Hamster Care

By Alejandra Barreiro

Hello everyone! You may be wondering why I am talking about hamsters in this article. As much as we love our animal friends, hamsters are usually treated as a toy or lumped up with gerbils and guinea pigs when none of these are the same, and in some cases, not even similar. Hamsters are solitary, nocturnal and crepuscular animals that need much more care in their lives tha what is usually depicted in media Hamsters are solitary despite what employees may tell you that critter mates go well together and whatnot. Even with family they should be separated by mother and siblings by 8 weeks of age or else they may fight to the death. Hamsters are also omnivores; their diet consists of specific fruits, veggies, unflavoured chicken, egg and even mealworms. It is best to scatter feed them as a means of stimulation and foraging is natural behaviour for these little critters. Also despite popular beliefs that hamsters just need a small wire cage, the bare minimum they actually need is 600 sq with at least 6 inches of bedding for them to burrow and bury their food in. Good cage ideas are 40 gallon aquariums, diy bin cages and even diy ikea shelf cages like the Detold that holds over 900 square feet of space! Some female hamsters need up to 1000 square feet to be in their best health. Acceptable bedding is extremely important because it needs to be sturdy enough for their pathways to stay in place, dust and scent free because they have such delicate lungs and nosharp or long pieces to avoid injury. Nothing fluffy either as it holds no shape, they can get tangled in it, and choke on it as well. The types of bedding that is acceptable for hamsters are: Aspen shavings (NEVER PINE), paper based bedding and hemp bedding. Toys are vital to their emotional and physical well-being too! Chews are the number one priority because their teeth actually never stop growing, so to prevent overgrowth, infection and self- inflicted harm by bord hammies, get chews! Some chews that I’ve found amazing are toilet paper rolls (so they can hide in there and chew, also great for crafts!), whimzee dog chews (my previous hamster, Yuki, absolutely adored them), hanging treats from the lids and seeds/nuts Furnishings are also important because in the wild, hamsters are prey animals and so prefer to stay hidden under a variety of trees, plants and dirt. Bendy bridges, diy houses, natural log accessories and appropriately sized hamster tubes are best. Speaking of accessories, I can’t forget about the iconic wheel! They need tobe 10-12” based on the hamster species and solid, no wire ones, because it may cause them to trip and break their tiny feet, also calle bumblefoot, which can also be caused by the famous hamster balls but are actually very dangerous.Finally hygiene, never put a hamster in water, it is extremely dangerous and may cause a fatality. Instead, they use sand to clean themselves (but not bathing dust, like chinchillas) and they can even be potty trained so they won’t make a mess with their waste anywhere else!