Hamsters are popular pets that can easily be purchased at a pet store. They do not require significant costs and space and are sociable animals. At the same time, hamsters are quite fragile, irritable and tend to run away, which can make life difficult for their owners. We tell you how to properly care for these animals so that both the animal and the owner are satisfied.
The cage for the hamster should be spacious enough and safe for the pet. The size should be chosen taking into account the breed of the pet. The material is also important: cages with wooden parts are not suitable for rodents in principle. The grid should be metal – only stainless steel, since zinc and copper can cause serious health problems when ingested by a pet. It is best to buy a cage with a tray made of food-grade plastic and stainless steel bars covered with animal-safe paint.
The door of the cage is located on the side or on top. Immediately after purchasing the cage, it is necessary to check how securely it closes so that the hamster cannot open it on its own. First, you need to keep an eye on the pet – some hamsters manage to slip even into a small gap between the door and the cage.
Feed
Hamsters are unpretentious in nutrition and eat very little. The main diet of rodents is a grain mixture. You should buy specialized feed, designed specifically for hamsters, it is undesirable to use mixtures for other rodents.
Cage equipment and accessories
There must be a food container and a drinking bowl in the cage. The feeder should be stable, with a side not higher than 3 cm, so that it is easy for the animal to take food. For water, it is most practical to use transparent drinkers with a metal drinking tube: it will be easy for the rodent to use, and you will control the water level. The water should be changed daily, and the bottle should be washed regularly with hot water. Water bowls are not very practical, because the hamster can get its paws wet and catch a cold, pieces of food and bedding will get there, and it will take up more space.
The main mistakes in keeping hamsters:
Shared maintenance. You should not start a couple if you do not plan to have offspring. Hamsters don’t need relatives to mate with, and it’s easy to mix up the sexes at the store – you can end up with a pair that will breed quickly. After the cubs are born, the father may attack them, and the mother will protect them, which will lead to serious fights. Some hamsters cannot live together with others of the same breed and opposite sex, for example, the popular Syrian hamster.
Incorrect choice of litter.
Restriction of mobility. In nature, hamsters are constantly running and climbing, so it is impossible to limit their mobility and research interest.
Obsessiveness. After buying a hamster, you need to give it a week to settle in, and only after that you can start getting acquainted. The animal cannot be suddenly and suddenly grabbed, chased around the cage, punished and hurt. You need to carefully raise your hand to the animal’s nose and talk to it gently.
Wrong diet. Hamsters are omnivores – in addition to cereals, vegetables and fruits, they need meat, worms, bugs. You can try to balance the diet yourself, but there are already good ready-made feeds on sale.