All That You Will Ever Need to Know About Hamsters
What is a Hamster?
A hamster is a small rodent that can get to be a few inches long. The smallest family of hamsters are dwarf hamsters who usually only get to be about 4 inches long.
What is special to a hamster that might be a concern if I get one?
A hamster has every growing teeth, meaning they must gnaw on things to keep them from pushing the teeth into neck then into he skull and killing themselves.
They also need to be housed separately (I just learned), because later in life hormones may cause them to fight and kill each other.
They take food from their food bowls and keep them in their pouches inside their mouth and can hide them or, when you are holding them, they can start letting go of the grain, which is kind of startling.
What kind of people should get a hamster?
I would recommend the hamster for people ages 9 and up, for responsibility reasons and because it is not very fun when you are younger. This also should not be a pet for people unless they can give it at least every other day interaction. You also must have around $100 to start your relationship with a hamster. The only other thing is if you travel tons, forget it! if you travel seldom, but you can get someone to take care of it for you while you are gone, this is the pet for you (most likely).
P.S a hamster lives 2-3 years with proper care.
What does my Hamster need?
Your hamster will need personal daily to every other day out of the cage time either in a ball, on the floor, or in your hands. It also will need weekly to every other week cage cleaning and monthly intence cleaning.
To clean the cage, first disassemble the cage take everything out and pour all the bedding and food into a garbage bag. Then wipe all of the cage and parts (including hideout and wheel) down with a damp paper towel and then a dry one. Now put bedding (about an inch or more on the bottom) in the cage and food in the food bowl. Reassemble the cage and put everything including wheel, hide out and chew sticks back in. Now change the water in the water bottle and you are set.
For intense cleaning, instead of wiping every thing down, use dawn dish soap (animal safe), brushes and a hose. First hose everything down, next put soap on the bushes and scrub everything until it is clean, hose it off one last time, and leave it out to dry.
Why should I get a hamster?
A hamster is a fun active animal that can do some exciting things. A hamster will teach you responsibility, companionship, and maybe improve your memory by remembering to feed it.
Why might a hamster be a better pet than a dog or another animal?
If you don't have the time or the would prefer not to have to walk your pet daily a hamster would be a good pet rather than a dog, also is also a better pet if you aren't home during the day, but can spend about 30 minutes a day with your hamster, 1 day a week cleaning the cage, and possibly training your hamster, it will be a obedient , happy pet. A hamster also can be kept in a house for up to maybe 3 days, just make sure you gave it enough bedding, clean water, and plenty of food.
What are the downsides to a hamster?
A hamster can bite, take time and money, can have an unpleasant odor, and cause destruction if it escapes or gets a hold of something valuable. Also, you probably can't train a hamster like a dog or a horse.
WHAT DO I NEED TO GET A HAMSTER? click here
Q+A
Q: My hamster sleeps all the time, is there something wrong?
A: No, a hamster is nocturnal meaning that is is most active during the night and sleeps in the day, or for most of the day. If it seems that your hamster does nothing but sleep, you probably just never see it in the night time, when it is active.
Q: My hamster at night is noisy on it's wheel, what can I do?
A: I would recommend either taking out the wheel at night, or getting a Silent Spinner wheel that is pretty much noiseless.
More coming soon!