Animal Care Series- Hamster Post

So since I basically have a zoo in my house I thought I would do a little seires about my experiance with the animals I own and write about how to care for those animals, for anyone who is thinking of buying that animal, or anyone who needs tips for caring for that animal. 

So first I thought I would talk about my hamsters. I have two Roborovski Dwarf hamsters, They are tiny and beautiful to look at, but not so great if you want an animal to cuddle and stroke as they are mighty fast. I tried to pick one of them up, first of it took me around 15 minutes to pick her up, but then she decided to jump right out of my hand. Good job my husband was quick enough to grab the dog or else the hamster would have been a little treat for Leia. The only time we take them out is to go in their ball for some excersise. They are a pretty easy pet to look after and I would reccomend them as a good first pet for children. If I had to buy them again, I think that I would have picked a Chinese Dwarf hamster as they are slower and bigger. But I love my little furry babies anyway. I love to watch them playing and running around in their cage. 

So if you were thinking of getting a Roborovski hamster I would get a mostly plastic cage, the only bit of normal cage material would be at the very top of the cage. If the gaps between the wires are big enough to fit your little finger in, the hamsters will be able to get out, and you don't want to loose your hamster on the first day of having them. Another thing I would suggest is to give them lots of thinigs for them to play with. They are extremly active and like a lot of things to do. I have bought my two a burrow box, a teepee, a hanging activity centre and their running wheel. You need to give them lots of shredded paper or tissue paper in their bed, as they love to be cuddled up and cosy. You need to cover the floor of their cage with sawdust and then use tissue paper in their bedroom and anywhere they can sleep. I would spot clean their cage every day, and then once a week deep clean their whole cage. What I usually do is put them in their ball and let them run around while i clean out the cage. 

Next thing I want to talk about is their food and drink. I fill their water bottle every day, and i use a vitamin powder in too as I want them to be as healty as possible. I feed my hamsters 'hamster museli' which has a lot of differnt things to give them variation, their favourite thing in their food is dried sweetcorn, it is the first thing I notice is gone when I check on them. Ellen (the bigger and braver hamster) comes up to the food bowl as soon as I place it down. We also give them cucmber as a little treat, and also it gives them more water. You shouldn't give your hamsters a lot of treats as they are so small and it will give them an upset stomach. I thought I would give you a little list of things you should NOT feed your hamster.

•     Almonds — contain cyanide, which can kill hamsters in enough quantity

•     Celery, whole stalks — stringy texture could choke a hamster

•     Chocolate (particularly dark chocolate) — contains theobromine, which causes circulatory problems for hamsters

•     Unwashed fruits and vegetables— poses danger to your hamster from pesticides

•     Garlic — may cause indigestion

•     Kidney beans, uncooked —toxic to hamsters

•     Lettuce, iceberg — can cause liver problems in hamsters if eaten in excess

•     Onion — N-propyldisulfide causes damage to the hamster’s red blood cells

•     Peanuts — contain aflatoxin, which is toxic to hamsters in too large a quantity

•     Potato, Potato tops — toxic to hamsters

•     Rhubarb, Rhubarb leaves —toxic to hamsters

•     Spicy or seasoned products — may cause indigestion in hamsters

•     Sugary products — bad for hamsters’ teeth and are fattening

•     Tomato leaves — toxic to hamsters

I have bought two hamsters at the same time, they were in the same cage when we went to the pet shop, and this is what i suggest, if you are wanting more than one hamster, i would get them at the same time and preferably in the same cage. If you decide that you would like to get another one later on there is a possibility that they would fight, and sometimes even kill one another. I would suggest that you do get more than one hamster as they like to snuggle up to eachother when they go to sleep. 

Hamsters are a sweet pet, they aren't the type that you can cuddle and handle a lot. but I love to watch them running around and snuggling together. Here is a list of things I would suggest buying when you decide to purchase a hamster, obviously you don't have to get all of these things its just what i suggest. 

• Plastic based cage

• Hamster Food

• Sawdust

• Shredded Tissue Paper

• Toys & Places for the hamsters to Hide

• Running Wheel if it isn't attached to the cage

• Food Dish & Water Bowl

I hope you have enjoyed this post and I will see you soon with the next animal care post!