The Ideal Hamster Cage
Posted by Ken on December 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment
When looking for the ideal hamster cage you will have to consider a number of different factors. You can purchase a specially design plastic hamster cage, a simple wire framed hamster cage or even use an old aquarium for housing your hamster. Each type of habitat has benefits and drawbacks, but the number one consideration is to ensure that your hamster is safe and secure in their home environment. This means that on wire and plastic cages you must ensure the door is properly latched when closed and that there are no areas in the cage which they can gnaw through and escape. An aquarium should have a wire mesh cover to ensure that the hamster cannot escape somehow out of the top of the cage.
Because it is also very important to make sure that your ideal hamster cage is kept clean you really need to make sure that the one you choose is practical and easy to clean. Larger is better, and not just for the hamster, as large hamster cages are more easily accessible to clean. A solid plastic bottom will always be easier to clean than wire mesh and will probably be much more comfortable for the hamster to live on. Some plastic hamster cages have lots of in built tunnels and nest areas which make the cage look as though it is interesting when making you buying decision but may well cause you to reconsider later when it comes to cleaning them as they are fiddly and difficult to access. Despite this it remains important to clean these hard to get areas as the ammonia present in urine can otherwise cause your hamster breathing problems.
Every hamster cage should encourage your hamster to play, exercise and climb. One way to achieve this is to ensure your wire hamster cage has horizontal bars approximately half and inch apart which your hamster can climb. But you can also provide ramps and ladders for you hamster to play upon. These are particularly important if you are using an aquarium hamster cage as your hamster will not be able to climb the glass sides of the cage.
The size of your hamster cage is also important. Even for the smallest hamster your hamster cage should be at least 18 inches long by at least 12 inches high and 12 inches across. These sizes should be considered as minimum dimensions. The larger your hamster cage the better. Wire hamster cages tend to be larger than plastic hamster cages and are probably best for Syrian hamsters as they can grow quite large, well over 4 inches long potentially and they can also find that they get stuck in some of the tunnels and dens that are integral to the plastic hamster cages. Aquarium hamster cages provide good visibility of the surrounding area but are less well ventilated and early on this should be watched carefully as it is important that the hamster cage is well ventilated as otherwise the hamster may well suffer. Aquariums are a good choice for Chinese or dwarf hamsters due to their small size.
The other items that you should provide your hamster are a water bottle attached to the side of the cage filled with fresh water at all times and a shallow food bowl. A hamster wheel should also be provided as this provides excellent activity for your hamster. The only other thing necessary is something for your hamster to gnaw upon like an old piece of rope or a lump of soft wood.
You should locate your hamster cage in an area with good visibility, it should not be in a draughty location and not in direct sunlight, especially if you are using an aquarium as a cage. The other factor you should ensure is that their cage is not easily accessible to any other family pets especially cats.
So, is their an ideal hamster cage? The answer to this is of course that the ideal hamster cage is the one which suits your hamster the best, is kept as clean as possible, provides the most interesting and active environment and is located in a suitable position in your home.
How To Ensure My Hamster Lives Longer
Posted by Ken on December 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment
If you often find yourself asking the question “how to ensure my hamster lives longer?” then read on. There are essentially three areas that you should concentrate on when looking after you hamster that if you get right should ensure that you have a pet that lives at least two years and potentially even more, up to 3 years. When you consider that a hamster at 3 years is broadly equivalent to a person aged 80 and over you will understand that if you can provide an environment in which your hamster lives to 3 you will have been successful in providing a happy and safe life for your pet.
Your Hamster Cage
You should purchase the largest hamster cage that you can afford. The larger the better. Ideally the sides of the cage should be wire mesh to ensure good ventilation. Hamsters do tend to be quite territorial so when trying to answer your question “how to ensure my hamster lives longer” you should think hard before housing more than one hamster per cage as you run the risks of fights breaking out. You should cover the base of your hamster cage with some wood shavings and provide some straw bedding. Don’t place the cage in direct sunlight or in draughty location as these can both cause health issues. Then provide your hamster with plenty of toys to play with and keep the cage clean.
Feeding Your Hamster
Always keep fresh water available in a bottle. Give you hamster fresh food every day in a feeding bowl in a corner of the cage. It may be worthwhile placing the bowl in an area that is easily accessible and therefore easy to clean. You might also give your hamster fresh vegetables and occasionally some fruit and also supplement its diet with occasional vitamin supplement tablets.
Keep Your Hamster Healthy
You should provide a wooden gnaw to ensure that they are able to keep their tooth growth under control. Generally speaking if you keep your hamster cage clean and your hamster well fed you can have a reasonable expectation that your hamster will live a clean and healthy life for several years.
And that’s it really. Hamsters are really very easy animals to look after and can give you hours of fun if you do look after them. So if you want to know “how to ensure my hamster lives longer” you should give you hamster a large cage, feed it a good diet, provide an active play area and keep its living environment clean you should have no problems.
Big Hamster Cages | Can They Be Too Big?
Posted by Ken on November 19, 2009 · Leave a Comment
The simplest answer to the question of how big is to big for big hamster cages is… no cage is too big. You have to remember that your hamster will enjoy and thrive in as large a play area as you are able to provide. Just as any of us would find a cage restricting a hamster would find a small hamster cage very restrictive. With a big hamster cage the hamsters play time has so many more options available and a happy hamster is likely to be a healthy hamster and one which lives longer.
The minimum size for a hamster cage should really be at least 18 inches square and a similar height. Unless your hamster is a dwarf hamster you really shouldn’t be considering a hamster cage that is any smaller than this minimum size.
Big hamster cages are easier to clean than smaller ones as you will have greater access to the interior of the cage when cleaning. In addition, wire hamster cages are probably over all a better choice of material for the walls and roof of the cage, although you should try to make sure the base of the hamster cage is plastic or at least solid in formation as if it was a wire mesh then there are likely to be comfort issues for your hamster and hygiene issues for you as the hamster will likely defecate in on the floor of the cage which would soak through into the surface below. Plastic hamster cages, even the ones which would qualify as being big hamster cages tend to have a significant number of tubes and tunnels built into the design, which is great for the hamster but will always present you with problems when you are attempting to keep the cage clean.
Although it is recommended that your big hamster cage has wire mesh sides and roof, the size of the mesh should really not exceed more than one half of an inch. Any more and there is a real possibility that your hamster will be able to escape and come to some harm. It is very difficult to lose a hamster in even the smallest of houses so be aware at all times of the potential to lose your hamster.
The other aspect associated with big hamster cages is the ability to put a hamster wheel inside. A hamster wheel is an important play and exercise item and should not be overlooked. Hamsters are nocturnal and will use the hamster wheel far more at night, but they do love to run and hunt for food and as large an exercise wheel as possible is definitely preferable.
Whilst you can definitely get away with a regular hamster cage, big hamster cages with an interesting and varied play area within are by far the preferable option as your hamster will have a better overall quality of life and be a better and more entertaining pet as a result.
Filed under Big Hamster Cages · Tagged with Big Hamster Cages, Dwarf hamsters, hamster cages, hamster wheel, hamsters cage, hamsters cages, Large Hamster Cage, large hamster cages, plastic cage, string metal bars
