How to Care for Your Pet Hamster

Deon Ng ENGL 2700.025 Spring 2011

Table of Contents iii

Table of Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Feeding your Hamster ............................................................................... 1 Essential Nutrients .....................................................................................................1 Toxic Foods................................................................................................................2 Water .........................................................................................................................3 Chapter 2: Housing your Hamster .............................................................................. 5

Habitat.......................................................................................................................5 Bedding ......................................................................................................................6 Cleaning .....................................................................................................................6 Accessorizing ..............................................................................................................6

Chapter 3: Raising a Healthy Hamster ........................................................................ 7 Transitioning..............................................................................................................7 Exercise ......................................................................................................................7 Hamster Breeds ..........................................................................................................8

iv How to Care for your Pet Hamster

Introduction v

Introduction Hamsters are cute companions and great starter pets. In this manual, you will find step-by-step instructions on caring for your new pet hamster.

Please note The ideal hamster caregiver should answer “yes” to all of the following statements:

I have an appropriate location and space for my hamster. I know that a male and female hamster should not be housed together. I will provide daily interaction with my hamster. I will commit to providing proper care for my hamster.

If you answered “no” to any of these four statements, think twice before committing to the important role as caregiver. In

Dwarf Campbell Russian Hamster

vi How to Care for your Pet Hamster

ro

Chapter 1 Feeding your Hamster 1

Chapter 1 Feeding your Hamster

Essential Nutrients: Easy as 1-2-3

1. Feed your hamster no more than 1 tablespoon of seed-mix per day. 2. Remember 2 important food groups for hamsters: fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. 3. Supplement your hamster’s diet with 3 essentials: vitamins, minerals, and calcium. Seed-Mix

Feed your hamster 1 tablespoon of seed mix such as Ecotrition Hamster and Gerbil Diet™ every day. Hamsters are creatures of habit. Be consistent with feeding times. Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Hamsters have sensitive digestive systems so start out by gradually introducing a small amount of fresh fruit or vegetable once or twice a week.

Safe foods for hamsters include:

Apples Bananas Broccoli Carrots Corn Cucumbers

Supplements Purchase vitamin supplement such as Oasis Vita-Drops for Hamsters ™ for a convenient method of supplying vitamins to your hamster. Simply add 2 drops for each ounce of drinking water in your hamster’s water bottle. Therefore, a full 8-ounce bottle should contain no more than 16 drops of Oasis Vita-Drops™.

2 How to Care for your Pet Hamster

Toxic Foods The following foods are toxic to hamsters:

Avocado Cabbage Celery Chocolate Grapes Kidney Beans Lettuce Milk Onions Parsley Potatoes Red meat Rhubarb

Chinese Hamster

Chapter 1 Feeding your Hamster 3

Water Provide fresh water to your hamster daily. Use either a non-plastic water bowl or an 8-ounce water bottle with a spout and stopper. Water bottles will guarantee clean water for your hamster. However, some hamsters do not drink from bottles. Carefully monitor your hamster’s drinking behavior. If it does not appear to use the water bottle, replace the water bottle with a non-plastic, rust-free water bowl.

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4 How to Care for your Pet Hamster

Chapter 2 Housing your Hamster 5

Chapter 2 Housing your Hamster

Habitat There are 3 popular options for hamster housing:

Wire cages Aquariums Tube cages

Each option has pros and cons. To find the right one for your hamster, consider factors such as species type, safety, maintenance, budget, and size. Important: Syrian hamsters are territorial and solitary. Always keep these breeds in separate cages.

Wire Cages This popular option features a coated wire cage over a detachable plastic base. These cages often include different levels for your hamster to explore, but very tall ones can be dangerous. Hamsters have poor eyesight and depth perception, and they can be seriously injured in a fall from the upper platforms. Aquariums Aquariums typically have a solid glass or Plexiglas™ base and sides. Include a well-fitting mesh cover over the top. Many pet supply stores do not market aquariums specifically for hamsters, but you can usually find them in the fish and aquatic sections of these stores or online. Tube Cages Tube cages are expandable habitats for your pet hamster. These habitats usually include tubes, exercise wheels and options to add on extra pathways.

PROS CONS Wire Cages Plenty of ventilation

Easy to clean

Smaller hamsters may escape through openings in the bars Requires more protection from larger pets such as cats

Aquariums Solid walls prevent escape

Hamsters will require more time outside aquarium for fresh air

Tube Cages Customizable Requires thorough cleaning

6 How to Care for your Pet Hamster

Cleaning Clean your hamster’s cage once a week. Replace the substrate and bedding, wash the food bowls, and change the water. You can also wash other parts of the cage that smell with soapy water. Be sure to dry everything before putting items back in the cage. While cleaning, place your hamster someplace safe to prevent escape. A deep bucket or bathtub with the drain plugged is good places to temporarily keep your pet.

Accessorizing All hamster homes should include the following accessories:

Food dish Water bottle Toys

Water Bottle Your hamster will need a source of fresh water. Hamsters will fill up water dishes with whatever they can find in their cage, so a stopper water bottle that attaches to the cage works best.

Food Dish Hamsters prefer their food to be near the sleeping area. You can use food dishes, but be aware that your hamster will quickly empty it as he constantly relocates the food. This behavior is known as hoarding. Toys Provide your hamsters with tunnels to explore and items (such as paper towel roles) to chew on. This will ensure that their teeth do not grow too long.

Bedding Hamsters are burrowing creatures by nature and require some type of bedding. There are many commercial bedding made from wood shavings and pellets made from wood, alfalfa, pecans, sawdust, corncob, walnut, and recycled newspaper. Do not use clumping kitty litter or cedar based shavings. Aromatic oils in cedar based shavings are irritating to a hamster’s respiratory system.

Chapter 3 Raising a Healthy Hamster 7

Chapter 3 Raising a Healthy Hamster

Transitioning Refer to the four following steps to insure a smooth transition for your new hamster:

1. Set up your hamster's cage with appropriate accessories and food before you bring your new pet home.

2. Cover the cage with a light cloth for the first 2 days to allow your hamster to explore its new home with greater privacy and fewer distractions.

3. Give your hamster a few days to acclimate to its new home before you start petting it or picking it up.

4. Discourage friends and visitors from handling your new hamster during this adjustment period.

Robovorksi Hamster

Chapter 3 Raising a Healthy Hamster 9

Hamster Breeds There are 5 main breeds of hamsters.

Syrian Syrian’s are large hamster and can grow to 6 to 7 inches long. They are usually golden brown with a white belly, but are available in a wide variety of colors and types of hair. They live about 2 years, and often prefer to live alone. This is the most common type of pet hamster.

Dwarf Campbell Russian Campbell’s, the dwarf hamsters, have a length of 3 to 5 inches. These dwarf hamsters are usually gray with a white belly. They live about 1 to 2 years and usually do well living together.

Dwarf Winter White Russian Winter White’s, another dwarf hamster and also called Siberian, can grow to be 4 inches long. They have a dark stripe down the back and a gray-brown color, but in the winter the gray-brown is replaced with a white coat. Life span is about 1 to 2 years and can sometimes live together.

Roborovski Dwarf Roborovski’s, another small hamster, grow to be up to 4 inches long. This type of hamster is a brown color and is very quick and curious. Life span is, on average, 3 to 4 years and could live in pairs or family groups.

Chinese The Chinese have a length of 4-5 inches and are also known as striped, gray, or rat-tailed hamsters. They are dark gray with a dark stripe down the back and have a longer tail than other hamsters. They can live 2 to 3 years and can happily live alone.

10 How to Care for your Pet Hamster

Exercise Your pet hamster needs exercise to stay healthy. There are several ways to help your hamster get the activity it needs:

1. Feed your pet hamster a balanced diet. 2. Purchase a hamster running ball to give your pet hamster some much needed exercise and

time out of his cage. 3. Provide a safe, clear, and flat surface for him to run; kitchen floors, or other smooth surfaces

work best. 4. Build a small animal fence for another good way to exercise your hamster in a safe, enclosed

environment. 5. Add a few hamster toys to the small animal fence playground to enrich your hamsters daily

exercise routine. 6. Provide a hamster running wheel for your hamster; they are nocturnal creatures.

Chapter 3 Raising a Healthy Hamster 11

Dwarf Winter White Russian Hamster

Glossary 13

Glossary Bedding: This material is beneficial for hamsters since they enjoy the activity of burrowing. Usually consists of wood shavings, pellets made from non-cedar wood, alfalfa, pecans, sawdust, corncob, walnut, and recycled newspaper. Cedar: This material is a type of wood. This particular type of wood contains oils that irritate small rodents like hamsters. Hoarding: Behavior of hamsters where they instinctively hide food items around the cage. Nocturnal: The characteristic of a living organism that is active mainly at night. Seed-Mix: The primary source of nutrition for hamsters. Can include: wheat, oats, white millet, cracked corn, sunflower seed, flaked wheat, kibbled corn, and alfalfa pellet

14 How to Care for your Pet Hamster

Index 15

Index Breeds, 9 Feeding, 1-3 Hamster health, 7-10 Housing, 5-6

Syrian Hamster