7 Ways To Keep Your Hamster Healthy – It’s This Easy!
Hamsters are adorable little rodents that make great pets. They are lovely and friendly, and that’s why they deserve the best care from their owners. As a pet owner, it is your job to ensure that your hamster is healthy.
A healthy hamster means a happy hamster. And when your hamster is happy, it means that you are also happy! Here are some of the things that you can do to keep your hamster healthy.
7 Easy Ways To Keep Your Hamster Healthy
Make a Habit of Cleaning the Cage
Cleanliness is next to godliness, and this applies to rodents as well. Hamsters are very clean animals, and they need a clean home and quality bedding. Hamster cages should be cleaned every week.
Remove the old bedding and replace it with fresh bedding. Hamsters can develop infections when using soiled bedding. You also have to avoid pine bedding, stringy bedding, fluffy bedding, and cedar bedding as they can make your hamster sick. Also, keep away from scented bedding as it can affect your hamster’s ability to smell. Paper-based bedding and wood shavings are the most preferred.
To keep your hamster’s home healthy, you also have to dump out the food dish and water bowls, scrub them clean, replace them with new ones. Warm water and mild soap are the best for cleaning.
Give Your Hamster Healthy Food
Food is the way to a hamster’s heart, and good food is the way to a healthy one. Hamsters, like any of the other pets, need a balanced diet. Hamster pellets and loose seed make up for quality hamster food. In fact, standard seed should be part of your hamster’s daily food.
Your friend will also appreciate sunflower seeds, but keep in mind that moderation is key when dealing with hamsters. Large amounts of seed can cause diarrhea in hamsters among other issues. Again, ensure that you provide a variety of foods to your hamster, they can as well get bored by one meal over and over again.
You can also consider buying healthy treats for hamsters from pet stores. Some of these treats include small pieces of fresh fruits or vegetables, live mealworms, and small amounts of nuts. Ensure that you avoid foods such as apple seeds and citrus fruits since they are toxic for hamsters.
Provide A Stress-Free Environment
Hamsters are easily stressed by a number of things, such as loud noises, sudden changes in temperature, and being scared by humans. In addition, to avoid stressing your little friend out, never shout at them or shake the cage roughly.
Try to keep their environment as quiet as possible. Again, always keep other pets such as cats and dogs away from the hamster’s cage. Stress can make your hamster sick, so it’s best to always ensure that your hamster gets a stress-free environment.
Give Your Hamster Lots of Attention
Hamsters love to be played with, so make sure that you give them at least 30 minutes of your time every day. You can run your fingers along their backs or even let your little friend climb on you!
Not giving your hamster enough amount of attention can cause them to become depressed, which can have negative health implications. So, always ensure that you make time for your pet.
Exercise Your Hamster
Hamsters are very active animals, and they need to run around to be healthy. They are small enough that you can even exercise them in your home! Get a hamster ball for your furry friend, and let it roll around the house every day. It will feel like rolling over cotton candy!
Most hamsters will also appreciate their own private exercise wheel at home. Wheels are a great way for your hamster to exercise and stay healthy. Only ensure that you get a bigger sized wheel if you have a larger type of hamster breed such as the Syrian hamster. Also, the wheel needs to come with the safety of your hamster in mind.
Give Your Hamster Some Friends
Hamsters are social animals, so it is best if you get them a companion or two. This way, they will never be bored and become depressed. But you need to bear in mind that hamsters can become very territorial and sometimes even violent.
You do not want your animals fighting to the death! So, ensure that any new hamster you bring into the mix has a similar temperament as your existing pet.
Chewing Toys Are A Must
Hamsters need to chew in order to wear down their ever-growing teeth. Providing them with a variety of toys will ensure that their pearly whites are always nice and healthy!
However, you must make sure that the toy is safe for your pet to chew on. Always inspect any toy before you give it to your hamster to play with. If it’s not safe, then it can’t be healthy for your pet.
Make The Vet Your Closest Friend
It is important to know that hamsters are very fragile animals, so a simple sickness can become a life-threatening epidemic for them. You must ensure that your hamster always has a clean bill of health, and this means frequent checkups with the vet!
Frequent check-ups for your vet will ensure that your hamster is never in grave danger. Anytime your furry friend begins to behave abnormally, take them to the vet right away. The sooner you know what’s wrong, the better!
What Are Signs of A Healthy Hamster?
Signs of a healthy hamster involve them being active, clean, and well-groomed. An unhealthy hamster will seem lethargic and sleep a lot more than normal. In addition, they might have matted hair or appear dirty in certain areas.
If your hamster begins to look sick or unhealthy in any way, take them to the vet right away! Quick action can mean the difference between life and death.
Final Verdict
Hamsters are small and fragile animals, but they can make great pets if you know how to properly take care of them! Proper hamster care involved taking Keep these tips in mind when owning a hamster, and your little friend will always be a healthy camper
