Hamsters are adorable, and if you had one as a kid, you probably remember them being easy pets to care for. As you can imagine, it isn't as easy to care for a hamster as it looked as a kid, but once you get the hang of it, you may find that it isn't all that hard either.
The Basics of Hamster Care
If you are thinking about getting a hamster for your child, it would be best if your child is in elementary school or older. A hamster is not ideal for very young children. They require a lot of care, can get a little nippy, and are not always great when handled in small hands. However, once your child is old enough to handle a hamster with care and help clean the cage, they make for a fun and educational pets for families.
What to Look For When Preparing to Bring Home a Hamster
What kind of hamster is right for me?
The amount and type of hamster you’d like is all up to your preference. Syrian hamsters, however, should never be put in pairs on account of the fact they will fight violently over their territory once they reach maturity. Dwarf, Russian, or Chinese hamsters are popular as pets but can be territorial in pairs, but do well only if they are littermates or a mother/child pairing.
What kind of cage should my hamster have?
When choosing a cage, it should be at the very least 15 inches long by 12 inches high, but always opt for something larger if you can extend such luxury to your hamster for additional room to exercise and explore.
What kind of bedding should my hamster have?
When looking for what bedding you might line your hamster’s cage with, it is best to avoid wood shavings. Look for bedding made from plant-based paper fibers or cellulose (an organic compound). Avoid using cat litter, corn cobs, newspaper, and any bedding that is scented (these contain chemicals that can cause respiratory issues).
What kind of toys should my hamster have?
When buying toys for your hamster, an exercise wheel is a must to prevent boredom, and you can also purchase a ball for your hamster to explore the house in (under supervision).
What type of foods do hamsters eat?
Premade bags of hamster food includes a mix of fruits, vegetables, seeds, and grains. However, it is important to supplement this diet with small pieces of fresh vegetables and fruit. It is important to also provide access to fresh, clean water.
What type of foods aren’t good for hamsters to eat?
Not all greens are good for hamsters, neither are all fruits and vegetables. Stick to broccoli, parsley, apple, pear, carrot and turnips while avoiding onions, garlic, chives, leeks, lettuce, raw potatoes and oranges. As hamsters can be prone to diabetes, you’ll want to give them fruit sparingly due to their high contents of sugar.
How to Clean a Hamster’s Cage
Hamsters need clean cages to keep them from getting sick with a number of conditions, including diseases that are transmittable to humans.
Move your hamster to a safe area
As long as you can keep your hamster from rolling off somewhere while you aren't looking, an exercise ball would be an ideal spot to keep your hamster while cleaning its cage. A second cage or deep container that your hamster can’t get out of will also work.
Get rid of bedding
Don’t worry about cleaning your hamster’s bedding, just throw it away and start fresh. Hamsters can sometimes hoard their food, so tossing all bedding will prevent hidden food from molding.
Wash the cage
Use regular soap and warm water to thoroughly rinse and clean your hamster’s cage or container. If you use vinegar, bleach or any other type of cleaning product on the container, make sure everything is thoroughly cleaned off and dried before adding new bedding and returning your hamster back to its cage.
How to Care for Baby Hamsters
If your hamsters breed or you take home a pregnant hamster, you’ll need to know how to care for the babies, which will be generally easy to do in the beginning. No matter how hard it is you must leave them alone for at least a week — just feed and water them and that’s all.
Get a sheet
Cover the cage with a sheet to give the mother an opportunity to get used to her new family, and to also keep odd smells off the babies (which will lower the risk of the mother harming them).
Take a break from cleaning
Give your hamsters their own space for the first week, and then begin cleaning the cage again.
Add protein to the mother’s diet while she nurses
This can include small pieces of boiled egg and chicken.
Separate the hamsters
Eventually, the hamsters will need to be separated, which can be done in the form of purchasing new cages for them to live in or rehoming the babies to new pet parents. Dwarf hamsters should be sexed and separated at about four to five weeks old; Syrian hamsters at about six weeks. Not separating your hamsters can encourage fighting amongst them, spread diseases, and encourage even more pregnancies.
Setting Up Your Hamster’s Home
Start by purchasing everything you need for your hamster, like its cage, food, water, bedding and exercise wheel, then bring your hamster home. You’ll want to make the transition as easy as possible as it can be stressful for a hamster to go from a pet store or a shelter or a rescue to your home. While a pet store, shelter or rescues have loud people and unusual smells, your home has its own unusual noises and smells that your hamster will not be automatically adjusted to.
Hamsters are prone to a bacterial disease called wet tail, which can be caused by changes like coming to a new home or suddenly living in an overcrowded cage, and it can be fatal if not treated within 48 hours. Signs of wet tail include lethargy, loss of appetite, failure to groom and diarrhea. If you see any of the above signs, call your veterinarian immediately to have your pet examined and bring a stool sample to the visit for parasite testing.
Do things right, however, and you and your family will probably love having a hamster. Hamsters are very smart and can be trained. Although at times skittish, you can begin gaining trust to hold them by giving them a treat when they are in your hands. If they're getting food as a treat, they smell your hands and see your fingers and anticipate being held & pet, and getting a nice treat.
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Related: We have more information under our small animal care category.