How to Make a Hamster's Natural Habitat
A hamster's habitat must be secure, safe and enjoyable. To make it as close to his natural habitat as possible, you will need a cage, plenty of bedding and lots of wooden chew toys. In the wild, hamsters live in burrows, which have a cooler temperature and higher humidity level. They also tend to live in brushy areas, so that is what you want to try to emulate with the habitat you build your hamster.
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Instructions
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Choose a wire, plastic or glass cage for your hamster.
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Decide which type of bedding to use in the hamster habitat; fluffy bedding made from recycled paper and cardboard allows plenty of burrowing space for the hamster. You also could use shredded newspaper.
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Place some wooden chew toys in the cage to keep the hamster's teeth from becoming too sharp and keep him from becoming bored.
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Add tunnels or toilet-paper tubes to the habitat.
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Clean the hamster habitat daily, getting rid of the wet litter and adding dry litter if needed. Empty, wash and refill the cage once a week.
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Tips & Warnings
Wire cages provide the best ventilation, but be careful that the bars aren't too far apart. Some plastic cages have wire parts to them, allowing for good ventilation, but they keep the hamster secured. Glass cages are easier to clean and the least likely for the hamster to escape from, but they also are the least ventilated.
Change the hamster's toys every so often to keep him from getting bored.
Don't use cedar or pine bedding for hamsters. The fumes from these wood chips are bad for the animal's respiratory tract.
Keep the temperature comfortable for the hamster, ideally between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Resources
- Photo Credit Hamster image by Annekathrin Kohout from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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Tiny newspapers with tiny funny pages!
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Newspaper isn't supposed to be used in hamster cages because of the chemicals from the inks.
