Hamster care

About Hamsters

Hamsters are one of Britain’s most popular pets, and it is no surprise! Hamsters are cute, affectionate, amusing and lively. Hamsters are low maintenance pets, and are inexpensive to buy which make them such an excellent choice.

Hamsters belong to the rodent family, the name ‘hamster actually came from the German word ‘hamstern’ which means ‘to hoard’. In the wild, hamsters live in the hot areas of Central Asia, hamsters keep cool by living in the burrows they have made, and they come out to play at night time when it is cooler.

Hamsters live for approximately 2-3 years, so you will need to make the most of the time you have together. Hamsters are nocturnal animals performing 90% of their activity at night, so don’t expect your hamster to be active during the day. This is worth considering as if you are buying a hamster for a young child, a hamsters sleeping pattern does not exactly fit in with that of a child who will want to play with their hamster during the day.

Buying your Hamster

There are many different species of hamster, however only five of these species are widely kept as pets. They are the Syrian (or Golden) Hamster, the Chinese hamster, the Russian hamster, Dwarf hamsters and Roborovski's Hamsters.

Syrian Hamsters are a good choice for smaller children, as they are larger and easier to handle. They should always be kept separate from other hamsters as they are very territorial and will fight to control their territory. These disputes are normally always settled by the death of an animal so it is very important to get this right.

Dwarf breeds on the other hand can be housed together. They are much less territorial, although you should ensure that they are same sex pairs to avoid breeding. These hamsters are more difficult to handle as they are smaller and quite skittish.

Different breeds of hamster should not be housed together as they probably won’t get along.

Buy your hamster from a reputable retailer or breeder. It is best to buy your hamster when it is young, between four and eight weeks old is recommended. Male hamsters are known to be friendlier with a calmer temperament than females, but females can still be tame, intelligent and friendly towards their owners. For young children, and the novice hamster owner male hamsters are advised.

Before buying check your hamster is in good health. Also check what guarantees you have with the retailer or breeder should your hamster become ill or die shortly after purchase.

• The hamsters eyes should be open, shinny and bright. There should be no crusting.
• The nose should be dry and free of discharge.
• The hamster should weigh an ounce and a half or more in weight, and be of a plump solid appearance.
• The coat should be soft and shinny, free from bald patches, scabbing, or infestation.

If you do not believe the hamster is in good health, look to another source to find your new pet.

Remember, any animal is a commitment, so make sure you are happy to feed and care for your hamster daily. If it becomes sick, can you afford the vet bills?

The Hamster Home

There are many types of home to chose from, whether you chose a metal or plastic cage, rotastak habitat, habitrail cage, tank or standard wire cage, it is best to buy the largest home you can. But be careful with plastic tubes such as the ones used in Rotastak and habitrail homes as the larger Syrian hamsters may get stuck. If choosing a cage the bottom of the cage should not consist of bars as hamsters have short feet, which would fall through the rungs. Hamsters prefer horizontal bars on the cage as the Syrian and Chinese hamsters love to climb. If choosing a tank, ensure there is plenty of ventilation. Tanks are more suitable for dwarf varieties as they are small enough to squeeze through some bars.

The hamster home must always have a place for your hamster to rest and hide, and another area for play, exercise and feeding.

Keep your hamster home away from direct sunlight, direct heat (i.e. radiators) and somewhere warm indoors, away from draughts; if it’s too cold your hamster may go into hibernation. Keep the cage on a raised surface as hamsters are frightened by overhead activity, in the wild hamsters would be wary of predators such as hawks swooping down on them.

To minimize the stress on your hamster, have the home set up and ready when you get your hamster, so you can put it straight in. Or better still take it with you when you collect your hamster. It is always best to leave your hamster in its home for a few days to settle into its new environment. Don’t forget that hamsters are naturally timid and your pet will be missing its brothers and sisters.

Bedding

Your hamster's bedding should be dust-free, absorbent and lightweight. Sawdust is popular choice for the flooring as it is absorbent and inexpensive but it can easily be pushed out of cages so be prepared for the mess. Hamsters are likely to arrange their living environment into areas for sleeping, feeding, exercising and going to the toilet. The home will need to be tidied daily, and thoroughly cleaned once a week with the old sawdust being replaced. Use soft hay or bedding which the hamster can make into its own nest, or you can put it in a nest box. When changing the hamsters bedding, put some of its old bedding in with the new so the hamster does not feel it is in unfamiliar surroundings.

Exercise and Entertainment

A solid exercise wheel with no open rungs is a must have for your hamster to release any energy and to help keep it fit and healthy. You can also put your hamster in a hamster ball, always supervise your hamster when it’s in a hamster ball, and never leave it in there for a long period of time. Also, keep the ball away from any steps where it could roll away from you, and injure itself. Running is great exercise, promoting physical and mental wellbeing, and can prevent the animal from paralysis.

Chew toys are important for hamsters because of their constantly growing teeth. Chew toys and gnawing blocks help keep teeth short at all times. Add a card board tube for chewing and playing in; you need not go to any expensive to add extra entertainment.

Feeding

In the wild a hamster will enjoy a daily diet of seeds, grain and grasses. Hamsters are mostly herbivores, but do require some protein in their diet to keep them healthy. In the wild they would get their protein from insects and grubs to supplement their diet.

The hamster has a complex digestive system based on recycling. Hamsters use everything twice to get the most from their food, this process called refection. Hamsters will naturally eat their own faeces as they are rich in proteins, vitamins and carbohydrates. So do not be concerned if you’re pet is snacking on it own droppings, this is natural. The droppings you find on the bottom of the cage should be hard and dry and contain the residues of food, while the droppings caught and swallowed by the hamster are soft, moist and wrapped in mucus.

A hamster treat could be a small amount of apple, carrot, celery, banana or cucumber. Treats should be a small element of your hamsters diet, and not given in excess.

Do not give your hamster any human scraps of food, they can not cope with salt, fat or spices.

Your hamster will need fresh water everyday; this is best provided by using a water bottle attached the side of the cage or habitat, attached at a height the hamster can comfortably reach. Bottles should be cleaned with a bottlebrush regularly to prevent the build up of algae, which is harmful to your pet’s digestive system. Bottles and tops can be sterilized in baby bottle sterilizing solution every so often for extra cleanliness.

Cheeky Cheeky

Hamsters are well known for their chubby cheeks, this is due to the fact that hamsters store much of their food in their cheeks. A hamster can carry up to half their body weight in food in their pouches.

In the wild when a hamster comes across some food, it fills its cheeks as much as possible, and then takes the food back to its home. Eating slowly out in the open would may them easy prey to their predators, so they grab as much as their pouches can hold and go back to their home to eat or store their food.

Domestic hamsters are no different, they still fill their cheeks with as much food as they can, they take it from their bowl back to their nest, or to a hiding place to eat at a later date. When cleaning the hamster’s home, if you come across a fresh food store, try and put the food back where you found it, but do remove it if it has been urinated on or smells off.

Hamsters store food in pouches in their cheeks, these pouches are delicate and can be damaged by sharp food or wood splinters. If your pets cheeks seem full for a long time it could be because the food has become impacted, and you will need to seek vetinary advice straight away.

Hamster Handling

It can take up to a month to tame your hamster. This can be done with regular handling. Hamsters normally only bite when scared, if they do bite, place them back in their cage and leave them to calm down.

After you have left your hamster to settle in, the first step is to get your hamster used to your hand before you begin picking it up. Put your hand in its home to put food in, and leave it in there while its eating so it understands your hand brings food. Place food on your hand so your hamster eats off it, and it will soon realise that it does not need to be afraid of your hand. Start stoking the hamster’s body, not its head.

When your hamster is happy with your hand, take off the top of your cage, and using both hands scoop up your hamster. Do not hold it too tightly.

It is best to hold your pet while sitting down on the ground or on a sofa, so if you do drop your hamster it doesn’t have far to fall.

Have your hamster facing you, as it will be less likely to jump if it is facing you. Try getting your hamster to walk from one hand to the other. Soon it will be running along your arm, and up your jumper. Once it is happy being handled, you will be able to pick up straight out of the cage. Do not pick up your hamster after you have handled food, as any food smells on your hands may confuse your hamster and it may nibble you thinking you are food.

Hamster Health

If you provide your hamster with the correct diet, correct care and handling, a fun and hygienic environment with plenty of exercise your pet has the best chance of staying fit and healthy.

However if your hamster becomes ill, its health can deteriorate quickly. To help prevent your hamster becoming sick, ensure your hamster is in a clean environment. Any change in normal behaviour may indicate an underlying problem. Hamsters should be bright and alert.

Diarrhoea:

If your hamster has diarrhoea it may be because you have over fed it with fresh greens, such as lettuce. If so stop feeding your hamster greens until the diarrhoea stops, then reintroduce greens in smaller amounts after time. If the diarrhoea persists, your hamster should be taken to the vet.

Constipation:

If you notice that your hamster has not relieved itself as usual, give your hamster some fresh greens to see if this will help get things ‘moving’ again. If there is no improvement it should be taken to the vet.

Wet Tail:

Wet tail is a common, potentially fatal disease and is very infectious. Wet Tail is often confused with diarrhoea, but is a bacterial infection that can cause extreme diarrhoea, with a distinctive smell. To avoid wet tail, avoid any stress to your hamster, and give it a clean home. Symptoms of wet tail are loss of appetite, watery diarrhoea and tiredness. Seek vetinary advice as soon as possible if you believe your hamster has this disease.

Over Grown Teeth and Nails:

Over grown teeth and nails can be very uncomfortable for your hamster. Provide gnawing blocks for your hamster to chew on to help keep teeth down. But teeth and nails many need to be clipped buy your vet to ensure your hamster is comfortable.

If You are ill:

If you are ill with a cold flu, or any contagious disease, avoid handling your hamster as your hamster can catch your illness.

This is a very basic guide to caring for your hamster, this information is not exhaustive. Please find out as much information as you can regarding hamster care to ensure that your hamster gets the most out of you and you out of your hamster.