Hamster Care - How to Assure Good Hamster Health

Hamster by cdrussorusso

Hamsters are adorable, small creatures which create a smile on the face of nearly everyone who sees or owns one. They are in fact one of the original "pocket pets" and there are very few people who have not owned one or wanted one.

Dwarf hamster care is relatively easy, but there are a few things that are necessary in order to assure that they are healthy and well-nourished.

Your dwarf hamster needs adequate room in his or her cage. They need room to spread out, to exercise and to move around. A cage with one room will suffice unless you're breeding hamsters, in which case you really need to give the mom hamster somewhere to hide.

Keeping your cage clean is imperative. At least twice a week you will need to change the bedding and nesting materials in order to assure that your hamster stays healthy and your cage stays odor free.

Hamsters are gnawing animals. They are a member of the rodent family. One thing that is very uncommon about hamsters is that they need to chew, very literally, in order to stay healthy. Provide them with chew sticks or tough wood that can grind their teeth down to size. They will grow continuously over their lifespan and if you don't provide a way to grind them off, the teeth of your hamster can actually grow down through their lip and cause severe problems for the hamster.

The hamster normally lives in desert conditions. This means that they sleep most of the day and will be awake most of the night time. They like warmer climates and really depend on their warmth. Keeping your hamster in a cage that is too close to a cooling area or an air conditioning vent may result in a cold for your hamster that they won't recover from.

Photo Credit: cdrussorusso

Hamsters normally live in burrows when they are in the wild. This means that you need to give your hamster some cover area in order to permit them to feel safe when they are sleeping. Add some extra bedding materials in order that they can cover themselves up and get beneath the bedding.

Feed your hamster a good diet of hamster food that is rated for small rodents. Typically you can supplement it with vegetables and other items but pay attention to anything that may cause a loose stool in your hamster. When hamsters have loose stools it can cause great problems because they dehydrate very rapidly being so small.

Keep an ample supply of fresh water for your hamster and don't use a bowl to supply it. You need to use a hanging water bottle in order to assure that the bowl doesn't tip and wet your small friend.

If you pay attention to what your hamster is telling you and watch to be sure that you are offering him a healthy clean environment in which to live, your hamster will live to a ripe old age of about 2 to 3 years and you will have provided great dwarf hamster care.

About the Author
Written by Robert Sands
These are just a few tips but if you want to learn more about what is proper hamster care then you need to Click the blue link to learn more about dwarf hamster care. If you want the healthiest, happiest, and best behaved little Hamster around then click the blue link hamster pets info
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