Posts Tagged ‘hamster cages’

In order to stay healthy, hamsters must have a daily exercise routine, just like we human beings. Health related conditions like diabetes, heart failure and obesity can be prevented through regular exercise for your hamster.

All hamsters are generally nocturnal, which means that they sleep during daytime and stay awake at night, and so they also do their physical activities at night. Dwarf Hamsters are crepuscular pets and their activities generally occur very early in the morning and evening. When they are in the wild, during the daylight hours they burrow underground to protect themselves from predators, but they usually take intervals of sleep and rest during the day, so you may see them roaming around occasionally then also.

There are several options to help your hamster obtain enough exercise.

The most common exercise gadget for a hamster is a hamster wheel. This gadget enables hamsters to run freely inside their cage. You can visit a local pet supply store and choose from a wide variety of wheels from plastic to metal, from standing wheels to attachable ones. To find the right hamster wheel you can always ask a salesperson at the pet store or get yourself a good hamster guide. Be aware that a Dwarf Hamster will run up to 5 miles a night, so be careful where you put the cage, and how noisy the wheel is, it will keep you awake if you do not take care.

Another exercise accessory that you can give to your pet is an exercise ball that has been created specifically for hamsters. They let your hamster roam around your house safely and are commonly made from transparent plastic with lots of air holes for ventilation purposes. However, you should watch out for your hamster when it roams around your house in an exercise ball, you can unintentionally step on it or even kick it and cause the hamster stress or injury. Never let your hamster play near stairs, if the ball rolls down them it may well kill your pet.

If you let your hamster roam around your room freely, he may possibly chew some parts of your carpet or swallow paint, wood or other dangerous items if you do not keep a constant eye on him. Always remember that letting a hamster play near your food counters or preparation areas is not healthy, so it is recommended that you find them their own special area, or use something like the bath lined with towels.

By playing with your hamster for at least an hour every day, you should easily fulfill their exercise needs. Take note of the active period when your pet plays on his own, and then play with him during the same time every day. When your hamster is asleep, never wake him up just to play, hamsters are bad-tempered when you wake them up and they will not want to play, so leave your pet alone if he is asleep, even if your friends want to see and play with him.

When you play with your pet, you can let it learn to crawl over your hands and other parts of your body as long as you are lying or sitting down, in this way accidents can be avoided. If you let your hamster crawl on you when you are standing up, it might fall and get hurt. Children can also play with your hamster as long as they are under the supervision of an adult, you should always keep in mind that Dwarf Hamsters are especially fast and can easily escape.

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.

All species of Dwarf Hamster make lovable pets, and despite the fact that they are much smaller than their Syrian relatives, they need the same amount of quality care. Caring for Dwarf Hamsters may seem tedious but all your hardships will be outweighed by the joy you will have with these wonderful creatures.

Usually, Dwarf Hamsters can be fragile, playful and can escape quickly. Because of their size, they can easily fit through small gaps and openings so you need to secure them in an enclosed housing area. In their origins, hamsters live in tunnels that they dig in sand and dirt, however, in a home setting they can reside in plastic tubular housing which can be bought in pet supply stores. In choosing their habitat, you need to consider the size and number of the hamsters against the housing’s dimensions. Obviously the common habitats for the hamster are too huge for them so they will have difficulty in climbing and moving around.

Fortunately, you can buy smaller tubular habitats that are particularly designed for mice and small hamsters. Dwarf Hamsters can also thrive in a 10-20 gallon tank or even in a wire cage. Since hamsters are physically active in nature, you can place a small wheel inside the cage for their running activity. Studies have shown that hamsters can run up to five miles a night on their wheel, so make sure it is a good quality quiet one if you want to sleep!

To deal with the hamsters’ burrowing instincts, you should place a substrate at the bottom of their cage. Dust-free and absorbent materials such as wood shavings can be used, except for cedar or pine based products because they can cause respiratory problems. The substrates are used by the hamsters to build their own private nests. You can also offer other nesting materials like paper towels, cotton, shredded paper or tissue. Always remember that you need to totally remove the substrate and replace it with a new one on a weekly basis.

In terms of food consumption, Dwarf Hamsters eat just as much as the larger Syrian hamster, because they have an ultra high metabolism. They enjoy eating various kinds of pellets, seeds, dried fruits and vegetables. Dwarf Hamsters have a tendency to store food in their nests, therefore you should supply them with fresh food and water at all times. Owners must also give their pets some chewing toys. Since hamsters’ teeth continually grow, they possess the constant urge to nibble everything in their surroundings. If they do not have toys, ideally made from wood, they will chew on parts of their plastic tubular housing and could well end up with an injury.

Aside from changing the hamster’s cage substrate regularly, you must also wash the cage and all of its accessories on a weekly basis with a light solution of water and soap. After rinsing the cage thoroughly, see to it that it is completely dry before you put in a new substrate. Lastly, avoid using harsh chemicals that may irritate your hamster.

Although they are small, Dwarf Hamsters do need as much care as any cat, but they are a wonderful pet and you and your family will have many hours of enjoyment watching and playing with them, so what are you waiting for?

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.

Chinese Dwarf Hamsters are rarely seen in pet shops and houses because they originated in the deserts of northern China and Mongolia and they are difficult to breed when they are kept in captivity. Many States in the US also restrict people from having Chinese Dwarf Hamsters as pets.

At a glance, you may think Chinese hamsters look like mice instead of hamsters. Even though they are small compared to Syrian hamsters, still they can’t be considered true “Dwarf” Hamsters. Chinese hamsters have a longer tail and body when set side by side with other hamsters, and they belong to the rat-like hamster family. A fully grown Chinese Hamster can be about 10 to 12 centimeters in length. Generally they have grayish brown fur with a black strip along their spine and white-colored fur on their undersides.

People think that hamsters live well when they are in pairs, on the contrary, this common misconception is not applicable to Chinese Hamsters. A pair of female Chinese Hamsters that have been brought up together can get along better than a male and a female pair of hamsters in the same cage. In their community, females are the ruling sex, therefore the males may possibly wind up badly injured or dead when they live with the females.

Accommodating two hamsters in a single cage requires extra rooms and multiple levels. The less dominant hamster can flee from the dominant one when it has more places to go to. Normally, they are housed in plastic or aquarium tanks because they can sometimes squeeze through a wire cage or they can get stuck in the cage bars because of their small size.

In terms of feeding, Chinese Dwarf Hamsters have similar eating preferences to other members of the hamster family. They thrive on diets that are mainly comprised of seeds and pellets. These little pets also take pleasure in eating fruits (not citrus fruits though) and vegetables as well as wheat bread and Cheerios, and some owners even feed their Chinese Hamsters Crickets or Mealworms. They also need to have an abundant supply of fresh water, preferably delivered via a water bottle, because water bowls can get dirty in just a few hours, and if they get spilt the little guy may dehydrate if he is left alone all day without water.

Chinese Hamsters can survive between two to three years, but they are difficult to tame and train. They can jump from very high places, can run fast and even break away from cages if they are not completely secured. With their aggressive, playful and very active characteristics, they are not suitable for children under the age of twelve. They are also not appropriate for beginners, and if you decide to have them as pets, it is better to keep your hands off of them unless you are very experienced.