How to take care of your hamster?

Hamsters are among the most popular pets and have captured millions of hearts. Their content does not cause difficulties even for beginners, however, you still need to know some of the nuances of leaving.

Hamsters are loved and adored all over the world, which is due to a number of their valuable qualities.

• Animals do not take up much space in the apartment and are quite content with a small aquarium or cage.
• Rodents grow and develop well in solitude and do not require pairing. The second individual can be introduced either at will, or for breeding.
• Hamsters are quite quiet animals and, unlike cats, dogs and birds, they make little or no noise.
• Animals are absolutely not vindictive and do not hold grudges.
• Hamsters are capable of breeding in captivity and are unpretentious in food.
• Rodents treat children well, which often turns out to be not very good consequences for themselves.
• The hamster is easy to care for at home.
• The cost of a rodent is much lower than the cost of pedigree puppies, kittens and other pets.

The disadvantages of keeping hamsters include the need for regular cleaning of the cage, hibernation of many individuals and the likelihood of aggression towards humans. However, the main disadvantage is the lifespan of rodents.

Before adopting a hamster, you need to familiarize yourself with its basic needs and make sure that they can be fully met. Hamster needs include a cozy home, warmth, cleanliness, stress-freeness, fun, proper nutrition and proper care.

As can be seen from the rather impressive list of conditions necessary for a hamster, the maintenance of this rodent is a responsible matter. Among the priority tasks facing the future owner is the choice of a comfortable and functional home. This moment is especially important also because hamsters are prone to frequent stress arising from the most trifling reasons... Therefore, the animal needs a reliable shelter and its own territory, where it would feel completely safe.

Experts recommend choosing either special cages or voluminous aquariums as a home for a hamster. However, in this case, the cage is more preferable, since it allows you to install many useful and necessary devices inside. In no case should animals be kept in cardboard boxes, plastic containers and glass jars. The last two types of containers are suitable only as a temporary shelter for the animal, for example, when transporting it from a store to home.

When buying a cage, you should pay attention to its size, which should not be less than 60 cm in length and 40 in width. The height of the structure does not play a special role, the main thing is that a wheel and preferably a small house fit inside. It is optimal if the rods are located in a horizontal direction, which will allow the hamster to move freely in any plane of the dwelling. Sawdust, hay and corn filler can be used as bedding, however, many hamster owners have a preference for hay.

In addition, if the owners want to leave the house for a couple of days, then straw is also a better option, as it will allow the liquid to go down and will not release the odor outside. The sawdust instantly gets wet, creates discomfort for the hamster and begins to smell. In the absence of ready-made fillers, in extreme cases, you can take toilet paper or old newspapers, however, such materials require daily replacement with new ones, otherwise an unpleasant smell from the cage is provided. Cotton and fabric are not at all suitable for bedding, so their use should be excluded.

After choosing the filler, they begin to complete the house. It must include a drinking bowl, which is a small vessel with a metering ball or an elongated tube through which the hamster will drink.

You also need two feeders, one of which will be intended for dry food (grain), and the other for fresh vegetables and fruits. Both the drinker and both feeders must have fasteners by means of which they are hung on the walls of the cage.

Another essential accessory for the cage is a mineral stone. It performs two functions at once - it allows the rodent to grind its teeth and saturates its body with useful substances. The place of the toilet in the cage is not indicated in any way: hamsters independently choose a certain corner, and in the future they only go to it. However, when this place gets too dirty, they move to another, clean corner, and fulfill their natural needs there.

Place the cage in a quiet, calm place, away from radiators, drafts and direct ultraviolet rays. Also, you should not put it in the zone of children's games and on the aisle where the animal will not have any rest.

Feeding your hamster is very important and determines the health and well-being of your pet. Below is a list of permitted rodent foods, many of which will surely please him and become his favorite delicacy.

• Dry mix for hamsters is a formulation made from wheat and barley grains, pressed herbaceous granules, sunflower seeds and dried corn, taken in different combinations. This food has a balanced composition and is designed with the needs and preferences of rodents in mind. Dried pieces of various fruits can be added to the finished mixture, but they should be used in small quantities.
• Herbal ingredients in the form of fresh and boiled peas, clover leaves, vetch, alfalfa and bluegrass are also necessary for a complete nutrition of the hamster. Recommended vegetables include carrots, beets, zucchini, fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, beans, bell peppers, cauliflower and some pumpkin. From fruits, bananas, pears, apples and grapes can be offered, provided that the stalks and seeds are removed.
• Boiled rice, buckwheat, oatmeal and millet can be given 2-3 times every 7 days, the main thing when preparing them is not to use salt.
• Dried fruits in the form of banana chips can be given daily, while dried cherries, dried apricots and prunes are offered much less often and exclusively in the form of a treat. This is due to their high sugar content, which, like salt, is quite harmful to hamsters.
• Seeds and nuts can also be given daily. Most hamsters are very fond of walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and pumpkin seeds.
• From dairy products, you can give a little low-fat cottage cheese and occasionally a small piece of hard cheese. Hard-boiled egg whites, boiled chicken, beef and lean pork are good sources of protein, especially for pregnant females. The main thing is that the meat is well-cooked and not tough, since it is strictly forbidden to offer it raw to hamsters.
• Flour products in the form of biscuits, dryers and unsweetened cookies are allowed to be given no more than once a week.

However, a rich diet of permitted food does not mean that hamsters are omnivorous. There is a fairly large list of foods that rodents should not eat. Below are briefly discussed the most harmful of them, the use of which can cause significant harm to the pet's health.

Spices are strictly contraindicated for hamsters., they, along with acidic and spicy foods, can cause burns to the mucous membranes of the mouth, stomach and esophagus. In this regard, feeding the animal with kebabs, dishes with the addition of vinegar and too peppery food is prohibited.

Despite the fact that most of the fruits are well absorbed by the hamster's body, the use of some of them is strictly prohibited. These include all citrus fruits and kiwi, which are high in acid, can irritate the rodent's digestive system.

Fatty foods and sweets, including honey and sweets, should also not be given to your pet, especially for Dzungarian hamsters.... This is due to their tendency to diabetes mellitus, which practically does not occur in their Syrian counterparts.

The room where the hamster is kept should be at least 20 degrees. Otherwise, the pet will be hypothermic and ill. However, placing the cage next to heating devices is also not worth it. It is better to define the dwelling in the back of the room and protect it from the effects of drafts. If the cage is located on a windowsill, then it should also be removed to another place during airing.

A hamster is more stress-prone than anyone else and needs a calm atmosphere. Placing another adult hamster in the cage, regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl, has a very strong effect.Hamsters should be kept together either from a very young age, or live in separate cages. Bright light is another cause for concern. Hamsters can easily find their way in the dark and do not need additional lighting. Dirty bedding and a lack of food and drink can also provoke severe stress.

In addition, the cage should not be constantly moved from one place to another, as well as talk loudly next to the pet, place it near the TV and leave a mobile phone next to the cage - from a sudden call of which the animal can be very frightened. Females who have just had offspring do not like it very much when the owner checks the babies endlessly. As a result, the mother becomes angry and may bite.

Also, you do not need to take your pet outside and let cats, dogs and young children near the cage. It is also not recommended to clean a hamster's cage in front of his eyes. It is better to place the pet in a temporary container and calmly wash the house.

Hamsters need entertainment, so it is advisable to complete the cage with a jogging wheel, slide and ladder. You can also purchase a walking ball in which your pet can walk around the house. If time and imagination permits, you can design a walking park for the animal by constructing obstacles and labyrinths in it. To do this, you can use paper towels and toilet paper tubes, plastic bottles and cardboard.

Hamsters do not like swimming very much and experience severe stress from this. By themselves, they are very clean, they constantly wash their face and paws. You can put a container with clean and dry sand in the cage, where the rodent will clean his fur coat. But you can wash your pet in water only if parasites appear or if it gets dirty in its feces. It is better to do this with a cotton pad dipped in clean water.

If fleas are found, an antiparasitic shampoo is used, gently foaming and applying it to the pet's fur coat, then washing it off under a thin stream of water. It is important to keep water out of your eyes and ears. After bathing, the hamster is blotted with a dry towel and placed in a box lined with a soft cloth. Drying the animal with a hairdryer is strictly prohibited.

The next item for caring for a decorative animal is the processing of its claws. To do this, you just need to purchase nail clippers and strictly follow the instructions. So, you only need to cut the free edge of the claw, trying not to hook the capillary. If there is dark pigmentation on the surface of the claws, then you can use a fluorescent lamp that shines through the claw.

With proper nutrition and proper care, hamsters rarely get sick, but no one is immune from a number of common diseases. Below are the most common diseases, as well as their causes and treatment recommendations.

• Cystitis is a consequence of a urinary tract infection and manifests itself in frequent urination with an admixture of blood. As a treatment, chloramphenicol injections are given at the rate of 5 mg per 100 g of body weight twice a day.
• Enteritis also has an infectious nature and ends in death in 20% of cases. The first signs are watery diarrhea. The antibiotics neomycin and tetracycline are prescribed as treatment.
• Scabies Caused by scabies mites that lay eggs in the top layer of the skin. The parasite feeds on skin dandruff and annoys animals too much. Scabies is ear, head and general and is treated with a 3% solution of the drug "SK-9" and sulfuric ointment. You can also use a 1% chlorophos solution in combination with a 1% solution of the "D-33" agent. Re-processing is performed a week later.
• Rectal prolapse comes from diarrhea or constipation. With a timely visit to the veterinarian, it can be easily treated without amputation.
• Rickets occurs due to the lack of vitamin D in the feed and occurs more often in young hamsters during the winter.

Caring for newly born hamsters is about creating the most favorable conditions for babies and their mothers. So, In no case should newborn babies be touched by hands, and this applies not only to pets of dwarf breeds, but also to all rodents without exception. Otherwise, the mother, smelling someone else's smell, at best will stop feeding the hamsters, and at worst, she will bite and eat them. The most correct option would be to leave the family alone for several days and only constantly monitor the availability of food and water for the mother.

5-7 days after birth, the mother and children are transplanted into a box and the cage is cleaned, replacing the litter and thoroughly rinsing the items there. In the future, it is recommended to carry out this every two days. As soon as the babies are covered with hair, they begin to introduce complementary foods. To do this, put a couple of cabbage leaves in the cage, and when they reach the age of one month, finely chopped boiled chicken. A month and a half after birth, the female is sent to the male, and the babies are seated in different cages or sent to a new place of residence in another family.

For information on how to care for a hamster, see the next video.