Do you like owning a pet which is small? Then the best choice is a Hamster. Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily of Cricetinae. They are usually famous as small house pets. Are you planning you a cute little friend home? Before getting a hamster home, here are some beginners guide for hamster care.
Tips to Care a Hamster
1Find a Store
Hamsters are of different colors and sizes. If you want a Hamster as a pet, find a pet store. Hamsters are usually not expensive to get one Hamster. When you are buying a Hamster, don’t forget to buy all Hamster accessories like the cage, food bowls, wheels, Bedding, water bottle and toys. Make sure you buy a healthy hamster. It should have clean ears, a dry bottom, no spots or lumps and healthy teeth.
2Know Your Type
There are different types of Hamsters:
Syrian
They large hamsters and can grow to 6-7 inches long. They are usually golden brown with a white belly.They are also called as a Teddy Bear hamster. They live for 2-2 1/2 years.
Campbell’s
Campbell’s, are the dwarf hamsters. They are 3 – 5 inches. These are small rodents with the gray and white belly. They live for 1 1/2-2 years.
Winter White
Winter White Hamsters are also called as Siberian Hamsters. They grow 4 inches long. They have dark stripes with gray-brown color on the back.They live for 1 1/2-2 years.
Roborovski
Roborovski’s are another small hamsters. They grow up to 4 inches long. They are brown in color. They live for 3 – 3 1/2 years.
Chinese
The Chinese hamsters are 4-5 inches. They have dark stripes and are dark gray in color. They can live 2 1/2 – 3 years.
3Cage for Hamster
Always pick up the right cage. The cage should be 24 inches by 15 inches. You can even use a glass aquarium,but make sure there is enough ventilation space for your hamster.
You can also buy wire cages, which are mostly preferable due to great ventilation. If you don’t intend to spend so much on the cage you can make your own hamster cage at home.
4Bring Your New Friend Home
Always place the hamster cage in a place where there is ventilation. Hamsters are very small so they can get suffocated if you put the cage in a closed room. If you have some other pets like dogs and cats, keep the hamster away from them. Hamsters are very clever. So, when you place your hamster in its new home make sure they are no chance hamster can escape from the cage.
5Set Up Hamster New Home
Before placing the hamster inside the cage ,put at least 2 inches of bedding. Avoid wood shavings like pine and cedar or cotton bedding as they are not good for hamsters. Aspen bedding is safe for your hamster. You can even use toilet papers for bedding.
6Food for your Pet
Also provide enough food every day for your hamster. Pellets or blocks are the main staple diet for hamsters. You can even hide the food in the cage so that hamster searches for it. Never provide foods which humans eat. Provide fresh water every day in the bottle instead of a bowl because there is chances water can spill inside the cage and your pet can get wet.
Give your hamster regular treats for every twice or three times a week. Hamster loves carrots, cucumber, apples, bananas, peppers, lettuce ,etc. Avoid onions, almonds, beans, potatoes, fruits with seeds, avocados, chives, eggplants, scallions, spices, leeks, garlic, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and citrus fruits.
7Try to become his friend
When you bring your hamster to your home, place it in its cage, with fresh food and water. Don’t immediately try to lift it? Just leave it alone. After 3 days you can start approaching the cage. Try to speak softly. At first, your hamster might get scared of doing this daily. Keep food, change toys and water. By doing this daily hamster will start getting used to your hand and they you can slowly train your new friend and enjoy with it.
BY M.DIVYA SRI
