Hamster Care Basics: Choosing the Right Cage

Hamsters are often seen as easy pets because they are small. But many live in cages that are far too cramped, with no room to dig or run, which leads to stress and bar-chewing all night long. Choosing the right cage and caring for your hamster properly from the start will help it live a healthier, happier life.

Understanding hamster behavior

• Nocturnal: hamsters sleep during the day and wake up in the evening and at night. Don't wake your hamster in the middle of the day to play.
• Solitary: Syrian hamsters, the most common species and the largest, must be housed alone. Dwarf hamster species can sometimes live together but may still fight and injure each other. Keeping them singly is the safest choice.
• Love to dig and hoard food: hamsters dig burrows and carry food in their cheek pouches to stash away.
• Run a lot: a hamster can cover a long distance on its wheel every night.

Choosing a hamster cage

The small, multi-level cages with colorful connecting tubes sold in stores are almost all too cramped. What matters most is floor space, not height.

• Size as a guide: many recommendations suggest a floor area of at least about half a square meter, for example about 100 x 50 cm (roughly 40 x 20 inches); the bigger the better.
• Cage type: a glass tank or large plastic bin with a ventilated mesh lid, or a wire cage with a deep base. A glass tank holds deep bedding but needs a mesh lid for airflow.
• Bar spacing: narrow enough that your hamster can't squeeze its head through. Dwarf hamsters need very closely spaced bars.
• Avoid tall multi-level setups: hamsters easily fall from heights.

What the cage needs

• Deep bedding: about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches) or more (as a guide) so your hamster can burrow. Use unprinted shredded paper or paper bedding made for small pets. Avoid pine or cedar shavings, which have a strong smell, and long-fiber fluffy bedding that can wrap around legs.
• An exercise wheel: with a solid running surface, no gaps between rungs. The wheel must be big enough for your hamster to run with its back straight, not arched. As a guide, about 28 cm (11 inches) or more for Syrian hamsters and about 20 cm (8 inches) or more for dwarf hamsters.
• Hideouts: one or more places to hide, made of wood or ceramic.
• A sand bath: use clean sand made for small pets, not fine dust bath powder, as the dust can harm the airways.
• A water bottle or bowl: check daily that the bottle is still dispensing water.

What to feed your hamster

• Main food: pellets or a seed mix made specifically for hamsters. Scatter it so your hamster can forage naturally.
• Fresh vegetables: small amounts of broccoli, cucumber, carrot or green leaf lettuce. Remove uneaten pieces after a few hours so they don't rot in the hoard.
• Protein: occasionally a little hard-boiled egg or plain boiled chicken.
• Limit: only a little sweet fruit. Dwarf hamsters are thought to be more prone to diabetes, so limit sugary foods even more.
• Avoid: chocolate, onion, garlic, citrus fruits, apple seeds, salty or heavily seasoned food, and sticky foods such as thick peanut butter.

Daily cleaning and care

• Every day: change the water, check the food and see whether your hamster is eating and passing droppings normally.
• Spot-clean: hamsters usually urinate in one corner. Remove the wet bedding from that corner every few days.
• Don't do full clean-outs too often: replacing all the bedding destroys burrows and food stores and stresses your hamster. When you do, keep a little clean old bedding to preserve the familiar scent.
• No water baths: hamsters clean themselves by grooming and rolling in sand. Water baths can chill them and make them ill.
• Temperature: as a guide, about 20 to 26 °C (68 to 79 °F). Avoid direct sunlight and very hot spots, as hamsters are prone to heatstroke.
• Handle correctly: scoop your hamster up with two cupped hands or a cup, keeping it low and close to the floor. Don't grab it by the scruff and don't pick it up while it is sleeping.

When to see a vet

Hamsters are tiny and illness progresses very quickly. Take your hamster to a veterinary clinic experienced with small pets if you see:

• A wet, dirty tail area or diarrhea, especially in a newly bought hamster. This can be a serious illness that needs immediate attention.
• Loss of appetite, lethargy, a ruffled coat or huddling in one spot.
• Front teeth that are overgrown or misaligned, or difficulty eating.
• Cheek pouches that stay swollen or smell bad.
• Eye or nasal discharge, or wheezing.
• Lumps, wounds, patchy hair loss or constant scratching.

Don't medicate your hamster yourself, including with medicines meant for dogs or cats. All medication should be given only as directed by your veterinarian.