Hamsters! (Hamsters)

Member Name: FourPaws

Product:	Hamsters
Date:	14/09/07 (376 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap to buy and care for, good pets for people at work all day.

Disadvantages: Intially the cage can be expensive to buy

Hamsters are lively and friendly creatures that make interesting pets for adults and older children, however they do need a considerable amount of care to keep them happy and healthy.

*Housing*
There are several types of homes available for hamsters. There is the traditional cage with the plastic base and detachable wire top, this is the kind of cage my hamster has- they are easy to keep clean, allows fresh air to get into the cage and they are easy to see into to see your pet- and the hamster can see out too!

The other kind, which are made from plastic and have several different areas joined together by tubes, may look very fun and appealing to both hamster and owner but they are very hard to keep clean and they don't allow fresh air to get in the cage. They are also easily chewed, and hamsters can often escape.

Lastly, you can use a glass aquarium. These do have benefits such they are often large and spacious and you can easily see your pet, but they can be hard to keep clean, they do not allow fresh air in and the hamster doesn't have the oppotunity to climb the bars like they would in a traditonal cage. However, aquariums are good if you have cats or dogs who will try to harm the hamster as they are very secure and providing the tank should have a lid (made from mesh to allow air in) the cats or dogs cannot get to the hamster, and also hamsters can't chew through glass like they can plastic!

*Exercise*
Hamsters are very active animals and will normally exercise with out any encouragement. To allow your hamster to exercise you should provide it with a hamster wheel attached to the side of the cage, ideally these should be the solid plastic ones and not the metal ones with gaps as hamsters feet and legs can easily fall into the gaps and get broken. Alternativly you could purchase a plastic exercise ball, where you take the hamster from its cage and place it in the ball for a little while and allow the hamster to run freely around a room in your home, however with these a hamster cannot choose when it wants to exercise and hamsters shouldn't be placed in balls for more than 15 minutes. With exercise wheels, a hamster can choose as and when they want to exercise and will often run all through the night on them.

*Toys*
Your hamsters cage will need to be furnished with numerous toys to keep him happy and occupied. You can buy the ones from pet shops or things like empty toilet roll tubes or egg boxes with holes cut out, so your hamster can climb in them. Hamster love to climb- if your hamster lives in a traditional wire topped cage they will be able to climb the bars and will need very little else in terms of climbing equipment, but if it is housed in a glass tank you shall need to provide hamster ladders and multi-storey hamster toys for them to climb.

*Feeding*
The base of your hamsters diet should be a high quality hamster mix, which contains a variety of different seeds, grains, pellets and nuts. There is also the all pellet type foods available, however my currentt hamster won't eat these and neither would any of the hamsters I have in the past. A hamster mix will provide most of what your hamster needs however they also need pieces of fresh fruit or vegetable such as apple, grape, carrot, cucumber, tomato or strawberry two to three times a week. Hamsters are not vegetarians like most people believe, they love the occasional piece of boiled chicken and even dog biscuits- these help keep the teeth short too. Hamsters also enjoy small amounts of hay, although this isn't essential like it is with Guinea Pigs and Rabbits. Remember to always provide fresh water in a drip-feed water bottle attached to the side of the cage.

*Bedding & Cleaning*
To line the base of your hamsters cage you should use woodchips, which make a soft and absorbent floor, but make sure you never use sawdust or woodchips from Cedar as these both irritate a hamsters eyes and can harm breathing. Every hamster needs a nest box in which to sleep- I use a plastic one from pet shops but a small cardboard box is just as effective although it will need to be replaced as it becomes chewed. The nest box should be filled with warm bedding from pet shops or even shredded kitchen paper towel. I use the fluffy bedding available from pet shops, many people say this isn't safe as hamsters can choke on it or get their limbs caught up in it, but personally I have never had any problems so will continue using it. You shouldn't use straw for a hamsters bed, but hay is fine.

Once a week you should remove your hamster from its cage and place it in a safe area (exercise wheel or carry case) whilst you give its cage a good clean. All old bedding should be removed, and the cage cleaned by using hot water and cleaner (I use Flash multipurpose cleaner very midly diluted in a bucket of water) scrub the cage with an old nail brush or similar, rinse and leave to dry before placing fresh bedding back in the cage. To clean items such as the feeding bowl and water bottle I use pet cage disefectant available from pet shops.

*Health*
Hamsters are usually very healthy animals and generally take good care of themselves. However they are a couple of things they need your help with- over grown teeth are a big problem and can cause your hamster much pain and discomfort, to prevent the teeth from becoming too long ensure you provide your hamster with suitable chewing items- such as branches from fruit trees, small animal wooden chews and mineral stones. Overgrown claws can also be a problem as domestic hamsters spend thier lifes mostly walking on soft woodchips at the bottom of their cage and theres not much you can really do to prevent it. My current hamster Marmite has slightly overgrown claws so will soon need a trip to the vets for a little trim, this can be done at home but be very careful never to get into the quick- the vein inside the hamsters claw as this will cause a considerable amount of pain to the hamster.

''Wet Tail'' which is severe diarrhoea is a common illness in hamsters and can kill if not treated by a vet immediatly. This is caused by feeding too many fruit and vegetables or stress because of too much handling- particually in young hamsters. If the fur around your hamsters tail looks 'wet', your hamster is hunched up in pain, isn't eating or drinking and has loose bowel movements then take it to the vet straight away, if caught early enough Wet Tail can be treated.

*Grooming*
Short haired hamsters need no help in caring for their coats, however they will love an empty butter tub filled with chinchilla sand to roll in- the dwarf breeds of hamsters love this even more so than the larger Syrians. If your hamster has long hair it will need to occasional groom from you, using a baby's toothbrush or hamster brush gently brush your hamster following the direction of the coat. Never bathe your hamster without a vets advice.

*Handling*
The majority of hamsters love to be handled, but it is a long and slow process gaining your hamsters trust. Start by placing your hand flat on the cage floor and offer a tasty treat such as small animal choc drops. Repeat this daily until your hamster is confident enough to walk onto your hand, allow him to walk onto your hand to collect the treat everyday for around a week- then you can start picking your hamster up. Make a cup shape with one hand and scoop the hamster up, using the other hand to support its rear end. Syrian hamsters prefer to be handled more than the smaller breeds, never allow a child to hold a hamster unsupervised, they can accidently break a hamsters delicate bones.

*Multiple Hamsters*
If you wish to keep more than one Syrian hamster you must house them in seperate cages as two Syrians, even from the same litter will fight to death. Certain breeds of dwarf hamster can live quite happily in pairs or small groups if introduced from an early age and they are all the same sex to avoid unwanted litters. I can not offer any advice on breeding hamsters as I've never bred from any of mine and never plan to do so.

*Life Span*
Hamsters have a very short lifespan of between 1 and 2 years, although many do live longer. The dwarf breeds can generally live to around 3 and a half years old.

*Price & Availabilty*
Syrian Hamsters of all different colours can be purchased in all pet shops for around £4-£6, as can some dwarf breeds. But if you are looking for certain breed or colour, contact a breeder.


Hamsters make wonderful pets for those out at work all day as they are nocturnal meaning the sleep through the day and are awake are night.. bear this in mind before decieding to place your hamsters cage in your bedroom. Being woken up at 3am by a hamster running round on a squeaky wheel isn't most people idea of fun..

Summary: Wonderful pets for older children and adults!