How to Care for Syrian Hamsters

If you're looking for a small pet to care for, you might consider getting a Syrian hamster. A Syrian, or golden, hamster is one of the more popular species of hamster to keep as a pet. You should prepare yourself to care for a Syrian hamster by researching how best to house, feed and provide everything your hamster will need for a long, healthy life.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wire cage or glass aquarium
• Exercise wheel, ramps, tunnels and other hamster toys
• Aspen shavings or reprocessed paper litter
• Hamster food mix
• Water bottle dispenser or water dish

1. Provide a large wire cage or glass aquarium for the hamster's home. Fill it with ramps, tunnels, an exercise wheel and other items that will give the Syrian the opportunity to be active. Syrian hamsters especially like to run on exercise wheels.

2. Keep a Syrian hamster as a solitary pet. Syrian hamsters, most notably adults, are best kept alone inside a cage. They are not social animals.

3. Line the hamster's cage with aspen shavings or litter made from reprocessed paper. This will act as bedding and keep the hamster warm. Your hamster will also choose a corner of the cage as a "toilet."

4. Feed a Syrian hamster a hamster mix sold at any pet food supply store. You can add nuts, most types of fruits, vegetables, cheese shavings or boiled egg to this mix.

5. Fill a water bottle dispenser and keep it attached to the side of the hamster's cage, or fill a water dish and place inside the cage. Change water at least every other day.

6. Clean the hamster's cage every week. Be careful to remove all old aspen or paper shavings and thoroughly clean the cage, as hamster urine is very odorous.

7. Monitor your Syrian hamster for any ailments that can strike this species, including diarrhea, constipation, wet tail, pouch abscesses, visible tumors or colds. Seek veterinarian care as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• In addition to an exercise wheel, allow your hamster out of its cage often to run around a small, enclosed room.
• Older hamsters can develop overgrown claws. Clip nails with a baby nail clipper or have your veterinarian clip your hamster's nails if needed.
• The life span of a Syrian hamster is usually about three years.
• Do not use pine or cedar shavings to line a Syrian hamster's cage. The oils in these shavings can irritate the eyes and skin or cause respitory problems in hamsters.
• Do not place your hand in the hamster cage with the intent to scare the hamster or make it race around the cage. Hamsters can be scared or terrorized easily and may develop the habit of nipping or biting if treated in this way.
• Do not feed a Syrian hamster citrus fruits or chocolate.

[puddlechop]

on 9/15/2009 Great Article Man