Hamster/ Rodent Care

To preface this page;

My intentions are to bring light to how care for smaller animals in particular is not up to scratch. This page is meant for GUIDANCE only. If you have any suggestions on adding/changing certain bits, please get in touch. I want this to be a wide spread effort to bring awareness, so the more the merrier!

I am not professionally trained, this information is from owning 4 hamsters over six years and I’ve always done my best to research topics extensively. This is meant as guidance only and I can’t be responsible for your actions. If you take something from this page, let it be that each animal is different, including the small ones like hamsters, they all need individual care, you must do your due diligence to learn what your furry friend needs.

Hamsters are prone to getting conditions such as arthritis, chest infections and so on.

*My opinion* - Hamsters are HARDER to look after than a DOG. They are also not very suitable for younger children unless adults are committed to fully looking after the Hamster(s) and realise the Hamsters are ultimately the adults responsibility.

When it comes to Hamster care, the stereotypical information we are given and think is correct is most of the time, wrong. This is no fault of you own, like with everything nowadays, people need to be more aware of advances in care for all animals and be aware of their needs. You are already doing more than most people by reading threads and blogs just like this, but it is up to us animal lovers to do what we can. We must all spread awareness to these topics. Why not share this page to your socials? Hopefully this can help at least one Hamster.

Sadly, pet shops are slow to showing this information as it means the products they sell, would have to be replaced by new and improved versions. i.e, money money money. They want to avoid spending more than they have to most of the time as they are a business.

Not all pet shops are like this how ever, in recent years the quality of care has been improving but it still needs a lot of work. Feel free to contact me and let me know of newer information that I can add to this page for everyone to see.

With this lack of official information, it is ultimately up to pet lovers to do their due diligence and research. There are forums out their for animal owners where you can speak on and ask questions, one I use is Hamster Hideout - http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/ Click HERE for a direct link to Hamster Hideouts main page.

Generally when I am googling a query I have that is related to my hamsters, I will always add “hamster hideout” to it to see if someone has already asked and answered the query I have. For example; “what is the minimum hamster cage size? hamster hideout” What I found is a very in-depth thread written by another hamster owner. I will not re-write what they have said as I couldn’t say it better myself. HERE is the thread - http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/topic/138114-the-surprising-truth-about-cage-size/

From Hamster Hideout below ..

Why Does the Cage Gap Exist?

If hamsters need such large cages, then why are the cages available for purchase so small? 

There is no single answer for this.  Part of the reason is that all this information is still relatively new.  We are continuing to learn about and observe hamster behaviour in different-sized cages and seeing differences.

Another reason is the difference between surviving and thriving.  Hamsters can survive in smaller store-bought cages.  It does not mean they will be happy and healthy, but they will live.  

And for some people, that's enough.  Hamsters are often purchased as pets for the entertainment of small children.  And in some of these cases, the hamster's well-being is not a terribly high priority – the child doesn’t understand and the parent doesn’t care.  It doesn't mean that it's the right thing to do, and it’s not the kind of care we promote on Hamster Hideout, but it would be silly to ignore the fact that this does happen.

End of Hamster Hideout copy & paste..

They are a living soul and feel pain, you should treat them with the upmost care. You chose them, they didn’t choose you, (in most cases anyway, especially with hamsters) remember that. They rely on you.

Next, I have used YouTube since the start of owning my first Two Dwarf Hamsters. I went in fully prepared to pamper them both and buy them what they needed, but when I left the shop, the saleswoman from a popular chain of stores in the UK showed me and ultimately told me to buy the tiniest cage. As soon as we got back and put the two hamsters in it, they instantly showed signs of boredom and stress so then began my rabbit hole of googling and youtubing to find a solution. My point being is, you can’t believe everything you are told when it comes to care. You have to take the initiative and research ANY pet you are wanting to get. Pets are a great addition to the family, they are a living soul and feel pain, you should treat them with the upmost care. You chose them, they didn’t choose you, (in most cases anyway, especially with hamsters) remember that.

The RSPCA Page for Hamsters - Click > HERE <

Signs of stress include:

• Bar Biting (if in a cage that is half bars they can climb up and bite constantly, this can actually break their teeth, rsulting in them unable to eat as well, then they could pass if it goes unnoticed)

• Wet Tail - Hamsters can get an illness called wet tail, which is exactly that, a wet tail. This is caused from bacteria festering and it is classed as an emergency illness. Hamsters with wet tail can pass with in 24-48 hours, the death rate is extremely high. You must take you hamster to the vet if you see signs of a wet tail, watery poops, and anything out of the ordinary. You will probably be prescribed Baytril for anti-biotics, that is standard, and more a less the only one there is for hamsters.

• Hissing/ Biting you - Hamsters can hiss, nip and lunge at you. Signs of aggression is as it says on the tin. They are not wanting to be bothered by you. Taming hamsters is mostly possible, some might be anti-social. Hamsters are like humans when it comes to emotions. They DON’T like being waken up (imagine if you randomly got woken up in the middle of your sleep to be taken to go do some sport and to socialise, you wouldn’t want to). Hamsters need time to settle and to get used to your scent, this can take months and that is perfectly normal. Just go slow. You don’t have to pick them up instantly.

Contents

Hutch/Cage

Food

Exercise

Enrichment

Products I Use

Hutch/ Cage

The RSPCA states that the minimum size a hamster cage should be is 450 square inches / 3.1 square feet / 2903 square centimetres. *Remember* This is the absolute minimum, if you hamster still shows signs of stress, you need to upgrade again. Bigger is always better in this regard, so if i were you and had to start from the beginning, I’d get one of the biggest cages as they need the floor space to run around. They are not like rats, they don’t need height and that won’t substitute for floor space. Hamster can run up to a few miles a night, you mist provide them the capabilities to do that.

Food

So the standard with food is a bag of hamster muesli for a couple of £’s. I am personally not against hamster muesli and it provides variety and some nutrition. BUT, I would always make sure you have a side plate of veggies the hamster can have too, this is another way to get water into them and help with the hydration if they are not drinking much. Granted, hamsters aren’t large drinkers but becoming dehydrated is a massive issue for humans and hamsters. To tell if your hamster is dehydrated, if you GENTLY pinch the hamsters skin on their back, if it pings back, that’s good, if it slowly retracts back to the body, that’s bad. You can do this to yourself too, if you were to GENTLY pinch your skin on you arm say, that’s all it essentially is.

TIP = I ALWAYS keep some syringes on hand which you can buy from Amazon, or ask your vet if you can have some, they might give them for free if you say its for hydration. But having syringes is so valuable.

Syringes on Amazon, click HERE - 100 1ml Syringes for £10! Crazy cheap, go stock up.

Baby food

Exercise

wheels

Enrichment

Teeth

My equipment