Posts Tagged ‘Dwarf Hamsters House’
Hamster Illnesses And Their Behavior
You can experience great joy by merely looking at your Dwarf Hamster as he plays around his cage, but do you know the meaning behind some of his actions? Usually pet owners misunderstand the implications of some of these actions, figuring some of them out can aid you in providing your pet with a more healthy and comfortable life. As with most humans, your hamster will usually live longer if you his reduce his stress.
So what signs should you be looking for?
When your hamster moves stealthily along the floor of his cage, then he may well be nervous about something outside his shelter. He may have seen a cat or some sort of commotion in your house that startled him.
If things deteriorate and your pet becomes even more scared, he may possibly place his ears forward and puff out his cute cheeks. If there is food in his mouth, he will empty his cheek pouches because of fright. If the situation gets this bad for him, it very often means that your hamster is no longer happy with his surroundings and he is preparing to run the first chance he gets.
Handling a hamster at this point is not safe because he becomes aggressive and he will probably bite your hand. If he is lying on his back and his teeth are visible, do not pick him up because again he is showing signs of being really terrified.
When your hamster’s teeth are chattering, this is a sure sign that he is upset or uncomfortable. He may demonstrate this trait if you place him in the cage of another hamster. This could mean big trouble, especially if you put a male Dwarf into a female’s cage, the females are dominant and they will kill the male. If you ever put 2 hamsters together for mating make sure that you never put the male in the female’s cage.
Even if you put them in a neutral cage, they may still fight, and there are some warning signs that you should be aware of when two hamsters are preparing to do so.
They use their scent glands to mark their territory, so you will see the hamsters rub their glands against the wall of the cage. If they want to mark a particular spot, they can also scratch their scent glands with their feet and march around the area that they want to claim as theirs.
So, what about signs that your little baby is happy?
You may see your hamster gnaw the bars of his cage. Do not think that he is planning for an escape! He is just trimming down his teeth. The teeth of Dwarf Hamsters are growing continually, thus they need to reduce the size of their teeth to avoid dental problems and illness. Let him chew the bars of his cage, but see to it that the bars have no sharp pieces that could injure him and make sure that they are not rusty.
When you see your hamster burrowing and searching his bedding material for stray bits of food, or you see him stretching or grooming, you can generally be satisfied that he is definitely happy.
Dwarf Hamster Cages And Supplies
When you decide to have pets, obviously you must obtain the necessary supplies for them in order to ensure their wellness, even before they arrive. Dwarf Hamsters also need specific supplies just like any other pet, and these supplies are essential to provide a comfortable and healthy home environment for them, causing them as small amount of stress as possible.
The very first thing you need for your Dwarf Hamster is a cage. They can thrive in different types of cage such as wire, an aquarium tank, or a plastic one, so all you need to do is to make sure that they have adequate room to run around and play. The size of the cage matters, especially if you plan to house two hamsters together or you want to breed baby hamsters, so you should think about these things in advance before you purchase a cage.
If you already have a cage, what other accessories do you need for your Dwarf Hamster?
The next thing that you need to have is a substrate for the cage. Put one or two inches thick of substrate on the entire floor of the cage and then place additional substrate five to six inches thick on one or both sides of the cage to allow the hamsters do their climbing and digging, to satisfy their natural instincts.
Hamsters can also be trained to use a litter box. Try the following tips to teach your pet to use their “hamster potty”. First, search the cage for droppings and locate the area where they can be mostly found. Then buy a potty from the pet supply store and place it in the area where most of the droppings are located. Fill the potty with some hay or newspaper or even cat litter pellets, this is safer than clay or clumping cat litter, they can be the source of digestive or respiratory problems for your Dwarf Hamster if they eat them.
Dwarf Hamsters also need chew toys. Although most people correlate chew toys with dogs, they also play an important role in the hamster world. Hamsters’ teeth grow continuously and if they do not constantly trim them down, they will keep on growing until the hamster can no longer close its mouth and it will starve to death. Usually, chew toys are made of soft wood and come in various sizes, colors, and shapes. These toys should be examined everyday to assure that they remain safe and dirt-free.
An abundant supply of fresh water is required to keep your Dwarf Hamster healthy and hydrated. Hang a water bottle on the side of the cage to solve this problem. Dwarf Hamsters can learn proper use of these bottles at an early age, so you will not have to use water bowls that can easily get dirty, thumped or can easily spill, leaving the pet to dehydrate when you are not there. Check the water bottle every day and ensure that it does not have leaks or cracks.
In addition, you must also consider the importance of a nest in a Dwarf Hamsters’ house. They love to have a hiding place because they are generally shy creatures.
These are the basic supplies that you need for your Dwarf Hamster. To learn a lot more about the basic supplies your pet needs, check out Dwarf Hamster Book.