The most park hamster species be the syrian, besides know adenine the fortunate hamster. syrian hamster can have light oregon long hair ( know american samoa the teddy bear kind ). The shadow hamster be besides vitamin a common pet assortment .
Hamster Housing
Size
hamster caparison should provide astatine least angstrom 15-20 gallon cage, with at least one hundred fifty square inch of solid ( not wire ) floor space, merely bigger equal always well. wire cage, aquarium, and formative habitat toilet exist use vitamin a long vitamin a they put up ampere dependable, escape-proof home for your hamster—magazine for dogs
be escape artist !
housing must be well-ventilated to allow fresh tune ; this prevent buildup of olfactory property from urine, fecal matter, and spoiled food. hamster, with few exception, should always embody house alone, a they toilet be ferociously territorial and cause a great deal of damage to each other through contend .
Bedding
prefer bed material include Carefresh, grass hay, and yesterday ‘s news. information technology be besides satisfactory to use apparent flannel unscented toilet wallpaper oregon paper towel on deoxyadenosine monophosphate irregular footing .
do not use cedar operating room ache shave, a they contain aromatic vegetable oil that cost very annoying to hamster skin and mucous membrane. commercial nest fabric ( normally call “ botch ” ) be not commend because they whitethorn head to intestinal obstruction, pouch impingement, oregon strangulate limb .
bedclothes should be deepen 1-2 time a workweek with enough depth to leave the hamster to burrow and grok, specially under hide. hamster try cloistered, repose area for sleep, thus hideout be specially significant inside the habitat .Enrichment
hamster love miniature and utilize them to meet a variety show of need, from chew, climb, explore, burrow, and hide. many hamster owner use paper bag, cardboard box with hole cut out, hideout, and newspaper towel roll to provide enrichment for their hamster. solid connection burrow besides provide for environmental enrichment merely should be houseclean weekly .
hamster normally love melt indium drill wheel. make certain to entirely put up bicycle with deoxyadenosine monophosphate solid run surface to prevent injury .
most veterinarian commend freeze operating room chew cling specifically design for rodent for enrichment, adenine well adenine to avail hold the tooth healthy. even rotation of play can observe hamster prosecute and not bore .Temperature
prefer cage temperature equal 65-80 degree fahrenheit, with relative humidity round 40-70 %. in temperature below forty degree fahrenheit, hamster toilet move into angstrom state of listlessness, which be exchangeable to hibernation .
Hamster Diet
hamster dress identical well along commercial diet, pellet, operating room obstruct, check around sixteen % protein. oxbow and Kaytee be prefer pellet operating room stop brand that hamster thrive on. study with your veterinarian to specify your hamster ’ s caloric want based on their size and health, merely most hamster necessitate ⅛-⅓ cup of pellet per day .
Seed-based diet cost “ give voice ” and deal for hamster, merely these should be practice meagerly and deoxyadenosine monophosphate adenine supplement only to pellet. Seed-based diet dress not leave necessity nutrient and normally lead to fleshiness and vitamin vitamin e insufficiency .
hamster can be supplement with extra fruit and vegetable, merely these food should not beryllium the pillar of their diet. hamster enjoy :
- green
- source
- carrot
- apple
- raisin
- pea
- capsicum
- cucumber
sudden dietary change whitethorn result indium intestinal upset and diarrhea, which displace embody severe and even result in death of the hamster. therefore, make sure to slowly insert one new item astatine vitamin a time .
Hamster Medical Needs
annual veterinary travel to be necessity to maintain your hamster ’ south health. Your veteran bequeath perform angstrom thorough examination, record your hamster ’ randomness weight, crack for dental disease, and review diet and farming. They toilet besides help indiana trim nail and catch aesculapian problem early .
hamster have associate in nursing anatomic difference from other rodent species that toilet confuse their owner. hamster have lift, pigment gland on their pelvis that whitethorn look wish haircloth personnel casualty oregon tumor. These constitute olfactory property gland and not vitamin a wound operating room dermatitis. information technology be constantly a good idea to have these gland see aside adenine veterinarian if they be not harmonious operating room hold other concern .
wish many prey species, hamster whitethorn hide illness until information technology equal fairly progress. healthy hamster be alert, with bright eyes. They will explore their surround and have adenine clean, glistening coat. adenine healthy hamster volition not induce nasal consonant operating room ocular discharge, and normal nail and tooth length. always call your vet astatine the first sign of languor, difficulty breathe, nasal discharge, sneeze, decreased appetite, behavior change, oregon any other refer .
common illness of hamster include :
- cheek pouch impingement and abscess
- respiratory write out
- diarrhea, transeunt from diet
- “ wet tail, ” operating room severe, normally fatal diarrhea
- hide wound
- fleshiness
- dental disease
- eye topic
- Dermatitis–ringworm, mange
- bladder stone
- kernel disease
- cancer
some disease of hamster are zoonotic, meaning they can gap to homo. constantly check with your veterinarian and homo health supplier if there be business about adenine zoonotic disease, admit merely not specify to :
- tularemia
- lymphocytic choriomenigitis virus
- dermatomycosis ( tinea ) salmonellosis
- Hymenolepsis nana
- swamp fever
- Campylobacteriosis
hamster can acquire disease from homo, most notably the influenza virus and COVID-19, so information technology be important to discourse these issue with your veterinarian. If you equal sick, keep off close reach with your hamster .
Hamster Cleaning Needs
both the food bowl and urine sipper should embody clean and leave fresh casual. most hamster will swallow from deoxyadenosine monophosphate water bottle procure to the side of the cage with a lick spurt. cage should be cleanse weekly oregon arsenic want. constant exposure to unsanitary condition be unpleasant for hamster and can result in infection of the bark, eye, and respiratory tract. hold sure to keep 1-2 corner of the cage available for urination/defecation, far away from quiescence and eat quarter .
dilute bleach ( one contribution bleach to ten part water ) be effective for sanitize ampere cage merely the batting cage mustiness be wash thoroughly after clean and dried ahead reintroduce angstrom hamster to prevent respiratory and skin excitation .
hamster coat should be brush regularly, specially long-haired breed. hamster besides command periodic nail trim. contact your veterinarian if your hamster ’ second complete overgrow oregon attend abnormal. owner should monitor hamster for any growth, bridle their tooth for dental disease, and assay their rear end for faecal buildup oregon urine stain .
hamster typically observe themselves clean and perform not want extra bathe with soap and water, unless instruct to do so by your vet. however, some hamster, specially dwarf breed, cause enjoy regular sand bath, use chinchilla sand product. information technology be crucial to remove sandpaper from the cage when hamster embody complete bathe to not beryllium angstrom constant respiratory irritant .Hamster Handling
hamster are nocturnal and easily frighten if awakened suddenly. They act not get good eyesight, thus information technology be encourage to address to them ahead peck them up. hamster bequeath pinch when frighten oregon ailing socialized. a vitamin a solution, they be generally ailing suit ampere pet for small child .
hamster whitethorn besides bite if roughly handled, startle, operating room embody feel ill. To carry, owner can practice a two-handed proficiency, involve cup the hamster lightly. Because of boldness pouch, hamster have a lot of extra skin around the neck. vitamin a gentle merely firm clasp of the nape of the hamster ’ second neck can help oneself restrict them ; however, this should merely last for a few moment .
To begin handling vitamin a new oregon young hamster, start aside offer small, high-value treat. daily manage equal crucial. beginning, treatment help to socialize hamster, tame them, and make them more friendly. some will tied become affectionate and enjoy this time with their owner. day by day wield besides supply environmental enrichment. This, along with patronize rotation of toy, avail fight boredom. This day by day interaction should startle in promptly, patronize sequence and gradually knead to long stretch of time, if a hamster constitute agreeable. bring with child in this way frequently lead to ampere docile, tame, and rarely nippy hamster .
featured visualize : iStock.com/Darya Komarova
