Hamster's Basic Food

Hamster's Basic Food

The easiest way to make sure your hamster’s full provides everything he needs is to buy the best prepared food you can find. Then supplement its diet with pieces of fresh fruits and veggies, throwing in an occasional mealworm or cricket. A varied diet is as important to hamsters as it is to people.

Pellets
Pellets are a food where the ingredients are ground up, mixed, and formed into little pieces. The requirement to gnaw on pellets and the balanced nutrition of pellets make them a suitable part of your pet’s diet.

Mixed Seeds & Grain
Mixed seeds & grain are just like they sound, a food mixture of seeds and grains. Some mixed foods include a variety of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. This type of food provides a variety of choices for your hamster to enjoy and is an excellent part of his diet.

Timothy Hay & Alfalfa
Timothy hay, alfalfa or a mix of the two are a nice addition to the diet. In the wild, hamsters are grass eaters and may enjoy nibbling on some hay. Not all will eat it, but it is worth a try

Types Of Hamsters

Syrians 

Syrians are large hamsters and can grow to 6-7 inches long. They are usually golden brown with a white belly, but are available in a wide variety of colors and types of hair. The long-haired is often called the Teddy Bear hamster. They live about 2 – 2 1/2 years, often prefer to live alone, and tend to make very good pets. This is the most common type of pet hamster.

Campbell’s

Campbell’s, the dwarf hamsters, have a length of 3 – 5 inches. These small rodents are usually gray with a white belly. They live about 1 1/2 – 2 years and can do well living together, but also do fine living alone. Due to their small size, they are a little more difficult than other hamsters.

Winter White

Winter White’s, also called Siberian, is another dwarf that can grow to be 4 inches long. They have a dark stripe down the back and a gray-brown color, but in the winter the gray-brown is replaced with a white coat. Life span is about 1 1/2 – 2 years and can sometimes live together.

Roborovski

Roborovski’s, another small hamster, grow to be up to 4 inches long. This type of hamster is a brown color and are very quick and curious. Life span is ,on average, 3 – 3 1/2 years and could live in pairs or family groups, but is not necessary. Due to their small size and swiftness, they take a little more work than others, but are still fun companions.

Chinese

The Chinese have a length of 4-5 inches and are also known as striped, gray, or rat-tailed hamsters. They are dark gray with a dark stripe down the back and have a longer tail than other hamsters. They can live 2 1/2 – 3 years and can happily live alone. This cute rodent can be quite gentle and can make a terrific pet.  

Does Hamster Love To Chew ?

Actually, they love to chew!

Hamsters have a natural love and an instinctive desire to chew and gnaw. Chewing and gnawing on hard objects helps to keep their teeth at a healthy length, since their teeth continuously grow throughout their lives.

Wood housing is not recommended because it wouldn't take long for the hamster to chew through the wood and create an escape. Appropriate items would include chew sticks and chew toys.

Things to Chew

Is It Safe To Bathe a Hamster?

Pet Hamster Care

Giving your hamster a water bath isn't necessary. In fact, it could remove their natural oils and may cause your hamster to get chilled, leading to illness or even death. In their natural wild habitat hamsters roll in the sand to keep their fur from getting too oily.

 Is it safe to bathe a hamster? Well, an alternative to a water bath is to provide your hamster with chinchilla sand in their cage, in a small bowl. This will allow your hamster to 'bathe' safely and as often as they feel is necessary.

To insure your hamster is healthy and happy, it's important to give your litty guy the best pet hamster care possible!

How Long Do Hamsters Live?

Hamster Life Span

Sadly, hamsters live a short life span. They usually live about two years, sometimes three years. How long they live depends on the breed of hamster and the quality of pet hamster care they've received. A hamster who has survived on a poor diet with little exercise won't live as long.

It's natural for a hamster's activity level to slow down as they get older, they also tend to sleep more and their color will tend to change.

And remember , owning a pet needs a great responsibility :D

Owning a Syrian Hamster

    How To Care For Syrian Hamsters

     There are lots of breeds of hamster you can choose from. The dwarves are made up of the Russian Campbell, Winter White, Roborovskii's, and Chinese. In addition, there is the Syrian hamster. Syrian Hamsters are larger and tend to be calmer than the dwarf species.
     This makes them better pets for young children, or first time/inexperienced owners.

1. Always make sure your hamster is living in a clean and comfortable environment. It should be housed in a large cage -- the more room there is, the better.

2. Remember to include a Nest Box in the cage. This will serve as a "bedroom", as well as a pantry.

3. Syrian Hamster cages should be cleaned out weekly and "spot cleaned" (removing fresh foods, cleaning toilet area's etc) each day. Make sure its cage has been correctly disinfected and bedding has been changed before putting your hamster back in. While you clean the cage, you can put your pet in a hamster ball and have someone supervise it. Or, put the hamster, in its next box, into the bathtub, so it cannot escape.

4. Syrian hamsters are the most friendly and sociable of the hamster family. They should receive lots of attention everyday.

5. Make sure its cage is housed in a quiet place. Loud noises can prevent the hamster from sleeping and make it angry.

6. Hamsters are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk. Wake up your hamster politely and slowly, to prevent a grumpy nip on your fingers. Allow them at least 30 minutes to wake up properly, eat and drink before taking them out of their cage.

7. Be aware that Syrian hamsters can grow to be 6 inches long, so as they get older they may need to be housed in a larger cage. It's best to avoid "starter cages" which are too small and purchase a cage suitable for it's entire lifespan at the start, not only does that save you money, it means that the hamster will not have to go through the stress of a cage change. A cage should be at least 80cm x 50cm x 40cm in size.


8. Syrian Hamsters can live up until 2-3 years.
 The average age is about 1 and a half - 2 years. Let them sleep as they get older, and be prepared, as they are more prone to illness.

Remember, owning a pet needs great responbility and a lot of effort :D