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Home » Hamster Care » 27 Hamster Safety Tips

27 Hamster Safety Tips

July 13, 2014 By Sarah Yee 5 Comments

hamster-safety-tipsThe following tips can help ensure that your hamster remains safe and healthy.

Safety tips for hamster housing

Photo Credit: (sara) / cc

  1. House the hamster in a quiet part of the house that is not too bright. This will ensure the hamster is not disturbed during the day.
  2. Don’t expose the hamster to any drastic changes in temperature. If a hamster is too cold it may go into semi-hibernation. They can also develop heatstroke if they get too warm too quickly
  3. Make sure your hamster is out of reach of other larger animals. Cats and dogs have been known to injure or even kill hamsters
  4. Don’t put your cage in a high place. If the hamster escapes from its cage, you don’t want it to fall from a height
  5. Don’t keep hamsters in pairs of the opposite sex. Not only is there a risk of pregnancy, the hamsters may attack each other
  6. Don’t put two unrelated hamsters in the same cage. They are likely to fight and sustain serious injuries.
  7. If your hamsters live in the same cage, separate them immediately if they fight. You don’t want to wait until one of them is dead
  8. Syrian hamsters are solitary and should NEVER be housed with another hamster

 

When buying new cage and accessories

  1. When you buy a bar cage, make sure the gaps between the bars are small enough that the hamster cannot squeeze through them
  2. Do not get a runged wheel. Your hamster may injure itself if it’s feet get caught between the rungs
  3. If you are using a cage with an open top, make sure your hamster can’t escape by climbing any new accessories you add to the cage

 

When feeding and caring for your hamster

Photo Credit: inrsoul / cc

Photo Credit: inrsoul / cc

  1. Try to get food with no added sugar and has at least 15% protein. This will ensure that the hamster is getting a balanced diet and everything they need for a healthy digestive system
  2. Give hammy something to gnaw on. Hamster teeth are continually growing and if they get too long this can cause problems.
  3. Ensure the hamster gets enough exercise. Hamsters are very active creatures and a hamster wheel in the cage will provide the hamster with all the exercise it need
  4. Don’t bathe your hamster in water
  5. Do not use pine or cedar bedding. There are lots of great bedding available that aren’t harmful to your pet.
  6. Check the water bottle daily to make sure that it’s still working and has fresh water in it
  7. Don’t feed your hamster human junk food like chocolate, candy, or chips; most of it is unsafe for hamsters

 

When playing with your hamster

playing with your hamster

credit: ninithedreamer / cc

  1. Wash hands before and after handling a hamster. This will help reduce the risk of infection and can remove any smells of food from the hands that may lead to getting bitten
  2. After the cage has been open make sure all doors and clasps are secure. If the hamster were to escape it may be very difficult to find it again
  3. Check any plastic toys regularly. If these become broken and develop sharp edges the hamster could become injured
  4. Do not hold a new hamster or a nervous one from a height. It may jump off your hand
  5. Don’t grab a hamster suddenly; it might get scared and bite
  6. Don’t let your hamster out unsupervised
  7. If you let your hamster free-range (with supervision), make sure the room is hamster-proof
  8. Don’t let your hamster in a hamster ball for long periods (more than 10 – 15 minutes)
  9. If you have larger pets, make sure they can’t get to your hamster while you’re playing with or free-ranging it

Have we missed anything out? Let us know in the comments below 🙂

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Filed Under: Hamster Care

  • Sarah

    Be sure to avoid straw in your hamsters cage. Our hamsters hand got stuck in his straw bed and he was in a lot of pain. We got to the vet in time and they were able to help get the small pieces off his paw and gave him medicine for the swelling.

    • Sarah

      Thank you for your comment. I was wondering if it’d be okay to add your photo of the straw bed from facebook to this article to show people what it looks like?

  • Renz Rigel Palmenco

    I have 3 Campbell dwarf hamsters, two males and one female. I bought each from different pet stores at different times. They’ve been living together in a big cage for 4 weeks now and they seem to coexist peacefully. No fights, and no “territories”. I’m not sure what will happen in the future though…

  • Dalia

    I bought my hammy bathing sand but he doesn’t seem to like it. Is this a problem?

  • Marteen Strickland

    My dwarf hamster is losing waight and sleeps all the time anymore. Why?

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