Benefits of keeping a hamster at home
Buying hamsters for pets has several advantages.
Among them:
- Quick adaptation of the pet to the new environment.
- Easy to care for.
- Strong immune system and resistance to common diseases.
- A normal existence alone.
In addition, a small animal improves the mood of the people living in the house, because his behavior always evokes positive emotions. If you want to breed young individuals, it is enough to buy a specimen of the opposite sex. Watching a male courtship and raising offspring is quite interesting.
The cost of the rodent and accessories for its maintenance is low. Buying a hamster is much cheaper than getting a cat or dog.
The pet is sociable, so it quickly establishes contact with the owner and other family members.
Buying and choosing a hamster
If the owner has no desire to engage in breeding, then you can limit yourself to buying one animal.
You can purchase the animal at a zoological store or from some other hamster lover.
At the same time, you should know that Syrian hamsters need to be kept alone, since in adulthood these animals cannot tolerate the presence of adult animals on their territory and start fights that end in the death of one of the fighters. To get offspring from them, the female and the male need to be placed together for just a few hours, when the female is ready for mating. But hairy-footed hamsters are capable of living in pairs and even families, but pairs need to be formed at about the age of one and a half to two months, since adult animals have difficulty getting along and start serious fights that can result in serious injuries.
Little hamsters.
For purchase, it is best to choose young individuals at the age of three to seven weeks. Both males and females are very tame, but female Syrian hamsters are often more aggressive than males.
You should choose a healthy animal whose body is smooth and not bony.
The animal's coat should be thick, clean, without bald spots and not tousled. Paws and ears must be clean, free of discharge, crusts and sores. The eyes should be clean, shiny and not watery. It would be useful to look under the hamster's tail: the fur in this place should be clean. The hamster should be brought to the ear and listen to its breathing, which should be clean and even. The hamster should not have any coughing, wheezing or wheezing.
Home improvement
For normal activities, the animal is provided with a spacious and comfortable home. It is allowed to use a plastic house, a traditional cage or a large aquarium.
It is forbidden to place the hamster in a glass jar or small cardboard package.
The house should have enough space for:
- Small storage room.
- Toilet.
- Feeders and drinkers.
- Areas for activity.
- Bedrooms.
The pet will choose how to distribute its housing into zones. Therefore, it is better to give him free rein rather than try to accustom him to the designated places.
The house should be placed in a secluded place, protected from direct sunlight and street noise.
Cage selection criteria
There are several parameters that are taken into account when choosing a suitable home for a pet:
- Dimensions. They are determined taking into account the size of the pet. Small individuals lead an active lifestyle and need a supply of free space for play. The optimal dimensions of a hamster cage are 60 cm in length and 40 cm in width. The height of the structure does not play a special role.
- Material of manufacture. It is not advisable to use wooden cages for keeping rodents, since the animals will constantly gnaw on them and run away. The best solution would be a plastic or metal enclosure.
- Bottom type. It is recommended to choose designs in which the bottom is made in the form of a solid tray with a pull-out system. This will make it easier to clean the surface from dirt.
- Roof. Like the bottom, it is available in a removable format. This option will allow you to quickly remove the animal from the enclosure.
Sawdust
The optimal filler material for the cage is sawdust in granular form. You can also use corn raw material, hay and even plain paper, provided that it does not contain flavorings.
One of the unsuitable fillers is cotton wool. It is dangerous for miniature breeds, which can become entangled in the fibers.
Sawdust for filling the cage.
Drinker and feeder
As a drinking bowl for a hamster, you can use a simple bowl into which water is poured. The advantage of this option is its availability.
However, a rodent can easily turn the container over, being left without nutritious moisture on a hot summer day. In addition, particles of food or filler get inside the bowl, which negatively affects the quality of the liquid.
Automatic nipple drinkers are a more progressive solution. They are made in the form of a plastic cylinder with a steel nipple and two balls. A working system involves the release of water when you press the valve.
A feeder for the grain mixture is an optional attribute for the animal itself. It is more needed for the convenience of caring for the cage and maintaining cleanliness. However, the container in which vegetables, herbs, fruits and liquid food will be stored is irreplaceable.
When choosing a feeder, you should take into account that your pet can turn it over. Therefore, it is better to purchase a product with a heavy bottom made of ceramic or metal. In addition, you can install a hanging version in the cage, similar to bird models.
Drinking bowl for a hamster.
Toys and attractions
Hamsters are active pets that lead an active lifestyle. Therefore, in the enclosure it is necessary to provide a running wheel, a ladder and a slide where the rodent will spend its daily reserve of energy. Some owners buy a walking ball that will allow the animal to walk around the apartment.
If desired, you can design a park by installing labyrinths and obstacles from scrap materials. Paper towel and toilet paper tubes, cardboard and plastic bottles are suitable for this task.
Hamster wheel.
Keeping the house clean
To prevent the appearance of an unpleasant odor in the cage, it is important to keep the bedding, feeders and other accessories clean. Every day it is necessary to get rid of leftover food items that are subject to spoilage.
If you leave rotting fruit or stale meat in the house, this will lead to the development of dangerous microorganisms.
Room temperature
In the room where the hamster's cage is located, you need to maintain a temperature of 20°C. If you allow the indicators to deviate downwards, this will provoke hypothermia and the subsequent death of the animal. But you can’t install an enclosure near heating appliances either.
It is better to place the house in the back of the room and protect it from drafts. If the cage is on a windowsill, then it should be moved to another place for the ventilation period.
How to take care of hamsters: daily care
Feeding
The hamster is fed 1-2 times a day, usually in the evening. The basis of the diet is dry food, but it is very important that the pet also receives succulent and protein foods. You should carefully study the list of prohibited and permitted products, otherwise the animal may suffer from indigestion or even die.
Children are often entrusted with taking care of hamsters: watching them during meals is very interesting. Small pieces of vegetables and fruits can be prepared in advance.
Pet stores have a wide selection of treats for rodents, but it is better to choose ones that are not sweet, without honey and other substances harmful to the hamster. Dried dandelion roots and millet spikelets are an excellent option for grinding down ever-growing incisors.
The pet is provided with fresh drinking water. Even in a closed automatic drinker, it is recommended to change the water every day.
Keeping it clean
Many people are interested in how to care for hamsters so that the cage does not have an unpleasant odor. To keep your pet healthy and not too “fragrant”, it is very important to monitor cleanliness. Every day, food residues that could go bad are removed - rotting fruit or stale meat is dangerous for the owner of the pantry.
The bottom of the cage should be generously covered with filler. Sawdust was previously used, but now corn and cellulose fillers are the most popular. The litter not only absorbs urine, but also allows the animal to dig and make hiding places.
You need to clean up after your hamster every day, removing wet litter and replacing it with fresh litter. The animals are clean and most often relieve themselves in the same place (“toilet corner”). And general cleaning with a complete replacement of the filler and washing the cage is not required so often: 3-4 times a month. Excessive zeal in this matter will lead to a nervous breakdown in the hamster.
Nutrition Basics
Proper feeding of a hamster is the key to its good health and well-being.
The animal’s diet should contain the following foods:
- Specialized dry mixtures. They are produced in the form of formulations based on wheat or barley grains, compressed green granules, dried corn and other ingredients. Such food has a balanced composition, developed taking into account the preferences of animals. Crushed fruit particles are added to the finished mixture, but in limited quantities.
- Plant food. This includes fresh and boiled peas, alfalfa leaves, bluegrass, and also garden vegetables (tomatoes, sweet peppers, pumpkin, zucchini. As for fruits, you can give your pet bananas, apples, pears and grapes.
- Jam, buckwheat, oatmeal, millet. This food is given 2-3 times a week.
- Dried fruits. You can feed your hamster banana chips daily. At the same time, dried dried apricots, prunes and cherries can only be given as a treat. Such products contain a lot of sugar, which poses a health hazard to the rodent.
- Nuts and seeds. They can be given daily. Hamsters respond positively to almonds and pumpkin seeds.
- Flour products. Allowed for use no more than once a week.
There are a number of foods that are best avoided when planning a diet for a hamster. It is forbidden to feed the rodent with spices, which, like spicy or sour foods, cause burns to the mucous membrane of the esophagus, stomach and oral cavity.
Many fruits are good for hamsters, but there are also contraindicated options.
Among them:
- All citrus fruits.
- Kiwi.
Do not feed your hamster fatty or sweet foods, including sweets and honey. Pets are prone to developing diabetes.
The hamster's nutrition must be correct.
How to properly care at home?
The lifespan of a hamster directly depends on how care and maintenance are organized for it. Like other animals, rodents are easily exposed to stress, which negatively affects their health. The main causes of negative emotional stress in hamsters:
- introduction of other animals;
- change of diet;
- lack of water;
- changing your daily routine;
- loud noises near the cage and sudden movements;
- the presence of excess light during sleep.
A hamster gnaws on sunflower seeds.
To avoid stressful situations, it is important to follow the rules of caring for animals. The main ones:
- The cage is cleaned several times a week; during this period, the hamster should be carefully removed from the cage into a prepared jar or aquarium. The bedding must be changed after washing the home with safe detergents.
- You should constantly pay attention to your hamster's constantly growing teeth. If your pet doesn't get enough solid food, his teeth will cause him discomfort.
- The claws also require close attention; starting from the age of one year, they should be constantly trimmed using special pliers, or contact a veterinary clinic for this action.
- The hamster should be walked regularly, transferring it to a specially equipped play area, which can be equipped with labyrinths and obstacles. All dangerous items must be removed.
Relationships during maintenance
You should not consider a hamster as an animal that simply lives in its cage and causes affection. Furry pets are quite intelligent; even training is applicable to them, the success of which depends on the hard work of the animal and the patience of the owner.
If you are going to teach your hamster any tricks, you should not demand the impossible from him. He is not capable of giving a paw and fetching toys like a dog, but teaching him to respond to his name and, on command, to climb onto the palm of his owner is quite possible.
It is important that the beginning of a relationship with any animal should begin with alleviating the animal’s fear of humans. Hamsters are no exception. You can try to teach a small animal simple commands only after he gets used to your hands. Otherwise, all attempts to establish contact will become very stressful for the rodent.
Hamster eats cucumber
What to do if your pet bites you?
For the purpose of self-defense, wild hamsters use their teeth - out of fear they can bite their owner. You should not overreact, scream or hit your pet. These actions only aggravate the situation; the animal may get sick or harbor a grudge, not understanding the reasons for this behavior of the owner.
Immediately after the bite, you should put your pet back in the cage, and wash the wound with an antibacterial agent and apply brilliant green. The process of disinfection after a bite is a very important point.
Should hamsters be washed?
Every potential owner of a furry rodent, when learning how to care for a hamster, is faced with the problem of the need to wash. Hamsters do not like water, so bathing them unnecessarily is not recommended. If washing is necessary, during the process it is important to prevent water from getting into the animal’s ears and eyes.
It is recommended to bathe hamsters only if they are heavily soiled, using rabbit shampoo. When washing, you should not let the rodent out of your hands so that it does not bite the owner.
After bathing, the hamster should be held in your hands for a while, then wrapped in a soft towel until dry.
Hygiene procedures
Like other furry pets, the hamster needs hygiene procedures. Long-haired individuals require daily care. It is important to regularly clean the skin from dirt.
Bathing
You can bathe pets only in exceptional cases, using a special shampoo. Water procedures are a stressful situation for animals, since they are quite clean and constantly wash themselves.
It is recommended to place a container with dry sand in the cage, in which the animal will clean its fur. When fleas appear, you should wash your hamster with an antiparasitic agent, applying it with gentle movements to the surface of the body.
Dry cleaning of fur.
Nail care
Particular attention should be paid to the claws. They need to be regularly ground down, because with a sedentary lifestyle and the onset of natural old age, they grow to such an extent that the hamster cannot walk normally.
Pet cage
Before you get a rodent, you need to purchase a cage made of metal rods for it. Its minimum size is 25 by 30 cm.
It is advisable that the metal grilles are not painted.
The rodent can taste the cage. The paint that covers the bars in the cage can cause allergies or poisoning to a small pet.
The distance between the rods should be no more than 1 cm. The door should close tightly. It is advisable to have a pull-out tray with small sides.
This will make caring for the animal easier.
The filler will not spill out of the cage if the hamster decides to frolic.
The cage can be one- or two-level.
A tunnel or small staircase is installed between the floors.
Diseases: treatment and prevention
With balanced feeding and proper care, hamsters rarely get sick.
But they are not immune from some diseases:
- Cystitis. It is an infectious disease that affects the urinary tract. Symptoms include voluntary urination with blood. To treat and prevent cystitis, your pet is given injections of chloramphenicol. The dosage of the drug is selected at the rate of 5 mg per 100 g of weight 2 times a day.
- Enteritis. It occurs due to the progression of the infection and in 20% of cases leads to the death of the animal. You need to fight the disease with 2 antibiotics: neomycin and tetracycline.
- Scabies. Appears against the background of the activity of scabies mites, which produce oviposition in the upper layers of the skin of hamsters. The pest eats skin dandruff, causing severe discomfort to the animal. Scabies is fought with a 3% SK-9 solution and sulfur ointment. As a preventative measure, use chlorophos at a concentration of 1%. Repeated treatment is performed after 7 days.
Stress management
All rodents are exposed to stressful conditions, so you need to know how to avoid them. Often discomfort is provoked by the pet owner, who often checks the growth of the offspring, causing the female to get angry.
Depression in a hamster also appears when new individuals are added to it. It is better to refuse such a neighborhood, because... animals are able to grow together only from an early age. Adult animals must live in separate cages.
You should not allow a sudden change in your usual daily routine. In addition, lack of food or dirty bedding can trigger stress. Therefore, you should not neglect basic care of the enclosure.
It is forbidden to take the hamster outside, because... this irritates him greatly. Isolate the cage from dogs, cats and small children.
Leave the hamster in peace and quiet for several days after purchase.
Robovsky's dwarf hamster
This is the smallest species of hamster. They are more prone to bite and should be handled with care. Their biting nature does not make them a great option for young children.
They live for about three to four years. You can place them in pairs or same-sex groups. These hamsters make good pets for older children and adults.
Communication with a hamster
Despite their sociability, hamsters do not like close contact with other pets or people. Therefore, at home you should practice solitary keeping of animals.
There are several rules for communicating with a pet. If you do not follow them, the hamster will be timid and aggressive. During the first days after purchase, it is better to avoid any form of communication with your pet.
It will take him about 7 days to adapt to the voice and smell of the new owner. At this time, you can begin to accustom the animal to its nickname.
Domesticated individuals have the same temperament as their wild counterparts. Therefore, it is forbidden to wake them up, take them from above from the back, or allow sudden movements that will provoke stress and fear of the animal.
All animals love affection.
Habitat
Caring for hamsters at home begins with purchasing and arranging a cage with all the necessary equipment. But the organization of a hamster’s life does not end there. An animal in a confined space is completely dependent on its owner . Care must be taken to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room all year round.
It doesn’t matter what temperature hamsters live at in nature, at home it should be 20-24 C.
The cage is protected from sunlight, and in hot climates it is recommended to equip the room with air conditioning. The hamster's cage should not be close to the heater.
The air should be fresh and clean, without strong odors and smoke. When ventilating the room, be careful not to create drafts.
Rodents do not tolerate noise well, so do not turn on TV, music or loud household appliances near the cage.
The hamster should not be woken up during the day; it is good if there is a house in the cage so that the pet can hide. Children should be taught how to properly care for a nocturnal animal and be prepared to tolerate noise at night.
Ensuring activity
It is forbidden to keep a hamster in a miniature enclosure or a 3-liter jar. This will lead to a deterioration in his health and the development of various diseases.
Proper care involves organizing leisure time. Therefore, pet owners set up entire play complexes, labyrinths and tunnels where the animals spend all their free time.
Walking around the apartment is allowed only in a special ball. If this rule is not taken into account, the hamster may be in mortal danger: falling into a boiling pan, eating a plant containing toxic substances, chewing through an electrical wire, etc. It is quite difficult to catch him in the apartment.
It is forbidden to arrange walks on high surfaces, because there is a risk that the pet will fall.
Is it possible to walk outside
Some owners allow their hamster to roam outside. But pets experience extreme stress from such a change in environment. In addition, such a walk can provoke fatal diseases.
In nature, the hamster is under threat of attack by predators. In addition, the nimble animal can quickly hide in any hole, and after that you will not be able to find it. On the surface of grass and soil there are often dangerous parasites that carry infections.
The nuances of caring for newborn hamsters
When caring for cubs, it is important not to touch them with your hands. This rule applies to both dwarf breeds and other types of rodents. Otherwise, the female will smell a foreign odor and refuse to feed the offspring.
Therefore, zoologists recommend leaving the young with their mother for several days and only replenishing food and water supplies.
After 5-7 days from the moment of birth, the female and her children are transplanted into a new box, and the cage is thoroughly cleaned and the bedding is replaced. In the future, such processing is performed once every 2 days. After the appearance of fur, pets can be introduced to complementary foods.
Useful tips and advice for beginners
Proper maintenance of a hamster comes down to following these recommendations:
- The hamster should be kept alone in a separate enclosure.
- The pet should be isolated from noise and stressful situations.
- The air in the room where the pet lives should not be allowed to become hypothermic.
- You cannot take the animal outside and let it run around on the grass.
- You cannot use food from the table to feed your pet. Fatty, sweet, spicy and sour foods have a detrimental effect on a weak digestive system.
How to train a hamster
Hamsters living in captivity need mandatory entertainment. An animal like a hamster definitely needs to move a lot, so it needs to be provided with balls, a ramp or a running wheel, or even better, both. Some hamsters like to swing on a string suspended from the ceiling of the cage.
What kind of training is needed to keep a hamster healthy?
Since hamsters living in the wild travel long distances in search of food, their captive hamsters need a wheel that will allow them to maintain good physical condition.
