Things You'll Need:
- Tank or Cage
- Wheel
- Water Bottle
- Food Dish
- Hamster Bedding
- Hamster Food
- A place to put your cage
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Step 1
Decide where you want to put your hamster' s home.
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Step 2
Decide what type of home you want for your hamster. The four basic homes are as follows:
Glass aquariums:
Aquariums cut down on drafts and have lots of space. You can also see into their burrow (which is especially nice when you have a nest full of babies to watch that you might not be able to see otherwise). I also find that hamsters are less likely to escape in them. Aquariums are heavier then other cages so you should find a sturdy spot to keep this type of home. Because they are heavy they can also be more
difficult to clean. They are often more expensive then other types.
Conventional wire hamster cages:
These barred cages are usually designed for the larger Syrian hamster so the smaller dwarf hamsters can often squeeze through the bars. Wire
cages are less expensive, durable, lightweight and easy to keep clean. They can be drafty (you will need to think of a very warm spot to put the cage).
Plastic tube hamster cages:
If you are determined to give your pet hamster this entertainment paradise, be prepared to do a lot of cleaning - a lot of these plastic tube hamster cages are a nightmare to clean out. Larger Syrian hamsters and pregnant hamsters have been known to get stuck in some of these tubes so a fun filled wonderland may turn into death trap pretty quickly. My hamster gets stuck in paper rolls and that is about the same size and she is only a 2 month Syrian female, the other thing to note is that many of these tube hamster cages have little ventilation they will get smelly a lot quicker and condensation could be a problem. As with most plastic cages, they can also get scratched with time. These cages give you hours of viewing pleasure watching your hamster crawl through the different levels.
Plastic aquariums or plastic containers:
These have the same advantages and disadvantages as the glass aquariums but they tend to be lighter than glass so cleaning may not be as hard of a task. They can however be tipped over by an ambitious hamster. -
Step 3
Now that you have decided what type of home you want for your hamster you need to prepare it for your hamster' s arrival. Choose safe bedding like Aspen, Hemp, plain paper, and kiln dried shavings. These are ideal for the health of your hamster.
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Step 4
After you have set up your hamster' s home you should add the following:
A wheel without bars as your hamster can get there feet stuck in the holes and if you are getting a Syrian hamster, it will soon be to small for it. A food dish, a solid plastic dish should do fine. A water bottle or a water dish. -
Step 5
If you want any man-made homes, nests or play things then get them after you decide exactly what hamster you want so you know want size the hamster is and make the right choice in size for toys, mini homes, and nests.
