Adopting a brand new pet hamster might be overwhelming at first, with so many issues to arrange and analysis earlier than bringing them dwelling.
I hope to make this course of simpler for you by offering an entire checklist of all the things your hamster will should be glad and wholesome.
Whereas pet shops usually promote low cost “hamster starter kits” that supposedly embrace all the things you want, these hamster properties will not be even remotely giant sufficient to fulfill the wants of those energetic animals. Starter cages are the equal of you residing in a small lavatory your complete life. Hamsters want and deserve far more than that.
Maintain studying to search out out which provides your hamster must thrive!
A Spacious Cage
For those who go to most pet retailers and ask for a specious hamster cage, 9 instances out of ten, you gained’t get a cage that’s appropriate as a hamster dwelling. I discovered that pet retailers have a vastly completely different understanding of the phrase specious than I. So, earlier than operating to the shop and getting your new pet a endlessly dwelling, ensure that it’s sufficiently big.
Hamsters are extraordinarily energetic animals with excessive ranges of power. Within the wild, they run as much as 6 miles per night time searching and foraging for meals, so that they gained’t be glad in a tiny cage with no room to discover and run.
Listed below are some issues to contemplate when getting a hamster cage:
- It ought to have a minimal of 620 sq. inches to offer sufficient area and enrichment to occupy your pet (Syrian hamsters, and particularly females, are bigger and have extra power, so a cage even bigger than this is able to be finest).
- It ought to have a deep base to carry sufficient bedding for burrowing.
- It must present sufficient air flow so it shouldn’t be utterly closed off. For those who use a big aquarium, you should purchase or make a mesh prime to permit airflow.
We’ve a listing of appropriate hamster cages in the event you’re uncertain what sort of cage you want.
Appropriate and Protected Bedding (Substrate)
Bedding, or substrate, is the fabric that may fill the underside of the cage so your hamster can burrow in it.
A deep substrate is a vital a part of your hamster’s new dwelling. Hamsters are naturally burrowing animals that spend many of the day sleeping and hiding of their underground chambers. As prey animals, they really feel uncovered and weak with out an possibility to cover of their burrow. Offering deep bedding will let your pet categorical their pure behaviors and really feel protected, which is important for his or her well-being.
How deep ought to the substrate be precisely? That is determined by the hamster species as they differ in dimension:
- Dwarf (Djungarian, Russian, and Roborovski) and Chinese language hamsters: 10 inches of bedding or extra could be superb, the minimal being 6 inches.
- Syrian hamsters: ideally, 12 inches of bedding, however the minimal is 10 inches.
Bedding depth shouldn’t be the one necessary factor – we even have to make sure the bedding we use is protected and might maintain burrows with out collapsing.
A few of the finest choices for a hamster substrate are:
In Europe, aspen shavings will not be that straightforward to search out, so spruce shavings or spruce/fir combine are the go-to alternative, together with paper bedding. Though spruce and fir are softwood (and softwood incorporates phenol which might trigger respiratory points in small pets), spruce is understood to have exceptionally low phenol ranges – virtually as little as hardwoods resembling aspen. You possibly can examine it in additional element right here.
It’s a good suggestion to combine hay in between layers of paper bedding because it helps preserve the burrows secure and agency.
Some bedding choices are unsafe and needs to be prevented:
- Cedar and pine shavings (non-kiln-dried) comprise phenols that may trigger respiratory points
- A product referred to as “hamster wool”
- Clay-based cat litter
- Sawdust
Nesting Materials
Whereas the substrate is there to permit your pet to burrow, take up the pee, and take away odor, nesting materials might be utilized by your hamster to construct their nest.
Hamsters like to create their nest by themselves, so all you’ll want to do is present appropriate supplies they will use in any method they need.
A few of the nesting supplies hamsters love to make use of are:
- Mushy hay, resembling Orchard and Botanical
- Bathroom paper sheets
- Paper napkins
- Paper towels
- 100% pure moss (no dye)
Sand Bathtub
Hamsters have fluffy coats that may simply develop into soiled and matted. A sand bathtub will assist take away useless pores and skin, promote fur development, and preserve their coats clear and glossy. For those who discover that your hamster is utilizing a sand bathtub as a rest room, you may add one other one which your hamster can use as a shower whereas the primary one might be his bathroom.
There are a number of protected choices to make use of to your pet’s sand bathtub:
- Chinchilla bathing sand
- Reptile sand – pure coloration sand with no added minerals or calcium (an excellent instance is Reptisand)
- Youngsters’s play sand – it needs to be warmth handled. If it’s not, you’ll should sanitize it by baking it within the oven for 20 min at 350°F (180°C). It’s additionally really helpful to sift it by a sifter to take away the bigger chunks that would harm your hamster’s pores and skin.
Unsafe varieties of sand:
- If it’s labeled as “mud” or “powder,” it’s too effective and might trigger respiratory an infection
- Scented sand
- Clay-based sand
- Coloured sand
- Sand with added minerals or calcium
You need to use any shallow container for the sand, so long as it’s sufficiently big so your pet can roll round in it.
A Giant Wheel
Most wheels constructed right into a hamster cage are a lot smaller than the required minimal. Small wheels don’t permit your hamster to stretch out correctly whereas operating. Their backs are bent, which may end up in again harm or ache.
A wheel ought to have a big sufficient diameter so a hamster can run with their backs straight. In case your pet’s again is curved whereas operating, it means the wheel is just too small.
To ensure the wheel is giant sufficient, comply with these minimal dimension necessities:
- 8″ in diameter (20 cm) for dwarf species
- 10″ in diameter (25 cm) for Chinese language hamsters
- 11’’ in diameter (28 cm) for Syrian hamsters
The wheel must be fabricated from strong materials – no steel bars or mesh, which might lure your pet’s toes and toes or trigger a foot an infection referred to as bumblefoot. All the time go for an upright wheel and never a flying saucer.
Notice: Hamster balls also needs to not be used as they’re harmful for a number of causes.
Hidey Home
Within the wild, hamsters reside in complicated burrows with a number of chambers. They’ve separate chambers for toileting, sleeping, and storing meals. A multi-chamber hidey home is the most suitable choice to your hamster because it permits them to make use of completely different rooms for various functions, identical to they’d within the wild.
In case your pet has a hidey home with just one room, this may promote unhygienic habits and trigger your pet to urinate the place they sleep and retailer meals.
A hamster home also needs to be sufficiently big to permit your pet to separate their bathroom, kitchen, and sleeping areas. Purpose for a home no smaller than 30cm x 20cm (12in x 8in). When you have a Syrian hamster, they’ll profit from a home even bigger than that.
A bottomless home might be simply scooped as much as clear the hamster’s bathroom or take away outdated meals. Place it on the deep bedding to permit your hamster to burrow beneath and broaden the chambers.
Meals Bowl
Whereas it’s finest to scatter feed your hamster to make feeding time extra enjoyable and fascinating, a meals bowl can have its place within the hamster cage. If you wish to give your hamster a chunk of contemporary meals however don’t need to scatter it on the bedding, so it doesn’t mildew if it will get misplaced, you should use a small meals dish.
Water Bottle or Bowl
Whereas you should use both a water bottle or a bowl, I favor a small bowl as it’s a extra pure method for hamsters to drink. A bottle requires your hamster to tilt their head and drink in an usually uncomfortable place, whereas a bowl permits them to drink as they’d within the wild.
Water bowls are additionally a lot simpler to scrub. Merely rinse it day by day and change the water. A bottle have to be completely washed each few days with a bottle brush.
A bowl needs to be small and shallow so your hamster can’t go inside or drown in it. A small tealight holder is an efficient possibility.
Wholesome Meals
A hamster food regimen might be fairly complicated to determine while you’re simply beginning (I nonetheless get overwhelmed even after researching about it for therefore lengthy!). The factor with hamsters is that there isn’t only one hamster – there are a number of completely different species we preserve as pets, and each comes with completely different dietary necessities. So as an alternative of feeding your pet a “hamster, giraffe & *insert animal*” meals from the pet retailer, hamsters do finest when fed a species-specific food regimen.
There are two major methods to feed your hamsters:
- Meals mixes
- Pellets or lab blocks
Whereas pellets are made to stop selective feeding, they’re an extraordinarily boring strategy to feed your pet. To hamsters in captivity, foraging for meals and experiencing completely different tastes is what retains them glad, occupied, and mentally stimulated. In the event that they needed to eat the identical factor day after day, served in a bowl, there could be nothing else to do in a day. Your hamster would quickly get bored and harassed. That’s why meals mixes are the primary alternative for hamster homeowners.
Meals Mixes
What sort of meals combine is nice to your pet? That is determined by your hamster’s species. Sadly, pet shops don’t often promote species-specific mixes, so that you’ll should dig a bit extra to discover a good product.
I wish to confer with The Hamingway foodmix app to see which meals mixes are high-quality.
Some good sources that promote species-specific hamster meals are:
- Robin’s Gourmand Meals (USA & Canada):
- Their fortified food regimen incorporates pellets to make sure a secure supply of micronutrients and can be utilized as an entire food regimen (you simply want so as to add contemporary vegs).
- Their pellet-free meals might be blended with one other fortified business meals combine or pellets to make sure your pet will get the micronutrients they want.
- Their primary meals combine doesn’t comprise animal protein or pellets, so it needs to be supplemented with bugs and high-quality business meals combine or pellets.
- RodiPet (Europe)
- Getzoo (Europe)
- Mixerama (Europe)
- FutterParadies (Europe)
- Futterkraemerei (Europe)
Understand that a few of these meals mixes will not be an entire food regimen as a result of they don’t comprise animal protein which needs to be given additional.
Animal Protein
Hamsters are omnivores, so that they want animal protein to get all of the vitamins their physique requires. Essentially the most pure method for them to get animal protein is within the type of bugs resembling mealworms, crickets, and grasshoppers which they’d eat within the wild. For those who run out of these, you can provide your pet some cooked hen (unseasoned) or eggs, however this shouldn’t be the primary supply of animal protein to your pet – they want bugs.
Recent Meals: Greens, Crops
Along with the meals combine and animal protein, your pet also needs to get small bits of greens and vegetation a few times every week. Right here’s a listing of greens which are protected for hamsters.
Syrian hamsters can have a small piece of fruit right here and there, however dwarf species are higher off with out it as they’re extremely vulnerable to diabetes. Dwarf’s pure food regimen doesn’t embrace fruits, and their our bodies haven’t advanced a capability to tolerate sugary meals. This additionally goes for sugary greens resembling carrots.
Key Parts of a Wholesome Hamster Weight loss program
To sum all of it up, a nutritious diet to your hamster contains the next:
- a high-quality species-specific meals combine
- contemporary meals, together with greens and herbs 1-2 instances every week
- animal protein (if it’s not already included within the meals combine)
- non-compulsory: high-quality pellets to make use of collectively together with your meals combine
You possibly can add high-quality pellets to your hamster’s food regimen (for instance, combine it 50:50 with a meals combine) in the event you’re not assured within the meals combine you’re utilizing and need to guarantee your pet shouldn’t be lacking something nutritionally. Science Selective Hamster Meals is an efficient alternative with appropriate protein, fats, and fiber percentages whereas not containing synthetic colours or added sugar.
For those who don’t have entry to a species-specific hamster meals combine in your space, many individuals use Higgins Sunburst Gourmand Mix together with high-quality pellet meals. Higgins Sunburst Gourmand Mix is understood for its nice selection, containing 19 completely different components. Nonetheless, the protein ranges are on the decrease finish, so this combine needs to be supplemented with further protein sources.
Chew Toys
Like all rodents, hamsters have tooth that by no means cease rising. So that they want one thing to chew on to assist them put on down the tooth and forestall overgrowth.
Some good chewable choices are:
- Wood chew sticks
- Untreated picket blocks
- Whimzees (since these are edible, they need to solely be given often)
- Dandelion and nettle roots
- Willow balls
- Nuts resembling walnuts and hazelnuts
- Bathroom paper roll
- Hamster-safe tree branches and twigs
- Cardboard
Cage Equipment and Enrichment
Hamsters want enjoyable and enriching cage equipment to maintain them occupied and mentally stimulated. Apart from a wheel, many different gadgets make an important addition to the cage and are beloved by hamsters.
Offering varied textures to stroll on and work together with makes a superb stimulation to your pet. Along with deep bedding and a sand bathtub, you may add extra digging areas that comprise protected bedding, resembling coconut fiber, hemp, granule paper bedding, or wooden shavings. This space doesn’t should be deep as you have already got your major substrate for burrowing – and the beddings utilized in digging areas are often not good at holding burrows.
Some enrichment gadgets for the cage are:
- Cork logs
- Hideouts
- Wood bridges
- Wood ladders
- Tunnels
- Platforms
- Hamster-safe herbs, flowers, and vegetation
- A rock to put on down hamster’s nails – you may both purchase a rock or use one from outdoors (in that case, give it an excellent scrub with scorching water and cleaning soap)
Playpen
Some hamsters can’t wait to spend time outdoors of the cage, whereas others don’t significantly prefer it and like stress-free of their cage the place they really feel protected. Nonetheless, hamsters needs to be allowed to spend a while outdoors their cage to train in a bigger space.
Begin slowly when introducing your hamster to an out-of-cage area so that they don’t get overwhelmed. Your hamster will in all probability begin having fun with it after they type a bond with you and get to know the environment.
When your hamster is out of the cage, supervise them always and preserve all different pets away. You don’t essentially want to make use of a playpen for out-of-cage time. You possibly can let your hamster run free in a small hamster-proofed room or a fenced-off space.
Add hideouts to the play space so your pet can disguise in the event that they really feel scared, and provides them one thing to do by offering toys and scattering meals or treats.
A Provider or Small Cage for Journey
In the end, you’ll want to move your pet to a vet, a pet sitter’s home, or some other place, so it’s necessary to have a journey cage prepared for these conditions. A easy provider will do exactly effective, or use a “starter cage” – these cages are far too small for housing a hamster however can be utilized as a journey cage.
Unique Vet & Emergency Financial savings
Hamsters want an unique vet, and it may be exhausting to search out one who treats hamsters. That’s why it’s necessary to name round and discover a vet to your pet even earlier than you undertake them. You by no means know the way quickly they could want vet remedy.
A vet fund to your pet will make all of the distinction, because the remedy might be surprisingly costly. By saving up prematurely, you’ll be capable of afford a vet when essential, irrespective of the prices.
Remaining Ideas on Hamster Provides
This wraps up our checklist of important hamster provides. Hopefully, this has given you an thought of all the things you’ll want to preserve your hamster glad and wholesome.
As you might need seen, getting a pet hamster shouldn’t be low cost if you wish to take care of them correctly! All these bills simply add up, so earlier than committing to a brand new pet, be sure you can afford all the mandatory provides and vet remedy.
The great factor is that after the preliminary buy of all hamster provides, you solely want to purchase meals, toys, and bedding which isn’t that costly since hamsters don’t eat rather a lot, and their bedding doesn’t should be modified fairly often.
Is there anything you’d add to our hamster provides checklist?
Tell us within the feedback!