Don't consider any animal as a pet if you don't have the time to properly take care of it. Cage cleaning, feeding, and daily handling are all important tasks that can't be overlooked if you are to keep your hamster happy and healthy. See the links to the left for details on homes, handling , feeding, and disease .
Hamsters are tough, robust animals.
Preventive care is the only thing that can save a hamster in some cases, and sometimes even the best cared for hamster becomes sick. You need to be able to spot a sick hamster and respond quickly. Check out our section on health issues so you'll know what's happening if your hamster gets sick. To be healthy a hamster needs exercise, just like you. If you've ever wondered just how far a hamster runs check out the online experiment at the University of San Diego.