Feeding
Food
Hamsters
need a well balanced diet in order to stay healthy. There are a vast variety of
foods available in the market for hamsters ranging from pellets to hamster
mixed. Which is the best type of food to feed your hammies then?
Pellets
contain all the nutrition necessary for your hamsters in the exact proportion
in each pellet. Hence feeding pellets will ensure a healthy bouncy hamster.
Hamster
mixed usually contains bird seeds, sunflower seeds, dog biscuits, dry corn,
oats, etc. Feeding hamster mixed provides a variety of different kind of food
for your hamster to choose from. This alleviates the boredom of having to eat
the same kind of food. Hamster mixed are also packed with the nutrition valued
considered, so you do not have to worry about them not getting a well balanced
diet.
Extreme Fruits And Nuts Brown's Fruit Bites Banquet
for Hamsters Vitakraft Hamster Menu
Vegetables
are definitely not to be left out too.
Vegetables
& Fruits
>
Apples
>
Avocado
>
Alfafa
>
Asparagus
>
Baby Corn
>
Black/Blue/Rasp Berries
>
Broccoli
>
Banana
>
Bean Sprout
>
Cauliflower
>
Cabbage
>
Carrot
>
Corn
>
Cress
>
Current
>
Cucumber
>
Dates
>
Figs
>
Green Bean
>
Grapes
>
Honey dew
>
Kumquat
>
Kiwi Fruit
>
Lychee
>
Lettuce
>
Longan
>
Mango
>
Melon
>
Peach
>
Papaya
>
Pear
>
Peas
>
Strawberries
>
Sprout
>
Turnip
>
Water Cress
>
Water Chestnut
A
variety of food is needed for the healthy growth and development of a hamster.
NEVER change your hamster food suddenly, doing so will result in them having
tummy upset. Always do so gradually.
Gnawing Material
You
need to provide a piece of wood for your hamster to gnaw on. There are many
commercially made wood for your hamster to gnaw. Or you can provide an apple
branch or an ice cream stick for it to gnaw on.
Super Pet Ka Bob Accessories
Treats
To
add some color to your hamster’s life, you can also buy treats for them. Some
of these treats are also good gnawing material for your hamster too.
Vitakraft Straw berry hamster drops Vitakraft Hamster Fruit Sticks Kaytee Nutra Puff Small Animal
Treats
If
you are still a student and all these treats will cost you your entire week
pocket money, here are some other suggestions of cheaper alternatives.
Ø
Almond
Ø
Buttercup
cookies
Ø
Bread
Ø
Boiled
potatoes
Ø
Boiled
Eggs
Ø
Cupcakes
(not chocolate)
Ø
Cheese
Ø
Chestnut
Ø
Cashew
nuts
Ø
Dog
biscuit
Ø
Hazel
nut
Ø
Mealworms
Ø
Peanuts
Ø
Sunflower
seeds
Cleaning
Clearing Out the Cage
Most
Hamsters are very clean animals as they do not pee where they sleep. So there
are often one or two soiled areas in the cage for you to clean out once every
two days to ensure that there isn’t any smell. What you have to do is simply
scoop out the wet beddings and replaced it with new ones. All vegetables or
fruits must be cleared on the actual day itself before they rot.
A
thorough cleaning should be done weekly. All the beddings and food should be removed
wash the cage with warm water; you can spray some stain removal if there are
any urine stains in the cage. The stains can also be easily removed by simply
soaking it in ¼ part vinegar and ¾ part water.
Potty Training
Potty training for hamsters??? I guess that is the first
reaction for most of you reading it now. Since you can potty train a dog what
makes you think hamsters are less capable of being potty trained. Hamsters can
in fact be potty trained too given some time and patience from the owner.
Here’s how we can do it, first we have to get a container
(either commercially made or any unused small container at home) of roughly the
size 7cm long x 5cm width x 5cm high. Cut a small opening for the hamster to
climb in. Add ½ inch/ 1.5cm of toilet sand which are commonly sold in the pet
shops into the container. Pick up some poo and soiled beddings from the cage
and place it in the container. You can encourage them by giving treats when
they have done it right.
Handling
Before
you can hold your hamster in your palm to play with that little creature, you
must be able to pick it up from the cage. Seems like an almost impossible task
for most newbies, because of fear of getting bitten.
Some
common ways to picking a hamster up:
(I)
Lowering
a jar or toilet roll into the cage and let the hamster climb into it. Most of
the time they will do so, hamsters live in tunnels in the wild therefore it is
their natural instinct to do so. Once the hamster is safely in the toilet roll,
picked it up and tilt the toilet roll for the hamster to slide onto your palm.
There you have done it...
(II)
If you
know that your hamster is comfortable with you holding it then the toilet roll
method is not necessary. You can just put your hand into the cage and chances
are they will climb onto your palm. Cup the palm with the other hand to ensure
that your hamster don’t jump from your palm.
(III)
If
your hamster is not tamed enough to walk onto your palm directly, slide your
hand under them and use the other hand to give the hamster a slight tap at the
back. Complete the process with step (II)
(IV)
NEVER
grab the hamster by the scruff of their neck. You never know how much it hurts
them.
Taming
Taming
a hamster is a very gradual process; it cannot be done with simply a one or two
day’s effort. Some people are never able to even tame their Syrian hamsters but
there are some who are even able to tame their roborovski hamsters. PATIENCE is
the key to gaining the trust of your hamsters.
Regular
interaction is a good way of getting acquainted with your hamster. Hand feed
your hamster regularly will let them get used to your scent. You also gained
their trust by doing so. Playing with them and handling them often will often
help with the taming process.
Routine Care
Although
hamster are very easy to keep but they are definitely not fuss free. Some tasks
are routine and must definitely not to be missed.
As
mentioned under the cleaning section, the soiled material must be removed once
every 2 days. If your hamster is potty trained, the potty must be cleared once
every 3 days. Uneaten fresh fruits and vegetables must be cleared at the end of
the day. Food must be fed every morning, the water bottle has to be checked for
leaks and fresh water must be given every 2 days interval.
Grooming
Hamsters
are actually natural groomers; they do not need you to groom their fur for
them, with the exception of long haired Syrian of course. Most people uses wood
shavings for their bedding material and the wood shaving often get tangled with
the long fur of the Syrian hamster. One good and inexpensive way is to get an
unused toothbrush to brush off the wood shavings. Brushing will remove
entangles in the fur as well as smoothen the fur of your long hair Syrian.
Most
pictures here are obtained from Petsmart.
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