Dwarf Hamster Blog

The Dwarf Hamster Guide

Types of Hamster Cages and Their Pros and Cons

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A good hamster cage is well-ventilated, easy to clean, is safe and comfortable for your dwarf hamster, and prevents it from escaping. Whether you are getting a hamster cage for the first time or looking to upgrade your existing one, learning about the types of hamster cages available and their pros and cons will help you make a better decision. This article explores the various hamster cages you can get and so you can make the best choice for your dwarf hamster.

Wire-Top Hamster Cages

Wire-top Hamster Cages - Prevue Hendryx Deluxe Hamster and Gerbil CageWire-top hamster cages are made up of a plastic bottom tray and a wire-based top. Wire-top cages usually come in 0.5 inches (12 mm) or 0.3 inches (8 mm) gaps between the bars. For dwarf hamsters, a cage with 0.3 inches gaps such as the Prevue Hendryx Deluxe Hamster and Gerbil Cage is more suitable as the smaller gap prevents them from squeezing through the bars. When buying a wire-top hamster cage, you should inspect the cage for the appropriate gap size, any exposed wire that may injure your hamster, and whether it is securely attached to the bottom tray.

Pros of wire-top hamster cages

  • Easy access to your hamster
  • Good ventilation
  • Easy to clean
  • Usually comes with accessories like water bottle and wheel

Cons of wire-top hamster cages

  • Hamster tends to kick bedding out of cage
  • Opening or shutting cage doors may produce loud sounds
  • Your hamster may chew on the bars

Glass Tanks or Aquariums

Glass tanks come in a variety of sizes and with or without covers. Some have ventilation holes and others are simply aquariums that have been converted into a hamster tank.

Pros of glass tanks

  • Easy access to your dwarf hamster
  • No chance of hamster escaping through bars
  • Able to see your hamster clearly through the glass
  • You can have a thicker layer of bedding for your hamster to burrow
  • Chew-proof

Cons of glass tanks

  • May be too heavy to move around
  • May not be easy to clean due to weight

Plastic Hamster Cages

Plastic hamster cages such as the Super Pet CritterTrail Extreme Challenge Habitat usually come with tubes and attachments and can be easily expanded.

Pros of plastic hamster cages

  • Expandable
  • Usually comes with accessories such as wheel and bottle
  • Can usually have a thicker layer of bedding for your hamster to burrow

Cons of plastic hamster cages

  • Ventilation may not be as good as wire-top or glass tanks (with open tops)
  • Harder to clean with all the tubes and various attachments
  • Poor access to hamster if it hides in a tube
  • Hamster may chew and destroy plastic components

DIY Hamster Cages

DIY cages come in many shapes and sizes. There are the smaller ones made out of plastic bins and larger ones made from re-purposed bookshelves. The variety of DIY cages available is too large for me to make an accurate list of pros and cons. I may include a separate page in the future to do that but if you’re interested in such cages, take a look at an awesome one made from a coffee table below:

Dwarf Hamster Care – How to Take Care of a Dwarf Hamster

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This is primer to dwarf hamster care. We’ll be adding on to it from time to time as we learn new things about how to take care of dwarf hamsters. You may skip directly to any section or read the whole thing if you’re just getting started.

  1. Getting the right supplies
  2. Feeding your dwarf hamster
  3. Keeping your dwarf hamster clean
  4. Playing with your dwarf hamster

Getting the right supplies

dwarf hamster care - cute robo dwarf hamster face

Getting the right equipment for your dwarf hamster is an important first step if you want to care for your dwarf hamster properly. I’ve described in detail the items that the new dwarf hamster owner needs to get on the front page of this site. This is a brief recap of the items you’ll need:

Feeding your Dwarf Hamster

dwarf hamster food mixGiving your pet the right food is an important part of dwarf hamster care. It’s a good idea to give your dwarf hamster a hamster mix that has a wide variety of food in it or specially formulated food for hamsters such as the Oxbow Healthy Handfuls Hamster and Gerbils Complete Stabilized Food. Don’t use food mixes made for other animals as the nutrients in them are different from what your dwarf hamster requires.

A tablespoon of food should be sufficient per dwarf hamster per day. Your hamster should also always have access to fresh water in a water bottle.

Besides hamster mix, you can also supplement your dwarf hamster’s diet with fresh food.  These should be given in moderation (once or twice a week) and variety. There are many fresh foods that you can give to your hamster but you should always give new food in small amounts to see if your hamster is able to accept it.

Also, as dwarf hamsters originate from a desert environment, too much fresh food that’s high in water content can cause diarrhea. You also do not want to give your dwarf hamster food that’s high in sugar (most fruit). This is especially so for Russian dwarf hamsters (i.e. Campbell’s, Winter White and their hybrids) as they are prone to diabetes.

Some fresh food that are safe for dwarf hamsters:

Asparagus, acorn, alfalfa sprouts, basil, bean sprouts, buckwheat, bran, chestnuts, chickweed, chicory, clover, dandelion flowers and leaves, dill, endive, flaxseed, green beans, kale, oatmeal, pumpkin seed, parsnips, sesame seed, squash seed, sunflower seed, spinach, turnip.

One way to give fresh food without worrying about the water content is to dehydrate/dry them first.

You can also feed your pet insects such as crickets, mealworms and grasshoppers from pet shops.

Food that you should not feed your dwarf hamster:

  • Anything with pesticides/insecticides on it
  • Anything sticky (will get stuck in their cheek pouches)
  • Anything sharp (will pierce their cheek pouches)
  • Processed food (canned food, candy, chocolate, snacks, etc)
  • Salted seeds and nuts
  • Citrus fruit (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc)
  • Onion and garlicdo not feed your dwarf hamster tomatoes
  • Kidney beans
  • Bitter Almond
  • Avocado
  • Potato
  • Tomato
  • Eggplant
  • Fruit seeds
  • Watermelon

When in doubt, just play safe and don’t give anything you are unsure of to your hamster. A more complete and super well-organized food chart can be found here. We also have a list of food that we give our hamsters on a regular basis.

Keeping your dwarf hamster clean

Your dwarf hamster should never be bathed in water. However, you will need to keep its cage clean. The frequency of cage cleaning and bedding changes will depend on how large the cage is and how many hamsters are in it. It is advisable to clean a small cage at least once a week. Larger cages can get away with fewer cleanings in between.

Tips for keeping a cage clean and odor-free:

  • Use a highly absorbent bedding such as Carefresh Ultra Pet Bedding
  • Spot-clean every day by picking out soiled bedding
  • Remove any uneaten food (especially fresh food) daily and replace with new ones
  • Hang charcoal near your hamster’s cage to absorb the smell. Keep out of hamster’s reach.
  • Once a week, change the bedding and clean the cage with hot water
  • Use vinegar to remove any bad smell and rinse well
  • Be sure to clean the accessories too (wheel, potty, hamster house, etc)

I’ve found that most of the smell comes from the accessories especially if your hamster likes to pee on them. In that case, I clean the accessories more frequently and make fewer bedding changes. Check your accessories to see if they’re the culprit before throwing out your bedding — I made the mistake of cleaning the cage every three days when I first had my hamsters because I didn’t realize all the smell was from the wheel!

You can also buy special sand and a hamster bath house (or make one) for your pet. Most hamsters will happily roll around in sand to get their coats clean.

Playing with your dwarf hamster

Try to play with your dwarf hamster (especially robos) daily so that it remains tame. Hamsters are nocturnal and most active in the early morning and during evenings. When possible, play with your hamster when it’s awake and active.

Tips for playing with your dwarf hamster:

  • Alert your hamster to your presence by allowing it to sniff your hand/finger
  • Don’t startle your hamster by grabbing it from behind
  • Use a toilet roll or cup to hold your hamster if you’re not sure how to pick it up
  • Hamsters have sensitive ears. Avoid making loud noises
  • Set up a play area with “walls” so your hamster won’t escape
  • Don’t hold your hamster at a height. It may jump off your hand and injure itself.

That’s all about it for dwarf hamster care. Check out the rest of our site for more tips and tricks on how to take care of your hamster!