Hamsters: General Information

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Books on rodents, including hamsters
News and Research, rabbits and rodents

Hamsters live from 18 months to two years, though some have been known to live to three years. One advantage of hamsters as pets is that children are less likely to grow out of them than many pets, because hamsters have such short lives, though children have to come to terms with losing their little friend. Hamsters need gentle handling, and are nocturnal, and sleep while children are at school, coming out in the evening and at night to play, so they are suitable for older children who can manage to to squeak at them or drop them, and who go to bed late enough to be able to enjoy watching their hamster

Housing

Hamsters are solitary animals and often fight if they are together, so only one adult should be kept in a cage. They like to move about a lot, especially at night, so they need a big cage at least 70 cm by 40 cm by 35 cm high. You can let them explore your house, but always supervise them, because they will chew holes in carpets, curtains and clothes, and have been known to electrocute themselves by chewing electric wiring. They need a chewing block in their cage to prevent their teeth from getting overgrown, and will chew the cage if they can.

There are very complicated cages for sale which have tunnels going to different levels to allow the hamster a chance to explore. Some hamster owners prefer a big glass tank, which is easier to clean and won't fall apart accidentally. You can put toys such as wheels and tubing (even the inside of a toilet roll) in the tank, for them to play with. The traditional small wire cages sold for hamsters are not really homes that are likely to make your pet happy. Hamsters need to have fun things to do, and space to explore. You can make them a multi-storey home, with little rooms they can explore, even in a glass tank. Do remember to have a lid, so your friend doesn't escape. Hamsters like to have adventures, and get bored with just a wheel to entertain themselves, so look around to see what you can use for toys for them. Your hamster is likely to chew his toys, so make sure they have no sharp edges that could hurt your friend's mouth, and that they aren't poisonous. An old shoe box with little entrance and exit holes cut into it at the side and the top can become a fun place for your hamster to explore. Give the hamster some way of reaching the top, some branches to act as a ladder, for example, and watch for his little head to come out. You need a nest box in one corner for the hamster to sleep in.

Put a thick covering of wood shavings on the floor, and provide hay or shredded white tissue paper for bedding. Unbleached toilet tissue is ideal. Sawdust, feathers, newspapers or artificial fibre should not be used as they can cause health problems. Hamsters put their bedding in their pouches, so they need to be able to take it out easily, and feathers and some fibres can get stuck. You also need to make sure that nothing in the cage that a hamster can put in its pouch has sharp edges. Hamsters usually use one corner of the cage as a toilet, and this should be cleaned every day, with the whole cage cleaned every week. Check for rotting food, since hamsters like to have well-stocked larders and don't throw out food when it's past its best!

Hamsters are ideally kept at a temperature of around 18 deg C to 21 deg C. If the temperature falls below 5 deg C at night they may go into a coma, but can be revived by being gradually warmed and fed warm sweet milk. Hamsters are sometimes thrown out in the belief they are dead, when they are only hibernating!

Hamsters should be fed once in the evening. They enjoy nuts, grain, and pellet seed preparations made for mice and rats, but also need fresh green and root vegetables. Fresh water must be available at all times, and they can have milk as an occasional treat. They shouldn't be given chocolate or tomatoes.

You can avoid a lot of health problems if you make sure your hamster has proper housing and food. Hamsters may get fleas and lice which can be treated with preparations available from the vet. Check that their teeth don't get too long, and that they don't get infections in their pouches, which show as a swelling on one side. A vet can show you how to clip a hamster's teeth if they grow too long even though you have provided a chewing block.

Very young hamsters move fast, and may nip you when you first handle them. Talk to them and handle them gently and they will learn to trust you. The correct way to hold a hamster is to cup it gently in both hands. In the beginning, practise handling them close to you and the floor as they are more likely to jump off you when they are young or don't know you well, and can easily be injured if they fall. When the hamster is used to you, you can let it tunnel down your sleeves. It's safer to do this when you are sitting on the floor, or on a sofa so there's less risk of it falling on hard ground and hurting itself.

Hamsters can breed from as young as 45-60 days, so you need to separate the sexes after weaning, at 21-28 days, to avoid unwanted litters. The gestation period is only 16 days, and they can have up to 15 babies at at time (the norm is five to seven), so you could quickly get overrun with hamsters! They are not easy to breed, however, because adults will fight if they don't get on, and may even kill each other. They are less likely to fight if you put the couple in a very big cage so they can get away from each other if they need to. They should not be allowed to breed until they are adults, at three months. The young are born hairless and are blind for the first two weeks. Cannibalism is sometimes a problem, but is less likely if the mother is not too young, has had time to recover from previous litters, is well nourished, has access to enough food and water, and has peace and quiet to have her babies.

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