Hamsters are naturally curious. Let that work to your advantage. And again, we cannot emphasize this enough: Patience, patience, patience.
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Pick them up from their cage together, feed them together, and make sure they both get just as much attention from you. This also means that you will need to do this daily, since Dwarf hamsters have a shorter memory. They need constant stimulation, and will forget owners after a few days.
Hideouts, food bowls, water bottles, toys, wheels, everything will need to be at least double. Getting them 2 of each will mean that they have less opportunities to argue over who gets what. Hamsters are very territorial, and will argue over lots of things. Another thing to be very careful for is how you set up the cage itself.
Make sure that there are no blocked corners than your hamsters can get stuck in. Also, get them hideouts with at least 2 exits, so they can never corner one another. If their relationship devolves to bullying, the victim needs to have opportunities to flee. That means that long tubes or cramped corners should not exist in the cage. Should you even keep hamsters together at all? In my opinion — no, you should not. Even Dwarf types, who can live together with another hamster of their kind.
Hamsters are very territorial, and will eventually fight over many things. Small things like squabbles add up over time, and build tension. Hamsters are so very sensitive to stress, and can develop all kinds of problems based on stress. They live alone in the wild, and they are perfectly okay living on their own. They get a lot of love and affection from you, and even that can be too much sometimes.
They can hide from you if they want. But another hamster in their cage can happen upon them at any time, whether they like it or not. A word from Teddy I hope you found a lot of useful info on here. Pulling his fur, combing through it, behind his ears, the works. But do hamsters need sand baths? Does it help their grooming process? Then, we can figure out if the sand bath helps. Actually hamster are pretty much on par with cats in terms of cleanliness. Much more often than most animals. This is one reason hamsters never need a water bath, with shampoo or other cleaning supplies.
And getting a hamster wet can be fatal in some cases, in most cases it leads to colds and hypothermia. For example my Teddy grooms himself when I put him in his exercise ball, when I take him out of it, when he wakes up, before he goes to bed, after he pees, after he runs for 10 minutes, after he eats and after he poops.
Usually hamsters will pull at their fur, scratch part of their fur, com and comb again through their fur to get everything out and spread the oils on their fur. As if anything had a chance to appear in the 2 hours since their last grooming session.
But why do hamsters do that? Why a hamster needs to be clean Hamsters need to be clean in order to keep their predators at bay. This means that their scent will draw predators like wild cats, snakes, owls, and so on to hunt for them in the wild. Hamsters will want to clean themselves after every little interaction with something that can leave a smell on them. This includes other creatures, like other hamsters, or humans, and even food.
Another reason hamsters clean themselves is because of their habitat. Hamsters in the wild live inside burrows, with series of tunnels and nests deep underground. The hamster cleans himself to function properly, and not have his fur matted with dirt.
You can tell there is something wrong with the hamster if he stops cleaning himself, or he still looks bad after a grooming session.
First, it could be that the hamster has become very old. So old, in fact, the he is very close to the end. The second reason hamsters stop grooming themselves is because they have become very, very sick. It could be an infection that weakened their body to the point of exhaustion. Or it could be a physical problem, as in a broken or sprained paw that restricts their movement, or a form or arthritis. Infections — can become serious business, in any part of the body. Especially bad if the hamster ends up swallowing part of the pus, like with cheek infections, or tooth infections.
Eye infections can be rinsed with a saline solution, until the vet can receive your hamster and give him proper treatment. As with humans, infections need antibiotic treatment, which can take a toll on the body. Given that the hamster is such a small little thing, his food will need to be supplemented during his treatment.
Mites and parasites — these are never fun to treat, and please do not get your hamster treatments for such problems without talking to your vet. The vet will be able to recommend a treatment that will be fairly easy on your hamster. The problem with mites and other parasites like fleas for example is that the hamster will scratch himself much too hard and eventually hurt himself. This can lead to bald patches, and other health problems like infections or warts.
Fungus — the cage needs to be clean, to prevent the spores from fungus to develop. There are two main culprits when it comes to fungal infections in hamsters ringworm and Aspergillus and both can be very dangerous. Ringworm is easier on the hamster, but Aspergillus can be deadly. The result is a weak hamster with constant diarrhea, and very little chances of survival. Thankfully wet-tail has a certain age when the hamster is likely to develop it. A bit like childhood illnesses.
Wet-tail is more common on young weeks hamsters, who have been separated from the mother and brought to their new owner. All of these can be treated, so do not worry. If you notice your hamster having health problems, call your veterinarian.
A clean habitat keeps the hamster clean too A clean cage will mean a clean hamster. For example the fungus problem I mentioned earlier. It will first look like a white growth, then turn black. But what is a clean cage? Hamsters will kick around bedding, bits of cardboard, fling their poo across the cage, and sleep on top of a pile of food. Hammies keep themselves very clean, and their nest as well. As in, the area immediately around where they sleep. Aside from that, not their business.
So cleaning the cage once per week is pretty much mandatory. This is because the pee corner starts to smell, and the bedding becomes very very messy. There will be bits of food lying somewhere, and torn up cardboard in the food bowl.
Take out all the bedding and objects, wipe the cage down with a wet, clean towel, then pat it dry. Add fresh bedding back, but make sure to sprinkle in a bit of the old bedding so the hamster recognizes things easier. Place everything back the way it was before, and finally add the hamster back in. It can be, from a certain point of view.
The main reason hamsters would need a sand bath is to absorb the excess oil in their fur. You see, hamster fur has a layer of oils like our human hair does, the sebum which helps keep the hair healthy and the skin clean. Now, the hamster does comb through his fur often. So often that he moves the oils from the skin all the way to the tips of the hairs.
So you could argue that their fur never gets too oily. While that is true, what is also true is that hamsters simply seem to go nuts when they feel sand. They immediately jump into the sand bowl and start spazzing, like cats on catnip. They not only rub themselves in the sand, they rub the sand into their fur.
Somehow, they know something we humans do not know. And it looks like a sand bath is something they enjoy. My Teddy for example has his sand bowl close to his nest, and he takes occasional baths in it. He also loves to dig in that sand bath, which kicks up soooo much sand. Luckily it never gets out of the cage. I mean, the sand I use for my Teddy can be used for chinchilla sand.
But not all petshops have chinchilla sand, and looking for it online only gave me unhappy customers. It seems like the sand that was once okay there were a couple of brands is now not okay. So when you go and look for sand for your hamster buddy, make sure you look for granulated sand, dust-free. The one I have for Teddy is made of ground up sea shells and minerals. But how do you give a hamster a sand bath? What you need to be careful for is the fact that the sand will get everywhere.
You have to be careful with it. You might think a shallow bowl would be enough. And it would, if it had something overhead. So that sand never gets outside the cage, and is well contained. Or not enough room under that level to fit a bowl? For example this one is large enough to fit a Syrian hamster, and is easy to take apart and clean.
You can check the listing on Amazon here. A word from Teddy I hope your found what you were looking for in this article. But we do appreciate a nice sand bath, to keep our fur nice and groomed. But how do they work? What do hamster cheek pouches do? Are there problems your hamster can develop with his cheeks? The hamster can eat and run with his cheeks full, with no problem. In the wild the hamster actually travels large distances with his cheeks full, so he can cover more ground without returning to his nest often to attract predators.
This also means that the hammy can sprint at the drop of a hat with his groceries in tow, if he has to. Imagine a hammy running in slo-mo through the dessert, at night, chased by an owl. All while pushing a shopping cart with all his might. Sometimes, parts of whatever the hamster puts in his cheeks end up in his mouth. For example the paper towels or toilet paper squares your hammy hides in his cheeks can have small bits that end up swallowed.
Even if he uses them for nesting purposes, it still happens. If you want a more scientific take on hamster cheek pouches, and want to know more in-depth about them, you should definitely check out this study by ScienceDirect.
Hammies store food and nesting material in their cheeks Most of the time hamsters store food in their cheeks. He might run around for a couple of minutes though, since the food can stay there for a few hours if it has to. Be careful what you feed your hammy though, since very sharp or crumbly foods can give him a cut and cause serious problems in his cheeks.
Actually, you can get a better idea of what to feed your hammy here, with a list of safe and unsafe foods to feed your hamster. Hamsters also store nesting material in their cheeks, like dried leaves, twigs, and grass. The cheeks are emptied when the hamsters reach their nest In the wild, hamsters travel far and wide to get their food. One night! Once he does get home he can empty his accumulated stash, and enjoy a quiet dinner by himself, no predators around.
He can stop at any point during his run and just grab a snack from one if his cheeks, and then keep running. But for the most part, the cheeks are unloaded once the hamster reaches a safe place. What about your domestic, cuddly friend? Hamsters do have stashes, both in the wild and in the comfort of your home. Imagine your hamster having an entire organize pantry, with all the foods. Hamsters actually routinely sort through their stashes, and throw out moldy or wilted food.
Why hamsters have cheek pouches at all Well, hamsters have cheek pouches for 2 major reasons: to hoard food, and to be able to run away if they have to. Given their small size, many animals are larger than them. The other reason hamsters evolved to have a cheek pouch is that the terrain hamsters live on is not very rich.
In that, not may things grow in the regions hamsters come from. The wild parts, where the hamsters live, are not very easy to live in. So hamsters have to make do with dry grains, a few seeds, a stray veggie here and there. They might find a worm or cricket and eat that too. In short, hamsters have to travel far and wide in order to find enough food. And in the end, when they come home, they will add it to their stash.
In all of these cases the hamster should be taken immediately to the veterinarian, who will be able to give him medical care. Sometimes bits of food or nesting material get stuck, for various reasons. The hamster can try to get all of it out, but sometimes it just literally gets stuck. Those food and nesting material particles can rot and develop into an abscess if left uncheckes, which is not safe for the hamster. So, this is a case that can be mostly avoided by being careful what foods you give your hammy.
Never give him anything sticky or moist. For example a sticky noodle will be identified by the hammy as a grain, an stored for later. Protein like meat or egg is eaten immediately, grains not so much. So a sticky noodle or pasta will get shoved into the cheek, where it will leave residue for the next food item to stick to and so on. Abscess in the pouch An abscess can form for several reasons, but the end result is the same.
A small bag of pus forms, and not only is it painful for the hamster, it is also toxic. Once the pus breaks and spreads into the cheek, the hamster might swallow it and develop another disease known as sepsis. Best to avoid that completely. You can make sure your hamster has a very small chance of forming an abscess by never giving him something sharp to eat. For example something very extremely dry, like the crust on some bread types.
He could hurt himself on something in the cage, or develop a tooth problem that needs fixing — more on hamster dental issues here. An abscess is not easy to spot, so you must be careful to look for a constantly swollen cheek. Tumors Hamsters, like rats, can develop tumors in the head area.
Hamsters tend to get them in their pouches, which will impact how well they can eat and store food. They are available, but removing the tumor without harming the hamster or incapacitating him in some way is very hard. That being said, there is no known, clear way to avoid your hamster getting a cancerous tumor.
Everted inside-out cheek pouches These can happen sometimes, and no one knows very well why it happens. Those are, fortunately, easy to treat. Your vet will be able to put the pouch back in its place, and make sure it stays in place afterwards. Yes, he can totally do that. All you can do is keep your hamster healthy and safe by giving him good, safe food, safe bedding and nesting material, and keeping him as stress-free as possible.
Hamsters make great pets, but they are very sensitive. As such, I would only recommend them to people who have the time and patience to work with them. I know us hammies look cute with out cheeks full. But we do have cheek pouch problems, you know. We rely on you to keep us safe and healthy. If you want to know more about us hammies, and how to care for us better, then check the articles below for more details Syrian Hamster Feeding Guide Everything You Need to Know Syrian hamsters are one of the most popular breeds of hamsters, with millions of owners around the world.
What Can Syrian Hamsters Eat? Ideally, you should feed your hamster every day. This applies to all hamster breeds, not just Syrian hamsters. All hamsters require fresh food and water every day. You should feed your hamster once in the morning and once in the evening. The prescribed amount of food is a spoonful a day, so half a spoon of the mix in the morning, and another half in the evening. You can add treats to this daily although not all treats, continue reading for specifications. You should feed your hamster with hard treats twice a week.
Soft treats include protein, which is very important for muscles, so; cooked meats, low-fat, no-salt cottage cheese or a hard-boiled egg, wheat bread, and scrambled eggs. We recommend that you buy a hamster-sized water bottle with a stem and ball bearing from your local pet store.
The ball regulates how much water comes out each time the hamster takes a drink. This way, your hamster can have a drink whenever they want to, but keep in mind that you have to change the water often — it needs to be fresh. However, you would never drink stale water, so why should your hamster do that?
Hamsters are messy animals and they will definitely spill water all over the place, which is great for bacteria, parasites, etc. You should try to feed your hamster at the same time every day. Hamsters are very active animals, and Syrian hamsters have a fast metabolism just like dwarf hamsters , and they require exercise and food throughout the day. There is some debate on whether you should feed them in the morning or in the evening. Fruits: apples, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupes, cherries, cranberries, seedless grapes, lychee, mangos, melons, peaches, plums, raspberries, raspberry leaves, and strawberries.
Vegetables: carrots, celery, broccoli, dandelion leaves, cauliflower, clover, kale, bean sprouts, asparagus, chickweed, chicory, cucumber, corn, spinach, watercress, radicchio, romaine lettuce, turnip, peas, green beans, chestnuts, squash, sweet potatoes, zucchini. Nuts, seeds, and grains: pumpkin seeds, peanuts, millet, flaxseed, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, oats, barley, walnuts, lentils, soybeans.
Other foods hamsters can eat grasshoppers pet food , mealworms pet food , boiled eggs, plain grasshoppers, plain tofu, whole grain bread, cod fish with bones removed , low-fat cottage cheese, brown pasta, unsalted peanut butter. This mix is nutritionally balanced, suitable for all breeds, and it has vitamins included in the mix.
This is important because your hamster needs protein. This mix is full of healthy nutrients that every hamster needs to keep their body healthy. This mix also contains a lot of omega-3 oils, and the shape of the mix will help your hamster clean and pick its teeth. Kaytee Fiesta Hamster Food — this mix is also good for dwarf hamsters, not just Syrian hamsters.
It has natural veggies and fruits to add some variety and improve the nutrient content of the mix. It has so many fatty things which is important for your hamster, but in this case, these fatty scraps in the mix are too tempting that hamsters run and eat those as soon as possible, and leave out healthy foods. The Healthy Bits treat mix is definitely going to cause happiness with your hamster, as it actually contains honey.
Timothy hay alfalfa hay is a good, natural source of fiber. You should also know that Syrian hamsters absolutely love insects and you should definitely try to feed them whenever you can.
Then, combine that mix with treats. Their diet needs to provide them with enough energy for the day. Hamsters are very energetic animals that need to burn that off in order to function properly. The general rule is that a single tablespoon of the mix is enough, and mix that with a couple of treats.
You should also try to keep it interesting for your pet. When feeding your hamster, use a ceramic food bowl. This is the best solution for feeding and a much better option than plastic feeding bowls.
Hamsters will definitely knock the plastic feeding bowl over and spill food all over the place. This way, all uneaten food will stay in the bowl and be ready to get eaten later. They provide a designated area for feeding and they keep all the leftover food clean. Hamsters will also fill their cheek pouches with secret stashes of food to build secret food stores near their bed. A good example of this is watermelon. All hamsters are allergic to these foods, not just Syrian hamsters.
You should always avoid feeding these foods to your hamster, as it will make it very sick. Almonds contain cyanic acid, which can make your Syrian hamster very sick. Seeds can also be harmful, and most often are, so remove them from the foods.
However, seeds from fruits are a big no when it comes to hamsters, so you should always remove them before feeding your hamster a fruit. Unlike dwarf hamsters that develop diabetes easily. However, a poor diet can cause a few issues with any hamster. A poor diet can also cause diarrhea.
You will recognize this by a loose stool, and you should consult a vet. Many illnesses can be caused by a bad diet, so you should always keep in mind that the problem might originate in food intake. If you notice your hamster losing weight, losing fur, breathing in distress, having a nasal discharge or skin lesions, you should take it to a vet.
When it comes to allergies in the normal sense, hamsters can develop allergies the same way humans do, and they even sneeze the same way humans do. However, if the problems refuse to go away, contact a vet. It depends on when did they have their last meal, what did they eat, how much did they eat, and how active they have been for the past few days. Not all of those things are lethal for your hamster, but many of them will still harm your furry friend.
Understand that each hamster has their own individual taste just like people do, and try to find out exactly what they enjoy eating, and what things they do not enjoy eating. Try to feed your hamster once in the morning and once in the evening, with keeping a single tablespoon for norm — half a tablespoon in the morning, half a tablespoon in the evening. Some of them can even be made at home! This is my guide to the best hamster toys ever, and a few tips on making your own.
Remember that not all hamsters are alike. Some hamsters might like chewing toys best, while others might like digging towers even more, or are only interested in exercise wheels. Get to know your hammy, and expose him to several toys types, so you know which he likes best.
Hamsters need to constantly chew in order to keep their teeth at a healthy length. Their front teeth are always growing, and if left unchecked can reach into their lower jaw can cause serious health problems. Best store bought chew toys for hamsters Every pet store carries at least a few types of chew toys. Most of them are made of wood that is safe for hamsters, while the remaining others are made of materials that are safe for hamsters but are not wood. They have some bells in them as well, which is great for hamsters since they react to sound.
So those pieces will last your hamster for a long time. You can check the set on Amazon here, along with the price. Best non-wood chews Apple chews are a great way for hammies to file down their teeth and get some extra fruit in their diet. Banana chips work well too. You can find it here on Amazon to check it out for yourself, and check the price. Dog biscuits Weird, I know, but hamsters will go for dog treats as well. Actually, the fact that dog treats are very hard and crunchy is what hamsters love.
Or, you can get a box of milk bones. The hamster will take entire days to go through the treat, and a whole box will last you pretty much forever, given the size of the hamster and the number of treats inside. You can check out the milk bones on Amazon here, and see the price as well. Home-made chew toy One of the best home-made toys for your hamster to gnaw on is…. Or chestnut! He gnaws at them for a few minutes then leaves them alone. Then he comes back later, and so on. Whatever nut you choose for your hamster walnut, chestnut, acorn make sure it is clean and dirt-free.
Wash it beforehand with extremely hot water, and use a tooth pick to pick out any stuck dirt or particles. Do not use detergent or a disinfecting agent. The best kind of wood for your hamster to chew on is also the one he has the bedding usually made of. Running toys for your hamster Most hamsters are runners by nature. This is what they have to do anyway, and my Teddy is ridiculously fast on his running wheel.
Best store bought exercise toys for hamsters A running wheel is one of the most basic things you need for your hammy. To find out more about exercise wheels for your hamsters and how to use them right, you can read here. The vast majority of running wheels that you get when purchasing your hamster cage are horrible. It has a tail and neck guard, and will stay in place. The wheel itself is not heavy, so your hamster will be able to spin it well enough.
You can check it out on Amazon here and see the price as well. Home-made exercise toys A home-made running wheel is not something I would recommend. Digging toys for your hamster Some hamsters are diggers, some are not. A whole lot. The more the better, since the hamster will have a lot of fun digging around.
You can read nice roundup of the 4 best hamster bedding options out there, and see which would work best for you. As for which kind of bedding is okay, your safest bet is aspen. But for a more comprehensive talk on the safe and unsafe kinds of bedding for your hamster, check out this article on how to choose the best bedding for your hamster. Best store bought digging toy A digging tower is easily the best thing for your hammy, and I looked around for a good one on Amazon. Unfortunately there are not many options, but this one seems to be the best.
You can look at him through both sides since 2 are transparent. You can check the Amazon pricing for it here. You can easily do it at home, just that you need a few supplies and tools. Erin the lady in the video is the number one channel I watched in the first few weeks of owning Teddy. So you can give your hamster a lot of options here. Best store bought hiding toys Hide and seek toys are always fun, but most of them are too small for a Syrian hamster. If your hamster is smaller, like a Robo or a Campbell, then most hiding tunnels will fit your hamsters well enough.
Your hamster will be darting in and out of it all day, every day. You can check its pricing on Amazon here. Home-made hide and seek toy Most of these will be toilet rolls, paper towel rolls, or egg cartons. You can also cut a few holes in them to make them a sort of maze or puzzle.
Other hiding places for your hammy to use could be very sturdy plastic cups that he can hide in. Because hamsters sometimes can't resist chewing on their cage bars, you should keep a hamster in a cage with metal bars.
Make sure that the bars are nontoxic so he doesn't do any damage to himself when he wraps his gums around them. Wood and plastic cages can be attractive, but are also susceptible to being chewed through, leading to avoidable escapes. If you don't want him to have any bars to chew on, a glass enclosure such as an aquarium is an acceptable alternative, so long as it gets enough fresh air. A secure wire top will suffice. A hamster has to chew -- he doesn't have a choice in that matter, or his teeth will get too long.
He doesn't have to chew on his cage, though, and you don't want to encourage it. So give him something better suited for his gnawing habit. Once a week, give him a hamster chew stick or something as simple as a tree branch.
This way, he has something he can dull his teeth on without making that familiar cling-clang sound all night long. Tom Ryan is a freelance writer, editor and English tutor.
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