If you’ve landed on this page then you’re probably looking for information on how to look after hamsters.

As a first time hamster owner, this is guide to aid you as you start out in the world of hamster care.

With this guide, we will go through the essentials you need for your hamster moving onto some of the things you need to know in order to give your hamster the care that they need.

So lets dive right in…

What items do you need to purchase for your hamster?

Here are items that a hamster definitely needs;

• A large cage
• 1 good sized water bottle for them to drink from whenever the need to.
• Bedding – which can be shavings or carefresh and some tissue paper (no sawdust though!)
• A solid food dish
• A large hamster wheel
• Hamster food mix
• A small amount of veggies each day
• Some animal friendly cleaning detergent.
• chew toys or cardboard for them to chew on
• access to a hamster friendly veterinary surgeon.
• a hamster ball
• cardboard tubes or plastic tubes for them to craw through

6 Things you’ll probably know about owning a hamster

1. Make sure that the cage is placed in a warm environment, away from drafts. If the environment that they are living in is too cold, then they tend to go into hibernation. Keep the cage away from windows and doors and other cold drafts.
2. Avoid placing it in your bedroom, otherwise you’ll never get sleep! As nocturnal animals they are very active at night and so you will hear lots of scampering around as they go about their business in their cage. If you keep them in your bedroom they will keep you awake with all their activity.
3. They are not outside animals as pet hamsters have been bred in captivity. Don’t keep them outside! Unlike wild hamsters, pet hamsters are not used to the outside and may catch a cold so keep them inside as they are much more used to it.
4. Clean out poo each day from their cage. Then once a week give it a proper clean to keep it clean from parasites. This means removing the hamster from its cage and giving it a run its hamster ball whilst you do this.
5. They really appreciate attention. Start with talking to eat each day and move on to feeding it out of your hand. Its not advised to pick it up until it trusts you.
6. Don’t disturb it during the day if it is sleeping. The best time to interact with your hamster is in the evenings. If you disturb it during the day you are likely to make it angrier and it may bite if you attempt to handle it.

7 Things you may not know about owning a hamster

Okay maybe you do.

But these are the things I definitely didn’t know about when we first got a hamster, but have picked up along the way.

I’m still learning now!

1. Not all hamsters are equal. There are 5 species of pet hamster that can be kept which are the Syrian, Chinese, Roborovksi, winter white dwarf and russian campbell dwarf hamster, and then there are many more species of hamster which are wild and can’t be kept as pets.
2. They will eat anything, but can’t necessarily eat everything. Hamsters like other rodents will eat anything they can as they are natural foragers. However they are quite resistant to food that they don’t necessarily like so they don’t eat foods that they don’t like.
3. Pet stores are not necessarily the best place to get a hamster. Pet stores are ideal for a quick purchase, but they are not places to bring up hamsters in the right way with the care and attention that they need.
4. Small hamster cages are not good. Hamsters need a good amount of space to run about in. This means having a hamster cage that is large enough for them to run around in and get the exercise that they need. They best types of hamster cage are large aquariums or metal cages .
5. Some hamster owners don’t like hamster balls. Along with a large hamster cage or aquarium, they need something extra to exercise in. This means using a hamster ball to enable them to get about ].
6. The more love you give them, the more they will give back. Hamsters are amazing animals to keep and they’re many people the world over who have fallen in love with these amazing creatures and there are lots of amazing people who work tirelessly to ensure that they are protected and looked after well.

One plea. Be a good hamster owner!

If you’re here, then you probably want to be and will be as well.

There are lots of great places you can go to meet other hamster owners as well and share stories, laughs and pick their brains, the more you dive in, them more you’ll learn about hamster care.

You can start with our facebook page, and forums such as hamster hideout.

This site contains loads of articles on looking after your hamster. Be sure to subscribe, like/follow us and keep up to date with the posts.

If you have any questions, just ask ?