[Mailan]

How many times a day do you have to feed? and how much?... How do you clean the hamster? water & shampoo? ... what is the best cage from the Petsmart? Any good tips to keep hamster alive???Can hay be used for bedding? cuz aspen is really expensive... Any ideas for good bedding without using too much money?

[Winkey]

No, the clean there self and food clean a food bowl, full, and clean all the time make sure that the cage there they can not squezze out, keep, away from cats! You can by good shvings for there cage at any pet store, they bit if they smell some good on fingers too! Just alittle!!!

[lil p]

Ahhh..hamsters! So much fun but yet, so much work!Feeding: Once a day, give a spoonful of seeds and make sure one chewing stick is in there as well. Clean out and wash bowl before putting food in each morning/night. DONT GET CONFUSED IF THE FOOD DISAPPEARS QUICK! Hamsters have a natural instinct of hoarding their food so its in their shavings for later use. Beware of over feeding!Cleaning: Hamster clean themselves, just like cats. I used to get unscented baby wipes to clean mine once a week. Just a gentle rub on the back and tummy should do it. Like I said, they clean themselves naturally.Water: Clean water every day. Again, clean the bottle so no algae forms.NO SHAMPOO!!! You might get him/her sick from the chemicals in the soap.Cage: I got my cage from PetSmart and it was wonderful. The bigger, the better. They like a lot of room. If not, invest in a ball to put your hamster in every day for a lil bit so he gets enough exercise.TIPS: CLEAN CAGE ONCE A WEEK!!! This is the most important factor in keeping your hamster alive! They are very sensitive and do not like a messy cage. They will become depressed and stop eating. PLAY WITH HIM/HER OFTEN!!! They like running around exercising. It keeps them healthy too!NOTE: Hamsters are nocturnal meaning they are up nights instead of day. I heard a tip that if you play with him during the day and give him food in the morning, they will get used to the schedule and become awake during the day and sleep at night. Also, the wheel can get REALLY noisy at night so if its in your room, make sure to invest in a quiet wheel. Hope this helps! Enjoy the hamster!!!

[independant_woman]

feed as needed- food should always be in th bowl usually once a day or every other day is fine, fresh water daily...they usually clean themself but some people use dog/cat cleanning wipes...don't get wet especially the face and ears; which is why you shouldn't bathe them especially not with shampoo...I like to use the aquariums as cages for a few reasons but really pick whatever cage you think you like; but talk to the petco or petsmart worker to help you pick a cage that will go good with your breed of hammie....and as far as keeping the hammie alive I suggest research before buying him; a good place for free info is petco.comthere's a link in the bottom left side the website that says "pet care info" then click on "information sheets" from there just click on the type of animal "hampster" and it should help you out...while you're on the website look at hamster toys and cages to help you decide what you like and what you want

[Mary D]

ok you feed your hamster 2 tespoons of food each 1 time a day.you do not have to worry about cleaning the hamster it grooms it self but clean the cagethe best cage i think is critter trail x it is all dishwasher safe and if you dont use citris dishwashing soap you can wash it in the dish washer.feed your hamster fresh fruits or veggies to make them live longer also get them a little ball to run around the house in to get needful exercizei use pine bedding from petsmart and am satisfied i do not know what else i could use.

[Animal Lover]

Hello glad you are interested in buying a hamster they are so cute. You only have to feed a hamster once a day and feed it nice hamster food such as Fiesta and fresh veggies. You don't really have to "clean" the hamster. Like you don't have to give it a bath or anything. You just have to remember to clean the cage once a week and once every two weeks take it apart and scrub the whole thing to get it nice and clean. I recommend you use Carefresh bedding. It's cheap and my hamster loves it. Make sure the hamster is not in direct sunlight or is not in a room that is too hot. Many hamsters die of heat strokes. Remember to have a wheel in the hamster cage for exercise and you should probably buy a hamster ball for exercise and time outside of the cage. Good luck!http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...294965743&Ne=2