Hamster Care Guide
This Hamster Care Guide is designed to help you understand the requirements of hamsters and help them adjust to a new home environment as quickly as possible.Life Expectancy:
3 years - 1000 days
General
When you bring your new Hamster home, it may be nervous, but if you do not handle it for the first couple of days it will adjust to its new environment quite quickly. Its home should be located in a quiet area of the house to ensure it is not disturbed or frightened by sudden noises or constant activity around it.
For the first month, gently check your hamster's rear end to see if it's clean and dry. If it has diarrhea, it can be caused by either diet or stress. This should be looked into right away.
Diarrhea in hamsters is a serious problem and treatment should never be delayed. Consult with your Centre d'Animaux NATURE Pet small animal experts to identify the proper treatment for this.
Housing:
Hamster care in the selection of the cage is important. Hamsters are nocturnal and in nature live in burrows underground. Their housing should mimic this as much as possible. They are not comfortable in wide open spaces where a predator could attack them at almost any time. Psychologically, they prefer tighter quarters with places to sleep and nest that are quiet, private and enclosed.
Cages are available in two distinct types. There are wire cages that offer quite a bit of space in them. These should be large enough to include an exercise wheel and a small hamster house or other sleeping area that permits the hamster some privacy.
The other style attempts to mimic the actual habitat where hamsters originated. These cages offer the ability to attach additional units to them so that they can expand and offer larger places for exploration.
Each module is often quite compact, but the cage system - as a complete unit - should again provide a location for an exercise wheel, a place for food and water and a private place to nest. These assorted modules can be attached together by tunnels to grow in size for the hamster to explore.
Diet:
Hamsters enjoy:
- various seeds
- various small nuts
- dried fruit
- dried vegetables
Most hamsters are fed either a commercially prepared staple diet that contains a mix of various seeds and nuts. "Gourmet" and premium mixes are often bolstered by a variety of dried vegetables and fruits.
Alternately, there are pelleted diets where the ingredients have been mixed together, processed and then extruded as a granule or pellet. These offer the complete nutritional benefits of the food in each an d every pellet. Seed mixes allow the hamster to pick and choose the food it eats and may promote deficiencies if the pet becomes a picky eater.
Their diet should also include timothy or alfalfa hay.
Avoid fresh fruit and vegetables because these can often cause diarrhea. Hamsters have a natural hoarding tendency and they will stuff food into their cheek pouches and transport it to hidden caches all over the cage. If fresh vegetables are given, they may disappear without being eaten and soon rot in the cage. This possibility should always be avoided.
It is better to offer other types of treats rather than fresh vegetables. One of the most popular are the various treat chew sticks. These combine treat foods with a chew stick so that the teeth are worn down while the pet is enjoying the treat.
Another treat offered is the Alfalfa Treat squares, these solid blocks of alfalfa also provide the benefits of loose alfalfa hay in a solid chew block that again works on the constantly growing teeth, wearing them down as the block is being worked.
Taming and Training:
For the first week take something from their food dish to feed them so they can become more accustomed to you. Use the tip of your finger nail to offer a sunflower seed or kernel of corn but do not let your Hamster sniff your finger. By the second week, pet your Hamster as often as you like. By the third week, you can begin picking up your Hamster.
Do not place your hamster higher than two inches from any surface, as any fall can injure it. Hamsters have extremely poor eyesight, in human terms they would be legally blind.
If they are on a table, it is quite possible they could walk right off it without realizing it! If your Hamster looks like it has sustained any injuries, please see your veterinarian.
Exercise and Chewing
Hamsters are nocturnal and often will sleep through the day, unless disturbed. They do need regular exercise and often the best form is the addition of a hamster wheel in or attached to the cage. They will run quite often when they are awake. It depends on the cage how the exercise wheel is attached and if it is made form plastic or metal.
Another popular way to offer exercise is with an exercise ball. The pet hamster is placed in the ball, then it is closed and the hamster is allowed to run in it like a wheel, the only difference is that the ball will roll along the floor and the hamster works. As mentioned above, the hamster is nearly blind and probably has no idea where it is going.
Always be sure there are no obstacles or drops, such as a set of stairs that could injure the hamster should he find one. Always supervise the hamster when it is in an exercise ball to ensure accidents do not happen. Any hamster should only be allowed to stay in an exercise ball for no longer than 20 minutes to prevent exhaustion.
Individual Hamster care requires lots of toys and chew sticks to keep their teeth in trim. Hamster care of teeth is vital since their teeth constantly grow and must be worn down all the time time. If allowed to grow too long, they can be prevented from eating properly.
There are numerous chewing aids available at Centre d'Animaux NATURE pet that are designed to provide hours of chewing enjoyment and keep the teeth at the proper length at all times.
Cleaning:
Clean your Hamster's cage once a week with mild dish liquid and rinse well. Feed your Hamster and change its water daily. Water should be room temperature. Keep the cage out of direct sunlight and drafts.
If someone is sick, they should not handle your Hamster because it can catch their cold or flu virus.
Should you have any questions about this Hamster Care Guide regarding new Hamster care, come to one of our six Centre D'Animaux NATURE Pet Centres located in the greater Montreal area to consult with your NATURE small animal experts.
Ask about the vast selection of books and magazines available on hamster care and other topics. We are here to help you with your new pet.
Hamster Care Guide - Centre d'Animaux NATURE Pet
