caring for hamsters
Hello, my name is hammy.
I have noticed that the same question keeps arising on the forum.
This question relating to the care of hamsters, and their dietary needs.
I consider myself qualified enough to answer these questions, and over this coming weekend will write up a couple of care sheets on caring and feeding your hamsters.
Taking good care of your hamster will ensure that he has a long and trouble free life.
The diet of a hamster is critical for his well being. Keeping his diet as natural as possible will increase your pet hamster’s chance of leading a long, healthy life. Hamsters are rodents, and are mainly herbivores. In the wild hamsters live in hot dry habitats such as desert borders, short-grass steppes. The hamster’s diet consists of high fiber, and low fat foods, although the hamsters diet is still not fully understood, we should try to replicate what we already know in the domestic setting. The bulk of the hamster’s diet is dry grasses, seed, and roots. Nearly all rodents feed on plants, seeds in particular.
The most common hamsters kept today, is the Syrian, Also known as the "Teddy Bear," "Panda bears," "Black bears," theses hamster are breeds of Syrian hamster.
( Mesocricetus auratus ) The Syrian is territorial and must be kept, and housed alone.
Dwarf Hamsters it is said has always been a more sociable species that could safely be maintained in pairs or trios. This is not always the case, however, and fights are not uncommon among these hamsters.
Attempts to keep Dwarf Hamsters in small groups in captivity have proved to be less successful, with people reporting that their pets had lived peaceably together for weeks and even months at a time, then for no reason that could be discerned, they had suddenly started fighting.
But the needs of all hamsters are basically the same, housing and feeding needs do differ slightly
Hamsters are quite inexpensive to keep. The cost of keeping a hamster is minimal compared to other animals.
Housing
The largest expense you will encounter is going to be the cost of the cage, for housing your hamster. There are a variety of hamster cages available from pet shops. The most common type of hamster cage has a plastic litter tray base, and a rigid wire top. These are usually preferred for the Syrian hamster. If the cage is more than one level, all upper levels should be solid floors, and not wired. Different species of hamsters are best suited to different types of cages. So it is important to ensure that any cage that is bought is suitable for the type of hamster that it is intended to house.
Dwarfs are better kept in aquariums, or deep base cages with the removable plastic top.
Place the cage somewhere that is free from drafts, and not in direct sunlight.
Food
Hamsters will eat almost any cereal, grain, or plant material. There are many types of hamster mixes available on the market, but a good quality one should be considered.
All hamsters’ diet is basically the same. The basic food mix that you buy from the pet store is the main bulk of the diet of a hamster, but please be aware that the cheaper brands are not good, and are only supplements, a lot of the nutrients he needs are non existent in some of theses, so a good quality one is best, The complete hamster mix, in good brand names like "Harry Hamster” is a well-balanced full diet suitable for hamsters of all ages. The natural prebiotics, in Harry hamster, promote healthy intestinal functions, eliminate harmful bacteria, and support the composition and development of a healthy intestinal flora. An adult hamster will eat about 10 - 12g per day. This food mix can be supplemented with other foods like vegetables, fruit. But to begin with the hamster should only be given a small piece of fruit or vegetable once or twice a week, and over a period of weeks this can be increased to a small piece every day. But remove any that is not eaten within 24 hours.
Additions of fresh foods, include but not limited to are, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, chicken, cheese, unsweetened yoghurt, cottage cheese, nuts, cucumber, carrots, potatoes, (boiled only) Corn-on-the-Cob, Pear, apple, (no pips) bananas, and many more to numerous to name here.
Not all hamsters like the same thing, so it is trial and error to see what your hamsters like best.
Don't feed hamsters any food that has been processed for humans. All processed foods have additives, salt, and sugar that are not suitable for ingestion by animals
Food mixes designed for other animals Rabbits, Rats, or mice should not be fed to hamsters. But a small seed bird mix can be added, particularly for the dwarf hamsters.
Treats you buy from the pet shop are not good for hamsters. They are expensive and contain additives, and colorings. Manufacturers mislead consumers by marketing these so called treats, with added vitamins, minerals, as being nutritious. Most of theses treats have a high content of sugar, and should be avoided
Nesting material
Hamsters are avid nest builders, and a good supply of nesting material is essential. This will allow them to build a secure and comfortable nest in a corner of their enclosure or in their house. Some people usually confuse nesting material with bedding material. Nesting material is what he uses to make himself a soft bed to sleep in. Bedding is used for the floor covering of the cage.
Many varieties of nesting material are available.
It is unsafe to use any material such as wool, nylon, cotton, or cotton wool.
The packets of fluffy nesting material you can buy from the pet shop are "not" suitable or safe for your pets. Unless it is the cellulose based fluffy type that carries the N.H.C. Approval logo.
The safest, and cheapest nesting material to use is the ordinary kitchen rolls; this can be torn into strips, use plain white ones, not the ones printed on.
If this is ingested by your hamster it will break down and pass safely through his system.
Bedding
Although a bit of a controversial subject the most common cage floor covering for hamsters is wood shavings, probably the best, and the cheapest, it is quite effective for soaking up the urine and water spillage. Cheap and easy to replace. Do not use sawdust for floor covering as this causes irritation. Use preferably kiln dried pine for cage floor covering, never use cedar or any form of scented materials as these will cause problems. Cedar and scented shavings cause skin irritation, persistent itching, and eventual fur loss, as well as breathing problems. Do not use shredded newspaper for the cage floor. (It’s unhygienic) though most inks used nowadays are soy based, and harmless to your hamster.
Your hamster should be supplied with fresh food, water, and everyday.
I will post some more later
Last edited by hammy; 09-19-2007 at 06:36 PM.
|
Linear Mode
