Hamster Care Info

Lifespan: 2 - 3 Years

Hamsters are solitary animals that do well by themselves. They can often be territorial and aggressive towards other hamsters, so it is recommended to house them alone. Many people think of hamsters as being standoffish and mean, but a well socialized hamster is an excellent companion to have.

Hamsters are nocturnal, which means that they are active during the night and sleep during the day. Disrupting a hamster during the daytime can be very stressful for them, so interactions should happen in the evening when they are naturally waking up. Hamsters are very active animals! They can move around 9km worth of steps in a single night. This means that a bedroom may not be the best place to keep a hamster, unless you are staying up all night with them.

Their eyesight is not very good, so be sure to give them a gentle touch to let them know you’re there before picking them up. A surprised hamster may bite as a form of defense, so it is important to approach them with respect. This means that hamsters may not be an appropriate pet for young children. Once they are prepared to be lifted, do so by cupping your hands underneath them so they feel supported as they are being lifted up. Some hamsters may still nip, so a handy trick is to use an empty toilet paper tube- encourage the hamster to climb in the tube, lift the tube, and then slide them out into your hand from there.

“Bar Biting” is a behaviour that develops in hamsters who are bored or in cages that are too small for them. This can be damaging to their teeth, and in serious cases can even result in brain damage from constant rattling. If you suspect your hamster is developing this behaviour, assess their enclosure and consult with a trusted exotic veterinarian.

Housing: Hamsters require a lot of space to live, more than conventional commercially available cages allow. The minimum size requirement for any species of hamster’s enclosure is 100cm x 50cm x 50cm (3¼ft x 1¾ft x 1¾ft). Many people will get a glass terrarium/aquarium or a large plastic storage bin to turn into a hamster wonderland. There are many wonderful references online for building your own hamster enclosure- we love https://www.hamsterwelfare.com/amazing-setups/.

Hamsters love to dig, and will make burrows and tunnels for themselves. Some safe bedding options include: Carefresh, Kaytee, and Aspen Shavings. Using a mix of bedding types can be very enriching for your hamster. Some bedding sold for hamster use can be very unsafe for you hamster- stay away from sawdust, pine and cedar shavings, any beddings with a scent added, “fluffy” bedding (eg cotton wool, bamboo fiber), corn cob bedding, or any wood shavings of unknown origin. This bedding should be a minimum of 6 inches deep, and preferably around 10 inches deep in some areas to allow for optimal den building behavior.

The enclosure should have a wheel in it for your hamster to run on. The wheel should be solid- no wire wheels, as hamster feet can easily get caught between the wires. The wheel should be large enough that the hamster maintains their normal straight posture while running. If your hamster has an inverted arch in their back (their back is lower than their head and pelvis), the wheel is too small for them. Two common hamster species that we see are Dwarf hamster and Syrian hamsters. To start, you can purchase Dwarf Hamster’s an 8 inch wheel, and a 12 inch wheel for Syrians. Watch your hamster’s posture after trying these wheel sizes to ensure it is the right size for them.

Fresh water and food should always be available for your hamster. Water can be offered in a water bottle. Dishes with water often just get buried under bedding. Food dishes should be made of ceramic or metal, as they are easy to clean and harbor less bacteria than plastic. A few hides are also good to have as options if the hamster wants to hang out somewhere separate from their den. These hides should be made from wood or compressed hay. Plastic hide can be chewed and small pieces of plastic can be swallowed, which is not good for your hamster’s health.

Hamsters love to chew, so many different textures and sizes of chew toys should be available to them.

Hamsters are notorious escape artists, so ensure that their enclosure is well sealed and the doors are never left open unsupervised.

Hamsters are temperature sensitive. If too hot, they can easily overheat and become dehydrated. If too cold, they can enter a state called “torpor”, which is their body's attempt to help compensate for the cold conditions. Hamsters in torpor will be unresponsive and may be limp, but will still be visibly breathing. If your hamster is experiencing torpor, call your exotic veterinarian. They will need to be carefully and slowly warmed back up. You can place the hamster on your chest, and put a blanket over yourself, making sure that the hamster’s face is uncovered.

Maintenance: An important consideration for your hamster’s health is the microenvironment that they are kept in. A microenvironment is the conditions in their enclosure. Just because it may not look or smell dirty when you are across the room from it, doesn’t mean that the enclosure itself is clean. Hamsters are very sensitive to scents and bacterial buildup, and prefer to be very clean. Hamsters bathe themselves constantly, and do not need to be given baths by their humans. However, they cannot clean their cages themselves, so we must ensure that we clean well and regularly.

Spot cleaning of the enclosure should be done every day. This is the removal of any visible waste or old food that you can see on the surface level. If your hamster has one specific spot where they like to use the bathroom, this area should be scooped out and replaced with fresh bedding.

Once a week a deep clean of the enclosure should be done. All bedding should be discarded. All objects within the enclosure should be removed. Take this opportunity to wash the wheel and food dish in unscented antibacterial soap. If you are not able to wash the water dispenser every day, make sure you wash it at the weekly clean as well. Once everything is removed from the enclosure, wash the enclosure with an unscented antibacterial soap and rinse well with water. When dry, fill it back up with fresh new bedding and replace their belongings.

Do not use any harsh or heavily scented cleaners on your hamster's cage. They have a very delicate respiratory tract, and can develop difficulty breathing if exposed to harsh chemicals like bleach and lysol. 

Nutrition: Hamster’s are omnivores, and enjoy a varied diet. In the wild, they primarily eat seeds, grains, and insects. Our domestic hamsters do very well on high quality pelleted diets. Seeds and grains can be offered as treats, as can most fruits and vegetables.

Hamsters have very high metabolisms, so food should always be available for them to eat. Often you will see them stuff their cheek pouches with food to take back to their dens. This is a natural behaviour for them, as they would scavenge for as much as they can carry before returning to the safety of their nests to eat.

Health Concerns: Some common health concerns for hamsters are dental problems, respiratory infections, and “wet tail”.

Hamsters have hypsodont teeth, which means they are constantly growing. Usually hamsters chewing on their toys and foraging will keep their teeth the proper length, but some hamsters will experience overgrowth. If these rogue teeth are not trimmed, the incisors can grow up into the opposite jaw, which is very painful. This can also result in tooth root abscesses, which are localized pockets of infection. These typically happen under the chin in hamsters.

Since hamsters have a very sensitive respiratory tract, they are prone to respiratory infections. This can present as sneezing, wheezing, and crackling sounds when they breathe. You may also notice nasal discharge or wetness around their eyes. Keeping their cage clean and using scentless products can help prevent respiratory infections.

“Wet tail” is the common term for hamster diarrhea, scientifically known as proliferative enteritis. Diarrhea can be caused by many things, but most commonly we see it with sudden diet changes, after introducing a new vegetable, feeding vegetables in large quantities, or a very stressful event. Signs that your hamster is experiencing wet tail are wetness by their rear end, matting around the rear end, lethargy, loss of appetite, hunched stance, and visible liquid diarrhea in the cage. If diarrhea is not dealt with quickly, it can lead to dehydration, and dehydrated hamsters may pass away very quickly. Since they are so small, they do not have a large reserve of water in the body the way dogs and humans do. It may become serious for them within the span of 24 hours. Signs of dehydration are sunken eyes, concentrated (dark) urine, slow movements, and a prolonged skin tent (if you gently pinch and lift up the skin on the back of the neck and it stays tented up after you let go).

It is important to have a relationship with an experienced exotic veterinarian. If your hamster is showing any signs of illness, it is important to have them seen as soon as possible.

Rachel Hiebert, RVT