Foto: © Lara R.

Hamster-Info.net

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I am just a small animal and don‘t ask for much. But even I have needs. This is what you can do to keep me happy:

I want to live solitary. Please give me a cage of my own. Mostimportantly, don‘t keep me in one cage with the opposite sex - you‘ll have unwanted litters.

I am nocturnal / crepuscular. Please don‘t wake me up during the day (except for emergencies). You wouldn‘t want to be woken from your dreams in the middle of the night either, would you?

I am not a toy and don‘t want to be cuddled all the time. I prefer just being watched.

This works best if you house me in a big tank of 40gal / 4 square feet or bigger. You can watch me do all sorts of interesting things in there and you can set up the cage with lots of great toys for me. And you can give me lots of bedding to dig in. Remember: bigger is always better!

Hamster wool, splintery plastic, and hamster balls are danger-ous for me. I‘d much rather run in a large play pen with lots of toys - which also gives you a much better chance to watch and pet me.

I need a big wheel so I don‘t have to run with a bent back. For a dwarf hamster a wheel should be 8 inches or more and for a Syrian 10 inches or more in diameter.

Please don‘t give me sugary or highly processed feeds. It is not healthy for me and can make me overweight. Healthy hamster feed should also contain animal protein. I need fresh water every day.

I am a clean animal by nature. If you offer me a toilet you don‘t need to clean my bedding too often which is stressful for me.

Please don‘t breed me. There are enough unwanted hamsters up for adoption already.

Take me to the vet when I‘m sick. Don‘t let me suffer just because I was cheaper than the vet‘s bill will be.

I don‘t expect you to be the perfect owner right away.If you stick to these rules and are open to learning about me, we‘ll have a great time together.

Your hamster

great ideas for natural cages can be found here: http://hamstergehege.blogspot.com

these wheels are recommendable: www.transoniq.com

Scientific facts about hamster homes:http://hamstergehege.blogspot.com/2010/03/wissenschaftliche-fakten-wie-ein.html

Foren:www.hamsterhouse.comwww.das-hamsterforum.de www.hamsterboard.dewww.hamsterforum.chwww.forum.fellnasen.at

There you‘ll meet friendly, helpful, hamster-loving people.

Important Infos:www.hamster-info.net

Check your local shelter and classified ads if there are hamsters up for adoption before you buy one at the pet shop. Many people have unwanted litters so there often are baby hamsters in need of a home.

Hamster species

All big hamsters kept as pets are Syrian or golden hamSterS. They come in many different colors and also with long hair (”angora“ or ”teddy bear“ hamsters). Adults are5 to 7 inches in length and weigh between 100 and 160 grams. They are crepuscular/nocturnal and strictly solitary.

dwarf hamSterS are between 3 and 5 inches in length and weigh about 30 to 50 grams. There are four different breeds sold as pets: Russian Winter Whites, Russian Campbell‘s, Roborovski, and Chinese Striped Dwarf Hamster. Dwarf hamsters are crepuscular but are also known tocome out for a while during the day. Even if dwarf hamsters are often sold as pairs or groups it is better to keep them solitary if one is not sure about the sexes or if one is not very experienced with hamsters. Otherwise you will have unwanted litters or might miss the signs of an impending fight in which the hamsters can injure or even kill each other.

In nature all hamsters run several miles every night so you should offer them a big cage and an appropriate wheel witha diameter of 10 inches or more for Syrians and 8 inches or more for dwarfs.

If you have just got a hamster you need a little patience when taming them. Roborovski hamsters and Chinese striped hamsters are said to be the breeds which are the most shy.

Give your hamster a little time to get used to his new home and to get to know you!

Unfortunately, pet shops still sell a lot of unsuitable and even dangerous products. Avoid:

Foto: © Lea Bender

hamster wool, splintery plastic, hamster balls, bird sand, wheels with spokes, and scented bedding or bedding with color which can be harmful to your hamster.

Housing Your Hamster

Hamsters love to run and dig. While they do climb they are not reallygifted climbers (except Chinese dwarf hamsters) and can hurtthemselves if they fall more than 6 inches. Therefore, the cage shouldhave a large ground area with deep bedding. A small but tall cage does not really address a hamster‘s needs.

Scientific studies have shown that hamsters need really big homes with lots of bedding to avoid stereotypies like annoying bar chewing. Many people have good experiences with cage sizes of 4ft square and more and bedding depths of 8 inches and more. If you think that this sounds ridiculous consider that lab cages are up to 2 1/2 square feet. And you don‘t want to keep your beloved pet worse than in a lab, right?

Hamsters can be housed in traditional wire cages, tanks, terrariums,bin cages or other DIY cages.

Cage interiorHamsters don‘t like changes that much so it is best if you have thecage ready before your hamster arrives. Your best bet is to usenatural materials like wood, cork, ceramic or terracotta which areeither unchewable or harmless when the hamster gnaws them. Offerseveral hideouts and houses. The entrances should have a diam-eter of 3 inches for Syrians and 2 inches for dwarfs so your hamster doesn‘t get stuck when he wants to get into the house with full cheek pouches. In addition to houses and hideouts the hamster needs a sand bath with Chinchilla sand and a big wheel (8 inches for dwarfs, 10 inches for Syrians).

BeddingHamsters love to dig and live in subterranean burrows in nature. Givethem a chance to show their natural behavior in their cage. This ispossible if you offer lots of bedding (8 inches and more). Aspen wood shavings or hemp bedding mixed with hay has a good ”diggability“. Do not use pine or cedar based bedding. Paper based bedding may be unsuitable for building stable burrows.

Most hamsters can be trained to use a toilet with Chinchilla sand.Then you can just clean the toilet, fresh food, and obviously soiledspots from the cage every day. The bedding (especially if you offerlots) will stay mostly clean so it is sufficient to replace part ofthe bedding about once a month. A thorough cage cleaning stresses the hamster because all his known smells are gone. Only clean the cage completely in case of illness or parasites.

Feeding Your HamsterYour hamster needs fresh water every day. Both, bowls and bottles with ball bearings are fine, just make sure that your hamster knows how to operate the bottle. main hamSter foodUse a good hamster food without sugar, honey or molasses which contains few fatty ingredients like nuts and sunflower seeds and no heavily processed ingredients like pellets. The feed should already contain animal protein. Dwarf hamsters need different food than syrians, they need more small seeds and a higher percentage of animal protein. If you change your hamster‘s feed accustom them slowly to the new one. freSh foodYou should feed your hamster about 40% fresh food. This should consist mostly of vegetables like cucumber, zucchini, bell pepper, carrot, or broccoli. Sweet fruit should be fed sparingly, especially to dwarf hamsters since they are prone to diabetes. animal ProteinA good hamster food should already contain some animal protein. If you can‘t get food that does you can feed mealworms, crickets, or bombys mori larvae or natural joghurt or unsalted, low-fat cottage cheese. Young hamsters or pregnant females should get extra rations of animal protein. treatSshould not contain sugar. Great treats are: nuts, sunflower, pine, orpumpkin seeds, dried carrot, apple, zucchini or banana chips. VitaminS, Salt StoneS, etCA healthy hamster who gets healthy food does not need them. In fact, they can even be harmful. Always consult your vet before offering your hamster vitamin cures or similar.

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Foto: © Andrea Probst