How to Prepare a Hamster Cage
Hamsters are the small animal of choice for many new pet owners. Though small, these rodents need toys and a nice cage to live in too.Hamsters are solitary animals and should only be housed individually or they will fight for territories, often to the death.
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Things You'll Need
- Cage or aquarium with screen top
- Food bowl
- Water bottle
- Cage liner
- Sleeping house or hut
- Hamster chew toys
Instructions
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1
Purchase or gather all of the supplies need for the hamster cage. If you are purchasing new items, look online and try to find kits to make sure that you have everything you need. Some stores will give a package discount.
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2
Assemble the cage if necessary. Rinse inside and out whether you are using a cage or aquarium, even if they are brand new. Use just a drop of hand dish soap and rinse and dry thoroughly.
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3
Place newspaper in the bottom of the hamster cage or aquarium to help with urine control. This will also save time when cleaning.
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4
Spread some sort of litter around the cage floor on top of the newspaper. Use Aspen chips or recycled newspaper, hamsters love to burrow.
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5
Place the food bowl in the hamster cage away from the sleeping hut. Hamsters like to have stashes in different areas. It will make a stash in the sleeping hut, so keeping the food bowl away will let him think there is another stash.
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6
Rinse and fill the water bottle, adding any vitamins the hamster needs. Hang the bottle in a safe place away from exits. Hamsters climb on water bottles and can push the lid off an aquarium. Make sure the bottle is hung low enough so the hamster can stand on all four feet to drink.
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Arrange toys in one area of the hamster cage and place the sleeping hut in a quiet corner. Hamster toys are important, since these small animals love to work. A wheel is fine, but not necessary.
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Put the hamster in its new cage and secured the lid or exits with safety clips. Hamsters are curious, they will push or chew their way out if you let them.
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Tips & Warnings
An aquarium is easy to clean, has tall enough sides to keep a hamster safe, and the pet can be seen from every angle. You can buy a used aquarium at a garage sale for use as a hamster cage, just clean it before use. Place a small heavy rock on the lid if the hamster can reach to push on it.
Providing chew toys for your hamster will entertain the pet and save the cage from chewing. Toys can be as simple as a small block of wood. Stay away from sticks from the yard and anything with paint on it.
Toilet paper tubes are perfect for hamster fluff, even better if you give it to the pet with about a quarter of the toilet paper still on the roll. Watch what the rodent does with this item, fluff will be everywhere.
Never house two hamsters in a single cage. Each hamster must have room to establish it's territory. They will fight to the death for the cage, even after mating.
If you buy a kit cage that needs to be assembled, make sure it is big enough to be easily cleaned. You should be able to fit an adult hand into every area of any pet cage.
Do not use pine or cedar wood chips for cage lining as the dust can cause a respiratory problem.
