Hamster-Info.net

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Hamster wool, splintery plastic, and hamster balls are dangerous for me. I‘d much rather run in a large play pen with lots
of toys - which also gives you a much better chance to watch
and pet me.
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Please don‘t breed me. There are enough unwanted
hamsters up for adoption already.
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I am a clean animal by nature. If you offer me a toilet you don‘t
need to clean my bedding too often which is stressful for me.
Check your local shelter and classified ads if there are hamsters
up for adoption before you buy one at the pet shop. Many
people have unwanted litters so there often are baby hamsters
in need of a home.
Take me to the vet when I‘m sick. Don‘t let me suffer just
because I was cheaper than the vet‘s bill will be.
I don‘t expect you to be the perfect owner right away.
If you stick to these rules and are open to learning about
me, we‘ll have a great time together.
Your hamster
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www.hamster-info.net
Y our Ham
Please don‘t give me sugary or highly processed feeds.
It is not healthy for me and can make me overweight.
Healthy hamster feed should also contain animal protein.
I need fresh water every day.
Important Infos:
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There you‘ll meet friendly, helpful, hamster-loving people.
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I need a big wheel so I don‘t have to run with a bent back.
For a dwarf hamster a wheel should be 8 inches or more and
for a Syrian 10 inches or more in diameter.
www.hamsterhouse.com
www.das-hamsterforum.de
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www.forum.fellnasen.at
Ham
This works best if you house me in a big tank of 40gal /
4 square feet or bigger. You can watch me do all sorts of
interesting things in there and you can set up the cage with
lots of great toys for me. And you can give me lots of bedding
to dig in. Remember: bigger is always better!
Foren:
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http://hamstergehege.blogspot.com/2010/03/wissenschaftlichefakten-wie-ein.html
Hamster-Info.net
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I am not a toy and don‘t want to be cuddled all the time.
I prefer just being watched.
Scientific facts about hamster homes:
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I am nocturnal / crepuscular. Please don‘t wake me up during
the day (except for emergencies). You wouldn‘t want to be
woken from your dreams in the middle of the night either,
would you?
www.transoniq.com
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These wheels are recommendable:
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I want to live solitary. Please give me a cage of my own. Most
importantly, don‘t keep me in one cage with the opposite sex
- you‘ll have unwanted litters.
http://hamstergehege.blogspot.com
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Great ideas for natural cages can be found here:
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I am just a small animal and don‘t ask for much. But even I
have needs. This is what you can do to keep me happy:
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10 Pleas of a Hamster
Check it out!
Housing Your Hamster
All big hamsters kept as pets are Syrian or golden
hamsters. They come in many different colors and also
with long hair (”angora“ or ”teddy bear“ hamsters). Adults are
5 to 7 inches in length and weigh between 100 and 160 grams.
They are crepuscular/nocturnal and strictly solitary.
Hamsters love to run and dig. While they do climb they are not really
gifted climbers (except Chinese dwarf hamsters) and can hurt
themselves if they fall more than 6 inches. Therefore, the cage should
have a large ground area with deep bedding. A small but tall cage
does not really address a hamster‘s needs.
Dwarf hamsters are between 3 and 5 inches in length
and weigh about 30 to 50 grams. There are four different
breeds sold as pets: Russian Winter Whites, Russian Campbell‘s,
Roborovski, and Chinese Striped Dwarf Hamster.
Dwarf hamsters are crepuscular but are also known to
come out for a while during the day. Even if dwarf hamsters
are often sold as pairs or groups it is better to keep them
solitary if one is not sure about the sexes or if one is not very
experienced with hamsters. Otherwise you will have unwanted
litters or might miss the signs of an impending fight in which
the hamsters can injure or even kill each other.
Scientific studies have shown that hamsters need really big homes
with lots of bedding to avoid stereotypies like annoying bar chewing.
Many people have good experiences with cage sizes of 4ft square
and more and bedding depths of 8 inches and more. If you think
that this sounds ridiculous consider that lab cages are up to 2 1/2
square feet. And you don‘t want to keep your beloved pet worse than
in a lab, right?
In nature all hamsters run several miles every night so you
should offer them a big cage and an appropriate wheel with
a diameter of 10 inches or more for Syrians and 8 inches or
more for dwarfs.
If you have just got a hamster you need a little patience
when taming them. Roborovski hamsters and Chinese striped
hamsters are said to be the breeds which are the most shy.
Give your hamster a little time to get used to
his new home and to get to know you!
Hamsters can be housed in traditional wire cages, tanks, terrariums,
bin cages or other DIY cages.
Cage Interior
Hamsters don‘t like changes that much so it is best if you have the
cage ready before your hamster arrives. Your best bet is to use
natural materials like wood, cork, ceramic or terracotta which are
either unchewable or harmless when the hamster gnaws them. Offer
several hideouts and houses. The entrances should have a diameter of 3 inches for Syrians and 2 inches for dwarfs so your hamster
doesn‘t get stuck when he wants to get into the house with full cheek
pouches. In addition to houses and hideouts the hamster needs a
sand bath with Chinchilla sand and a big wheel (8 inches for dwarfs,
10 inches for Syrians).
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Feeding Your Hamster
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Your hamster needs fresh water every day. Both, bowls and
bottles with ball bearings are fine, just make sure that your
hamster knows how to operate the bottle.
Main Hamster Food
Use a good hamster food without sugar, honey or molasses
which contains few fatty ingredients like nuts and sunflower
seeds and no heavily processed ingredients like pellets. The
feed should already contain animal protein. Dwarf hamsters
need different food than syrians, they need more small seeds
and a higher percentage of animal protein. If you change your
hamster‘s feed accustom them slowly to the new one.
Fresh Food
You should feed your hamster about 40% fresh food. This should
consist mostly of vegetables like cucumber, zucchini, bell
pepper, carrot, or broccoli. Sweet fruit should be fed sparingly,
especially to dwarf hamsters since they are prone to diabetes.
Animal Protein
Hamsters love to dig and live in subterranean burrows in nature. Give
them a chance to show their natural behavior in their cage. This is
possible if you offer lots of bedding (8 inches and more). Aspen
wood shavings or hemp bedding mixed with hay has a good
”diggability“. Do not use pine or cedar based bedding. Paper based
bedding may be unsuitable for building stable burrows.
A good hamster food should already contain some animal
protein. If you can‘t get food that does you can feed mealworms,
crickets, or bombys mori larvae or natural joghurt or unsalted,
low-fat cottage cheese. Young hamsters or pregnant females
should get extra rations of animal protein.
Most hamsters can be trained to use a toilet with Chinchilla sand.
Then you can just clean the toilet, fresh food, and obviously soiled
spots from the cage every day. The bedding (especially if you offer
lots) will stay mostly clean so it is sufficient to replace part of
the bedding about once a month. A thorough cage cleaning stresses
the hamster because all his known smells are gone. Only clean the
cage completely in case of illness or parasites.
should not contain sugar. Great treats are: nuts, sunflower, pine,
orpumpkin seeds, dried carrot, apple, zucchini or banana chips.
www.hamster-info.net
Hamster Species
Treats
Vitamins, Salt Stones, etc
A healthy hamster who gets healthy food does not need them.
In fact, they can even be harmful. Always consult your vet before
offering your hamster vitamin cures or similar.
Unfortunately, pet shops still sell a lot of unsuitable and even dangerous products. Avoid:
hamster wool, splintery plastic, hamster balls, bird sand, wheels with spokes, and scented bedding or bedding with color which can be harmful to your hamster.