For example ours put a paw inside their bowls and tip them over to get to the feed. If we put the feed directly on their bedding, half of it ends up forgotten in the bedding. Exercise and floor time for guinea pigs and hamsters This is a very big difference between hamsters and guinea pigs. They both need exercise, and will run around pretty much all their waking time.
But, they do it differently. Hamster exercise and running routine Hamsters are famous for their running wheels and exercise balls. In fact, the only way a hamster can spend time outside his cage is inside his exercise ball. This keeps things safe for everyone involved. Even then, they should not be kept in the ball for more than 30 minutes at a time. They will need water, a quick snack, and they will probably need their pee corner as well. This means that whatever running wheel you end up getting your hamster, it better be sturdy.
He will use it every night, for hours on end, pretty much all his life. Many times this can lead to chewing the cage bars, or even trying to escape. Some people decide to let their hammy roam free in a hamster-proof room.
This means that the room needs to have no hidden corners, or furniture that the hamster can get under, behind, into or between hamsters are ridiculously good at this , and have no exposed surfaces that can harm them. Or that the hamster can harm, like a power strip cable, or charger for example.
If you decide to let your hamster have floor time, have a good plan to catch him. Baiting him with food into his cage or exercise ball usually helps. Guinea pig exercise and floor time Guinea pigs are fairly different from hamsters in this respect. This is because they need to be able to roam as much as they like, at all times. Some people dedicate an entire room to the piggies. This means that a certain patch of a room you designate will have to be guinea pig proofed.
News paper lining on the floor, a small wire fence to keep them inside their enclosure, food and a hideout or two to cuddle in, and lots of running around. Giving your guinea floor time will greatly reduce their boredom levels and will keep them happy and bouncy.
This means that their cages need to be very large in order to keep them happy and not stressed. For hamsters the absolute minimum is 24 x 12 inches, and about 12 inches tall.
Since guinea pigs should be kept in pairs you will need a cage almost double that size for both of them. Most of these cages can be handmade, as long as you have the proper materials.
Bedding, nests, and objects in their cage Both hamsters and guinea pigs need toys and some basic objects in their cage. Both can live well enough with paper-based bedding, or aspen shavings. Neither of them tolerates dust, and they have sensitive noses. Pine and cedar shavings or toys should be avoided. A hamster will need a hideout, in which to build his nest.
So does a guinea pig, but she is not as attached to her hideout as the hamster. While the hamster will build his base and make it an impenetrable fortress, the guinea pig will switch between multiple hideouts. This means that yes, she will need many places to hide. Both the hamster and the guinea pig need wood-based objects to chew on.
They need to constantly file down their teeth, in order to keep them in check and avoid dental problems. In the same vein, both hamsters and guinea pigs need toys in their cages to stave off boredom. Bored piggies and hamsters can get restless, start chewing the bars, try to escape, and even get depressed. They both need food bowls, simply because scatter-feeding them often ends up with a lot of food forgotten under all the bedding.
Take your schedule and daily life into account Hamsters and guinea pigs need lots of time with their owners in order to come to trust them. Even after being tamed, they can lose that trust if you make a wrong move or scare them too much. Remember that they are prey animals, in the end. So in order to take your hamster or guinea pig, you need to dedicate time and effort. It could take days, it could only be a few weeks.
Possibly the guinea pigs too. But, hamsters sleep during the day, all day. A cat, however, will be able to come and go as she pleases and will be with you in bed, the kitchen, the bathroom, and possibly in your work bag as well. Finally, keep in mind that guinea pigs are noisier than hamsters. The array of sounds they make, the loudness, and the frequency are all much higher. Depending on what kind of bedding you provide, you might also hear the guinea pigs moving about in their cage at night.
So take into account the kind of life you have, and whether you can dedicate enough time and energy to these creatures. If you want to know more about us hamsters you can check out the related articles below. Hamsters are incredibly curious, about everything, and will want to investigate thing right away.
There are a few things to keep in mind before you start looking for your hamster, and here they are: Keep away any and all pets that can move freely like a cat, bird, or dog , as well as small children that might scare the hamster. Try to remember where you last saw your hamster, and start from that room.
Be thorough in your search, hamsters are amazing at hiding. Look under, behind, over, between any piece of furniture you have, without moving it at first. Make a mental note of any holes or large cracks in the walls or doors that your hammy might have escaped through. The search might take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, so be patient.
Your hamster can survive for up to days with no food or water. There is less space for him to hide in, and he can only run away so far. Where the hamster might have gone This about where the hammy might go. Think about the room you last saw him in, and try and think in his shoes or paws.
Was there anything interesting in the room you last saw your hamster? Like a very smelly food, or a bag of treats, or something that made a lot of noise like a crinkly bag? Are there any nook and crannies your hamster would love, close to where you last saw him?
Like the cat pawing at his cage maybe, or the parrot bursting into song right next to his cage. Maybe the toaster went off in the other room and your hammy got scared.
Still, there are quite a few reasons your hamster might have escaped, starting with curiosity and ending with just because. For more info on exactly what you should be looking for when getting you hamster an escape-proof cage, you can check out these top 5 hamster cages. Humane ones, of course, but still you need to trap him in one particular spot. One idea would be to get a large treat, that your hamster likes. Like a dog biscuit, or a whole peanut with shell, no salt , or a piece or cheese, and tie a bit of yarn around it.
So, when your hammy will try to take away the treat you will see where he it pulling from. Place just one big treat in each room. Another extra step would be to tie a small bell onto the string of yarn. This way the treat will make some noise when the hamster picks it up. Another idea would be to place some food in a small bowl made of crinkled up aluminium foil, with large, flowy edges. Think of it looking like a small volcano, with treats where the lava would be.
The crinkled aluminium would make sounds when your hamster will be inspecting the food. Or, you can sprinkle a fine, thin layer of flour all around the treats you left on the floor. Or, you can sprinkle it over the floor in front of where you think your hammy is hiding. You can even sprinkle it across the whole floor, although there will be lots of cleanup to do afterwards. Then, check the next day to see which room has less treats, so you know where the hamster is hiding.
Get yourself a bucket, or a large plastic bin. Add a layer of bedding so your hamster can get comfortable because he will be sitting there for a few hours. Place on the paper or aluminium a few lightweight treats that your hamster will like, for example peanuts or sunflower seeds, or a bit of biscuit.
Do not fasten the paper or aluminium onto the edges. Next, your hamster has to be able to get up to the edge. You can make a sort of stairway with a few books, or a piece of cardboard bent into the shape you want, or anything the hamster can climb.
Finally, sprinkle a few seeds or treats for your hammy to follow as a trail up to the top of the trap. You hamster will smell the treat, come out of his hiding place, follow the trail of treats, and in the end go for the treat on top of the trap.
The point of these traps is that the hamster will only be caught in the closed off space, and not killed. They will not harm you hammy, but I do recommend checking up on these about once an hour. Air holes do exist on these kind of traps, but they can only do so much. Place some bait your hammy loves, like maybe peanut butter, or a whole peanut, or a small bit of cooked chicken. Once your hammy walks over the trap door, the trap will spring shut and will keep him there.
You can find this kind of traps in lots of places, but you can check this one on Amazon to get an idea of it. Finding a lost hamster outside If your hammy is lost outside, this will be a bigger problem.
This is also something to consider if you ever think about releasing your hamster into the wild. He might or might not make it. Life in the forest or plains or general wilderness in your are is probably too harsh for the little furball. First, you will find here a whole list of tips and pointers on how to choose the right cage for your hamster — both in terms of size, but safety as well.
Hamsters can and do jump, sometimes out of their cages, so be warned. You can find out more about that here, so you know what to watch out for. Also a wire mesh cover would be a good idea for the glass tank, just to be safe.
Hamsters are actually very small, under all that fur. Like cats, if their head fits somewhere, their body will squeeze through as well. So it is entirely possible for your hamster will squeeze through the bars of his cage and away he goes. You can find out more about hamster sizes and how much they grow as adults — right here.
Make sure the latches on the cage doors are closed well enough. And finally, you can use some binder clips — the big, black, ones you use for lots of sheets of paper.
You can use those to fasten the corners of a wire cage to make sure it stays put. How to keep your hamster from wanting to escape in the first place Hamsters that escaped because they were stressed or unhappy are a sad story.
You can also check here for 15 essential steps in caring for your hamster friend. Keep your hamster friend happy and not stressed This means keeping and pets or small children away from the hamster, or very supervised. A curious cat or a playful puppy will want to move the hammy around, try to paw it, bark at it maybe. Always make sure that the hamster is able to run away and hide if he feels threatened or uncomfortable.
This is the major reason I do not recommend hamsters as pets for small children under Hammies will also bite and scratch their way out of a situation if they have to, so this is another reason to keep small children away from them. Conversely, the cage and room you hamster lives in must be a calm, quiet one. If this is what your home usually sounds like, consider getting a guinea pig.
Provide a large enough cage so your hamster has space The size of the cage matters. Mostly because for a few weeks I had the wrong sized cage for my Teddy adult Syrian male and I only realized this too late. Here you can find a good roundup of hamster cages according to what hamster you have. So, a cage that is too small can get your hamster nervous, anxious, he will start biting the cage bars. All kinds of unwanted, unhealthy habits.
They need lots of floor space to run around in, and they feel suffocated in a small cage. The minimum cage for a Syrian hamster is of 24 x 12 inches, and about 12 inches tall. Play with your hamster to form a bond with it Finally, playing with and handling your hamster daily will form a close bond between the two of you. This means that your hammy will have less of a reason to escape, since he will want to stick around for you. A word from Teddy I hope you found out how to find your missing hammy.
We might go missing for a couple of days, only to turn up safe and sound in your cupboard when you least expect us. If you want to know more about us hammies, you can check out the related articles below The Sad Truth If one considers the gentle look that hamsters have, one may conclude that hamsters can never hurt each other.
It seems the looks of hamsters are just a mere feign of gentleness since they sometimes eat each other. But why do these gentle-looking creatures become so aggressive to the point of eating each other?
Hamsters will eat each other if their diets alter their nature or if other hamsters appear to reduce their chance of survival greatly. Anyone who wishes to understand why hamsters eat each other must consider a variety of things. In this article, we shall talk about everything that readers need to know concerning this topic, so we advise you to read on.
Table of Contents Do Hamsters Cannibalize? What breeds are best to combine together? Do Hamsters Cannibalize? However, a number of things can force even the friendliest breeds of hamsters to become ferocious cannibals.
Almost all the dwarf breeds of hamsters have a very low tendency of cannibalizing. In contrast, Syrian hamsters and Chinese hamsters have a high tendency of cannibalizing if they live in groups.
Hamsters eat each other only when there are genuine reasons. Some of those reasons are even meant to protect hamsters from going into extinction. You will find all the major reasons why hamsters eat each other as you read on. Perhaps, you might not be able to condemn hamsters after you understand why they eat each other.
And of course, you will discover some things you can do to stop hamsters from eating each other if you own a few of them as pets. Insufficient resources Individual hamsters have a strong instinct for survival, and therefore they may see the need to eat their own kinds just to survive. In the wild, hamsters can spread about to find their own food, water, and shelter, so they will likely not kill each other in the wild.
However, domestic hamsters can only share the resources that their owner provides for them. Hamsters might have developed this nature to ensure the continued existence of their species in tough times. Territorial attitude Some breeds of hamsters are very territorial. Syrian hamsters, for instance, display different territorial behaviors. Cannibalism is one of the territorial behaviors that Syrian hamsters and other territorial breeds can display.
Even if there are abundant resources for all the hamsters to share, hamsters that are territorial in nature will still eat each other. Cage rage Hamsters are a bit vulnerable to cage rage, a psychological disorder that animals in the cage sometimes suffer from. When a hamster suffers from cage rage, it becomes very aggressive towards other hamsters and humans.
Such aggression can lead to cannibalism. Hamsters that live in an inconducive cage are more vulnerable to cage rage than the ones that live in a conducive cage. A hamster that suffers from cage rage will not only attack other hamsters, but it will also be restless even when it stays all by itself. Diet The diets of hamsters can alter their behaviors. For instance, hamsters that feed on a monotonous diet of corn will develop aggressive behavior and eat each other.
Hamsters in the wild are more likely to become cannibals now that they no longer have a variety of grains to consume. Deficiency in diet The diets that hamsters consume can alter their nature to some extent. When hamsters feed on diets that lack Vitamin B3, they eat their own babies.
For instance, hamsters that feed on corn will eat their own babies since corn lacks Vitamin B3. Stress Hamsters go through a lot of stress while giving birth and nursing their babies. While hamsters can cope with the stress of parturition and nursing, they may not be able to cope with the additional stress that a harsh environment imposes on them.
Some environmental factors that can stress hamsters include loud noises, excessive heat, and disturbance from other animals or man. To protect the living babies If a hamster gives birth to many babies in the wild, and one of them dies, predators can use the smell of the dead baby to locate the living ones since they are at the same place.
To prevent this from happening, a hamster will eat her dead baby. Domestic hamsters also eat their dead babies despite how humans already protect them from predators. Change in scent Hamsters rely on scents to identify their babies. Hamsters will leave scents on their babies while they take care of them, making it easy to recognize their babies.
The hamster will end up eating the supposed outsider. Instead, she will watch out for weak ones and eat them so that the strong ones can survive with the little resources available. In case the mother is starving, and no food is available, she can eat all her babies to gain energy.
Threat from a male hamster Male hamsters are not as caring as female hamsters. A male hamster usually bothers the innocent babies while attempting to get the attention of their mother, forcing the female hamster to hide the babies from the male hamster. If there are not good hideouts around, the female hamster can hide some of her babies in her cheek pouch until the babies suffocate. Females hamsters can attack male hamsters for two major reasons.
The first reason is to show her unreadiness for mating. Usually, a female hamster will be ready for mating every four days, so if any male hamster attempts to mate with her before she is ready, she will attack such a male hamster. Another reason why a female hamster sometimes attacks a male is to exert her aggressive behavior. Female hamsters are generally more aggressive than male hamsters, which is why they sometimes do their best to dominate males when they come in contact for non-mating purposes.
More importantly, you should consider the breeds of hamsters that you want to keep together. While some breeds of hamsters can live together in harmony, a few breeds can never live together without fighting one another.
You can combine two Roborovskis in the same cage. Roborovskis can live happily in pairs or in a small group both in the wild and in the cage. Also, you need to pair the hamsters at a very young age so that they will become comfortable with each other as they grow up. Dwarf winter white Russian hamsters can also live together in harmony. They need to grow up together in order to get along with their cage mate. Dwarf winter white Russian hamsters can reproduce very rapidly, so try to keep same-sex together.
Just make sure you do so while they are still very young. In case one hamster oppresses the other, you should remove the oppressed one from the cage and pair it up with another hamster of the same breed and sex Being a responsible hamster parent means being able to know how to properly take care of your hamster in both good and bad situations. When it comes to bad situations the hamster can easily suffer from several illnesses and health conditions.
This includes conditions that their eyes may suffer. Closed hamster eyes are also called sticky eyes, which is a common problem in most hamsters. This happens when the hamster secretes fluids from its eyes whenever it is sleeping so that the eyes stay moist. However, the fluid may end up drying up and hardening around the eyes of the hamster preventing it from opening them.
Sticky eye is a really common problem that hamsters often go through because it is simply one of the inconveniences that come with one of their natural bodily functions. That is why you should know more about sticky eye so that you would be able to help your pet the next time it suffers from this condition. Table of Contents What causes a sticky eye in hamsters? How to treat sticky eye in hamsters? Hold the hamster gently2. Go get a cotton swab or a Q tip and wet it with lukewarm water3.
Preventing sticky eyeCan sticky eye kill a hamster? What causes a sticky eye in hamsters? At a lot of points in your life, you may have yawned whenever you were so sleepy and your eyes began releasing fluids that will eventually dry up around your eyes and harden.
This is also common early in the morning upon waking up when the fluids that your eyes released while you were sleeping had dried up to form some sort of sand-like sediments around your eyes.
Hence, that is where the sandman concept comes from. While you may have experienced this as a human, animals also go through a similar experience as well. Yes, this includes your pet hamsters and a lot of other animals as the sandman of the animal world also tends to visit them while they are sleeping.
However, the difference here when it comes to you and your hamster is that it can be a bit more serious when it comes to your pocket-sized pet. When a hamster is sleeping, its eyes need to secrete a fluid that is meant to keep their eyes moist because dry eyes can eventually lead to serious health conditions. But the fluids secreted by their eyes will eventually dry up and harden around the eyes. Sticky eye is much more common in hamsters that are a bit older because of how they need their eyes to secrete more fluid.
However, even younger hamsters may also end up suffering from this condition as well. As such, it is one of the most common problems that hamsters face on a regular basis. In fact, most sticky eye cases can be remedied at home even if you are not an expert in handling hamsters. All you have to do is to follow these simple steps: 1. Go get a cotton swab or a Q tip and wet it with lukewarm water Find a cotton swab or a Q tip in your home and wet it with lukewarm water.
As such, what we need to do here is to use the Q tip or the washcloth to gently wipe away the crusted substances. The moisture from the wet Q tip or cloth will soften the dried up substance to make it easier for you to wipe it off the eyes of your hamster.
Gently break the substance down until it is easier and easier for you to wipe it away. In some cases, holding the Q tip or washcloth on the eyes of your hamster may already be enough for the substance to soften up to the point that the hamster will be able to open its eyes again. Trust us when we say that some hamsters are too afraid to open their eyes thinking that the dried-up substance is still there.
In such a case, what you need to do is to gently pull the eyelids apart using your fingers. However, if you are finding it difficult to do this or if the hamster is resisting, stop right there. Go get another Q tip or washcloth and repeat the same process over and over again because there might be some stubborn dried up fluids that you probably missed the first time around.
This allows you to prevent the buildup of any dried up fluid. However, if the problem still persists or if your hamster is quite prone to this condition, you may have to bring it to a vet so that your hamster can get checked for any other possible reason why it is getting sticky eyes more often than most other hamsters.
Can sticky eye kill a hamster? Another good news about hamster sticky eye is that it is not fatal or even very harmful to the hamster on a regular basis. In some cases, your hamster may even find itself bumping into objects due to their impaired eyesight.
I know I did when I first got my Teddy home. Table of Contents About the Syrian hamster — short overviewHow the Syrian hamster became a petSyrian hamster size and body shapeSyrian hamster coat patternSyrian hamster health and lifespanSyrian hamster pregnancy and breedingSyrian hamster housing and cagesSyrian hamster diet and foodSyrian hamster toys and cage objectsA word from Teddy About the Syrian hamster — short overview The Syrian hamster has many names.
They can never share their home with another hamster, or else bloody and lethal fights ensue. Males have a particularly large rear-end, since their testicles are very large for their bodies and form a permanent bulge around their very small tail.
Their scent glands are on their hips, so you might notice big black dots there. How the Syrian hamster became a pet Originally the Syrian hamster was discovered by in Syria hence the name.
A mother with a litter of babies was brought to Jerusalem for study in , and most if not all Syrian hamsters available for sale today are descendants of that mother and her babies. A few of them escaped from the lab in Jerusalem and have settled as wild hamsters there.
This is discussed in much more detail in the origin story of hamsters, how they came to be pets and where each of them comes from. The Syrian hamster comes from Syria and southern Turkey. He is used to deserts and sand, but not high temperatures. Syrian hamster size and body shape The Syrian hamster is the largest hamster available as a pet. Given their rounder, fuzzier face, Syrians have also been known as teddy bear hamsters. They do look a bit like that, I guess. This helps them grip and grab easier in the sands and in their tunnels.
Syrian hamster coat pattern Traditionally you will find Syrian hamster with the golden pattern, like my teddy shown above. Some look more like color splotches. The Golden variation is the orange on the back, white on the belly, and a few dark grey markings on their back, forehead and neck. Their ears are also grey. When the hamster is still a baby, he will look mostly orange with some white. The grey appears and becomes definitive only when the hamster becomes an adult, around the 3 month mark.
This color pattern helped the Syrian hamster camouflage himself in the sands and escape his predators. Any odd variations will stand out against the sand and they become easy prey. Breeders have focused on changing and enhancing the color patterns of captive hamsters. We now have a wide variety of hamsters colors to choose from. For example when I picked up Teddy he was in a cage with a light brown hammy, a couple of black ones, and a few randomly spotted hamsters.
Except stripes. In time, as the hamster becomes a senior, your will see the fur get lighter overall, but no distinct silver hairs as you would in old dogs for example. Syrian hamster health and lifespan The Syrian hamster is the second-longest lived hamster, right after the Roborovski Dwarf.
The Syrian can live up to 3 years in captivity, and some have been known to live past that. Genetics, as well as the care and stress levels play a big role in how long and how well your hamster lives. This means that some hamsters, although not suffering from any terrible illness, can wither away by their first year.
Or, some can live to be 3. But generally, Syrian hamsters live up to 3 years, and are considered old when they reach their second birthday. My Teddy is currently a year and a half old born in July , and there are some changes happening to him. This is normal for hamsters going into old age. This is the usual pattern, and there is nothing we as owners can do to help or change that.
Unfortunately this means his end is very near, and you will have to keep a close watch on him. When it comes to Syrian hamsters, wet-tail is the most notorious and dangerous disease they can contract. This is a form of diarrhea, which if often lethal if left untreated, or discovered too late. You can find out more about wet-tail here, and how to notice it and treat it. Syrian hamster pregnancy and breeding Breeding is, like with other hamsters, kind of violent and the female will half mate, half fight with the male during their breeding window.
The female comes into heat every few days, for 4 days straight, at night. That is when the male can be introduced to her, and the mating can begin. Sometimes the female is too violent and just want to pick a fight, so the male needs to be removed.
Once the female accepts the male and the mating is successful, she will fall pregnant. The male will need to be kept away from the female, since she will attack him after becoming pregnant. Of course, this applies to all pets and is as true for hamsters as it is for cats, dogs or any other animal you choose to keep.
Many different factors affect hamster lifespan and how long your own pet hamster lives will depend on these factors. That said, it is possible to give a rough idea of how long your hamster is likely to live, based on the average hamster lifespan. Of course, this is just an average. Some hamsters will live for this amount of time, some hamsters will live for longer, and some hamsters will, unfortunately, have shorter lives.
The longest hamster lived for 4. Related article: The life cycle of a hamster. The first two factors are beyond your control. Attach a bottle with a drinking tube to her cage so she always has access to water.
Change the water every few days to ensure freshness. Cover the bottom of her cage with shredded paper, which makes excellent bedding and encourages her to nest and burrow. A roomy wire cage with a solid bottom will give your hamster space to burn her infinite energy. Provide her with an exercise wheel and toys to keep her busy. Paper towel and toilet paper tubes make inexpensive tunnels for her to explore.
Place a small piece of tissue in her cage and she will shred it to make extra bedding. Offer hard, untreated wood blocks or dog biscuits to gnaw on. Her teeth keep growing all her life so she needs plenty to chew on to keep them the right size.
Provide a cozy, private sleeping and rest area, such as an overturned box with a small door opening. But don't expect your petite pal to rest when you do. Lively, quick and mostly nocturnal, hamsters will keep you up all night with their antics and exercise routine.
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