Posts Tagged ‘Hamster Supplies’

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.

Lots of people usually think that adopting a Dwarf Hamster for their children is better than having a dog or cat as a pet. They suppose that since Dwarf Hamsters are small and can be placed in a cage, in some way this means that they need less attention compared to the more usual pets people have.

If you also believe in this theory then you should not be considering adopting a Dwarf Hamster. The truth of the matter is, Dwarf Hamsters require the same amount of care as any cat or dog, and sometimes even more.

Because of their metabolism they need a lot of exercise while they are in their cage, a hamster can run up to five miles a night, remember they are nocturnal creatures, this is mimicking their behavior in the wild where they roam through the sand dunes looking for food all night. Aside from a lot of running on their wheel, they also require at least an hour everyday to roam around freely, and by this I mean in a secure area where they cannot escape or be attacked by a cat or any other pets that you may have. A hamster ball or your bathtub lined with towels and filled with lots of hamster toys is generally a good bet.

Dwarf Hamsters need to have their regular daily exercise and get out of their cage, otherwise your hamster’s health is at risk and they can get stressed and even die. So please do not underestimate the importance of their daily exercise routine, they need it even if you do not feel like it yourself.

You should also take note that Dwarf Hamsters are not always easy to handle. Particular breeds like the Roborovski Dwarf Hamster are very small and can escape from your hands very quickly. You need to teach your children and family the proper and safe methods to hold a hamster, otherwise you may lose your pet in an instant.

You may also think that caring for a Dwarf Hamster is the same as caring for other kinds of hamsters. Again, you have got the wrong idea. Although they require the same amount of food and exercise, Dwarf Hamsters need special and unique care since they are much smaller than their other relatives.

Owning a Dwarf Hamster is a rewarding experience, one I highly recommend, but some thought and preparation has to go into it first. Finding the correct information and then doing things right from the start will make your families lives and the life of your new pet a lot more pleasant and far more rewarding!

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.