Hamster Care

 

   
The Hamster Mind
    
   
Hamsters are the best known and one of the most popular of all the small rodents kept as pets. They live on average for two to three years.
   
   
   
   
The most common and largest type of hamster is the Syrian hamster, also known as the golden hamster. These hamsters are naturally solitary and will fight if you try to keep them in pairs or groups. Mating pairs should only be introduced when the female is in season. If you want a Syrian hamster, keep it on its own!
   
   
   
   
Russian or dwarf hamsters grow to about 8cms, and Chinese hamsters are slightly longer at maturity.
   
   
Unlike the solitary Syrian hamster, Russian and dwarf hamsters like company of their own kind, so keep a pair of the same sex.
   
   
   
   
Never mix species.
   
   
   
   
Breeding hamsters can produce a litter every few weeks.
    
   
   
   
A newly acquired hamster should be between 4-8 weeks old and bought from a responsible breeder or good pet shop.
    
         
    more sites for hamster facts and hamsters in the wild    
         
         
   
Hamster Housing
    
         
    Hamster houses range from simple cages with plastic tray floors and clip-on wire tops to complicated stacking systems on several levels with plastic tunnels.    
         
    An old aquarium could also be used - with a wire mesh lid to allow ventilation but which prevents the hamster from escaping.    
         
    A Syrian hamster will need a home with a minimum floor surface of 60cm x 30cm and 30cm high. Dwarf hamsters can squeeze through tiny spaces, so are best kept in tanks. Lids should have no gaps larger than 1cm.    
   
   
   
   
   
Hamster Bedding
    
   
   
   
Dust-extracted shavings make good bedding for all types of hamsters.
    
   
   
   
Sawdust can be used for long-coated hamsters to prevent shavings tangling in their hair.
    
   
   
    Dwarf hamsters need beds deep enough to allow them to burrow.    
         
   
You should also provide shredded paper or peat for nesting material. Avoid fluffy bedding that could wrap round a hamster’s limbs and impact in the stomach if eaten.
   
   
   
   
Site your hamster home out of draughts, sunlight and direct heat.
   
   
   
   
Clean out the cage at least once a week.
   
   
   
   
   
   
Hamster Feed
    
    A commercial hamster mix is a good basis for your pet’s diet.    
         
    Hamsters enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables but they bury their food, so only offer tiny portions to minimise waste in the cage - give them small pieces, such as a slice of apple, or a small sprig of cauliflower.    
         
    Hamsters hoard food in their beds, so do not give too much green stuff, or it will rot. They also store food in their cheek pouches.      
         
    A hamster’s front incisors, like those of other rodents, grow continually and they need to gnaw to keep them in shape. Dog biscuits make good hamster treats and teeth trimmers.    
         
    Fresh water must always be available from a free-access drinking bottle fastened to the cage. Check daily that this has not become blocked. Alternatively, water can be put in a small, heavy ceramic bowl.    
         
         
   
Hamster Exercise
    
    Hamsters are most active during the evening and at night.    
   
   
    They like cardboard tubes to chew and run through and if you put up a wooden ledge, your hamster will enjoy climbing on it. Because of the risk of injuries, many experts now advise against using spoked ‘hamster wheels.’ Solid, wide wheels are safer.    
         
    Hamster ‘exercise balls’ need careful supervision to avoid exhaustion.      
         
         
   
Hamster Health - Common Problems
    
    Hamsters store food in their cheek pouches, which can occasionally lead to problems. If your pet seems to have permanently stuffed cheeks, it could be because food has become impacted.    
         
    Always seek veterinary advice, because if it has set up an infection the hamster may need antibiotics. Similarly, sharp pieces of food may occasionally pierce the pouches.    
         
    Another problem needing veterinary help is Wet Tail, diarrhoea associated with stress, especially in newly weaned babies. Minimise the risk by preparing the cage before you bring your hamster home and leaving it undisturbed, except for feeding, for the first two or three days.    
         
    Be careful handling your hamster if you have a cold, as it is possible for it to catch it.    
         
    Hamsters have scent glands on opposite sides of their flanks, which can look like small, dark patches. These are normal.    
         
    Similarly, the testicles of male hamsters enlarge in the spring, so two large swellings at the bottom end of your hamster are probably nothing to worry about. However, if you are at all concerned about your hamster’s health, do consult a vet.    
         
    Hamsters are very short sighted, so keep a close eye on yours if you let it out of its cage.    
         
         
   
Hamster Handling
    
         
    Hamsters rarely bite if they are used to being handled correctly from an early age.    
         
    Never put your hand into your hamster’s bed as it may be asleep and you’ll startle it.    
         
    If your hamster is nervous, check it is properly awake and then hold your hand in the cage, without trying to touch it, so it can get used to your presence and smell. Soon it will get to know you and become easier to handle.    
         
   

Hamsters do not make ideal children’s pets unless there is adequate adult supervision

    
   
   
   
   
   
See these sites for more hamster facts:
    
   
Introduction to Hamsters
    
   
Hamster Care
    
   
Spring Lodge Vet animal care notes
    
   
Hamsterific.com
    
   
Petstation.com
    
   
Darwinvets.plus.com
    
   
British Hamster Association - Hamsters in the Wild
    
   
   
   
   
   
Fred
    
   
I'll tell you a story, a story of me
    
   
Me! Who's Me? Well I'm a hamster you see. 
    
   
One day I was purchased from a pet shop
    
   
And into a tiny box I was popped. 
    
   
   
   
Imagine how I was filled full of fright
    
   
Where were my friends? None were in sight.
    
   
I was taken away amid sounds of great glee
    
   
And all this excitment was just over me!
    
   
   
   
When we arrived to a place they call home
    
   
And to make sure that I could never far roam
    
   
I was gently placed into a cage
    
   
I was the attraction - I held centre stage.
    
   
   
   
Looking all around me, there I saw
    
   
A long metal ladder going up from the floor 
    
   
Which led to a little box, which was my room
    
   
Where I could sleep all day and rise with the moon.
    
   
   
   
Also there was a very large wheel
    
   
All very inviting to me it did appeal. 
    
   
So over I went to look then went inside
    
   
It started to turn - I had a great ride. 
    
   
   
   
At first of course I was very wary
    
   
Everything was strange, it was rather scary
    
   
But my confidence grew because they were so kind
    
   
So when I was picked up, I didn't mind.
    
   
   
   
When I say they, they are sister and brother
    
   
But I was bought as a present, by their well-meaning mother.
    
   
They were so happy to have me, they spent all their time
    
   
Playing with me, and I didn't mind.
    
   
   
   
I caught up with my sleep when they were at school,
    
   
But when they were home, we'd have a ball,
    
   
I'd run in their jacket sleeves and down their shirt front
    
   
While excitedly their fingers for me they would hunt.
    
   
   
   
I was regularly cleaned, my food always there
    
   
One couldn't have wished for a kindlier pair
    
   
But after some months - things seemed to go wrong
    
   
Because the time spent with me wasn't so long.
    
   
   
   
Then one night my wheel's clamped with a peg
    
   
Yes, while I was in it - I near broke a leg
    
   
It has never turned since, from that day to this
    
   
And now this enjoyment I constantly miss.
    
   
   
   
Eventually I was moved from bedside to floor
    
   
Put into a dark corner behind the door 
    
   
Where I am hidden and cannot be seen
    
   
It's now that I realise I'm a 'Has Been'.
    
   
   
   
My cage is now dirty and seldom I'm fed
    
   
Oh how I wish I was still by their bed 
    
   
I feel so alone - I'm hungry and sad
    
   
What have I done to be treated so bad?
    
   
   
   
What kind of future can I forsee?
    
   
Whatever is going to happen to me?
    
   
I lay in my dirty bed and longingly sigh
    
   
Oh please end my misery, please let me die.
    
   
   
   
 Sue Porter