Hamsters | mp-animal-care

∞Hamsters∞

Almost all cages at pet stores are too small for hamsters. In the wild hamsters run around 6 miles a night or more, those tiny cages can't suit that, at all. Hamster wheels were designed because we obviously can't have 6 mile long cages in our houses, so they can excersise on the wheel. Wheels were not designed to have tiny cages and place a wheel inside and suddenly it's fine. Even if you have a huge cage like a detolf you still need a wheel because your detolf isn't 6 miles long. The minimum cage size is 360sq inches(around 420 cm). You can measure how many sqaure inches a cage is by doing length x width. So measure the width of your cage(the side) and the length (the longer side if rectangle) then multipy both of them buy each other. Syrian hamsters are bigger from the rest but lazier and slower, dwarf hamsters and chinese hamsters are smaller but more active so they all need the same size cages.

What cage should I get? Because I Have A Wheel My Cage Size Doesn't Matter,Right?

l You must house Syrian hamsters alone, as they are territorial starting at about the age of 5-8 weeks and will fight, often to the death or at least until one of them seriously injured. Many dwarf hamsters can be housed together, but remember that fights may occur. If the hamsters sleep together, don't think that they became friends, it's just by instinct.Chinese hamsters are NOT considered dwarf hamsters. Chinese hamsters will fight to the death. If you get the right species, happiness is not garenteed, they could still poitentionaly kill/hurt each other.

How many should I get?

Toys such as toilet paper rolls, empty tissue boxes, tubes, tunnels, nest boxes, old slippers, hamster chew toys, and wheels are fun for your pet! Most hamster owners simply give the hamster a wheel and a ball to enjoy. As a result, the hamster will start to have unhealthy habits such as pacing and/or chewing the bars of a wire cage (if housed in a wire cage). Hamsters need more than wheels and balls to occupy them. Make sure you use the toys listed above for your pet. Have enough toys so that you can rotate them and keep your hamster interested in toys that have been reintroduced after a few days of being absent.

What/how many toys?

Place your hand in the cage. Let your hamster sniff it and explore it. If the hamster nips gently, it's not out of aggression. Just pull your hand back gently, but immediately let it explore your hand again. This will help the hamster learn that the hand is nothing to bite or fear. Don't be afraid, animals can sence fear and they will be afraid, causing them to defend them selves and bite. A great way to bond with a hamster is to put a blanket down in an empty + dry bath tub and add some hamster toys + hides. Sit down in the tub with the hamster and play with him/her for around 15 minutes, do this again for about a week.

Taming your little bud

Seed mixtures allow the hamster to be picky and to select the tastier, less healthy items. Offer the pellets or blocks as the main or staple diet, and offer the seed mixture as a supplement. Make sure the hamster has a good range of pellets or blocks before offering the seed mixture. Most hamsters don't like pellets so don't refill the bowl untill no pellets are left. Hazel Hamster (Henry Hamster in the UK) is a great hamster food. In ANY hamster food make sure to take out all of the corn/corn flakes. Corn causes cancer in hamsters. You don't have to pick all of them out of the bag at once, every time you fill up the bowl you can throw away the corn.

Food!

The Five Species Of Hamsters

There are five species of hamsters, not breeds.

It is important to be able to recognise which are which because if you put the wrong species together they will kill each other, and there are other reasons too!

1) Chinese Hamsters

Chinese hamsters have the longest tails out of all of the different hamsters. That may make you think that their tails are super long, but they are shorter than mice's tails.

2)Winter White/Djungarin Hamster

Winter Whites are known to have their coats become white or at least lighter during the winter(hence the name). They do this for crypsis(hiding such as camoflouge).

3)Cambells Rusian Dwarf Hamster

Cambells are known to be mistaken for witer whites and vice versa. If you look at some pictures of both or have had both they become easy to tell appart.

4) Roborovski(robo) Hamster

Robos are the smallest species of hamsters. Robos have fuzzy faces and are quit cute!

5) Syrian Hamster

Syrian hamsters originate from Syria, which is a no-brainer because of the name. They are the only hamsters to originate from Syria atho other species live in Syria today. Syrians are the easiest to tell apart from the rest, they are big and lazy.

​∞Hamsters∞