How to care for your Hamster

How to care for your Hamster. Caring for your newly acquired hamster is quite easy, if you know what you are doing.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cage or Aquarium
• Bedding, paper or recycled wood
• Hiding Places
• Various Foods and water
• Exercise Equipment

1. First lets talk about cages or aquariums. Caring for your hamster properly requires you to keep them in a cage that is escape proof. Cages should have a solid bottom and wire top, with the space between the bars at less than .5 inches. If you prefer aquariums for your hamster care choose a long one not a high one, the height is unused with your hamster while the extra floor space will provide much need roaming areas. Use a nice SMALL mesh for a lid for your aquarium, to prevent the great escape.

2. Place your hamster away from drafts, and use a recycled wood bedding or paper bedding. Never use cedar or pine shavings for bedding. Why? These beddings produce toxic fumes, to care for your hamster properly you will need to follow this rule.

3. Provide a constant source of food for your hamster. Also you will want to vary your hamsters diet as well. Also provide a constant water supply for your hamster as well. Also try fresh food, such as grain or sunflower seeds every couple of days.

4. Add plenty of toys for your hamster to keep occupied with. A wheel should be placed in the cage, preferably solid. Wheels with rungs could cause damage to your pet, such as a broken leg. Add toilet paper rolls, oatmeal boxes or tissue boxes for convenient hiding places as well as good gnawing spots. Hamster balls can be good, but you must watch the hamster while it plays. You will also want to place items such as dog biscuits for treats. Caring for your hamster also involves adding nest bedding as well, for this use tissue paper (unscented), not paper towels.

5. Cleaning the cage should be done every couple of days, in the late afternoon. Hamsters are nocturnal in nature and doing this activity earlier than the late afternoon will find a rather grumpy hamster. Remove all uneaten food (be sure to look in corners for hidden stashes)and feces. Once a week you should take all the bedding out and give the cage a good scrub down.

6. Hamster care involves having something for the little rodent to gnaw on, varying the diet and watching for signs that your hamster is sick. Look for dull eyes, lethargic behavior and matted fur. These are all signs your hamster is sick and should be taken to the vet. But other wise your hamster is normal, you just need to enjoy its company.

Tips & Warnings

• Depending on which breed of hamster you choose you may have to do some moving around. Syrian hamsters (the golden hamster) like to live alone, while dwarf hamsters are social, plan accordingly.

[cherylphillips]

on 7/23/2009 My son is getting another hamster after Mr Snowy passed away last year...he was quite old. Great tips 5*