HAMSTER CARE

I am going to educate you today about what is involved in taking care of a hamster.  Even though I am only a small animal I still have some needs. I think I do not ask for much. But this is what I need:  I want to live by myself. I am a Syrian hamster and we are solitary. When we meet others of our kind we fight which might end in serious injuries or death.  I am nocturnal. Please dont wake me up during the day. When you do I might be grouchy and bite. It is stressful to me and if it happens frequently it might make me sick. You would not like to be woken up in the middle of the night either, would you? I am not a toy and I have moods of my own. When I show you that I dont want to be held at the moment, give me my space. Even though I am small I still have a need for space. We are very active and curious and need to be able to explore. A bin that you can get at any store like Walmart, Target... works well as a cage for me and is by far larger than those small plastic cages at the pet store! I also like play pen time, so let me out to explore in a secured area for a while at night.  There are certain things that are being sold at the pet store that are even dangerous for me! Hamster balls often scare me and even if they do not there are no advantages they offer that my wheel in the cage can not fulfill. Plastic tubes have bad ventilation and bacteria can grow in there when I pee or store food in them. Also they often are too narrow for me and I have to squeeze through a lot. One day I might get stuck!  Cedar bedding should be avoided. It is full with chemicals! Aspen is a good alternative. Give me a lot of bedding so I can dig and burrow in it. At least 5 inches would be nice.  I need a big wheel with a closed running surface, so I dont have to bend my back while running and my feet and toes cant get stuck in mesh.  Unfortunately, there are no hamster foods in America available that do not contain Sugar. But you should try to keep the amount of sugar in the food low and not feed additional sugary treats. I recommend the brand Hazel Hamster (available at a lot of pet stores) or Wild Harvest (available at Walmart). A good addition to my diet are fresh foods like carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, zucchini.. but dont give me too much at once since I might get diarrhea from it.  I clean myself, so please do not try to give me a bath in water. Getting wet might make me sick. You can offer me a sand bath though that will help me groom my fur. When you give me a potty with sand I will probably go pee pee there and you will not have to clean out my whole cage.  Please don't breed me if you do not know about genetics and breeding. There is more to it than most people think. Please take me to the vet when I am sick. Just because I am small and because I am cheap at the pet store does not mean that my life is not worth much.  I do not expect you to be a perfect owner right away but if you stick to those things I am sure we will be fine. Also, the breeder will always be available for further questions and to help you out :)