11 Ways to Keep Your Hamster Cool in Summer

It gets really hot in summer (or all the time if you’re in the tropics) and unless you have air-conditioning in your home and can have it on all the time, chances are your hamster’s getting really bothered by the heat too. If temperatures go up high enough, your hamster may even be at risk for heatstroke.  Here are some tips to help your hamster cool down in hot weather:

1. Freeze your ceramic hideout

Put your hamster’s ceramic hideout in a plastic bag (for hygiene purposes!) and place the bag in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Place the hideout in your hamster’s cage and watch your hamster cool down in it. Repeat when necessary. If you don’t have a ceramic hideout, you can use a ceramic tile or a terra-cotta pot.

2. Use a hamster cooling plate

Get a few of those metal hamster plates and freeze them, then give one to your hamster. Replace the plate with a cool one from the freezer when it stops being cool.

3. Give your hamster some frozen treats

Frozen fruits and vegetables are a great treat in this hot weather.

4. Fill your hamster’s bottle with cold water and refill when necessary

5. Put bath sand in the freezer before giving it to your hamster

Hamsters enjoy bathing in sand and chilling the bath sand makes it even better on a hot day

6. Use a fan to circulate air near your hamster cage

Make sure the fan isn’t pointing directly at the cage though. To make it even cooler, freeze a mixture of water and salt in a bottle and place it in front of the fan. Salt lowers the freezing point of water so you’ll get cooler air blown around than if you hadn’t used the salt.

7. Place your hamster cage on lower ground

If you have stone or tile flooring, placing your hamster cage on the floor instead of on a shelf or a higher place would keep it cooler too.

8. Freeze a bottle, wrap it in towel and place it beside your hamster’s cage

The towel absorbs any condensation and also insulates the bottle so it stays cool for a longer time. Don’t put the bottle in the cage as your hamster might chew on it and cause it to leak. You can also freeze a blue ice-pack instead of a water bottle. These ice packs stay cooler longer than regular ice so you can change them less often.

9. Move your hamster cage to a cooler part of the house

10. Never put your hamster cage in direct sunlight

This is basic hamster care but I think I should repeat it anyway. A hamster’s cage should never be placed in direct sunlight.

11. Switch to a better-ventilated cage

If you are using a glass tank or a plastic cage, consider switching to a bar cage for better ventilation during the hotter months of the year. Check out HamsterCageFinder.com or HamsterCageFinder.co.uk to compare cages.

References
http://www.hammysworld.com/index.php?p=cool
http://chocolatecolors26.wix.com/thehamsteryguide#!hot-and-cold-weather/c1upq