Katherine’s Hamster Booklet

About This Booklet First things first: this book is not official in any way, and is not associated with any entity mentioned except for myself (and even then, I’m not sure). Anyway, I get no kickbacks from anyone and my opinions are my own.

I put this together because I wanted one resource on hamsters. There were too many books, Web sites, and pamphlets to read whenever I tried to find something.

Therefore, I put only the information I needed into this booklet. It does not include

anything on breeding or competing, nor does it talk about how to convince your parents to buy a hamster.

This book is for people who have decided to get a hamster as a pet and want a quick reference guide. Basically, if you are the person responsible for your pet, then you ought to find this booklet useful.

The resources I used to assemble this book are listed in the Bibliography. For details, I recommend that you see those or visit your local library (Dewey decimal number 636.9).

Getting a Hamster Before you buy a hamster, you should do a little reading. This isn’t just for your own edification; responsible hamster sellers will want to make sure you’re going to take good care of their animal. You will want to understand their questions and respond correctly.

For example, when I bought my hamster the woman said that

the store liked their buyers to treat the hamsters for wet tail. I knew what she meant and agreed readily, rather than giving her a blank “What’s a wet tail?” stare.

This booklet includes everything that I’ve found useful during the first few weeks of owning my hamster, and so it should help you learn what you need to know.

Is a Hamster the Pet for You?

Contents

About This Book 1

Getting a Hamster 1 Is a Hamster the Pet for You? 1 Your Responsibilities 2 Getting Things Ready 3 Selecting a Pet Store 3 Choosing a Hamster 4 Going Home 5

Room and Board 6 Cages 6 Dishes 7 Floor Covering 7 Nesting Material 7 Accessories 8 The Wheel 8 The Hamster Ball 8 Wooden Toys 9 About Feeding Your Hamster 9 Cleaning the Cage 11

Understanding Your Hamster 12 Hamster Speak 12 Other Things 13 What it Means to Tame 13 Biting 14 Earning Your Hamster’s Trust 14 Hand-Taming Your Hamster 15 How to Hold Your Hamster 15 When and Where to Tame 16 Teaching Your Hamster to Come16

A Few More Things 17 Hamster Health 17 Toilet Training 18 Guarding Against Insects 18 Dealing with Escapes 18 Herbal Tonic 19 Vacation 19

Bibliography 20

Hamsters are great pets for people who live in apartments with little or no yard and who work during the day.

I wanted a pet, but I own a small condo and don’t have a private yard. I thought it would be cruel to make a dog live under those conditions. The condo’s a little on the small side, even for cats. A hamster, however, only needs a space the size of its cage.

Also, they are nocturnal. Hamsters are great for people who like to have an animal at home but only have time in the evening (Fritzsche, 1982). For example, my hamster wakes up after I get home from work and have dinner. He goes to bed shortly before I leave for work.

Other great things about hamsters: they groom themselves about as often as cats do, and, except for the wheels they’re quiet.

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With the exception of dwarf hamsters, they are loners, so you only need one hamster.

“Hamsters are amusing animals. They sit up, stand on their hind legs, sit like bears and climb and grasp practically anything they can get their ‘hands’ on. They can grasp with their hind feet as well, and they enjoy doing acrobatic tricks” (Roberts, 1981, p.8).

I once watched my hamster climb backwards up a curved tube. When he was younger, he was able to climb vertical bars. I also watched him hang by his

feet from a platform to get from one level to the next.

“Their teeth and nails generally wear down as they grow and need no attention. There’s no reason to bathe a hamster … It will groom itself clean as long as it’s healthy. Even the coat of the longhaired variety needs only an occasional gentle brushing” (Roberts, 1981, p.8).

One thing I noticed was that my hamster’s toenails did not wear down on paper bedding and plastic platforms. Hamster-friendly pellet bedding resolved the issue.

Your Responsibilities

Hamsters need to exercise a lot. In the wild, they travel miles each day to forage for food.

Hamsters are not toys. They have feelings and their own reason for being. If you are not ready to deal with an animal that has its own personality, do not buy a pet at this time.

Hamsters are relatively easy to take care of, as well as inexpensive. These days you can get a good cage for about $40 (including wheel and water bottle) and a hamster for about $20. After that, you just need to keep the hamster in fresh food and bedding.

Of course there are lots of toys offered by pet stores for hamsters, and you can expand their cage systems. Hamsters get bored easily, so they like a variety of toys and occasional changes to the setup of their cages.

If you don’t or can’t spend a lot of money on toys, there are cheap alternatives. Paper towel and toilet paper rolls are excellent playthings, as are wooden spools. In fact, anything wooden that isn’t poisonous is terrific because hamsters need to gnaw

constantly to keep their teeth from getting too long.

They are very energetic, so you need to give them ways to exercise (such as a wheel). Hamster balls and pens are also ways for hamsters to exercise, but only while supervised and only as long as they are comfortable.

They can catch a cold, so you need to be careful around them when you’re sick and always keep them away from drafts. “At temperatures of about 50o F the animals contract a type of winter numbness that is not good for them” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.13).

Just as being too cold is unhealthy, too much heat is not a good thing. Direct sunlight is not good for these nocturnal pets. Hamsters can also suffer from heat stroke, even die, so put their cage where it will never be in the path of direct sunlight.

“Air that is too dry is unhealthy for hamsters, and damp air will also eventually make them sick.

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A relative humidity that does not exceed 40–50% is ideal” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.13).

There is a brief section on hamster health near the end of this booklet. Hamsters are

generally hardy enough that they will not get very sick, but you should take all precautions. You might want to find a good veterinarian in your area who is experienced with small animals.

Getting Things Ready Long before you actually buy your hamster, you should get everything ready. This involves buying a cage, accessories, food, vitamin supplements, bedding, etc.

There is a lot to do and a lot of things to get ready. Please read the “Room and Board” section on the things you ought to have before you bring your hamster home.

The reason you want to have the cage, bedding, and food at home before you buy a hamster is so that your hamster will not have to go through the stress of waiting while you get everything assembled. You want to be able to put your hamster in his new home so he can get settled as soon as possible. Stress is very bad for any animal’s health.

Selecting a Pet Store Everyone says you should buy your hamster from a reputable person or business. Breeders seem to be a popular choice among may of the authors, but a store that cares about its animals is fine.

“A clean, tidy shop is often a good indication that the shop owners take pride in their shop and therefore are likely to take pride in the hamsters they sell. An untidy or dirty shop is best avoided” (Hill, 2002, “Buying a Hamster”).

Make sure the hamsters are not crowded into a small cage or aquarium and that there is a sleeping house inside. It shouldn’t be lit too brightly, because the heat and light makes hamsters sick. There should be fresh food and water (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

“If the cages are clean and the animals appear happy and well

kept, then this should ultimately reflect the quality of the animal. Avoid getting hamsters from unreliable sources such as small cramped pet shops” (Hill, 2002, “Buying a Hamster”).

I knew I was not going to buy my hamster at the mall pet store. When I went there to buy some basic cage supplies, the teenage employees were standing around discussing their social lives. The girl at the counter didn’t even work there, but she did hop off to get someone who could conduct the sale.

Instead, I bought my first hamster at a store in Natick, MA, USA, called Pet World. I chose them because I know they care about their animals. They work with several pet adoption agencies to get animals into good homes.

The cheek pouches “extend from the cheeks to the shoulder and can hold food approximately equal to one-half of the animal’s volume”

(Roberts, 1981, p.6)

© 2004 Katherine Jean Witbeck, All Rights Reserved

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Choosing a Hamster

The best time to select a hamster is during its normal waking hours, in the late afternoon or evening (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

I picked my hamster out of a group of three boys. One of them slept on his back through the selection process. The hamster I chose was the most active, the one who sniffed my finger as I pointed at him and then explored the cage while I talked with the salesperson.

Breeds There are many breeds of hamster, and I recommend you refer to some of the resources in the Bibliography to learn more about them.

The most typical hamster is the Syrian. There are different kinds of Syrians: golden, standard, fancy, teddy bear, and so on. There are also hairless Syrian hamsters, which have the nickname “alien.”

“Syrian Hamsters are solitary and although they live together as babies, as they mature their solitary instinct develops and they will not usually tolerate the company of another hamster once they reach approximately 8-10 weeks of age. ... If Syrian Hamsters are not housed separately serious fighting, injury and even death can occur” (Hill, 2002, “Hamster Caging”).

Because Syrian hamsters are loners, you only need to buy, house and feed one. Other common choices are dwarf hamsters and Chinese hamsters. Dwarf hamsters are more social than the other breeds, and you can generally keep more than one in a cage.

You just need enough space and one exercise wheel per hamster because even they will fight if forced into close quarters.

Age The youngest age of hamster you should buy is 5–6 weeks, to make sure they are weaned properly, independent, and eating well. Pet World seems to sell theirs at about 7 weeks.

When deciding on the age at which to buy your hamster, keep in mind that they will live about 2 years, 4 at most.

You can adopt an older hamster, but it will be harder to tame and you may not have as much time with it. This is not a bad option for adults who would like to rescue an unwanted hamster or can’t devote a lot of time to training.

Health The hamster’s nose should be dry and moist with no discharge, eyes round, wide open, clear, and no signs of staining. The fur should be smooth and unbroken with no signs of breaking. It should have an alert, inquisitive manner and not be alarmed by handling. (Hill, 2002, “Buying a Hamster”)

“Check that the hamster is bright eyed and alert when it is awake. It should be inquisitive and not too nervous. Beware of any hamster that has runny or sticky eyes, runny nose, sneezing, wet or dirty bottom, matted fur, seems lethargic or does not have a firm body. All of these things can indicate a sick hamster” (Hill, 2002, “Selecting your Hamster).

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If you really want to get serious, check the teeth and the fur. “The top incisors should just overlap, but touch, those of the lower jaw” (Barrie, 1996, p.17).

Part the fur to check for parasites; if there are fleas or lice, then the hamster is living in dirty living conditions—don’t buy the hamster and report the store to the authorities.

Gender Males tend to be tamer and longer-lived than females. When females also go into

heat, they emit a musky odor (Mays, 1993, p.30). Males also emit an odor from their scent glands (Barrie, 1996, p.18). Females tend to be larger and more aggressive.

Disposition “The hamster you choose should have a gentle disposition. If it is nasty and doesn’t allow you to pick it up, don’t buy it” (Roberts, 1981, p.12). “Active hamsters…are alert and playful. Avoid obtaining hamsters that seem listless and lethargic” (Barrie, 1996, p.18).

Going Home Some stores will give you a flimsy cardboard box for transporting your new pet home. It’s a nice thought, but hamsters can easily chew through these and escape.

My hamster was placed in a small, solid, corrugated cardboard shipping box, so I knew he couldn’t gnaw through it. You might want to be prepared with your own small transport cage, however.

Get some of the floor covering that was in the cage with your new hamster, so it can have a little piece of home to take with it. This makes the transition easier.

Do not abandon the hamster in the trunk or back seat. If there is a passenger, they should hold the hamster in their lap. Otherwise secure the hamster in its container, somewhere you can see it (Fritzsche, 1982).

Hamsters have sensitive hearing. Don’t play loud music on the way home. Instead, talk to your hamster so it can get accustomed to your voice (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

When you get home, be careful when moving your hamster from the box to its new home. You might want to wear gloves, as it may be extremely nervous and defensive. (Bucsis & Somerville, 2003)

Do not try to interact with the hamster for at least 24-48 hours after getting it home. It has just been uprooted, and doesn’t need the additional stress of a new person trying to touch it. Let it explore its new home, decide where it wants to sleep, and otherwise get accustomed to its new home before introducing yourself.

You will know if your hamster feels at home if you see it yawn, stretch, or groom (Bucsis & Somerville, 2003).

This setup uses tubes in elaborate configurations. Hamsters don’t

really like climbing down, which is something to keep in mind as you assemble the home (if you decide

to expand on a central cage).

In my setup, there is more focus on destinations. A medium-sized cage is connected to a small cage and half a dozen rooms by various

tunnels, none of which are very long. There are places to explore,

and I can secret a treat in different places so my hamster can forage

like he would in the wild.

© 2004 Katherine Jean Witbeck, All Rights Reserved

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Room and Board There are a lot of options for cages, toys, accessories, and food.

There are four very important questions to keep in mind when

selecting a cage: 1.) Can the hamster escape? 2.) Will the hamster be sufficiently entertained? 3.) Is it easy to clean? 4) Does the cage have sufficient ventilation?

Cages

CritterTrail1, as shown on the Petco website, has a solid plastic top and bottom, a wheel, a water bottle, a food dish, expansion hookups, and a

tube the hamster can use to get into the small upper room.

The Habitrail Space Station has a

solid plastic bottom and a rounded cage top, with a wheel, a command

deck, and places for expansion.

An example of simpler alternatives is this Coast Cage del Mar setup, which has a rubber bottom and a

cage that rests inside it.

The cage will be the biggest expense in getting a hamster, but you don’t have to spend a fortune. I spoiled my hamster because I could and wanted to.

“In general, buy, don’t build. ...anything you can build can be bought for less, and it might very well be better” (Roberts, 1981, p.17).

Get the largest cage you can afford. “Hamsters require more than just a minimum of freedom of movement” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.6)

Some friends of mine who have hamsters keep one in a Super Pet CritterTrail1 and the other in a CritterTrail3. Those have lasted for at least a year.

To begin, I bought a CritterTrail1 and a CritterTrail mini 1, then hooked them up with extra tubes and little rooms for fun. I’ve expanded it significantly since then.

A lot of the literature criticizes cages where the hamster might cross the wheel to go from one platform to another. The argument is that it’s not safe, and having watched my friend’s hamster try to do it, I agree.

If you do decide on a tall cage with platforms, I recommend buying or building “bridge” accessories to allow your hamster to cross safely from one place to another.

Habitrail makes themed cages, such as their Space Station and Safari sets. They have extensive accessories that you can to the system that continue these themes.

(My friends first bought the Space Station cage, and the wheel promptly fell apart. The Outposts in my setup work fine, but things do start to jam when potty litter and chinchilla dust get in the simple workings.)

The third major brand is SAM, which has cute names for their cages like “Clubhouse” and “Park Avenue.” I only have a few tubes made by SAM so far, but they seem sturdy.

All the systems listed here are compatible with each other, and I use a little of each in my setup (shown on page 5).

The other option is a basic wire cage, such as the Coast Cage del Mar shown at the side. The upper floors are solid, which spares your hamster from long drops.

The wire floors, however, are not nice for hamster feet. To fix this, you can cover it with a Magic Mat from Oasis or plastic needlepoint canvas.

Aquariums are another option, as long as you use lid that adapts it for air circulation and places to hook up habit trails, like the setup shown on page 16.

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Dishes The water bottles that use a ball bearing at the end of the watering tube seem to work best. You also want one that has a mouth wide enough to make adding water (and medication, as needed) easy.

Food dishes should be heavy enough that they cannot be

flipped over. Ceramics are a popular choice because they’re solid.

Dishes need to be washed with hot water twice a week. The water bottle should be filled every day with fresh water at room temperature.

Floor Covering When you get your cage, you will want to line it with something. It’s important to choose a safe material.

Mays says that the best kind is white wood shavings because “they are very absorbent and will not cause any discomfort to the hamster” (1993, p.50).

Kitty litter is also an option, but not the dusty white kind. It’s not comfortable for sleeping however, so you need to get nesting material, too.

Sawdust is no good. It can get into the hamster’s eyes and nose, which is dangerous. It’s also not easy to clean, and hamsters can’t make nests out of it.

Do not use poisonous, overly aromatic, sharp or entangling

bedding. (Roberts, 1981). Do not use cedar chips because “they release large amounts of phenol fumes, which is related to liver damage” (Hill, 2002, “Hamster Bedding”). Pine shavings also have phenol, but aspen does not (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

Wood-pulp paste products like CareFresh are more absorbent than wood shavings. Chipped wood products made from aspen or maple are safe wood options. Wood pellets are another option, and you can get heat-treated pine because the phenols have been removed (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

Newspaper is right out because the inks are toxic. Soft-texture pellet litter made from recycled newspaper is okay.

Nesting Material Hamsters are burrowing mammals, and they like to line their bedroom with comfy fluff, just as people like pillows and blankets.

The safest choice is paper products, those that don’t use ink and haven’t been chemically treated.

According to various authors, cotton wool is not good for

hamsters because it can hurt them. They can get their legs tangled in it, they can choke on it, and it can block their stomachs. (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002; Hill, 2002, “Hamster Bedding”; Mays, 1993).

“Wood pulp can be used as a nesting material, as well as unscented facial tissues...” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.17).

Ceramic dishes resist being tipped over or gnawed. Gnawing of plastic is a concern to many authors, who

think the hamsters may ingest harmful amounts of plastic bits.

The H2O water bottle by Habitrail is a good example of water bottles

that are easy for hamsters to use.

And it’s just fun.

© 2004 Katherine Jean Witbeck, All Rights Reserved

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“Do not use hay, as it can damage the hamster’s eyes and cheek pouches and bring in mites” (Mays, 1993, p.56).

If you use unscented bathroom tissue, you can put a roll with a couple of squares remaining in

the cage. Your hamster will tear up the tissue for bedding and use the tube for playing.

Periodically, you should remove any soiled nesting material. Give your hamster fresh, clean nesting material that it can use to restructure its nest.

Accessories One of the most important things to know about hamsters is that they are energetic. Most books go into the evolutionary history of hamsters, probably because they want you to know that in the wild, hamsters will travel 2 to 3 miles a day to forage for food.

That’s why hamsters need room to exercise and why hamster wheels and balls are popular.

The hamster’s home does not need to be enormous, just interesting, and a wheel or something is very important.

“The hamster wheel gives animals that are persistent runners in the wild an opportunity for vital exercise without which their muscles would atrophy” (Fritzsche, 1982, pp.17-18).

The Wheel Hamsters, being nocturnal, will do most of their exercising at night. Wheels have a reputation for squeaking, but vegetable oil can be used to lubricate the wheel without the risk of poisoning the hamster.

In my first setup, I had the hamster wheel in the central cage and a loop-the-loop that connected to the side. (I used the tube loop to hold the hamster ball.)

Some people say plastic wheels are not safe because they can be chewed (Mays, 1993). Others say that wire wheels are no good because the hamster’s feet can slip between the rails. Wheels without a solid back can be dangerous. Wheels that are too small can be dangerous.

Regardless, a wheel is a good thing for a hamster, so decide what risks you’re willing to take with your hamster.

The Hamster Ball

At the very least, hamsters need space to play and a wheel to run on

Several authors say that hamster balls are a form of torture for hamsters, a rolling prison from which the hamster can never escape.

My friends’ hamsters, however, would freely climb into their balls and are reluctant to leave after an hour of play. My hamster seems to like his, too, roaming around my condo.

This is one of those times when you should let your hamster’s preferences guide you.

Even the authors who approve of this toy make it clear that you should not use it as a babysitter; keep an eye on your hamster when he’s exploring. A tumble down the stairs or an unexpected kick could prove disastrous.

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Wooden Toys Wooden toys are great because hamsters can play with them and gnaw on them to file their ever-growing incisors.

You can buy little wooden houses for your hamster, chew blocks, seesaws, and so on.

Tinker Timbers lets you build (and change) things to put in the cage with the hamster, allowing for variety without spending much money. Keeping hamsters from being bored is a common theme in the literature.

About Feeding Your Hamster Food, water, and vitamins will keep your hamster healthy. Hamsters will eat when they are hungry and stash uneaten food to eat later.

“Just because your hamster accepts what you offer and stuffs it into his pouches, it doesn’t mean that he plans to eat it soon, or ever. He just wants it, period” (Roberts, 1981, p.26).

The food recommended by the store where I bought my hamster is called Sun Seed Critter Cubes. It looks blah to me, but they said it had all the vitamins a hamster needs. Still, “it doesn’t satisfy the hamster’s natural desire for variety” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.32).

Hamsters will pick and choose from seed mixes, however, and tend to turn up their little noses at the healthier choices (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002). That is why all-in-one pellet foods are good for your hamster: they can’t help but eat the healthy bits. (Also, it’s hard, so hamsters will file their teeth on it.)

“Because the seed mixture is generally tastier and more interesting to the hamster than the pelleted and block-type concoctions, the seed mixture is best fed in addition to the

pellets or blocks to ensure the hamster both enjoys her meal and receives a proper mix of nutrients” (Siino, 1999, p.57).

I use it as the core and then add hamster-specific seed mix, with soy treats and “cheese cakes” for protein. Other good sources of protein for hamsters are yogurt, hard-boiled egg whites, and cottage cheese.

The day I bought the hamster, I also bought daily liquid multi-vitamins and, as I mentioned earlier, Wet-Tail Plus Antibiotic tablets. “Many hamsters develop a potentially fatal illness called wet tail as a result of change or disruption in their lives” (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002), such as moving from the pet store to your home.

“In addition to a grain mixture, your hamster needs fresh fruit or vegetables every day, as well as a small amount of animal protein in the form of mealworms, cottage cheese, or yogurt” (Hollmann, 2003, p.9).

Don’t give your hamster too many fruits or vegetables because that can lead to diarrhea. Do not feed him anything with citric acid (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

Because hamsters hoard their food, you need to raid the cache occasionally and dispose

Wooden toys are fun and good

for hamsters to chew on (as long as they do not contain toxins).

© 2004 Katherine Jean Witbeck, All Rights Reserved

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of perishable foods to prevent disease.

Keep your hamster supplied with fresh water; change it daily even if your hamster doesn’t seem to drink a lot (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002). Wash the bottle regularly with warm, soapy water.

If you find that your hamster doesn’t drink much water, fruits and plants that are very “wet” (e.g., apples) are a good way to keep your hamster hydrated.

Hamster Nutrition: Proteins are important for young hamsters or hamsters recovering from an illness, because they are building body tissue (Barrie, 1996).

However, too much protein can lead to a fat hamster. Dairy products and nuts as well as meat, are high in protein (Barrie, 1996).

Hamsters need a diet that’s high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates make an excellent day-to-day energy supply, and they’re not expensive.

Hamsters get their carbohydrates mostly of grains seeds, cereals, and so on (Barrie, 1996). You can also give them small amounts of cooked rice or pasta, unsweetened cereal, and whole wheat bread (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

Vitamins are important because “they enable chemical reactions within body cells to take place” (Barrie, 1996, p.23). Minerals are necessary for healthy cell structures and normal body structures. Just as a lack of vitamins and minerals

can be dangerous, however, an excess can harm your hamster (Barrie, 1996).

Blah food that has some but not all of the necessary ingredients is no better than a haphazard diet of seeds, nuts, and vegetables.

Pay attention to the foods your hamster eats most. When it’s feeling a little blue, the offer of one of its favorite treats might make it feel better.

Good fun foods are yogurt treats intended for hamsters, seed sticks, Party Cakes, etc. No candy, cakes, cookies, or chocolate (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

Hamster Food: Alfalfa, Seedless apple pieces, Asparagus, Avocado (skinned and seedless), Banana, Basil, Blackberries, Blueberries, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Calabrese, Carrots, Cauliflower leaves and stalks, Celery, Chestnuts, Chicory, Chinese leaves, Coriander, Corn-on-the- cob, Corn salad, Courgettes, Cranberries, Cress, Cucumber, Curly kale, Dates, Endive, Fenugreek, Feijoa, Figs, Grapes, Green beans, Kiwi fruit, Kumquat, Lettuce (small amounts occasionally, it can cause liver problems), Logan berries, Lychee, Mange tout, Mango, Marrow, Melon, Mint, Mung, Okra, Pak choy, Papaya, Parsley, Peach, Pear, Peas, Raspberries, Raspberry plant leaves, Rocket chard, Sage, Sorrel, Squash, Star fruit, Strawberries, Sugar cane (small amounts), Sweet potato, Soybean sprouts, Swede, Sweetcorn, Sweet peppers, Ugli fruit, Turnip, Water chestnuts, Watermelon, Water spinach

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Alyssum, Asters, Bramble leaves, Blackberry leaves, Burnet, Chickweed, Clover, Coltsfoot, Cornflowers, Cow parsley, Crosswort, Dandelion leaves and flower, Dock, Groundsel, Hawthorn leaves, Hedge parsley, Knot grass, Mallow, Marigolds, Michaelmas daisies, Nasturtiums, Phlox, Plantain, Roses, Salvias, Sow thistle, Sweetpeas, Trefoil, Watercress, Young grass

“I must emphasize here that not even the smallest portion of fresh food should be permitted to remain in the cage because it spoils quickly and may cause disease” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.32).

“Hamsters are gnawing animals. ... Although they do

enjoy soft foods, they are designed and equipped to consume hard materials which are slowly chewed and slowly digested” (Roberts, 1981, p.26)

NOT Hamster Food: Citrus fruits, Chocolate, Kidney beans (raw), Onion, Potato (raw), Potato tops, Rhubarb (raw), Rhubarb leaves, Tomato leaves, Bindweed, Bluebells, Bulbs, Buttercups, Clematis, Crocus, Deadly nightshade, Elder, Evergreen plants, Hemlock, Henbane, Horse chestnut, Laurel leaves, Oak leaves, Privet, Ragwort, Scarlet Pimpernel, Speedwell, Toadflax

(Hill, 2002, “Hamsters - Fruit and Vegetables”)

Cleaning the Cage “Hamsters are clean animals that groom themselves thoroughly and often and feel comfortable only in a clean cage. Therefore you must without fail change the [floor covering] once or twice a week” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.21).

Remember that hamsters are nocturnal and they prefer “quiet, dimly lit uninterrupted sleep during the day. Therefore, do not wake your pet because you want his attention. Even the brief daily chores of cleaning his bathroom area and providing fresh food and water should be done only when he's awake.” (Petco, 2003, “How Much Time Should I Spend With My Hamster Every Day?”).

“Recommended cleaning schedule:

“Daily scooping of the area she uses to relieve herself

“Weekly change of her bedding

“A monthly washing of her cage” with warm, soapy water (Petco, 2003, “Grooming: Eliminating Hamster Stains and Odors”).

Use a mild bleach on the bars and on the more soiled areas of the cage (i.e., the hamster’s toilets) (Barrie, 1996). Another recommended cleaning agent is vinegar.

“The sleeping quarters, with bedding and paraphernalia, must be aired every 4 weeks, even though normally not dirtied or used as a toilet. Uneaten perishable food (fruit, vegetables, and meat) should be removed daily” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.21).

While you’re cleaning the cage, you should put the hamster in a hamster-proof box or a play ball (Nguyen, 2003, “Cleaning Tasks”).

Although you need to clean regularly, you do not want to

disturb the hamster’s home too often, as this will make it nervous

(Roberts, 1981).

© 2004 Katherine Jean Witbeck, All Rights Reserved

Page 12 A Hamster BookletHamster Book

Understanding Your Hamster

A hamster in someone’s hand.

Hamsters are creatures of this world as much as we are, and they have feelings. They don’t think or feel like we do, but that doesn’t make them less worthy of good treatment. Be nice to your hamster and it should live a long happy life, enriching your own.

Although hamsters do not like each other’s company much, they can enjoy the company of humans (Petco, 2003, “Natural Hamster Behavior”).

“If you want a tame hamster, you must handle it as often as possible” (Barrie, 1996, p.18). An hour a day of contact with your hamster should help you to tame it.

You should understand and tame your hamster not just for your enjoyment of the animal. You want to be able to tell if your hamster is behaving oddly, and you also have to be able to inspect the hamster.

“Once fully tame, a pet hamster will really enjoy walking up your arm, on your shoulder, and on your lap; they are very inquisitive creatures so are always on the move” (Barrie, 1995, p.58). Be careful not to let them fall.

The following is an introduction to hamster psychology, allowing you to get an understanding of what your hamster is trying to tell you.

Hamster Speak Action

Shrieks

Squeaks

Grunts & squeaks

Teeth chattering

Both paws raised defensively

Cheeks puffed & belly showing

Twitching & face washing

Lying motionless on its back

Yawning & stretching

Ears upright and open

Ears laid back and curled

Biting the cage bars

Licking your hand

Lying on its back, holding its paws up and opening its mouth

Interpretation Afraid

Upset

Mad

Warning before an attack

Warding off unexpected attacks

Aggression

Scared

Resistance and fear

Peaceful and cozy

(Fritzsche, 1982)

Happy

Defensive and cranky

(Rogers, 1981)

Bored

You are tasty today

The hamster is disturbed and wants to be left alone

(Mays, 1993)

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Action Mewling and growling

Hissing

Grinding its teeth

Squealing

Screeching

Interpretation Bad mood, leave it alone

Not in the mood for company

In the mood to bite somebody

Displeased

Really displeased

(Hollmann, 2003)

Other Things Grooming “…you will soon realize that this little animal grooms himself constantly. Before eating, after eating, before a nap, after a nap, before a spin in the hamster ball, after a spin in the hamster ball…” (Siino, 1999, pp.26-27).

Hamsters love to be clean and live somewhere that is kept neat. When they wake up, they will bathe from head to toe. First they wash their face, and then they use their paws and tongue to clean their tummy, back, and legs. (Fritzsche, 1982).

When your hamster grooms itself, it’s a sign of health and

contentment (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

(Incessant face washing might be a sign of stress.)

Do not bathe your hamster in water. They are desert creatures, and they get clean by rolling in sand (chinchilla bath dust is an excellent choice for this). If you bathe your hamster in water, it could get sick.

Hamster Memory Hamsters have excellent memories. If you handle it roughly, your hamster will remember and it will fear you (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

What It Means to Tame a Hamster “You’ll have to work at getting your hamster to like you” (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002). For me, this felt like the hardest part of having a hamster.

Most of the literature is focused more on finding and housing your hamster, as well as keeping your hamster healthy. The first time I tried to interact with my hamster, he bit my finger. I bled a lot, and it hurt, and my hamster was very scared.

Anyway, that’s why I began this booklet. Later I found Training

Your Pet Hamster by Bucsis and Somerville, which is more about taming and less about buying or breeding.

“An animal that takes food from your hand and comes to the wire when its master or mistress appears (instead of hiding) is food-tame or wire-tame.

“An animal that listens for his master’s or mistress’s voice, always enjoys his or her company (even when no food is forthcoming), and likes to be stroked and rubbed gently is

© 2004 Katherine Jean Witbeck, All Rights Reserved

Page 14 A Hamster BookletHamster Book

completely tame. He meets his owner confidently and has lost all fear” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.21).

If you don’t handle your hamster too roughly, it should become food-tame after a while. Stroking is not a real big deal to hamsters, but if you’re stroking it and it starts to groom itself, that means it likes what you’re doing (Fritzsche, 1982).

“Hamsters become finger-tame in many cases. This is more likely to happen if you are calm and patient and play with them every evening. Of course, playtime should begin only when the hamster comes out of his nest of his own accord” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.21).

“There are various ways to make a hamster friendly. But certainly you must spend time with him regularly” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.22).

Biting

Hamsters that are young or not fully tame “may nip when first picked up—this is out of fear more than aggression” (Barrie, 1995, p.58).

To avoid biting, you need to be patient during the taming process and you shouldn’t wake your hamster or startle it (Fritzsche, 1982).

Fritzsche described the method one family used to tame their

hamster, Mickey. Each evening, the family sat around a table where they had placed their hamster while wearing gloves. They spoke to him calmly and kept him off the edge of the table. “It took about three months before he stopped nipping, but no one lost patience. Today Mickey is a year old and so tame that he lets himself be carried around…without ever biting” (Fritzsche, 1982, pp.21-22).

Earning Your Hamster’s Trust You should give your new

hamster a couple of days to get accustomed to its habitat before you really try to interact with it. It’s also a good time for you to learn about your hamster.

The hamster can decide where it wants to sleep, eat, play, and defecate during this time. Sit near the cage and just watch it (Hollmann, 2003) or read more stuff on hamsters.

When your hamster is awake, do your chores softly: change the water, clean out dirty shavings and litter, and check the food stash to make sure nothing is going bad.

Once the hamster is settled, your next step is to get your hamster used to your hands (Hollmann, 2003). Open the cage door and then, with one hand (wear gloves at first, just in case), offer your hamster a treat. Use a finger on your other hand to stroke its back (Hollmann, 2003).

You should slide your hand slowly into the cage. Do not chase your hamster and don’t wiggle your fingers (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

“Hamsters are curious critters…. Watch him sniff your finger—what he’s doing is filing your smell away into his scent

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memory for future reference. And if all the while you talk to him in a pleasant tone, he’ll file away the sound of your voice, as well” (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002, p.24).

If you are aggressive, your hamster will associate your scent with danger. You’ll probably prefer that it think of you as the bringer of treats and affection.

After you have earned the hamster’s trust, it might be willing to let you stroke it even if you don’t give it food.

Eventually it might climb into your hand of its own accord. (Hollmann, 2003; Roberts, 1981). You shouldn’t force the hamster, because it may lose its faith in you (Hollmann, 2003).

As you spend time with your hamster, it will soon smell itself on you, and so it will trust you even more. It likes your warm skin as long as you don’t smell like perfume or chemicals (Hollmann, 2003).

Remember that this process will take time—weeks, not days. Be patient.

Hand-Taming Your Hamster In general, you should wash your hands so they don’t smell like food. You don’t want your hands to smell like chemicals, either. Expert hamster handlers run their hands through the shavings first, so they smell familiar to the hamster (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002; Hollmann, 2003).

I’m going to add that the first time you should wear heavy gloves. If your hamster nips the glove, then you might want to wear gloves for a while.

“Slowly put your hand in the cage and let your hamster get to know your scent (all the more reason not to smell of something else).

“Offer a tidbit and let it nibble.

“Stroke your pet's fur with the finger of your other hand, but avoid petting your hamster's head” (Petco, 2003, “Hamster Socialization”). (Hollmann

specifically says to stroke the head. I say, do whatever your hamster seems to like.)

Another way to get your hamster tame is to pick it up several times a day until it becomes accustomed to you. You do not want to swoop down on it from above, like a predatory bird. Rather, you want to access your hamster from the side. (Mays, 1993)

If your hamster is too fidgety to pick it up safely, tame it more slowly by placing treats in the palm of your hand. Hold your hand in the cage, and then hamster should eat out of your hand. After doing this several times, it should have enough confidence in your to crawl onto your hand. (Mays, 1993)

Unless there is an emergency, you should never disturb a sleeping hamster. They don’t appreciate it and are likely to bite.

How to Hold Your Hamster

“Once your hamster has accepted your arrival, your scent, and your treats ... it's

time to pick your friend up. It needs to sense that you're not tense or frightened. If you're

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Page 16 A Hamster BookletHamster Book

stressed, your pal will get stressed, too. Still, proceed with caution: A startled, anxious, or scared hamster will flee, bite, or panic, which can lead to injuries for both of you. There are four recommended ways to lift your hamster, but—and most importantly—never lift your hamster by the scruff of the neck.

“Slide one hand under the body; the other, over the back.

“Cup your hands and scoop.

“Encircle your hamster with one hand.

“Coax it into a can or small container.

“Practice these maneuvers just above the ground or over a tabletop. Most premature hamster deaths, as well as fractures and internal injuries, come from falls” (Petco, 2003, “Hamster Socialization”).

When and Where to Tame

The designers of this home went with a Habitrail Space Station

theme to enhance the terrarium.

“Start handling that [hamster] every day—several times a day—and he’ll soon accept you as part of his life” (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002, p.20).

Wait to interact with your hamster until it wakes up, starts grooming, and roams the cage. An alert hamster is more ready for your company.

Handle your hamster while sitting on the floor or a couch. You want to hold the hamster close to the ground, so that it won’t be hurt if it jumps. Even

a short tumble can bruise or break a little hamster’s body and bones.

If you’re worried that your hamster will run away while you’re teaching it to be handled, sit in the bathtub. “Put in the plug, spread out a thick towel, climb in, and sit down” (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002, p.26). The hamster doesn’t have far to fall, and you can even let it roam the bottom of the tub without constantly guarding against escape.

Teaching Your Hamster to Come Since you don’t want to grab

your hamster as if you were a wild predator, you will want to teach it to come to you when you call it. Then you can get it to come to a specific part of the cage where you can cup it gently and it will know that it will be picked up. Bucsis and Somerville recommend conditioned response (2002).

Food rewards are a good way to train animals, just be careful not to overfeed your hamster with fattening foods. Figure out what your hamster likes best. Yogurt drops, fresh vegetables,

party cakes, Toob Snax, and Nutri-Cal are good, healthy options (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

To call your hamster to you, decide what sound you want your hamster to respond to. You can tap lightly on the table where your hamster’s home is set up, give a low whistle, make a clicking sound, or call your hamster’s name. Be consistent so your hamster knows how to behave.(Bucsis & Somerville, 2002)

Hold a treat in the cage. When the hamster takes the treat

Page 17

from your hand, make the noise that means “come here.” At first, your hamster will come because it smells the treat, and then it will come when you call in order to get a treat. Be sure that you give it a treat each time it does the right thing to encourage the learned

response. (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

Do this a couple times each evening. Long training sessions are no fun for hamsters (or you); they’ll get bored and go do something else (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002). Eventually, the hamster will learn to come when you call.

A Few More Things This section includes some things that weren’t in the earlier parts of this booklet. Most of it covers basic aspects of hamster health.

If your hamster gets too sick, you should see a veterinarian who has experience with small animals.

Hamster Health Hamsters need sleep to be healthy. If you wake it to try to force it to play on your schedule, you will shorten your hamster’s life span (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002).

If your hamster putters around during the day, it’s comparable to when you get up in the middle of the night for a glass of water. Wait until it wakes up completely before trying to play with your hamster. (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002)

“Hamsters are fairly hardy little creatures and with any luck your pet will not become ill during its short lifetime” (Mays, 1993, p.123). Things to look for that indicate your hamster might be sick are: disinterest in food or water, excessive sleeping during its active periods, lethargy, drinking way too much water, and unusual levels of aggression (Barrie, 1996).

“Daily interaction with your hamster will help you evaluate any health changes” (Siino, 1999, p.46).

Hamsters can catch your cold, and they can get sick if they are in a drafty location. When they catch a cold, they sneeze and their eyes and nose run.

To treat a cold, put the hamster near a radiator or under a high wattage desk lamp (not fluorescent) and add more nesting material.

“Mix one part of milk with one part of water, add a teaspoonful of honey, and give it lukewarm to the hamster. If the hamster in not noticeably better within a couple of days, see a vet” (Mays, 1993, p.124).

Constipation is caused by a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables or lack of exercise. As treatment, give the hamster more lettuce if it will eat. “If it does not want to eat, feed it a few drops of corn oil, medicinal paraffin or olive oil, using a syringe or eyedropper” (Mays, 1993, p.124).

Be on the lookout for eye discharge. This can indicate a cold, something in the

© 2004 Katherine Jean Witbeck, All Rights Reserved

Page 18 A Hamster BookletHamster Book

hamster’s eye, allergies, or just old age. If you are not experienced or comfortable with using cotton wool or tweezers to wash the eyes or remove the object, bring your hamster to the vet. (Mays, 1993).

Other less common illnesses are covered in the literature. Fritzsche describes typical hamster health problems and treatments. The Mays book, while having long chapters on breeding and showing, also has thorough descriptions of ailments and treatments.

Toilet Training The thing that smells the most about hamsters is their urine, so you will probably want to clean that up daily. Scoop out the soiled material, blot the area, and then replace the floor covering.

It’s not just a bad smell for you: your hamster has a more acute sense of smell than you do. “Even worse, the ammonia fumes produced when urine breaks down can irritate [your hamster’s] respiratory membranes and make him sick” (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002, p.38).

Hamsters can be litter-trained. Figure out where your hamster goes to relieve itself and place the litter there. The hamster will associate the smell of litter

with toilet duties and relieve itself accordingly.

Hamster potty litter will absorb urine and form an easily scoop-able clump.

You can buy a little covered hamster litter box at a pet store or use a glass one-pint wide-mouth soup jar. Scoop out the soiled potty litter once a day and wash the potty once a week. (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002)

The hamster might decide that it wants to use that convenient little room as a bedroom or pantry (Bucsis & Somerville, 2002). My hamster decided his “potty” should be a bedroom, maybe because it was nice and snug.

Guarding Against Insects “When you clean cages, don’t use insect sprays or dusts since some may be dangerous to your animals, and if you provide 100% fresh clean bedding, the

insects and insect eggs will be kept under control or entirely eliminated without the need for insecticides” (Roberts, 1981, p.20).

Dealing with Escapes

Hamsters love to live in excellent homes, but they’re always trying to escape, just for the sake of escaping. “Escape is seen as a grand game, reminiscent of what sent wild hamsters over miles and miles of desert terrain in search of food and adventure” (Siino, 1999, p.29).

“The hamster spends a great deal of his time plotting and figuring out ways to escape. He gnaws, digs, scratches, pushes and gnaws some more. And he waits. But at least once he will find his way out, and that’s that” (Roberts, 1981, p.20).

Do not hunt the hamster, making a ruckus, because this

Page 19

will scare it. A scared hamster is even harder to retrieve (Fritzsche, 1982).

“The ‘sunflower seed trick’ often helps. … You place a particular number of carefully counted sunflower seeds in each room and close the doors. After one night you can easily determine (by the number of sunflower seeds) where the hamster is” (Fritzsche, 1982, p.26).

One trap that you can set up to catch an escaped hamster is quite simple. You need books, a flat piece of wood or plastic, a low box or tub, soft and familiar floor covering, and some of the hamster’s favorite treats.

Line the box with the floor covering and place a couple large treats at the bottom (such as an apple slice).

Stack the books beside the box, place the piece of wood on top of the books so one end is above the box, and then place a treat at the end of the wood. When the hamster walks along the plank to the treat it should

drop into the box. Then you can return it to its home. (Barrie, 1996).

Now that I’ve explained hamster trapping, I will say that there are advantages to hunting and capturing. Your hamster may never trust you again—but at least you’ll know that it’s alive and well.

The first time my hamster escaped I set up traps and had a lousy night’s sleep. I kept starting awake, thinking I’d heard something, but there was no hamster in any of my traps. I was afraid that I was going to find his dead little body someday.

I woke up early and, while reading a book, I heard the distinct sound of hamster nibbling. He was under my nightstand and, after a twenty-minute chase, I caught him with a mixing bowl and dumped him back in his cage. While he settled back in and went to sleep, I had to rush off to work. I was exhausted, but at least I didn’t spend the day worrying about my hamster.

Herbal Tonics Because antibiotics are dangerous for hamsters, you should use natural, plant-based tonics if you want to enhance the vitamin supplements.

“Most herbal tonics stem from very common plants such as

dandelion, clover, blackberry, chickweed, plantain, groundsel and the most well-known of all garlic” (Barrie, 1995, p.60).

Feeding your hamster a sprig of parsley once in a while is good, too.

Vacation You can leave your hamster alone for 1 or 2 days, tops, as long as you provide him with enough food and water. Apple slices or carrot sticks are also a good idea. If you will be away

longer than two days, you need to make other arrangements with family, friends, kennel, the vet, or another place that will board your hamster (Fritzsche, 1982).

The rule of thumb: if you can get your thumb into an opening, your hamster can probably escape through it.

© 2004 Katherine Jean Witbeck, All Rights Reserved

Hamster BookPage 20 A Hamster Booklet

Bibliography I hope you found this booklet helpful. For more information, these are the books and websites I used to write this book. Website citations in this book link directly to the page where I found the source material. I have starred the books I think are worth owning.

Barrie, Anmarie. (1995). Hamsters As a New Pet. Neptune, NJ: T.F.H. Publications, Inc.

Barrie, Anmarie. (1996). Guide to Owning a Hamster. Neptune, NJ: T.F.H. Publications, Inc.

Bucsis, Gerry & Somerville, Barbara. (2002). Training Your Pet Hamster. New York:

Barron’s.

Fritzsche, Helga. (1982). Hamsters - golden hamsters, dwarf hamsters, gerbils - A Complete

Pet Owner’s Manual. New York: Barron’s.

Hill, Lorraine. (2002). The Complete Hamster Site (part of Pet Web Site). Retrieved May 21,

2004 from http://www.hamsters.co.uk/.

Hollmann, Peter. (2003). My Hamster and Me. New York: Barron’s.

Mays, Marianne. (1993). The Proper Care of Hamsters. Neptune, NJ: T.F.H. Publications, Inc.

Nguyen, Patrick. (2003). Caring for Hamsters. Retrieved May 23, 2004 from

http://hamstercare.co.uk/.

PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. (2003). Pet Care Articles. Retrieved May 21, 2004 from

http://www.petco.com/pet_care_article.asp?ArticleID=803.

Roberts, Mervin F. (1981). The T.F.H. Book of Hamsters. Neptune, NJ: T.F.H.

Publications, Inc.

Siino, Betsy Sikora. (1999). The Essential Hamster. New York: Wiley Publishing, Inc.