Most children want to keep a pet when they are younger – and their obvious choices are a cat or a dog. However, tending to the canine and feline animal involves a lot of hard work. It is usually a lot of responsibility beyond a young child’s ability, which means that the adults have to step in. Hence many children grow up without a pet.
However, some parents improvise and replace the bigger pets with smaller ones like goldfish, which are easier to maintain. The other more common choice for house pets is hamsters, as taking care of them is relatively easy compared to cats or dogs.
Having said that, it does not mean these animals can be left alone completely. These tiny fluffy animals also require care and love. Here are 10 tips that will help you take care of your pet hamster.
1. Right-sized cage
The hamster is quite content living within a small space. However, the cage should not be too small that your pet hamster is unable to move about and be active. A medium-sized cage is good enough for a hamster to run around. Moreover, ensure that their cage has enough space for them to burrow, tunnel, and hide.
2. Physical activity
Though your pet hamster may not mind living inside the cage, it sure does need some kind of physical activity like exercise. For this, you can put a wheel inside its cage for it to use all its energy. It is not only a great sight to see the hamster running on the wheel, but it is also helpful for your pet to stay active and healthy.
3. Chewy food
Because hamsters are quite hyper, they use up a lot of their energy. It would be nice to keep them well-fed. They love to chew on food, and you can leave lettuce leaves or other chewy treats for them. On top of that, their teeth are constantly growing and they need something to keep chewing on so that they can maintain the size of their teeth.
4. Proper diet
Just like you take extra care of your pet dogs and cats and provide them with fresh water and food, hamsters also require the same nourishment. Make sure you change the water and give them fresh food every day. Hamsters can eat almost anything. However, it would be best if you find out what kind of proper food it requires. Some people tend to feed their hamsters dog food. That is not a good idea as dog food is too complex for their intestines to digest properly.
5. Let them sleep
Hamsters are nocturnal animals, hence they sleep most of the day. They are more energized during the night so it would be a good idea to let them sleep during the day.
6. Keep it quiet
Hamsters have sharp hearing and can hear even the quietest sounds. So it would be a good idea to keep the volume low around them. Loud noises scare them easily.
7. Give them attention
Hamsters love attention, so interact with your pet hamster daily. It will also help keep the blues away from you. The gentle loving interaction between you and your hamster can be quite therapeutic.
8. Don’t touch the babies
Hamster mothers don’t like anyone touching their babies. If you do, this may cause the mother to abandon her baby. So make sure you don’t touch your pet hamster’s babies.
9. Handle them gently
Hamsters are not only small in size, but they are also very sensitive animals. It is important to let them thrive on their own. Also, make sure when you touch them or handle them, you are extra careful not to hurt them.
10. Clean their cage regularly
To make sure your pet hamster is happy and healthy, it is important to keep its space and cage clean. As mentioned earlier, change their water daily and clean their food dish on a weekly basis. Also, don’t forget to clean the toilet area every day as well. Once a week, clean the entire cage with soap and water.
All ready for your pet hamster? Make sure to follow these simple tips and take care of your cute, fluffy balls of fun.
