Millies Pets

Cages

 

Hamster cages should be atleast 360 SQ inches, anything below this is far too small. But remember, 360 SQ inches is just the minium so try to purchase a cage larger than this if you can. There is no such thing as a cage to big!

Never I repeat, never buy pet shop cages. They are most of the time, far to small and cruel to keep any hamster in and are over priced for their small size. See cages page for more information.

 

Bedding

 

Hamsters can live in lots types of bedding. The ones you should not buy for your hamsters are pine, cedar and scented bedding as the pine and cedar beddings have oils in them called 'phenols'. These phenols are irritating to the respitory system and countinous use of these beddings can build up toxins in the hamsters liver and kidneys. The liver and kidney are the two main organs which control the hamsters health. When the organs dont function properly, because of the overburden of toxins, the hamsters cannot fight off diseases such as cancer. Instead, use paper based bedding such as Aspen wood shavings, Carefresh, fitch bedding, boxo, kaytee clean and cozy, and any off brands of Carefresh. If the only option of bedding is cedar, pine and scented shavings, then you can use plain printer paper or soy based newspaper and put it through the shredder and use that instead. But you will have to clean the hamster out reguarly as paper doesnt absorb very well.

 

Nesting Material

Never ever use cotton/fluff bedding. On the package, it may say something like '100% natural and safe' but this is not true.

Fluff bedding is extremely dangerous. It can get caught around the hamsters limbs and cut off circulation, and if swallowed it can cause internal blockage wich cannot be cured.

Any nesting materials which are not made of paper will be dangerous, so stay clear of them even if they say that they are safe on the package.

Instead, use plain shredded toilet paper. This is a much more safer and cheaper way to supply your pet with a comfy, safe nest.

To make the shredded toilet paper, simply roll off a few sections of toilet paper, fold it about three to five times and simply tear it in a downwards motion. Simple!

Read more about this on the nesting material and bedding page.

 

Diet

There are a lot of good hamster seed mixes on the market, but the ones I would recommend are Harry/Hazel hamster (the name depends on where you live), Carefresh complete menu and Cunipic which is the food I am currently using.

Hamsters can also eat certain fruits, vegetables, scrambled or boiled egg and a small amount of roast chicken. Only give them these foods as treats once a week. Egg and chicken only once every two weeks.

 

Wheels

For hamsters, wheels are an absolute must! Hamsters can run up to 5-8 miles per night so it is very important to have an exercise wheel or flying saucer. When choosing a wheel, make sure that it is not wire/mesh as these types of wheels can cause bumblefoot which is very painful. Also, when choosing a wheel, make sure that it is an appropiate size for the hamster and species you own.

For syrians, I would recommend size 8 inches at the bare minium. Any larger would be much better.

For dwarfs, I would recommend size 6.

The types of wheels I recommend are; wodent wheels, Silent spinners (for dwarfs and chinese hamsters only) savic rolly wheel, super pet comfort wheel and flying saucers.

 

Baths

Hamsters are very clean animals, and usually clean themselves several times a day. It is unnecessary to bathe them in water as hamsters have natural oils in their coats, and bathing them will cause the oils to wash away leaving the hamster prone to colds which can kill them. Baths can also make hamsters extremely stressed, which leads to wet tail and death.

Sand baths however, are very good and can be used regulary. Make sure the sand is not dust though, as dust can causerespitory infections.

 

Cage cleaning

Make sure that you clean your hamsters cage at least once a week. But if cleaned too often, it can lower their immune systems.

Hamsters cages can smell when they mark their territory. Syrians do this by rubbing their hips on objects and dwarfs do this by rubbing their bellies on objects. Actually, the sooner you clean the cage the faster it will start to smell odd since the hamster will have to mark its territory all over again! But cage cleaning is something you will need to do once a week. Do not leave it for more than one week.

 

Chews

Hamsters teeth grow countinously so chews are a must to stop their teeth from getting too long. You can purchase chews from pet shops and online.

 

Breeding

I have never bred any hamsters and do not plan to as it is very time consuming and complex.

I urge you not to breed hamsters if you are a beginner owner or even a expert owner! Leave it to the professionals.

 

So that wraps up my breif hamster care guide! I hope you learnt something, and please make sure that you share this page to other owners!