Hamster care. Hamsters - how to care for at home? Tips on how to choose

Hamsters are considered one of the cutest and most active pets. In addition, they are very unpretentious in care. But, despite this, before deciding to purchase a rodent, you need to familiarize yourself with the information on how to care for a hamster.

In order for a rodent to feel comfortable and protected, he needs a cage. Its placement must be approached responsibly. The cage should not be installed in close proximity to hot batteries or near noisy objects such as a TV, computer or tape recorder. It is also worth taking care that bright sunlight does not penetrate into the cage, as it is considered harmful to these animals and can lead to sad consequences. The best home for any hamster is considered to be a cage made of metal, which should have dimensions of at least 30x40x30 cm.

There must be a filler in the cage. At the present time, there are no problems with his choice, since pet stores offer a huge range of such products. The best filler is corn or medium sawdust wood. Rodents love to burrow into such fillers.

First of all, a rodent needs a cage

Also, for a hamster, you need to purchase a house in which he will rest and store his supplies. Since hamsters spend more than half of their lives in a house, it is necessary that it be with windows, an entrance hole, a removable roof and good ventilation. Plastic houses are considered the best option, as they are easy to clean and dry quickly. As for wooden houses, they, despite their environmental friendliness, are not hygienic.

This animal also needs a wheel, because without it your pet will be very bored and overweight. This simulator helps to lose excess weight and realizes the natural need for physical activity. It is recommended to give preference to a metal wheel with wide bars.

There should be two feeders in the cage. One is for hard grains and the other is for soft grains such as vegetables, herbs or fruits.

There should be two feeders in the cage

A drinking bowl is a must-have item in a pet's cage, as it provides him with drinking water. It is best to use boiled or mineral water for a rodent, as tap water can cause diarrhea. Also, do not forget that the water in the drinker must be changed every day.

Caring for hamsters also involves acquiring everything they need for a comfortable stay. In addition to all of the above, it is advisable to purchase labyrinths and a walking ball for him.

Important! Hamsters are considered territorial animals, so they need to be kept separately. Otherwise, it will lead to a fight.

So that the rodent lives comfortably in your home. The animal must have a toilet. It is mainly done in one of the corners of the cage.

For these purposes, you can purchase a special tray in pet stores. It needs to be cleaned several times a week. In the event that there is no tray, this applies to the entire cage. The number of times will depend entirely on the cleanliness of the rodent. It is also required to carry out general cleaning of the cage at least 4 times a month. It involves replacing the bedding and washing the pallet.

This is how a hamster should be cared for at home in terms of hygiene.

It is also worth noting that hamsters should be released into the apartment with extreme caution, as they are very easy to step on or they can get lost. Therefore, during such walks, it is necessary to carefully monitor each rodent.

Releasing hamsters into the apartment should be done with extreme caution.

How to care for a hamster at home? The rodent must be provided with comfortable living conditions and a proper diet. Since it is on how well the diet will be thought out that the life expectancy and health of the rodent will completely depend.

Hamsters need to be fed two to three times a day. Only fresh food should be used for feeding. In pet stores, you can buy ready-to-eat food, but it will not be able to provide the entire animal with trace elements. To solve this problem, the animal's diet must be supplemented with the following products:

  • stale bread;
  • milk;
  • cottage cheese;
  • unsweetened yogurt;
  • kefir;
  • curdled milk;
  • walnuts;
  • peanuts
  • hazelnuts;
  • various cereals;
  • pumpkin or watermelon seeds;
  • meat, fish and eggs (products are given once a month in boiled form).

There are foods that do not need to be included in the diet of hamsters, as they lead to an upset in the animal's body. These include:

  • fried, fatty and salty foods;
  • citrus and exotic fruits;
  • garlic and onions;
  • red cabbage;
  • leaves of cereal crops;
  • dandelions.

You can buy ready-to-eat food, but it will not be able to provide the animal with all trace elements.

The choice of diet must be approached responsibly. Only proper nutrition make your pet healthy and cheerful.

Rules for a comfortable stay of a hamster at home

Since hamsters are very stressed, its nervous system must be given close attention. In order to save nervous system The rodent should follow the following rules:

  1. Do not yell at your hamster, as he is very susceptible to loud noises.
  2. Do not make sudden movements near the animal's cage.
  3. Don't stir the cage, as they don't like change.
  4. Provide peace and quiet to the animal.
  5. Do not show the rodent other pets.
  6. Don't bathe a rodent. This could lead to his death.
  7. It is not recommended to punish a hamster.
  8. Do not place indoor flowers near the cage that emit pungent odors.
  9. It is not necessary to take the hamster to fresh air, as direct sunlight can fall on it there, which leads to death.

Among other things, the hamster needs to be continuously monitored, and at the first symptoms of even the slightest ailment, you should immediately contact the veterinarian, so you can extend the already short life of the rodent.

Unfortunately, hamsters live very little. How to keep a hamster at home to remedy the situation.

These animals are considered among the most painful and difficult to treat. Only about 2-2.5 years live hamsters. Proper care and maintenance at home can extend their life to a maximum of 4 years.

Good care can extend the life of your pet

When choosing a hamster, it is best to purchase a young animal that is about 2-3 weeks old. The most important thing is that he can already eat on his own. When choosing a hamster, you need to give preference to a healthy animal. His good health can be determined by the following signs:

  • shining eyes;
  • even breathing;
  • smooth and without crevices of wool;
  • by calm even breathing;
  • clean nose without secretions and plaque;
  • clean anus.

It is best if the hamster will be purchased at a pet store, as there all animals are checked by a veterinarian. When buying a hamster in a pet store, you will definitely be told how to care for a hamster at home, what to feed them and how to properly keep them.

By following fairly simple rules for keeping hamsters at home, you will not only provide a lot of pleasure for yourself and your children, but also be able to get offspring. Of course, in the event that you have two hamsters of different sexes. Hamsters, compared to other animals, reproduce very easily and quickly. But despite this, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules for their reproduction. For the first mating, it is necessary to allow females whose age is from 3 to 6 months, and males already at 2-3 months. It is not recommended to plant the male and female immediately together. To do this, first of all, you need to make sure that she has started estrus. Otherwise, hamsters may start to fight.

It is necessary to adhere to certain rules for their reproduction.

In addition, hamsters must first be introduced. To do this, their cells are placed side by side. If the animals begin to sniff each other peacefully, then they are allowed to be placed in one cage. After the mating process occurs, the female needs to provide good food and content. To do this, it is planted in a cage and the following products are added to the diet:

  • greenery;
  • vegetables;
  • boiled egg and cottage cheese;
  • fruit;
  • germinated wheat and millet.

The female bears her cubs for 16-20 days. It is imperative to ensure that before the intended birth she has enough fresh water in the drinker. Otherwise, female hamsters can eat all the offspring.

After they also need special care.

Need to know

Having decided to purchase domestic hamsters, care and maintenance must be provided to them at the highest level. It is also worth knowing that these pets do not feel a sense of fear of heights at all. To avoid unpleasant situations, you need to constantly look after them so that they do not run high. Falling hamster can cause damage internal organs and death.

Do not overfeed the rodent, as overweight hamsters are lethargic, immobile and may subsequently die of obesity.

Conclusion

Thanks to this article, now you know how to properly care for a hamster. Follow all the rules and follow the advice. In this case, your pet will always be healthy and bring a lot of pleasure to all family members.

Many people thought about starting as pet not a cat or a dog, but a fluffy hamster. Domestic hamsters are not only a constant reason for tenderness, but also the simplest care, since these funny rodents are completely unpretentious in this regard.

However, you should not think that it will be possible not to think at all about such things as feeding and caring for a hamster at home and let everything take its course. Of course, domestic hamsters require attention and a certain attitude. How to properly care for them and behave with these fluffy lumps, we will tell in the article.

Keeping hamsters at home: advantages and disadvantages

Before you get a pet hamster, familiarize yourself with the main characteristics of this animal. In nature, there are several breeds of this species, among pets you can mainly find Siberian hamsters, less often - Dzungaria and Campbell's hamsters.

A feature of hamsters is that they can feel good without their own kind. Them can be purchased without a pair if you don't want to breed hamsters in the future.

The advantages of keeping hamsters at home are as follows:

  • unlike the same cats, they are not vindictive and do not remember the offenses caused;
  • do not create noise in the apartment;
  • easy to train;
  • when eating juicy food for a long time may not want to drink;
  • easy to breed at home;
  • do not show discontent when playing with children;
  • a small terrarium is enough for living;
  • unpretentious in food.

However, you should be aware of such difficulties when acquiring hamsters:

  • if you keep hamsters not in a terrarium, they can ruin things and gnaw on furniture, shoes and other things;
  • so that there is no unpleasant smell in the cage, you need to constantly clean it;
  • in winter, hamsters hibernate, sometimes wake up, then they need to be well fed;
  • can sometimes be aggressive.

As a rule, hamsters have a body length of 5 to 30 cm. The color of hamsters can be different:

  • ashen;
  • gray-brown;
  • with a dark stripe on the back and black-brown heels in front of the body;
  • white and fluffy (artificial Angora breeds).

home for a hamster

Before you bring your hamster home, you need to choose a home for him. Quite a few people for this purpose uses an aquarium or glass jar , but such living conditions are not suitable for the animal and it will experience discomfort.

Therefore, for a hamster should be purchased special cage measuring at least 50 by 30 cm with horizontal bars. The gaps between the bars should be small so that the hamster does not get out.

You should also choose the right accessories for the cage, here is their description:

  • filler - necessary so that there is no unpleasant smell near the cage. The cage should be washed regularly and filled with compressed or granular filler, they perfectly absorb unpleasant odors. In addition to the filler cage can be filled with sawdust in which hamsters love to burrow so much before going to bed;
  • feeder - in total there should be two feeders in the cage: one for dry food, and the second for fresh food. Separately, there should also be a drinker for liquid;
  • mineral stone for sharpening hamster teeth;
  • toilet - you need to constantly change the bedding, because the hamster always chooses a place for the toilet on his own;
  • wheel for running - hamsters are very active animals, therefore it is highly desirable to put such a simulator in a cage. The wheel must have a solid surface so that your hamster does not damage the paw.

It is highly advisable to choose one place for a cage with a hamster and not rearrange it, because hamsters are not lovers of frequent changes. Also, do not place the cage in drafts or near cribs or play areas for children.

How to feed hamsters?

Domestic hamsters should be fed several times a day. The second meal of the hamsters should be in the evening and for this meal should give him high calorie food, because for hamsters the nocturnal lifestyle is more familiar. It is highly undesirable to give hamsters vegetables and fruits with a watery base, such as cucumbers or watermelons, as the animal can be poisoned by them.

Once a day, the hamster's diet should include special grain feed, which can be purchased at a specialized store. The hamster will determine the norm on his own, as a rule, no more than three teaspoons is enough for him. But at the same time, you need to ensure that the hamster always has at least a couple of grains in the feeder.

Provide your pet with constant access to water and so that he does not throw sawdust in a bowl of water, it is better to choose an automatic drinker. Do not forget to follow during the day for its filling. If the hamster does not drink a drop of water during the day, he may die.

Acceptable foods for hamster food are:

  • pitted pears and apples;
  • pumpkin and carrots in limited quantities;
  • nuts and seeds in limited quantities;
  • potato;
  • corn;
  • lean boiled meat;
  • fish fat;
  • vitamins A, E and D.

Do not give hamsters the following foods:

  • garlic;
  • citrus fruit;
  • Exotic fruits.

Features of care for domestic hamsters

Like most other animals, pet hamsters can be stressed. As a rule, their reasons may be such circumstances:

  • changes in the daily routine of the animal;
  • lack of water;
  • external control over his offspring;
  • the presence of lighting in the cage where he sleeps;
  • sharing another animal, even a hamster.

Also, in order to prevent stressful situations for your hamster, do not speak loudly and do not shout, being near his cage, do not make any sudden movements in this place so that the animal does not feel danger. If you talk to a hamster quietly and calmly, he will behave accordingly.

Also consider the following tips for caring for pet hamsters:

  • the relocation of a hamster to another cage must be done using a special tube. First, he is nudged by the hand so that he can explore the new place;
  • A hamster's teeth must be cared for carefully and on an ongoing basis. If he eats not too hard food, then teeth grow very fast, and this interferes with normal food intake;
  • cleaning the cage should be done several times a week. During cleaning, the hamster is pulled out of the house and transferred to another place, for example, in a prepared jar. The bedding is changed, and the cage is washed with detergent. The place of the toilet should be cleaned regularly as it gets dirty;
  • Hamsters need to be walked regularly. For this, a special playing place is equipped. You can make an obstacle course, mazes and something like that. At the same time, all sharp objects must be removed from the resting place, and those nearby furniture and decor should be as durable as possible in terms of sustainability;
  • you need to regularly monitor the claws of the animal, especially if it has reached a certain age. Nails are trimmed with special scissors for manicure. Do not use a nail file, the hamster may be frightened and hurt. With weak pigmentation of the hamster's claws, they are trimmed only in daylight or table light. When injured, during this procedure, the foot is pulled with a bandage, and the cage itself is washed so that the infection does not get into the wound;
  • Hamsters are not very fond of water, so bathing is not recommended unless necessary. But if you still need to buy a hamster, be careful that water does not get into his ears, eyes or nose. Do not let the hamster out of their hands so that he does not bite you. You need to bathe the animal only with severe pollution, using rabbit shampoo for this purpose. After bathing, hold your hamster in your arms for a while to keep him warm, and then wrap him in a soft towel.

What else should be considered when keeping a hamster in the house?

To keep your hamster calm and stress-free, remember the following:

  • populate it separately from other hamsters;
  • provide the hamster with peace and quiet;
  • do not show the hamster other pets;
  • clean the hamster's house when he does not see it;
  • do not interfere with his way of life;
  • never punish hamsters;
  • do not take him outside and do not let him on the grass, direct sunlight is especially dangerous for him, he can die in just a few minutes.

If you plan to not only keep, but also breed hamsters at home, then it will not be too difficult. They are able to give regular offspring and independently feed up to ten broods during the year. For this mother hamster needs to create the appropriate conditions- ensure peace and during pregnancy do not pull out of the cage.

As you can see, keeping pet hamsters in an apartment is not so difficult. Subject to all the necessary conditions of maintenance and care, this animal will delight you and especially your children for a long time, who will play with hamsters with great pleasure.

It doesn't matter what kind of hamster you have - Syrian or dwarf (Campbell, Jungarik). His health matters, right? For example, your children's health depends on how your mother cares for you and what feeds you. So are hamsters: they have no one but their owner, they are defenseless and helpless. And their health and long life- in your hands.

How to properly care for a hamster? First of all, remember the main thing:

Hamster is a loner and must live alone (if there is an opponent nearby, he must be expelled, and if he does not go anywhere, kill him). The hamster cage should be large - 50x30 cm on the pallet, the number of floors is not important.

Hamster needs to run a lot. In nature, hamsters run tens of kilometers per night in search of food. Therefore, the cage must have a wheel - of such a size that the hamster in it does not bend its back. And for walking - a ball.

You need to breed hamsters only when you learn the first two rules. Because just putting two hamsters together and expecting offspring from them is cruel. And in addition, the kids will need to be placed in separate cages and put on a wheel for each. Think in advance, do you have that much money? And handing it out to anyone, handing it over to the store is even more cruel. You cannot know how future owners will treat the hamster and whether they will buy your babies for snake food or as a dog toy.

Hamster care: how to keep a cage

In the hamster's cage, there should be filler (pellets, corn), white, odorless and patterned paper towels for the nest, a large wheel, a hanging drinker and a bowl for dry food. Everything else is optional (house, toilet, box with non-dusty sand for chinchillas).

The cage should not be in the kitchen, not in the corridor, not on the balcony, away from windows and doors, no closer than 2 meters from the batteries. The principle is simple: a hamster, as a gentle and easily ill creature, must be settled in the best place apartments.

The cage should be in a quiet place. Hamsters are very sensitive and nervous animals, any sharp sound is stressful for them, and stress greatly shortens their life. During the day, hamsters sleep, and you can’t wake them up!

The cage should be in a ventilated place, but not in a draft. Place a room thermometer next to the cage and monitor the temperature. The normal temperature for a hamster is in the range of + 22 ... 28 ° C. Above and below - the danger of hypothermia and overheating.

Wash the cage infrequently so as not to disturb the hamster. Once a month and a half, it is completely washed with baby soap, with the replacement of the filler. And the corner where the hamster relieves himself is cleaned after 1-3 days, wiping with a damp cloth and adding a handful of filler.

Stocks in the house or nest should be checked every three days and spoiled food should be thrown away. If you replace the nest and throw away the supplies completely - be sure to put fresh ones instead, do not offend the hamster!

Hamster care: how to feed

Dry basic food should be in the feeder all the time: do not wait for the hamster to eat everything, add it every day - it is important for the hamster that there is always food and no one will take it away.

Food: imported - JR Farm, Vitapol, Vitakraft, Beaphar, Benelux, Fiory, Prestige (Versele-Laga), Little One, domestic - Vaka, Animals, Homka, Rodent. Basic feeds are not only granulated, but also, very importantly, grains, pay attention to this!

Wet food in a separate bowl is given daily and includes vegetables and fruits from the list of allowed foods. The bowl should be washed daily.

In addition, twice a week in turn, with a break of 2 days, the hamster receives 0-1% fat cottage cheese, protein food - a boiled egg or boiled chicken breast without salt and spices. Can be given as a treat of porridge and mashed potatoes from the store baby food(without salt, sugar, milk, rice, potatoes, starch).

The water in the hanging drinker is filled only with the water that you drink yourself. It should always be fresh, change it every day. Even if it seems to you that the hamster does not drink, water is mandatory for him.

Hamster care: how to walk

Hamsters cannot walk on the floor and freely around the apartment. This is both unhygienic and very dangerous in terms of poisoning with any crumbs or biting the electrical wire. And you can accidentally pinch the hamster in the door or step on it.

For walks, you need to buy a walking ball with a size of 16 cm for a dwarf hamster and 18 cm for a Syrian. You can walk in a stuffy ball for no longer than 25 minutes, after which the hamster should rest, eat, and drink the same amount.

It is good to make a pen for a hamster - you can walk in it longer. In order not to be bored, put a wheel, ladders, pipes. And the size of the site should be at least 1m x 1m.

Hamster care: how to relieve stress and prolong life

There are a few rules that a good hamster breeder should have on his nose:

    The hamster should live alone, in a separate cage.

    The hamster should live in silence and at normal room temperature.

    The hamster should never meet other animals.

    The hamster should not see you clean his cage.

    The hamster should not see your hand in the cage, encroaching on his possessions.

    The hamster should run a lot, eat a variety of foods and sleep as much as he wants.

    You can not force a hamster to do what he does not want and cannot.

    You can not punish a hamster - he will be afraid and will never understand why you offend him.

    You can not take the hamster outside and let it out on the grass. In the sun, he will die in a matter of minutes.

    You can not feed him food from the human table. Fatty, sweet, salty, spicy, sour, starchy foods are detrimental to his weak digestion.

Only at first glance it seems that there are many requirements. In fact, taking care of a hamster is taking care of a family member. If you keep this in mind, then the life of the hamster will be happy and healthy. And not so short.

How to care for a hamster at home? This question arises in the head of a person when he is going to have a small rodent. Now we will analyze this topic in detail.

Cell

So, how to care for a Syrian hamster? How to properly contain a jungarik?

Whatever breed of rodent you choose, of course, he needs a medium-sized cage (more than 50 x 30 cm). Note that a three-liter jar is not suitable for keeping rodents, as they will be cramped there. If it is not possible to purchase a cage, but there is an aquarium at home, then it can be used as a home for a hamster, of course, without water.

How to care for a hamster at home and where to put his home? There should not be a hot battery near the cage, as well as noisy objects (for example, radio or TV). Bright sunlight is harmful to these rodents. Therefore, it should not fall into their home. Keep the cage out of the reach of small children and other pets.

Filler

The second thing you need to buy when planning to start a hamster is a filler. Currently, there is a wide range of products in this category on sale, so you do not need to use unsuitable things as bedding, such as, for example, cotton wool. The best filler is medium-sized sawdust. Hamsters love to burrow into them.

Required Items

You will also need a house. In this place, the hamster will sleep and also hide his supplies. That is, in such a dwelling, the rodent will spend most of its life. Note that hamsters eat even when half asleep.

Therefore, it is necessary that the house be well ventilated, with windows and an opening for entry, it is desirable that the lid be removable. The best option is plastic housing. It is easy to wash and dries quickly. A more environmentally friendly option is a wooden house. But, unfortunately, it is not hygienic.

Wheel

You also need to purchase a wheel. Without this element, the hamster will get bored. In addition, such a simulator is necessary for animals to lose extra grams. Thanks to this device, animals realize the natural need for physical activity. It is desirable that the wheel be attached to something, otherwise it may fall. A good option is to attach the device to the back wall of the cage at a low height from the floor. So you also save space. It is best to choose a metal wheel with wide bars so that the hamster's paws do not fall through.

drinker

What else do you need to buy to keep a rodent? Drinker. It needs to be attached to the cage. Its main function is to provide the rodent with drinking water. It is advisable to use boiled or mineral water. Tap water can cause diarrhoea. You need to change the water in the drinker every other day.

How to care for a Djungarian hamster? Features of care are the same as for other breeds. In addition to everything described, I would like to say that it would be nice to buy mazes for hamsters, through which they can climb. If there is no financial opportunity to purchase such items, then they can be made from plastic bottles or cardboard. In addition, you can buy another walking ball.

How to care for a hamster at home?

Care involves many components. We will consider all points of keeping a rodent. So, how to care for a Djungarian hamster? Let's start the conversation with a delicate topic. We'll talk about the rodent toilet. In a cage, it can be done in a corner.

The tray can be purchased at the pet store. The toilet corner should be cleaned several times a week. If there is no tray, then the entire cage should be cleaned just as often. Although sometimes enough and once, if the hamster is clean. In addition, general cleaning is necessary. It should be held four times a month. What does general cleaning include? Full bedding change and tray washing. Here's how to properly care for your hamster.

We talked about cleanliness. Now let's discuss another important topic. Note that it is not worth letting rodents out of the cage into the apartment. Toddlers can get lost, they can be stepped on and so on. If you want to release rodents for a walk, then carefully monitor each hamster.

Feeding

How to properly care for a hamster? Provide him with comfortable living conditions and properly think over the diet. We will talk about the nutrition of rodents now.

So, what to feed a domestic hamster? Here we come to another important topic. From how correctly you think over the diet of the animal, its state of health and life expectancy will depend.

If you are wondering how to properly care for a hamster, then remember that you cannot feed it with stale food. Otherwise, the animal may become seriously ill.

Watching this rodent eat is a pleasure. But still, what to feed him? Pet stores sell special food for hamsters. You can use them. But, of course, no feed contains all the necessary trace elements, so it is possible and necessary to supplement the diet of animals. We will now tell you exactly what. Hamsters need to be fed two to three times a day.

Often, rodents are fed bread (preferably stale) and animal products such as milk and cottage cheese. By the way, the latter are especially useful for females while feeding babies. In addition, hamsters can be given yogurt (unsweetened), kefir and yogurt.

Note that hamsters really like milk. This is very useful product which contains liquid as well as protein.

Walnuts, peanuts and hazelnuts are necessary foods for rodents. Hamsters are also given cereals (rice, buckwheat and others). If you are cooking with water, you can add a drop of oil to the dish.

Rodents will gladly taste watermelon and pumpkin seeds. You can add meat, fish and eggs to the diet of animals (all only boiled). It is recommended to give such food once a month.

Fatty, salty, fried foods should not be added to the diet of rodents. Citrus and exotic fruits are not good for hamsters. Because of the acid in animals, a disorder can occur. Onions, garlic and red cabbage are foods that should also be excluded from their diet. Leaves of cereal crops are forbidden to animals. Dandelions should also not be given to rodents, as caustic milky juice is released from the stem of this plant, which irritates the inner surface of the bags.

How to care for newborn hamsters?

This is a very important topic, so we could not ignore it. If two hamsters of different sexes live in your house, then sooner or later they, of course, will have offspring. Now we will tell you how to properly care for baby hamsters.

Even during pregnancy, the female must be separated from the male. In the place where you will transplant the mother, spread the material from which she can build her own housing. Straw is best suited for these purposes.

Starting from the first minute of the birth of babies, you must be restrained. There is no need to show emotions violently near the cage, such behavior can frighten the female. As you understand, the newly born female does not need any extra stress. After all, she still needs to feed the kids.

During the period of feeding the cubs, the female needs additional vitamins, so get them at the pet store. What is the right way to give them? The doctor will answer this question for you. He will select the appropriate vitamins, dosage, etc.

What is the care of hamsters in the first days after birth? Now let's analyze this question. In the first days after birth, do not change the bedding. And somewhere on the tenth (and preferably on the 14th) day, you still need to do this. Before such a procedure, transplant the female with the babies into a separate container. Note that babies cannot be picked up before 10 days of age.

As a rule, the female feeds the babies herself for up to a month, so they do not need to be fed. But, starting from the age of two weeks, you can throw porridge, grated carrots, bread crumbs into the cage. So the kids will get used to adult food. If suddenly the mother's milk disappears, then they will be able to completely switch to such food. At the age of three weeks, hamsters become almost independent, they already see, hear, eat ordinary food. When they are one month old, the cubs can and should be separated from their mother to avoid conflicts. That's all the advice for caring for small rodents.

Conclusion

Now you know how to care for a hamster at home. Follow our advice, then your pets will only please you.

Cute fluffy hamsters have long been in the lead among pets. They are not whimsical in care and nutrition, do not need a large space, they do not need to be taken for everyday walks. But this does not mean that hamsters do not need your attention and care at all. Little fluffies, like any other animals, need care and affection. Some part of your free time will still be taken up by caring for hamsters. It is easy to keep them at home. Read the following information and see for yourself.

personal territory

The hamster must live in a cage no smaller than 50x40x40 cm. The twigs must be at least 1 cm apart, otherwise a small hamster can crawl through them and run away.

The bottom of the cage is covered with sawdust, dry grass, torn paper or special filler, which is sold in pet stores. It is forbidden to use newspapers or magazines for this purpose, as the rodent can eat printing ink and die from it.

In the middle of the cage you need to install a house, a feeder, a drinking bowl. They can be purchased complete with a cage. So that your pet does not turn over food and water, it is advisable to fasten the feeder and drinker with wire to the twigs of the cage. at home, it involves cleaning the filler from the bottom of the cage once a week, daily washing of the feeder and drinker.

Do not forget to take care of the entertainment of a small rodent. Install ladders, labyrinths, a wheel in the cage. The hamster is a nocturnal animal, it will be awake when you go to bed. Therefore, choose a quality wheel that does not rumble or rattle so that you do not wake up at night from the noise that domestic hamsters make while having fun. Care of the gaming equipment consists in washing it once a week.

Diet

In every pet store you can buy food for rodents industrial production. The package contains a variety of particles of vegetables, fruits, chalk. And all this is enriched with special trace elements and vitamins necessary for the full growth and development of your fluffy pet. If you are an adherent of home food, then remember that rodents are strictly forbidden to give sour, salty, sweet, canned foods. From plant foods, never put cabbage, garlic, onions, citrus fruits in the feeder. All other vegetables, fruits and greens are eaten with great pleasure by a home hamster. Rodent care also includes daily updating of the contents of the drinker. Food and water should always be fresh.

To keep your pet healthy and active, periodically give him vitamins for rodents. They will help you pick them up at a pet supply store or at a veterinary clinic.

What are the hygiene procedures involved in caring for hamsters at home? The hamster is a very clean animal, so it does not need bathing, combing, or haircuts. If it suddenly happened that the fluffy got dirty in dust or its own feces, then you can quickly wash it in warm water and blot it with a dry cloth. It is important to remember that you can not touch the hamsters by the head and ears, turn them over on their backs. For an animal, these manipulations are very unpleasant.

As you can see, caring for hamsters at home is a simple matter. This is possible even for a child. A small rodent can become a great friend for all family members. Get in to please yourself and all household members.