Hamsters: What You Need To Know

Do you have a new pet? Maybe a hamster? Then this article is for you! The owner who wants to know everything about taking care a hamster and the healthiest guide for it!

## 10 Things to know about owning a hamster

#### Keeping Your Hamster Happy and Healthy

Hamsters, for many people, make excellent pets. They don't require a lot of attention, get enough exercise running on their wheel, and are cute, cuddly, and pleasant to hold. They can make an excellent starter pet for some children.

Unfortunately, hamsters don't come with care instructions. While caring for a hamster isn't difficult, it does help to have at least a basic understanding of what you're getting into when you keep one as a pet.

#### 1—Not Too Young

A hamster might seem like the perfect pet for a small child, but this is not the case. They require careful, gentle handling, may bite, and don't generally feel safe in smaller hands.

#### 2—Always Feed Hamsters from a Dish

Always make sure that your hamster's chow, whether block or kibble, is served in a bowl or dish of some sort. Hamsters may ingest their bedding otherwise, and this may cause serious health issues.

#### 3—Change Hamster Food Daily

Hamsters don't like to eat leftovers. For optimum nutrition, keep you pet's feeding dish about three-quarters of the way full, and change her food out on a daily basis.

#### 4—Feed Hamsters Fresh Food Every Other Day

Supplementing your hamster's regular food with small pieces of fresh fruits and vegetables is a great way to help your pet enjoy her food while getting balanced nutrition. Make sure that fresh offerings do not exceed around twenty percent of her diet. Fruits and vegetables are not a complete a diet as hamster chow.

#### 5 —Change Hamster Bedding Monthly, Clean the Cage Weekly

Depending on the type of cage you keep your hamster in, you will want to spot-clean her bedding (removing feces) on a weekly basis, changing her entire bedding once per month.

#### 6—Hamsters Do Not Need Help with Grooming

Hamsters groom themselves, and often do it more than once a day. There is no need to bathe, comb, or otherwise supplement your pet hamster's grooming practices.

#### 7—Annual Healthcare

It is a best practice to take a pet hamster to see your veterinarian once per year, regardless of her apparent health. Health concerns to watch out for include sores on her feet, blood in her urine, loss of appetite, loose stools, overgrown front teeth, bald patches in her fur, wheezing, and running nose.

#### 8—Daily Exercise

Hamsters need daily exercise. If her cage is not equipped with a wheel for running, then consider getting her a hamster ball to run inside of. But no matter what you do, don't ever leave your hamster unattended while she's inside of a ball.

#### 9—Bedding Should Be Made of Natural Materials

Timothy hay, orchard grass, brome hay, botanical hay, and oat hay all make excellent bedding options for hamsters.

#### 10—Chew Toys Make for More Content Hamsters

A hamster without anything to keep its teeth occupied may choose to chew on her cage or enclosure. Pet stores offer special chewing toys and blocks made just for hamsters.

## Bathing

You must know that a hamster is not allowed to take its bath on water. What do we mean?

Some birds and rodents bath only in sand, not any sand like the sand at beaches or a playing sand. Special sand to bath. So as you know, hamsters are rodents and there's no rodent which baths on water, ESPECIALLY in young age because they may be scared of the water and get a heart-attack. Visit and pet shop and ask the owners or a vet, and then buy a special sand. You don't need to bath the hamster, because it can do it by it own.

### Hamsters-Their "favorite" toys

Maybe hamsters are too small but we all need toys to play... Here are some of the toys hamsters love play with!

***Wheels and balls for hamsters***

Most hamsters use the wheel a lot for this and their cage should have one. It is important to make sure that the wheel is the right size and that it is securely fastened to reduce the chance of injury. There are also plastic balls in which you can put it inside and let it run around on the floor without worrying about it moving away from you. Both are excellent and you can be sure that your hamster is exercising enough.

***Chewable toys for hamsters***

Hamsters need enough objects and toys to be able to keep their ever-growing teeth in good condition. Wooden chewable toys for pets are an ideal choice. Smaller sizes of balls, rings and tunnels sold for rabbits are also suitable for hamsters.

Hamsters also love toilet paper tubes and the role of kitchen paper, and now you will find some tubes that are much more durable.

***Climbing and housing options for hamsters***

There are a variety of climbing and houses designed for hamsters and other small rodents. Wooden stairs and climbing blocks are ideal for them. If you can not find wooden ladders on rodent species in the store you will visit, check on bird species. The coconut shell can also be used as a hamster house. The ropes can also be used to make hanging toys and bridges in the hamster cage. Extreme care must be taken when hanging toys and ropes - use thicker rope sizes and make sure your hamster (head, body, legs or nails) can not get entangled in the ropes you used to hang the items.

***Calcium stones for hamsters***

These are not really necessary. If your hamster gnaws on them it can help keep their teeth in good condition, although because they are hard enough some hamsters may not use them.

### And yes, they can be trained!

Managing and training hamsters is one of the most enjoyable processes that accompanies the presence of the nicest pet in our home! However, until they get to know you, you will have difficulty even holding them in your hand. Hamsters sometimes bite, which means that they are scared and defend themselves in the best possible way they know. If you remain constantly cool and polite when with him, offering him small quantities of his favorite delicacies, you will soon see him get acquainted with you.

**General rules**

To make it easier for your new hamster to handle, there are some simple rules you can follow to ensure that your hamster will not be stressed or frightened when you start dealing with it:

a) When you bring a new hamster home, give him a week to get used to his new home and environment before you start dealing with it.

b) Make sure your hamster has a beautiful, spacious cage and everything else needed to make his stay enjoyable, without the stress of the same.

c) Place his cage in such a place that it is close to people, but not disturbed by excessive noise, any other pets or other annoyances (especially during the day, when he will mainly sleep).

d) Do not disturb / keep your hamster busy during the day while he sleeps, especially in the beginning. Deal with it after it has come out of its nest on its own - waking it up is a very τρόπος easy way to make it grumpy and weird!

### Training the hamster

It takes time and patience to tame the hamster and get acquainted with it. Do not rush to do it. Take the time to get to know him and learn his needs. The key is to gain his trust so that he does not think he has reason to fear you. Remember that if you push it hard and in a short time, it will be stressful and it will be much harder to trust you.

#### **Read the following steps and be careful not to rush each step, involuntarily stressing the hamster:**

Step 1: Give him time to feel comfortable in his new environment. When he starts eating, drinking and playing with you present near him, you can proceed below…

Step 2: Spend more time near his cage and talk to him in a low voice so he can get used to your voice. You do not know what to say to him? Read him a book or sing to him - the choice is yours!

Step 3: Offer him some delicious delicacies (try sunflower seeds or any dried fruit) with your hand. Start by administering them through the cage railings (if you have a cage with railings, otherwise give them out of the cage door). When he starts running to catch his delicacy, try putting your hand in the cage. Do not try to touch it - let it come on its own and explore your hand.

Step 4: Put his delicacy in your open hand and in the cage, so that the hamster can get it through it. Again, do not push it - let it approach you alone.

Step 5: Place the treat in your hand in such a way that the hamster has to climb on your hand to catch it. When the hamster finds the courage to do so - and only then - try to gently grasp it and lift it. The first few times the hamster will probably jump in and out, but if you are polite, calm and persistent you will eventually let him know that your hand is safe for it.

The length of time this progress of your relationship with the hamster varies, especially depending on the hamster's age and personality. The hamster may be quick to pick it up or it may even take a month for it to trust you.

### How to catch your hamster

The best way to catch and lift your hamster is to have it in the fist of one hand, covering its back with the other to prevent it from jumping out of your hand and injuring itself. Especially in the beginning, it is better to hold it over your belly or some other soft surface, in case it falls or jumps. As he gets used to it, let him walk from one hand to the other or over your shoulders. You can continue to offer him delicacies, although he may not be so interested in them when there are more interesting things around him to explore!

Hope this helped!!!