Many people enjoy having hamsters as pets, and they can make a unique and very friendly addition to your family. Hamsters are inexpensive, both to purchase and maintain as well as being cute and cuddly, easily fitting into the palm of your hands. There are some things that you should know about hamster care, however, that will really make a difference in how healthy this family pet is going to be. Here are some tips for your consideration that will help you to make the most out of your new pet hamster.
Perhaps one of the first things that you need to consider in order to make sure that your hamster is as healthy as possible is to provide them with the right type of housing. There are plenty of commercial hamster cages on the market which can help to provide a lot of options for your furry friend. Some people also build their own hamster cages, either out of wire or perhaps out of plastic tubes. One thing that your hamster is going to enjoy, regardless of which of these cages you happen to choose, is a lot of room to roam around and to explore. This can help to keep them happy and also provides them with a considerable amount of exercise as well.
Not only do you need to consider the type of hamster cage that is used, you also need to consider the location of your hamster cage as well. Make certain that you are not putting them in harm’s way by putting their cage in direct sunlight or too close to a heater that may provide unnatural temperatures for them. Unfortunately, this has caused a lot of problems for many hamster owners but it does not need to cause a problem for you if you plan for it in advance.
As far as the food that you are going to feed your hamster is concerned, commercially available hamster food and hamster treats are going to provide them with everything that they really need. If you plan on feeding them some vegetables or other scraps, you must absolutely make sure that there are no pesticides on them. Hamsters are very delicate creatures and a little bit of pesticides can have disastrous results. That is why you should never feed a hamster grass clippings, as well as many other things from your lawn that regularly come in contact with these dangerous chemicals.
One final thing that you would want to consider is that your hamster should have a fresh supply of water that is readily available at all times. There are water bottles which attach to the side of the hamster cages and this is a great way to provide them with the liquids that they need. Although they are not going to drink a lot of water, they do need what they get and you must make sure that they have it available so that they don't get sick. Make sure that you mark your calendar and check their water supply on a regular basis.