How to Take Care of Your Pet Hamster

Pet hamsters are common and cute pets. They live for about two years and who would not love coming home to a bright-eyed, fur ball? However, just because they are smaller animals does not mean they do not need proper care. There are a few ways you can take care of your little hamster pet!

Take care of the needs: Before you get any pet, you have to ensure that your house is ready for it. You need the right supplies for it as well. Some of these include having a cage, bedding and nesting material, food, food dishes, water bottles, some toys, hideouts. This habitat will not only be for them to live and provide them with the physical requirements but at the same time, it needs to make them feel safe and comfortable.

Where to place this habitat: The house or habitat that you make for them needs to be placed in the right space as well. Small pets tend to have higher emotional needs. Pets such as hamsters need to feel like they are not lonely. This is why it is a good idea to place them somewhere they can hear sounds. However, they also can get overwhelmed easily. Hence, you can make sure that they are not placed in a center where there might be a lot of stimulation.

Bonding time: Whenever a pet has just arrived at your new place, it can be hard for them to get used to their surroundings, their habitat, and bond with you at the same time. To make this easier, you can first familiarize them with their cages. To do so, you can cover the cage with a breathable cloth. This can help them not get distracted by the outside environment and get used to their cage. 

Out of habitat time: Talking about habitat, it is important to give them some time off the habitat as well. Once you have bonded with them and they have gotten comfortable with your presence, you can take them outside their habitat. This will help you further develop your bond with them.

Cleaning up: They live in the same cage most of the time, it is very important to make sure that their environment stays clean. It will also keep their emotional health in check. You should clean the toilet area daily. However, change the bedding only when it is required. Make sure that you wipe the eating dish off weekly along with emptying their water bottle and cleaning out the entire habitat itself.

Choosing food for them: Choosing the right kind of food can keep your hamster healthy. Pelleted foods are known to offer a balanced nutritional value. You can supplement it along with vegetables. Hamsters are meant to be fed once a day. You should remove any free food that you have left for more than a few hours. One of the most comfortable water containers is the small hanging water bottle that can hang in the cage. A bowl can spill however a water bottle can be perfect for your use.

A hide box: While hide boxes are not necessary and a hamster can do without them, you must get one. Even if the hide box is made out of cardboard it can work perfectly fine for the hamster. A hide box can help your hamster run to a safer place when required. Hamsters can be anxious. There might be times when you have a lot of people at your home and being able to have a hide box can make your hamsters feel better.

These are some of the things you can keep in mind when you already have or are planning to buy a hamster for yourself.