Hamster Care Guide

Hamster Care Guide

by hyx123, Jul 27, 2008

A complete guide to caring for hamsters. Includes hamster accessories and what to do when they get pregnant.

" I just bought my first hamster, and he seems to be very scared of me."

Congratulations on buying your first hamster. Yes, it is a natural thing for hamsters to be frightened at first. They'll soon get used to you, don't worry.

How to Get Your Hamster Used to You

1. You should let your hamster get used to its environment first for about a couple of days.

2. Hamsters take a little time to get used to handling, so you may start with putting your hand in the cage and letting your hamster smell you.

3. Feed it some treats from your hand.

4. Then, slowly pick it up with two hands, making sure it doesn't jump off your hands because hamsters are very jumpy.

5. Be sure to have him over your lap in case he falls as he needs something soft to land on.

6. Remember, hamsters are nocturnal and likes to sleep during the day. If you grab your hamster while he's sleeping, it may result in a nasty bite.

7. Give him treats such as occasional drips of milk, however in small amounts as it contains fats.

8. Pat your hamster lovingly. Soon you'll have a hamster sitting in your hands.

Hamster Cages, Toys and Bedding

1. Cage with Bars

This is highly recommended as it gives your hamster proper air circulation. Also, try to buy those with tubes attached to it. Hamsters' natural homes are usually tunnels. Remember, the space between the bars of the cage should be 0.5 cm for dwarfs and 1 cm for syrians. If not, it is possible for them to squeeze through. You do not want a missing hamster, do you?

Do NOT ever buy round cages or oval cages. Due to the hamsters' poor eyesight, it is difficult for them to perceive boundaries without shadows which round corners do not cast. It will cause them great dizziness or discomfort.

2. Aquarium Cages

This isn't as good as cage with bars, due to the poor air ventilation and it provides less possibilities for add-ons. However, they're easier to clean and harder to escape from.

Clean the cage every week, but not more often than that. Hamsters use scent glands to mark their territory. They rely more on their smell than their sight.

However, if the cage is cleaned too often, their scent will be gone. This may lead to confusion, or even fighting if two hamsters are in the same cage.

Hamster Toys

1. Wheel - Every hamster, definitely, needs a wheel. They can run up to 8 miles a night as they're very active.

Do not get wheels that has rungs, your hamster may trip and fall and it may result in a broken limb.

2. Plastic Toys - They come almost in every shape and form and can be bought at any local pet store.

3. Homemade Toys - Make a long tunnel with toilet rolls and let your hamster crawl in. Hamsters are very curious hamsters and they will stop to sniff at everything they see.

4. Hamster ball - While cleaning the cage, you can put your hamster in the ball and let it run about on the floor. It's a great form of exercise!

Hamster Bedding

1. Carefresh - I recommend this as it is soft which is good for making nest, and it's really a good odour controller. The price is also reasonable

2. Wood shavings - It's a lower cost option, however not as good as Carefresh.

3. Do not use cedar or pine shavings! The aromatic oils can cause problems in their little bodies. Also, it also will cause respiratory problems. Aspen would be a much better choice though.

Hamster Cleaning

Never ever try to bathe a hamster with water. They catch colds extremely easily and they take a long time to heal.

Instead, use chinchilla sand. Pour some sand into a small plastic bowl and let your hamster roll in it. Replace the sand every week or when it gets dirty with faeces. If the sand is too dirty, the fumes will build up and it can harm your hamster.

If your hamster refuses to go into the sand, try putting a little bit of his/her favourite food inside.

How to tell if your Hamster is Pregnant

1. She'll start looking fatter. Sometimes you may even feel the babies moving in her tummy.

2. She'll start building a HUGE nest and hides food under it. Make sure you don't mess her nest, she'll become very panicky.

3. She becomes more aggressive and jumpy. Well. that is expected for every pregnant animal.

What to Do when Your Hamster is Pregnant

1. Take out the male hamster. If you don't, they WILL and CAN mate again soon after birth. However, you should let your hamster rest before letting her give birth again. Can you imagine how tiring it would be for her?

2. Clean the cage a few days before she gives birth. You cannot touch the cage until the babies are 3 weeks old.

3. Places lots of bedding materials to let her build her nest.

4. Remove the hamster wheel so the babies will not injure themselves.

5. Feed your hamster lots of high-protein food such as bread

soaked in milk and small pieces of cheese.

Unfortunately, sometimes hamsters will eat their own babies due to the following reasons:

1. The litter was too big and she could not take care of all of them.

2. Some of them were sick and she guessed they probably wouldn't make it.

3. They had a different scent on them.

4. Your hamster's first litter - The babies came as a surprise to her, she wasn't sure what to do. However, she'll become more confident with her second litter, so don't worry!

If you're planning to raise lots of baby hamsters, you'll have to wait 3 to 4 months before letting your hamster give birth again. It'll be really tiring for your hamster. During and after giving birth, you should provide the female hamster with lots of high-protein food such as nuts, hard-boiled eggs, sunflower seeds and milk ( a few drops please! )

Also, make sure that the waterbottle is lowered so the new pups can drink from it.

When the babies are just born, they're dependant on their mom. During the first two weeks, your hamster is suckling her babies, so make sure that she has plenty of fluids.

Also, she'll be moving her babies around the cage, grabbing them one by one by the scruff of the neck. It can be quite amusing to watch the babies squeaking away.

After two weeks, the babies will start to develop some fur and begin exploring the cage although their eyes are not open. The female hamster will get a little uneasy with their new freedom and will tend to bite more often.

Try to be more understanding and patient with her during this period of time.

When you're handling the babies, make sure you let her see you playing with them, so she will not feel threatened.

Hope you have many lovely hamsters! =)