to that of what humans can contract. These include things as common as the cold or flu. Treating a sick hamster can require some quality care and potentially a trip to the vet. if you notice a change in behavior of your hamster or notice a change in its physical appearance, there’s a good change your little guy has an illness or injury. Find out more about what might be troubling your hamster.
Author: Tim Winter
one time i put my hamster in clothes and it bit me. i had an allergic reaction to it and almost died. my doctor says I’m not allergic to hamsters. are there such things of poisons hamsters?
I’m glad to see you are better now. I’m sure that must have been really frightening for you and your family. I’m not an expert on allergies and wouldn’t want to give you information that might not be accurate. i could only make a guess. I’ve never heard of a poisonous hamster but I do know that animals can transfer certain diseases to humans. see this site for more info: Diseases that can be transferred from animals to humans. My guess is that it was something in the saliva of your hamster that you had a reaction too? Perhaps it had some bacteria or something in it. If you doctor told you not to handle your hamster again, I suggest you do what he or she says. Again, I’m glad you are okay!
I have a friend that got biten by her cat on her hand and almost had to have her hand cut off compeletly from below the elbow but she got it treated and she was okay now. There was bacteria in the bite and that is what happened. probably the same thing.
um so im going to get a hamster but im just not sure what to feed it can i give it fruit and vegees or is it better to buy food from a store?
All of the above. Hamsters can eat all of those things but some need to be fed in moderation to avoid them getting fat or sick. See our post on feeding your hamsters for an entire list of foods.
you can feed him or her all of the above but you have to make sure you only feed it half a tablespoon-one tablespoon of food from a pet store. I would recommend to you to not feed it to many fruits and veggies per day like maybe four per week is good for his or her diet. Feed your hamster fruits and veggies according to the age and size so don’t feed a dwarf or a baby hamster a strawberry for example.
I am getting a new hamster should i play with him or leave him alone for a few days and what should i feed him?
I would give it a few days before you start handling it. When you do begin to play with your new hamster, do it slowly and build up your trust with the little guy. Read this post on how to handle a new hamster.
I work at PETCO and I would tell you that when you get your hamster you have to leave it be in its cage and not pet it very often or pick it up very often for at least two weeks and you especially cannot put it in an exercise ball for at least two or three weeks. After that be very gentle with it. If you stress it out it could get wet tale (diarhea) for a little while and if that happens take it to a vet IMMEDIATLY.
DO SYRIAN OR TEDDY BEAR HAMSTERS EAT THEIR OWN CHILD?
IF IT DOES WHAT SHALL I DO? IM JUST SCARED IT WOULD……
Mother hamsters can and will eat their babies if they feel stressed and threatened. It’s a natural defense mechanism since it takes a lot of energy to have babies and if a predator gets to her babies first, not only do the babies die, but the mother will have little energy to have another liter. If she eats the young first, she will get energy and have a better possibility to breed again. Even though everything is safe inside your cage, she still gets those habits passed down to her. Read this post on baby hamster breeding and find out more about how to avoid this from happening.
I just got two hamsters, and one has this pouch on her stomach, does that mean she is pregnant? It only pops out when she is sitting up.
It could be pregnant but it could also just be nothing at all. Observe your hamster and see if she starts making a nest or eating more; if so, she might be pregnant. read our section on breeding hamsters
So I just got a hamster and I had this friend a while ago that owned a hamster and would bathe it.. Is that what you’re supposed to do? If so, how often?
Actually, hamster don’t like to be washed and it stresses them out. you should only wash your hamster if it has some type of sticky substance on its fur that needs to clean off. as in, the hamster has something toxic on its fur. Of course you wouldn’t want it to try to clean itself since it would ingest it.
Hamsters do a good job of cleaning themselves so there is no need to bathe them. Try a hamster sand bath instead.
My little sister is an overeager child I want the hamster to like us both what do u recommend ive read the whole treat thing I’m a little scared it’s really stressed
You have to do your best not to stress your little hamster out. When you see it getting nervous, back off until it calms down. A treat will certainly help but the best bet is to train your hamster slowly. If your little sister doesn’t listen to you, you can have your parents speak to her about why she needs to treat your hamster with care. Keep an eye on your little sister when she is with your hamster and if you don’t have one already, give it a little house or something to hide in when stressed. Best of luck.
if its stressed you should leave it alone for a wile if your sister doesn’t well…..i guess you could lock her out or tel her to leave it alone if she wont tell her she cant ever look at it agin other than that tell your mom to tell her to quit other than that your’e out of luck i hope that helps
What temperature does have to be for them to be comfortable
Typically room temperature is good but anything from 60 – 78*F. In the wild, hamsters can survive in a range of temperatures and just like you and I, it does best when it’s not too cold or not too hot. See more about the ideal hamster cage setup.
Hey my hamster sleeps alot also. in the night is it bad if the hamster over do themselves on the wheel?he alwas makes some weird squeaking noise.is it bad or what?
Yeah, in their natural habitats, they spend their days sleeping in their burrows and are mostly active in the pm and and early am hours. I don’t think your hamster will over do itself on its wheel. Again, in its natural habitat, it would run a mile or more in a night in search of food. As long as your hamster has the option to stop and get off the wheel, it’s perfectly fine. with that said, make sure you don’t over work it in a hamster ball since it has not option of calling it quits.
My new hamster sleeps all the time and buries himself in his bedding. Is he sick or just tired all the time? I don’t know if this is normal or what?
Hamsters do the majority of their sleeping during the day and are active at night. It’s perfectly healthy if your hamster is sleeping a lot. If you think it might be sick, check out the hamster illness and disease guide to see if your hamster is sick.