How To Set Up A Natural Hamster Cage

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Hamsters are fantabulous pets for teenagers and adults alike, but are unfortunately very much misunderstood. They are territorial creatures that like to dig and burrow, as well equally being very agile and energetic. Hamsters are also very clean animals, and when you have i as a pet information technology is up to you to provide and maintain a hygienic domicile for them. Information technology is of import to provide your hamster with as skilful a living surroundings as possible and so they don't get bored and stressed. The cage is the most of import investment you lot will make for your hamster, and so recollect about what your hamster needs for a healthy and happy home earlier you lot brand a buy.

1. i

   Inquiry hamster cages. Beginning of all, you need to think near what kind and size of cage you lot demand to brand your hamster as happy and content as possible. The minimum corporeality of floor space required for hamsters is 450 sq inches. Keep that in heed, as most pet stores sell hamster cages that are far also small and costly. ^[ane] Bin cages are cheap and big; expect up "how to make a hamster bin cage" and a lot of videos and manufactures volition show up. They are easy and inexpensive to make, and definitely worth the time. Exist sure that whichever muzzle you choose it is one which has a solid floor so that you can provide ample bedding material for digging and burrowing. ^[2] Wire or mesh floors can as well crusade a painful disease called Bumblefoot.

   • Connecting many smaller cages that terminate upwardly being 360 sq. inches doesn't count, equally is done in Habitrail Ovo or Crittertrail. Hamsters run miles and miles in the wild, so they need a continuous running space, not a lot of tiny compartments continued together.
   • Syrian and Chinese hamsters can NOT be kept together in one cage as they are very territorial and Will fight. They could seriously injure or kill each other.^[3]

2. 2

   Buy a big cage, as big every bit possible! There are three almost popular minimums, and although it is not the police force, you should go a cage that is large enough. The American minimum is on the small-scale side. The German language minimum is best, merely the RSPCA minimum will do. You cannot connect multiple smaller cages to make the minimum, as hamsters need the space to run around equally they would in the wild. The minimums are:

   • American/Hamster Hideout forum minimum - 360 sq. in
   • RSPCA/Uk minimum - 80x50cm
   • German minimum - 1 sq. thou
   • Although recommendations vary, the basic principle is the bigger the better.^[4]

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3. 3

   Or, use a second-hand cage. Information technology's best to start with a new cage, but if you buy or use an quondam i, clean it with mild babe soap, and rinse throughout. To take abroad the scent of the of the previous occupant, you can likewise use a mixture of white vinegar and water but only do this occasionally. You can besides get some pet-safety disinfectant spray or wipes

4. 4

   Decide where to put the cage. You should take care when deciding where you will put the cage, as this volition contribute to the overall wellbeing of your hamster. You desire to avoid extremes of oestrus, then continue it out of direct sunlight and don't put information technology next or a radiator or other heat-source. Every bit, don't put information technology somewhere very draughty. If you don't want to keep information technology in the business firm you tin can put it in a frost-costless garden shed or garage, just provide more bedding if you practice this.

   • Hamsters are very sensitive to low-cal and high-frequency sound. Don't put it in a room that will have lights going on and off at night, and go on it away from things such as televisions, figurer screens, sources of running water and vacuum cleaners. These generate ultrasound which can be distressing for hamsters.^[5]
   • If you take a wire cage and want to avert your floor getting besides messy from the flight substrate, cut downward a cardboard box, which the cage tin comfortably sit in (with a few centimetres of clearance around the sides), then that it'south sides are not higher than 10cm, and place information technology in that.

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1. ane

   Buy a bike. Hamsters are very active and demand lots of things to practice in their cages, getting a cycle is a good place to start. Dwarf hamsters need a 6.v - 8 inch wheel and Chinese hamsters need an 8 inch cycle. Larger hamsters, including Syrian hamsters need a 12 inch cycle. Information technology's very important to go a bicycle that is big enough for your hamster. Flight saucers cannot supervene upon a normal upright wheel, as it encourages an unnatural way of running. NEVER use barred or mesh wheels, equally your hamster tin trap a limb or get bumblefoot (painful sores on the feet).

   • Ane style to tell if it is too pocket-sized is to look to see if your hamster is running with an arched back, similar a smiley confront. If they are, then the wheel is likely too small.

2. 2

   Buy a water basin or a bottle. If you buy a bottle, buy a good ane that doesn't leak also much. If you get a bowl, buy something similar a small bendy log bridge to put over it so that your hamster doesn't bury it or get wood shavings in it, or you can place the bowl on a small shelf.

3. 3

   Decide whether to get a food basin or scatter-feed. Using a bowl enables you lot to keep a good track on how much they are eating, and can be cleaner and easier. However, using scatter feeding brings out the hamster's natural foraging skills. You can besides practise a mix of both. If you take a pair of dwarves, and so besprinkle feeding is advisable as it can preclude fighting. If yous take a Chinese hamster (note! Not dwarf hamsters. Despite what a pet shop may accept told you, they're solitary like Syrians, even the males) or a Syrian hamster and then information technology is appropriate to get a food bowl and then that you lot can check their eating habits.

   • If you get a bowl, buy a small one so it doesn't have upwardly too much cage space.^[six]

4. 4

   Cull a firm for your hamster. Most houses are suitable for dwarf hamsters and Chinese hamsters, simply many are much too small for a Syrian hamster. Bendy bridges can exist turned into lovely cave-style houses if you coffin them under the substrate! Some hamsters make nests, but they demand somewhere to hide and store nutrient anyhow.

5. 5

   Buy some toys. Hamsters are very energetic and need lots of toys. Make sure to get chews as their teeth never stop growing! Hamsters love toys that they tin climb and hide-and-seek manner toys. Go some tubes, too - they're no replacement for digging but hamsters love running through them! Brand sure that they're large plenty, though - many tubes aren't big enough for Syrian hamsters. As well check that they have ventilation, every bit if they are long tubes your hamster may have trouble breathing in them.

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1. 1

   Choose a substrate. The substrate is the disposable material you fill out the bottom of your muzzle with. It's important to get a good 1 as it will absorb your hamster'southward urine and be what they dig into. At that place are a number of options other than the traditional woods shavings, and some specialist websites take reviews of different types. Stay away from substrates such equally pine or cedar, as they tin crusade severe respiratory problems! Use 6cm, or 3in, or more of substrate, every bit hamsters love to dig. Carefresh is a squeamish bedding and so is aspen.

2. two

   Choose some nesting cloth. As well as substrate, getting some split bedding or nesting material is important. While bedding is like the rug, nesting fabric is like the blankets. Avoid material that can divide into small-scale strands like fluffy bedding and cotton. This tin can crusade serious issues for your hamster through ingestion. They could besides become entangled and get a limb trapped^[seven] . Their instincts would be to pull on the limb until it was confused, although some very drastic hamsters have been reported to chew their own limbs off and die of blood loss!

   • Shredded tissue or toilet newspaper, in this instance, is the all-time nesting material.

3. iii

   Make sure you have enough and modify it regularly. Information technology's skilful to have a squeamish stock of substrate and bedding at dwelling, so you are prepared and can modify it regularly. Yous will need to keep a close on the cage and go on information technology clean. Information technology'south recommended to scoop out substrate that is moisture from urine every week, called spot cleaning, which will only take a few minutes. The amount of times you clean your cage completely volition depend on how big your cage is. g sq. inches or larger cages can withstand a yr or more without a full cage cleanout, but smaller cages may need to be cleaned one time a month.

   • It'due south a practiced idea to have a regular cleaning schedule, as your hamster could exist distressed if the muzzle is cleaned also ofttimes or too seldom. ^[viii]
   • Spot make clean the cage to remove poo daily to forbid moisture-tail.

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1. 1

   Go on calculation new things to stimulate them. In add-on to keeping the cage clean, it's of import to keep it refreshed with toys and things to chew on and dig in. Attempt giving them empty cereal or granola bar boxes with the printed exterior removed to prevent exposure to inks. Hamsters like empty toilet-newspaper tubes, too, and will dearest to play in them until they chew them to shreds. Make sure to cut them so Syrian hamsters can fit.

2. 2

   Handle your hamsters daily. Hamsters beloved attending! They each have their own personalities, but handling them regularly will help yous get used to each other. But of form, you lot should be careful at all times. For example, don't hold them by the legs and wheelbarrow them. It strains their little legs and can injure them or in severe cases break their limbs.

   • Make sure yous requite them a chance to become comfy with their new cage earlier treatment them (nigh a week is all-time). Moving into a new cage is a large issue for a hamster and they will be more interested in man attending one time they are happy.

3. 3

   Give your pet a weekly home cheque-up. It'south crucial to provide a good environs for your hamster, just y'all can too cheque on their health by listening to their breathing, and if there is wheezing telephone call a vet. Cheque their paws for lacerations; check their teeth; bank check their skin to see if there are any signs of flaky or irritated peel. Make sure their nose is dry out and their eyes clear.

   • You lot may consider weighing them to see if they're gaining or losing weight, which could tip you off to problems.

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Add together New Question

• Question

  What foods can they not eat?

  

  Chocolate, candy, meats in high fat, the leafy light-green parts of a tomato, junk food, beans, potatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, and all citrus foods.

• Question

  How long tin I leave a hamster alone? Is information technology safe to bring a hamster on a long auto trip?

  

  Y'all can leave a hamster solitary for a day or 2 as long as it has food and water. Personally, I wouldn't accept a hamster on a trip. I would have someone come and take care of my hamster while I was away.

• Question

  Could I leave it home whilst I get to work?

  

  As long as your hamster has adequate food and water and cannot get out of his/her cage, then he/she will be fine if you take to leave the house. I leave my hamster for 7 hours when I'k at school and he is fine.

• Question

  Do hamsters need a "firm," or can they just burrow in the bedding?

  

  Information technology is best to buy a firm and see if your hamster prefers burrowing.

• Question

  Can my hamster be trusted on its own in my room with the door closed out of its cage?

  

  No. Unless there'due south no gap between the floor and the door, you admittedly cannot leave them by themselves every bit they tin can clasp nether that gap. In addition to this, it chew on cords and toys and if information technology chews on an electric cord, it tin be electrocuted. In addition to that, it'due south going to find a minor crevices and disappear. You won't exist able to reach it and information technology'll suffocate, starve, and inevitably die.

• Question

  What "people food" tin can syrian hamsters eat?

  

  Lindsay Pratt

  Community Respond

  Hamsters usually enjoy turnips, carrots, chicory, spinach, parsley, pumpkin, endive, cauliflower, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, asparagus, raisins, seedless apples, berries, pears, plums, and peaches. If your hamster is not enjoying one, try a different one until yous get information technology correct. Make sure non to feed them likewise much carbohydrate (fruits) as information technology could cause diabetes.

• Question

  What is the best hamster breed for children?

  

  Syrian. Also known as teddy bear, black bear, or teddy Syrian. Once tamed, Syrians will want to exist loved past you.

• Question

  I really want to buy a pet hamster, simply are they expensive? How much will I spend per yr?

  

  Hamster_Paws

  Customs Answer

  In one twelvemonth (without the cage cost) a hamster could cost from $70 and upwardly. These costs are from the bedding, nutrient, toys, chews, treats, etc. With vet costs that could go up to $100+.

• Question

  I want a hamster then bad, but I accept dogs. What do I practise?

  

  Yous can still have a hamster if you have dogs, but they are non allowed to interact with each other at all because the dog could hurt it. Just keep the hamster in your room and keep the door airtight. Keep the hamster's habitat high off the footing and so the dogs couldn't become it if they accidentally got in.

• Question

  What breed of hamster is the easiest to maintain?

  

  The easiest hamster to maintain is a Syrian. They are a lot easier to take care of than dwarves.

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• Never go critter trail or other cramped cages with many tubes and plastic items every bit they are too small and your hirsuite pet won't savor it.

• If y'all have a very active hamster, so hold them just to a higher place their cage.

• Hamsters go thirsty quick and need a lot, so brand sure you accept a decent size bottle.

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• If they have loose stools (mushy poop) or take stuff stuck to their bottom, call a vet immediately! This is a sign of many serious illnesses or moisture tail in hamsters.

• If you accept other pets that may scare or fifty-fifty swallow your hamster, so go along the cage in a room where they aren't allowed and secure the muzzle.

• Chinese hamsters are NOT dwarf hamsters, and they are not social.

• Never leave the cage open up!

• Syrian hamsters and Chinese hamsters MUST be kept solitary or they will kill each other.

• Some people take hamsters exterior in playpens, but it is a terrible thought - there are parasites, predators and diseases outside that may impale your hamster!

• Dwarf hamsters should be kept alone if you are a beginner. Although they can live in pairs, it often ends in them being separated. It is entirely faux that dwarf hamsters need to be kept in pairs, every bit they will be but every bit happy on their own. NEVER innovate them to hamsters from another litter.

• If you are planning on getting a hamster for a child, think carefully. No matter how much you lot recollect your kid would exist responsible, chances are they won't - that'due south but the nature of children. If they actually want a pet, then consider adopting a family dog or true cat, as they are surprisingly more like shooting fish in a barrel to await afterward if you get them from a rescue and they're an adult. Only get one for a teenager if they dear animals, equally teens normally won't injure them, only they may neglect them.

• Don't take cages with multiple levels or attachments if you accept a pair of dwarfs, as it causes territorial issues.

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Article Summary X

To gear up a hamster cage, start by getting the biggest muzzle you can afford and fit into your infinite since hamsters need room to run. Then, line the cage with a high quality material for your hamster to dig in, like woods shavings or saw grit. Next, buy a wheel to ensure that your hamster will get enough exercise. You'll also want to go a water bowl or bottle, and decide if you're going to besprinkle-feed or utilise a food bowl. Additionally, outfit your cage with a hamster firm and toys to continue your pet happy and busy. To learn how to keep your hamster mentally stimulated, continue reading!

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