As a dedicated hamster owner, I’m sure you know how important it is to offer your little one the best bedding out there. So let me help you with that, since I too has to look for the best option for my Teddy when I first got him.
We’ll look at the best hamster bedding options you can find, and compare them by how well they work, how well they absorb waste and smell, and how long they’ll last since that’s a major thing to look out for as well.
And how easy it is to clean it out, since you’re going to need to do that once a week.
Table of Contents
So what kind of bedding do hamsters use ?
Hamsters prefer bedding that’s going to be soft on their feet, easy to tread on, and in a thicker layer so they can dig through it a bit if they suddenly want to.
Your hamster’s bedding should be made of a safe material, not be dusty, and also not smell. Any scented bedding will bother the hammy’s sensitive nose, no matter what the packaging may say.
So we’re going to go through the 4 best options I’ve found for hamster bedding, and discuss each of them in turn. You’ll also find them compared in a handy table as well, so you can get a clearer picture.
As a companion to this article, I recommend you also read up on general info about hamster bedding. You’ll find there info on what bedding materials to avoid, and how to change/clean the bedding when needed.
A comparison of 4 hamster bedding options
You’ll find this table comparing the general usefulness of each bedding type, and anything else that might interest you. Like absorbency, odor control, how long the bag will last, and so on.
After you’re done reading this table, you’ll find each of these beddings discussed in more detail in the rest of the article.
Aspen bedding for your hamster
Aspen is the number one bedding people use for their hammy, and it’s there for a reason.
Wood shavings, in general, are a great choice for hamsters since they’re very comfortable on their feet, they’re also cheap to find and manufacture, and they’re a natural by-product of woodwork.
As for the best kinds of wood shavings to use, aspen is the best since ti has no definite scent of its own, and is not allergenic.
Cedar and pine though, those should never be used for small rodents like hamsters. Rabbits (and possibly guinea pigs) can stand up to it as well.
But hamsters, with their small size and sensitive noses, are literally crawling all over that bedding, all day and night. Breathing in those scents does not do them good.
As humans, we’re alright since we can handle the natural elements found in those wood types. Hamsters can not.
So, aspen it is. You’re going to find aspen easily enough, since it’s a very common tree in many parts of the world. If you’re somehow unable to find aspen, you can always get paper-based bedding since those are universally available.
Aspen bedding from Kaytee
Back to aspen. This bad boy from Kaytee’s going to last you quite some time. I’m recommending the 8 cubic feet version, so your hammy can have bedding for months on end. Possibly a year.
Really this thing will last a long time, even if your hammy lives in a Detolf.
As weight it should be 27 lbs/12.2 kg of pure aspen shavings, so you’re going to have this bag for a long time. As reference, my Teddy’s 10 lbs/5 kg bag lasts for about 4-5 months.
So, long-lasting it is. I’d venture it can last at least 8 months, if not more, depending on how much you use.
You can check the listing on Amazon for this Kaytee aspen bedding, and read the reviews as well.
Aspen bedding from Small Pet Select
If you’re not very happy with Kaytee, you can try this one. It’s still aspen, so it will be safe for your little hammy.
It’s a smaller size, 14 lbs/ 6.3 kg and this one can last you about half a year.
You can check the listing on Amazon here, and read the reviews as well.
In terms of odor control, aspen is good enough, seeing as it can dry out after it’s been wet. And given how little the hammy pees, I think it’s going to be just fine.
My Teddy uses the corners of his cage as a litter box and they’re always fine by the end of the week when I change his bedding.
This kind of bedding isn’t dusty, as it’s larger than sawdust. It’s actual wood chips, but thinner and softer.
And in terms of price, your investment will be well repaid in time. After all, owning a hamster is not expensive and there’s very little you have to buy often.
Cleaning the cage is easy enough, and using something like a litter scooper is going to help a lot. This bedding is heavier when it gets wet, so keep than in mind when cleaning your hammy’s cage.
Overall, I think aspen is a cheap, safe way to provide your hamster with all the bedding he needs.
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Simple paper bedding for the hamster
Paper is another option you can try, and it’s about as popular as aspen. Maybe even more so in some places, since this is the kind of bedding usually made of recycled paper.
So you’re being a bit eco-friendly here.
An upside to paper bedding is that you can often choose between different colors, if that’s something that interests you. The one I’m recommending here is a plain brown version, but you can choose a different color.
It’s also the largest size they have, but again you can choose a smaller size if you want.
Paper bedding is available anywhere, everywhere, and so it’s going to be easy to come across. However the same no scent thing applies here as well.
Hamsters are sensitive, so please don’t get your hammy a scented bedding, no matter the material used. This is part of taking care of your hamster.
As for durability and how many uses you can get from paper bedding, it’s going to last you about as much as aspen shavings.
It’s a bit more absorbent than wood, but since it’s made into little fluffy balls it won’t leak everywhere. So I guess you could argue that this kind of bedding would be easier to clean.
It’s lighter than wood shavings, even when wet, so you can’t really compare length of use by weight alone.
Please keep in mind that paper bedding expands when wet, so it’s going to take up more space when the wood shavings after the hammy relieves himself on it.
Which is actually helpful in a way, since you’ll easily notice which corner of the cage is currently soiled, and easily replace it as necessary.
Simple paper bedding from Carefresh
For example the paper bedding I’m recommending here is an 8.5 lb/3.8 kg bag. Or, 60 liters/15 gallons. Sometimes it’s more useful to measure by volume.
Back to the bedding, 8.5 lbs/3.8 kg doesn’t sound as much when compared to the wood shavings we discussed before. But remember that a layer of 1 inch of wood bedding is going to be much heavier than paper bedding of the same thickness.
So again, we can’t really judge by weight.
This means that you’re going to be able to use this bag of paper bedding for months, much more than half a year, depending on how much you use at a time.
You can check the listing on Amazon for this Carefresh paper bedding, and read the reviews as well.
Multicolored paper bedding from Carefresh
This is for you colorful people out there, who want to see your hammy dig through a rainbow.
Paper bedding in all the possible colors, all mixed together. Also a large bag, a 50 liter/13.2 gallons one so you’re going to get a lot of uses from this bedding as well.
Some hammies get 1 inch bedding, some get 4 inches and dig around in that. My Teddy is a runner, and he’s not very impressed by extra-thick bedding. So for him 1 inch is enough (by trial and error).
You’re going to get a lot of uses out of whichever bedding you choose, and also find no odor problem.
You can check the listing on Amazon here, and read the reviews as well.
You can add some dried grass or paper towels as well
Another option, which you can easily mix and match with any of the beddings I was talking about before, is dried grass. This is for the nesting material.
Not thick, stiff hay.
Dried grass, which is much softer on the hamster, and won’t be poking his eyes.
Why give your hamster dried grass ? Mostly because it’s a much softer option than anything else, and it’s very similar to what your hammy would be using in the wild.
Originally, hammies are from desert-like areas. Either very hot – Syrian hamsters – or very cold – Dwarf types – hammies are used to scrounging for things to use as their nesting material.
Dried grass is just the thing, and treading over it all day, every day, is something very familiar to them. They would dig series of tunnels underground, and line them with dried leaves, grass, small twigs and whatever else they could find.
You’ll find dried grass easy enough.
But, if you can’t find any, then simple paper towels will suffice. Unscented, plain white paper towels. Take a few squares, and rip them into ribbons.
Drop them in your hammy’s cage and you’l’l see him start to decorate his home in no time.
A word from Teddy
I hope you found good info here on what kind of bedding to get for your hammy. I know us hamsters seem like tiny creatures who don’t need much. And for the most part we don’t.
But we’re really sensitive about our homes, and it;s where we spend almost all of our time. So I hope you’ll get a good bedding for your hammy, no matter which one you choose.
If you’d like to know more about us hammies, and how to keep us safe and happy, you can read the related articles below.
Related blog post
12 Reasons Why Hamsters Are Good Pets, And A Few ConsHamsters are a very common pet to own. When I first got my Teddy, I’d heard of and seen hamster pets before, but never had one myself. I didn’t know if Teddy would make a good pet, but I wanted a cute hammy running around the house in his exercise ball.
Then, once I got him I figured out just how good of a pet he can be, and hamsters in general. My Teddy is an adult Syrian hamster, but this will apply to Dwarf types as well.
Table of Contents
ToggleSo why are hamsters good pets ?Hamsters are low maintenance petsThey’re funny on their ownThe hamster’s cage will not take up much spaceHamsters are very clean animalsHamsters are cheap pets to keepHamsters are among the cutest petsThey have a shorter lifespan than most petsYou will not need to exercise them yourself too muchThere is no shedding problemHamsters are very quiet 90% of the timeYou won’t trip over them randomlyHamsters are okay in no-pet buildings or apartmentsBut are hamsters good pets for children ?Downsides/cons of having a pet hamsterA hamster is harder to tame than other petsIt’s very hard to guess their personality when they’re babiesHamsters are less affectionateThey’re nocturnal, you might miss them oftenHamsters are very sensitive to a lot of thingsSurprise littersA word from Teddy
So why are hamsters good pets ?
Hamsters are good pets, for the most parts. They have their good and their bad sides, and I’ll tell you both. Here’s why hamsters make good pets:
They’re low maintenance – not hard to look after
Funny even when not handled – they make the weirdest faces and do the silliest things
Take up little space – a hamster’s cage is the only thing taking up space, and that’s not much
Clean animal – hamsters groom themselves as much as a cat does
Cheap to keep – will not burn a hole in your wallet
Cuter than most pets, being so small – a hamster will always have that ‘baby animal’ face
Short lifespan, not a long term commitment – only 2-4 years
Do not need much exercise from you – they exercise on their own, if given a running wheel
Do not shed – no allergies, and minimal cleanup
Quiet most of the time – hamsters rarely make any noise, and sleep most of the day
They stay where you put their cage – you won’t trip over them when you get out of bed or go down the stairs
Accepted in no-pet buildings or apartments – this is a big plus for most city dwellers !
Alright, those are some pretty good reasons to get a hamster, I’d say. But let’s talk about why hamsters make good pets in more detail, so you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.
Hamsters are low maintenance pets
This is something I imagined would be the case when I got my Teddy. I mean, it’s a pet that spends most of its time in a cage, and half that time it sleeps. Now much maintenance can it need ?
To be fair, there is a bit of work involved, like changing the bedding, and feeding the pet daily, along with playing with it whenever you can.
But aside from that hamsters are very easy to take care of. If you want more info on how often to change the hammy’s bedding, and which type of bedding is best for him, then you should read this.
There are people who say that hamsters aren’t really that easy to keep. I’d argue that they’re wrong. Sure there are certain things to consider – like the temperature to keep in the room for the hamster, or what to feed the hamster.
But when you compare a hamster with a shedding cat, a dog that needs regular walks and trips to the vet, and a squeaky parrot that you need to constantly clean up after, a hamster is just breezy.
My girlfriend’s parents have a couple of cockatiels and they’re a chore. Lovable and fun, but still a lot of cleanup and upkeep.
They’re funny on their own
My Teddy does the weirdest things in his cage. I think most hamsters do, aside from the extra lazy ones. But even those are funny.
For example Teddy sometimes pushes his hideout to the side in order to get a better look at us. Like he doesn’t have the rest of the cage to see us, but okay.
And he does it in the most complicated and backwards way possible. He gets on top of the hideout, then kind of… melts between his hideout and the cage bars. Then he shoves his little face in that small space until he moves the hideout.
You’ve maybe seen videos of hamsters flying off their running wheels because they stopped randomly. Or maybe hamsters falling asleep and actually falling over. Even when they suddenly stop and listen for something, they have that ‘did I leave the gas on ?’ face about them.
Funniest of all, hammies can and do fart. They’re just embarrassed you’d find out so they only make a faint whoosh sound. No really, they do fart. They also blink like lizards, one eye at a time. It looks like the world’s slowest wink.
You can also name your hamster whatever you think suits him or her. I’ve met hamsters named Oscar, Hamster-boy, and Peanut. They’re a lot like cats in this respect, so their name can be anything you like.
The hamster’s cage will not take up much space
A hamster’s cage is basically the only thing taking up space in your home. Depending on what kind of cage you get your hamster – like a cage or a large glass tank – you might have more or less space taken up.
But the end result is the same, your hamster will only take up that much space, ever.
As for how large a hamster’s cage should be, I’ll link you to an article about exactly that. You’ll find out how large a hamster’s cage should be, and what kind of cage suits him best.
As always with hamsters, even if they’re such small creatures, they need more space than you’d think. So always go for a bigger cage. Never buy those tiny, square, cramped cages you see at pet shops.
Hamsters are very clean animals
It might come as a surprise to you or not, but hamsters are very clean animals. They clean and groom themselves regularly. Almost obsessively.
If you’ve ever seen a cat spend 20 minutes licking and cleaning itself, a hamster will do the exact same thing. Minus the hairballs. And it will take less time since he is much smaller than a cat.
But still, a very very clean pet all around. Even in their hideout, hamsters keep their pile of food well away from droppings, and only pee in the opposite corner of the cage. As far away from their hideout as possible.
The only things that will ever smell will be the hamster’s pee corners. Those need their bedding changed more often than the entire bedding. Or, you can use a sandbath in the corner your hammy uses as a bathroom. He will use the sandbath as a litterbox.
Hamsters are cheap pets to keep
As far as expenses go, hamsters are inexpensive. They run around $10 per month, for food and bedding. It’s only the initial costs that can throw you off if you’re not expecting it.
An average budget, for a new cage, wheel, exercise ball, transport cage, hideout, and toys can get to $225. But those are all things you only ever buy once, in the hamster’s entire life. You can find out more about hamster expenses here.
And the hamster itself is incredibly cheap, somewhere between $5-10.
Hamsters are among the cutest pets
You know how cute your puppy was when you got him ? He’s cute now too, all grown up, but he’s not a puppy anymore.
Well, a hamster will always have that kind of ‘baby face’. Especially baby hamsters, they’re even sweeter. But an adult hamster will have the cutest, furriest face you’ve ever seen.
They’re just fuzzy all around, and they have those big black beady eyes. If you look at their wiggling noses, you’ll notice they look a lot like rabbits when they move their noses.
Hamsters never really ‘grow up’, as most pets do. They stay that fluffy, cute little creature you fell in love with when you first brought home.
They have a shorter lifespan than most pets
A hamster’s life isn’t that long. That’s both a downside and a good thing, depending on which way you look at it. I’ve put it as a good thing, because this means the hamster is a smaller commitment than a dog or a cat.
Hamsters only live for 2-4 years, with the Dwarf types living the longest. This is for hamsters kept as pets. In the wild hamsters do no reach such an old age.
So if you’re looking for a furry friend to keep you company for a couple of years, a hamster will be a good match for you. Or, if you want to try your hand at raising and keeping a pet, a hamster is a good starting point.
You will not need to exercise them yourself too much
This is great news for very busy people, and it’s an easy thing to take care of. A hamster will exercise on his own, as long as you give him an exercise wheel and/or ball.
An exercise wheel is the best way for your hamster to let out the immense energy it has. The hamster will have access to the wheel 24/7, since it’s in his cage all day and night.
Also, an exercise ball will be a great help for keeping the hamster from becoming anxious or stressed. All you as a human need to do is help the hamster into the ball, and he will do the rest by himself.
So if you’re a very busy person, and you often work long hours and don’t have a lot of time to walk a dog or play with a cat, a hamster might be great for you.
Especially since most of the hamster’s exercise takes place when he is awake, which is usually at night, when you sleep.
There is no shedding problem
Hamsters do not shed, so if you’ve got an allergy to fur you should be safe with a hamster.
Your clothes and furniture will not need a regular brushing as well, since there are no stray hamster hairs laying about.
The only thing about the hamster is that there will be stray bits of bedding in odd places, but that’s the extent of the ‘mess’ a hamster will make in your home.
Hamsters are very quiet 90% of the time
Most of the time hamsters make absolutely no noise. Sure, you will hear them faintly rummaging in their hideouts, or digging in their bedding. But they don’t get noisier than that most of the time.
So if you’re a very quiet person, and you need a quiet pet that won’t disturb you, a hamster could be for you. Most of the hamster’s activity happens at night.
So while you’re sleeping is when he might make the most noise, but again he makes very little noise. Hamsters are very quiet since they’re prey. So they’ve evolved to be very quiet creatures, and not make noise unless absolutely necessary.
You won’t trip over them randomly
Since most of the time your hamster will be in his cage, you can’t trip over him randomly when getting out of the shower.
If you’ve ever had your dog paw at the door when you’re using the bathroom, or your cat judge you when you’re in the shower, you know what I mean. Hamsters won’t be out unless you let them out, in their special exercise balls.
My girlfriend’s parents have a pair of cockatiels, and they run around the house all day. They’re funny and love to chase you, but you can literally step on them if you’re not careful. Or you’ll find them perched on top of the open door and freak out if you want to close it.
A hamster will not give you any surprises.
Hamsters are okay in no-pet buildings or apartments
Many apartments, or even entire buildings, do not allow pets. This is mainly because of damage to the furniture, noise level, and some types of mess that can only happen with pets larger than a guinea pig.
So a hamster that stays in its cage most of the time, is quiet, and does not make a mess will be okay in those buildings. I guess the same could be said about any pet that needs to be kept in a cage or tank.
Hamsters are also easier to accept by roommates, since they won’t be noisy or messy or smelly. So there is nothing to object to there.
But are hamsters good pets for children ?
You might be wondering if a hamster might be a good pet for your kid. The short answer is no.
The longer one is still no, and here is why. While hamsters are fairly easy to care for, they still need a level of responsibility and patience that a child just doesn’t have yet.
To be clear, I’m talking about children under 12-13 years of age, when they start to become more responsible. A 9 years old might love to have a hamster, but will probably forget to feed the hammy, or close the cage properly, or might scare him just for fun.
A dog or a cat might run away and hide if they don’t like the way they’re treated. But a hamster can’t get very far, and can only hide in his cage.
Aside from that, a hamster is not a very patient pet, and won’t take well to being held wrong or pulled by the ears. It will bite and scratch ad squirm to try to get away, which is no fun for anyone involved.
In general, the younger the child, the worse a hamster will be as a pet for them.
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Downsides/cons of having a pet hamster
There are a few downside to having a hamster as a pet, although the upsides more than make up for these. Still, I think you should know what the cons could be, just so you’re prepared.
A hamster is harder to tame than other pets
Since hamsters are so jumpy, and easy to scare, they’re harder to handle than a dog or a cat for example. Taming a hamster means handling it, playing with it, letting it get used to your scent. Hamsters are much harder to tame than most pets.
They’re not as trusting as dogs, not even cats. Hamsters have evolved to run away from everything, since anything can be a predator for them.
This, combined with the immense amount of energy a hamster has, so restless and jittery, gives you a very active, possibly difficult pet. You need a lot of patience.
It’s very hard to guess their personality when they’re babies
So you won’t really know what kind of hamster you’re getting. And once you do figure out the hamster’s personality, it’s a very strong one anyway. There’s not much changing it.
If it’s a very independent hamster that doesn’t like to be handled, you might dismiss that early on as ‘not yet tame’.
Their personalities are simple enough, but can vary wildly from hamster to hamster. The Syrian hamsters are a bit mellower compared to their Dwarf cousins, and easier to handle.
Hamsters are less affectionate
They’re not crazy about hugs and kisses and cuddles and scratches. Sure, they’ll tolerate them a bit but you can’t hold and cuddle a hamster for a half hour as you could a dog.
So keep that in mind if you’re looking for a cuddly, affectionate pet. Hamsters aren’t the cuddliest, and will not stay long in your hand anyway. They can bond with their owners and come closer when you talk to them. But that’s about it.
This was a big drawback for me initially, since the main reason I wanted a hamster was to cuddle and play with it. My mistake was expecting it to be as loving and playful as a dog.
Hamsters do ask for attention, just not in the same way and don’t need nearly as much emotional attachment.
They’re nocturnal, you might miss them often
This depends on the kind of schedule you have. Pet hamsters are nocturnal, and will come out possibly when you’re getting ready for bed, like 9 PM.
So you might miss out a lot on your hamster’s funny antics. Hamsters are mostly solitary creatures, so they won’t miss you terribly. But still, talking to them and handling them is important to taming the hamsters and keeping them tame.
If you go to bed early and wake early, then a hamster might not be for you. But if you’re awake late int the night regularly, you might get along with a hamster just fine.
To find out more about a hamster’s night routine, you should check out this article.
Hamsters are very sensitive to a lot of things
It’s common knowledge that hamsters scare easily. Well, most rodents do. They can even die of heart attacks from a dog barking at them.
So that’s one thing to be careful about, keeping the hamster from scaring too much. You can find some useful info on that here.
Hamsters are also very sensitive to shifts in temperature, and can easily die of hypothermia. Once a hamster contracts a disease, it needs immediate care or else it has basically zero chances of survival.
There are a lot of things to mind when you’re considering getting a hamster, including how large a cage you can get him. A small cage will make your hamster stressed, which will make him chew the bars and develop a serious case of anxiety.
The same goes for how much exercise your hamster gets. And transporting a hamster is often a bad idea. Best to leave him at home, with someone to check up on him.
Surprise litters
This is especially true for Dwarf pairs. You see a cute pair at the pet shop, you get them home, and a couple of weeks later you find yourself with 15 hamsters, not 2.
You see, baby hamsters can breed as soon as they’re weaned – that’s just 3-4 weeks after being born. And if the males and females aren’t kept separate immediately after weaning, they can start to breed, even so young.
Most of the times they’re separated in time. But sometimes it’s too late, or one male gets tagged as female by mistake and put in an all female enclosure. You can see where that can go.
This is possible with every type of hamster, but especially true for Dwarf kinds because only these can be kept in pairs. Syrians need to be alone, and will fight literally anything or anyone put in their cage. So there’s less of a chance of accidental litters.
A word from Teddy
I hope you can get a feel for how it would be to have one of us hammies as a pet. I’ve been a good pet so far, and I think that if you’re a patient, calm person then one of us would be a good match for you.
If you want to know more about us hammies, you should check the articles below. [...]
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Are Hamsters Blind ? The Truth About Your Hamster’s EyesightA blind hamster is a bit of a myth. Or is it ? Hamsters don’t have great eyesight, but are they really blind ? I looked around, asked a few questions, and found out if hamsters can see.
My Teddy was a bit of a guide here, since I compared what I found out with what I’ve seen Teddy do or how he’s reacted in the past. Here’s what I found out about hamster eyesight.
Table of Contents
ToggleSo are hamsters blind ?Hamsters don’t rely on their eyesA hamster has a great sense of smellHammies use their hearing for nearly everythingWhiskers and touch help hamsters ‘see’Don’t make sudden movements around your hamsterHamsters are very sensitive to light levelsA word from Teddy
So are hamsters blind ?
No, hamsters are not blind. They are born blind, like most animals, but they don’t stay blind. The eyesight in hamsters forms after a few days, but it never really develops very well.
Hamsters have poor eyesight, but blind they are not. They won’t notice you if you just sit still, since they don’t perceive things that are farther away from their whiskers, or directly in front of them.
This also means your hamster can’t judge distances or depth, at all, and he will jump from a higher level in his cage to take a shortcut, and possibly hurt himself. Or jump out of your hands, thinking the cage is just a sneeze away.
Alright, so hamsters aren’t blind, but they don’t see well either. How do they navigate and survive then ? Let’s see.
Hamsters don’t rely on their eyes
Hamsters use their other senses much more than they use their eyes. Even if your hamster becomes blind over time, it won’t impact him very much.
This is because hamsters don’t relay on seeing what’s in front of them or around them, as much as they rely on hearing and smelling their environment.
If you’ve got a blind hamster, you’ll notice he’s got the cage all memorized and knows where to go and how to navigate.
There might be a few things you’ll have to get out of his way that he might bump into, like toys that move (a see-saw for example) or bridges.
Other than that, a blind hamster will know where his food is, where is nest is, where the water bottle is, and will recognize your voice.
He might be a bit nippy, but that’s about the only change people have ever reported about hamsters that turned blind.
A hamster has a great sense of smell
Hamsters use their smell for lots of things. Even if they don’t see very well, hamsters can still ‘see’ their surroundings.
Us humans don’t rely on smell too much, but hamsters do. Your hammy knows your scent, knows the smell of the house, and doesn’t like air fresheners too much.
This means that any strong smell will be overwhelming for your hamster. Like perfume, for example, which can be way too strong for his sensitive little nose.
If you’re handling your hamster you should wash your hands before. Depending on what you’ve done before, he might not like the smell and bite, or me might love the smell and try to… well, eat your hand.
My girlfriend touched some cooked chicken once, wiped her hands on a towel, and went to pet the hamster. Teddy smelled the chicken and chomped down on her finger, and she’s been afraid of him ever since.
Best to avoid that, and wash your hands. Do be careful to use non-perfumed, anti-bacterial soap. An overly floral or fruity soap might have the opposite effect and make your hamster think you’ve really got mango and coconut on your hands.
Conversely, hamsters absolutely hate citrus. Teddy shies away from my hand after I’ve peeled any kind of citrus. Even after I wash my hands. He just can’t stand the smell.
Hammies use their hearing for nearly everything
Hearing is what hamsters use most in the wild to figure out if there’s predators around or not. Have you ever seen your hammy just freeze in place, with this focused, intense look on his furry face ?
He’s listening. Veeery very carefully, who knows when a fox might jump through the window to get him. Jokes aside, it’s funny with pet hamsters, but a life-saving trait for wild hamsters.
There’s no fox or owl or snake trying to get to your pet hamster, but in the wild, his predators might be just around the corner. They make sounds, even when they’re trying to be sneaky. Your hamster knows those sounds.
Hammies need some time to learn every sound in the house in order to feel comfortable and not panic at every floorboard creaking. After a while they’ll stop freezing as often, and be more relaxed.
They are hamsters, however, and won’t really ever relax.
Hamsters are sensitive to sound, but not the way you’d think. Loud noises are not comfortable for their ears, but don’t phase them much. They’re a bit stressful, but they know what’s going on.
So for example in a fireworks display it’s not the loud noises that scare them, but the bright, sudden lights.
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Whiskers and touch help hamsters ‘see’
Alright, so your hamster’s got superhearing and dog-level smell. He’s also got ‘the touch’.
I mean he sees with his little paws, and his whiskers. In the wild the hamster’s many tunnels are pitch black and winding, so he has to be able to navigate them somehow. The tunnels don’t hum, and they don’t smell, so he has to see with his paws and whiskers.
This also applies to his cage, plus the fact that he knows where everything is because he’s memorized it. One of the reasons changing up his habitat is a bad idea. Hamsters don’t like change.
When it comes to touch, he’s also sensitive to vibrations. He can sense them both in his paws and his whiskers too. Even if you got out of bed very quietly, and made sure to not turn on the light or step wrong, he still knows you’re up.
You every move is a small vibration, and he can sense that. Not in a weird way, it’s just his super-sensitive sense of touch.
For example my Teddy keeps sleeping if I just rummage in the room he’s in. But once I speak towards his cage, or stand there for a few minutes, he comes out. He just knows I’m there.
Don’t make sudden movements around your hamster
If you were sitting down and you suddenly move, chances are your hamster only just noticed you were there. And panicked. Hammies are not very bright, and they’re very easy to scare unfortunately.
This means that even if you’re not trying to scare your hamster, you probably still did. Some hammies are extra jumpy and panicky, and will scamper away if they see or hear anything new.
But, you can make sure you don’t scare your hamster friend by not moving suddenly. That means that if you’ve got business around his cage, move a bit slower than usual.
Try not to turn around too fast, and make your movements slower, deliberate.
Another thing that helps is to talk to your hamster while you’re near his cage, so he knows your general position.
Hamsters are very sensitive to light levels
The final warning about a hamster’s poor eyesight, sunlight hurts his eyes. The light is much too harsh for him, and actually painful.
You see hamsters are nocturnal animals, which means their eyes simply can’t handle the amount of light in the daytime.
Unlike cats or humans who can regulate how much light enters their eyes, hamster eyes are not as adaptable. Their pupils do adjust, but not by much.
This means that the best time for a hamster to use his limited eyesight is dawn and dusk. The light levels are low enough that his eyes don’t hurt, but high enough that he can see.
That being said, hamsters have very poor eyesight, even at night. But they don’t necessarily need the light on, or a nightlight at that.
Just think of your hamster as your cute, fluffy, incredibly near-sighted friend who lost his glasses.
A word from Teddy
I hope you found what you were looking for in this article. I know us hammies can be a bit clumsy at times, and we don’t see very well, no. However we’re not blind. We can become blind with old age, or an illness, so we rely on you to help us there.
If you want to know more about us hammies, you can check the related articles below to get more info on how to best care for us. [...]
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Hamsters Living With Rabbits ? Shedding Some Light On ThisA hamster and a rabbit living together might sound odd, but it’s a question we stumble upon often. Can hamsters live with rabbits ? Would they get along ?
Sounds like a reasonable, if a bit misguided, question from an owner who would like to introduce his two pets.
While rabbits are fairly even tempered and seem kind of relaxed, hamsters are another story. Let’s see if they would get along, though. For a more detailed comparison between hamsters or rabbits, you should read this article here.
Table of Contents
ToggleSo should hamsters be living with rabbits ?A little about the hamster’s personalityAbout the rabbit’s personalitySize and cage differences between the twoFood and diet difference between a hamster and a rabbitA word from Teddy
So should hamsters be living with rabbits ?
No, hamsters and rabbits should not and can not live together. There are a few reasons for this.
First, the hamster is very territorial, will fight anything that tries to trespass, and is very jumpy and easy to frighten.
Second, a rabbit is a very social animal, who will want to cuddle and also establish a hierarchy of sorts. Bunnies have a lot of personality, and they also have the advantage of being ridiculously larger than hamsters.
In short, a hamster-rabbit combo can’t go well, at all. The bunny will demand cuddles, grooming, run around, and generally own the place.
This leaves the hamster in a subordinate position, which he does not take well to, and will bite, hide, and be stressed out of his mind.
In some extreme cases the hamster may end up dead, since a kick or bite from the a bunny can be fatal for it. And given how tiny a hammy is, an accident isn’t that unheard of.
But let’s get into the personalities of each animal, and see why they are they way they are.
A little about the hamster’s personality
A hamster is a very territorial, solitary animal. Even the hamster breeds that can live together in pairs – more on that here – can end up fighting to the death.
This is the reason I’d recommend keeping all hamsters separate, not just the Syrians or Chinese.
Hamsters like having their own space, their own food, and keeping away from other animals. A hamster will mark things as his own with his scent glands.
He will try to be the dominant one in any setting, and hamsters housed together can end up bullying one another.
You might argue that your two Dwarf hammies get along just great. They might, but because they were introduced as babies, and grew up together.
They grew up of the same size, species, and scent profile. They have the same type of reactions, and will know how to read one another properly.
A hamster will be jumpy and scared most of his youth, while he learns the new sights, smells, and sounds in your home. He’ll even get scared of you walking past his cage when he’s in his first few weeks. A scared hamster is unpredictable, and is very likely to nip.
There’s a lot more to hamsters than just what I said here. You should check out this article, on what it’s like to own a hamster and why they can be good pets (also a few cons of owning a hammy).
And this article here, to understand the difference between the two main types of hamsters, and thus the general disposition of hamsters.
About the rabbit’s personality
A rabbit is very different from a hamster. I’m not even going to cover the size difference, since that’s one major but obvious reason to never house them with a hamster.
A quick word for those who assume rabbits are rodents – like I did until I got my own hamster and learned the differences:
Rabbis are not related to hamsters, they are not rodents. Yes they bite and chew and burrow, but rabbits are lagomorphs. They share a very distant ancestor with the hamster – about as distant as the dinosaur extinction – but that’s about it.
That being said, rabbits are very social animals, and in the wild they live in colonies. They love being groomed, and they actually have a hierarchy.
If you’ve ever been to the pet store and seen 78 rabbits piled on top of each other, maybe you thought it was cute (like I did).
But it’s their way of establishing dominance. The top rabbit is the one getting all the attention, food, grooming and so on. This doesn’t sit well with other species, like the hamster.
Rabbits will actually come up to each other and ask for (or demand) attention, cuddling, and general social chit chat.
They will mark their territory with large pellets (aside from their regular droppings), or spraying pee, or rubbing their chins (scent glands) on things they’ll consider their own.
Rabbits aren’t aggressive by nature, but they won’t think twice about kicking or biting back if they feel threatened. They do give out warnings though, but unless you’re a rabbit, or a human with a keen eye, you won’t know what’s coming.
Actually if you’ve got a rabbit, or are thinking of getting one, I really think you should check out this site. It’s got a clear explanation of most bunny behaviors, and you’ll get a good glimpse into what having a bunny is like. As far as I’ve read it’s a bit like having a cat, except the meowing and shedding.
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Size and cage differences between the two
There’s a few differences when it comes to habitats, between hammies are rabbits. A hamster can live in a cage that’s 24 x 12 inches, and about 12 inches tall. That’s 61 x 30.5 cm, and about 30.5 cm tall.
That’s the minimum for a Syrian hamster, and they prefer larger cages anyway.
A rabbit will need much more than that. It needs both a living space, and an exercise space. The minimum for the living space would be 90 x 60 cm, and 90 cm high/ 35.4 x 23.6 inches, and 35.4 inches high.
The exercise space should be a minimum of 2.43 x 1.21 m/ 8 x 4 feet, with height allowance. Rabbits can sometimes jump very high, and like to jump on top of things.
Finally, for rabbits the living and exercise areas should be linked together, for easy access. If you want to know more about picking out a good rabbit habitat, you need to check out this site. It’s also where I did part of my research for this article, and they’re pretty good with rabbits.
Alright, you might say that hamsters love a big cage anyway, and would do well in a habitat as large as the rabbit needs. Fair point, but let’s consider how these two animals keep their space.
A hamster will sleep the day away, much like the rabbit, and will make regular rounds of his space. A rabbit will do the same, and they are both very territorial.
No matter how large their territory is, these two can’t live together. They’re both too attached to ‘their’ things to share them with anyone else.
Well, rabbits do share their ‘home’ but only with those they consider to be family (never a hamster). And they do see some areas as theirs, some as public areas, and some as ”do not enter”.
They’ll try to enter those anyway when you’re not looking, entitled little fluffballs these guys.
Hamsters on the other hand only know ”their” space. All of it. So finding bunny scent on the outside of their hideout will be a source of stress and lots of fighting.
Food and diet difference between a hamster and a rabbit
Alright, now that we’ve settled territory and living spaces and personalities, let’s talk about their food. Since they’re not even related, their foods will be very, very different.
As with any other combination between hamsters and another animal, keeping their food separate won’t be feasible. One will poke into the other’s food bowl, and that’s not a good idea.
Not only because of tensions coming up between the two. But also because the rabbit won’t find anything worthwhile in the hamster’s food, and the hamster will steal the good bits from the rabbit’s food.
A hamster will have an omnivore diet. That means they can eat any type of food, with some exceptions – more on that here. However they will need grains and hard dry food to keep their teeth in check.
A rabbit on the other hand will need a different diet. First off, hay, lot and lots of hay since they much on it pretty much all day. This can be a problem, since the hamster will try to use this as his nesting material.
Another thing rabbits need is fresh veggies and some fruits, which again can be attractive for the hamster. Finally, pellets are considered to be the best kind of feed for rabbits.
This way they won’t be able to pick and choose their favorites. A pellet is like a large kibble, with all the nutrients the rabbit needs, and all pellets in the bag are the same.
A word from Teddy
I hope you found out what you were looking for here. Us hammies don’t really like to share anything, and a big bunny can be very intimidating for us. Best to keep us separate.
If you want to know more about us hamsters, then your should check out the related articles below. You’ll find info on how to keep us happy and safe. [...]
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How Do Hamsters Mark Their Territory? Interesting FactsI never had more than one hamster at a time since I had two Syrian hamsters, which are solitary animals and they don’t share a cage with other hamsters. So I never questioned how a hamster marks its territory and why they are doing it before doing research on this topic.
However, I kind of knew they were doing this since I saw the scent glands on my first hamster, I thought he had a health problem, and that’s when I found out that those little black spots on the side were actually the scent glands.
So in this article, we will discuss about why and how hamsters mark their territory and what you should know when you want to keep more hamsters together. Excluding Syrian ones, which you should never have more than one in a cage.
Table of Contents
ToggleHow do hamsters mark their territory?Why do hamsters mark their territory?Do female hamsters mark their territory?Which hamsters can live together?Can you introduce a new dwarf hamster to the ones you already have?Conclusion
How do hamsters mark their territory?
Hamsters mark their territory by rubbing their scent glands on the objects or territory they want to mark. Those scent glands can be located on the sides of a Syrian hamster or on the belly of dwarf ones.
Syrian hamsters have one scent gland on each side, you can see a hairless spot that can be a darker color than their skin and show some greasy, yellowish secretion.
Dwarf hamsters have only one scent gland on their belly, I talked a bit about this topic in the article about why hamsters pee in their wheel.
I confused the secretion from their scent gland with pee. It smells a little bit like popcorn.
Why do hamsters mark their territory?
Hamsters mark their territory to assert authority like many other animals. Hamsters are very territorial and they will be quick to fight with other hamsters for their territory if they feel threatened.
While dwarf hamsters can live together with another of their kind, that doesn’t mean they will gladly share the cage and never fight.
In fact, it is quite hard to keep more hamsters together even if they are the right breed and even siblings.
Some hamsters might even pee to mark their territory, this is not their primary method, but it can happen in some instances, especially when they have a problem with their scent glands.
While marking territory might seem unnecessary for a pet hamster, in the wild, they have quite a few reasons for doing that.
They have bad eyesight, and marking territory with their scent can help them get faster to their home, or at least what they consider to be a safer territory for them. In the cage, it is useless since they are in the same place, but in the wild, they travel for food, and getting lost can be quite dangerous, so they will ensure they know their way back by marking the territory.
This might be one reason for marking the territory while they are running in the wheel, they don’t know they are on a treadmill, so they have to make sure they know their way back. With dwarf hamsters this happens naturally as the gland is on their belly.
Do female hamsters mark their territory?
Female hamsters also mark their territory, but the purpose is not to assert authority but rather to let male hamsters know that they are coming into heat.
If you have a female hamster and you notice a weird smell from time to time, this might be the reason. It might happen quite often since female hamsters get into heat at short intervals of about four days.
Which hamsters can live together?
Only certain Dwarf hamster breeds can peacefully cohabitate, such as Roborovski, Campbell’s and Siberian hamsters, but only if they come from the same litter. If they have been raised as siblings in their mother’s nest, they can then be housed together but you should still expect occasional fights.
When it comes to Chinese hamsters, it is not recommended to house them with any of the other three species due to their larger size and more aggressive territorial behavior. Chinese hamsters, especially males, are extremely violent against other hamsters and should always be kept solitary.
It is important to understand that even smaller hamsters still need plenty of space to live their lives. If they feel that the cage is too small, they might start fighting each other, even if they are from the same litter.
It is important to have enough space for each hamster to exercise, eat and drink water.
Can you introduce a new dwarf hamster to the ones you already have?
We will not discuss here about Syrian hamsters since for those ones even the breeding process is a complicated task where you have to get the male out of the cage immediately after if you don’t want the female and male to fight.
When it comes to dwarf hamsters, introducing a new hamster to the cage is quite challenging. You might see videos and blog posts with people succeeding but the odds are not in your favor, and this is important to know. Even if you do everything right, they have a big chance of not accepting each other.
If you want to do that anyway, here are the steps you have to follow.
-Thoroughly clean the cage and separate it into two sections with a mesh divider.
-Place the old and new hamster in each compartment.
-Allow them to acclimate to each other through sight and smell before removing the separator. Keep them separated for a few days.
-Pay close attention and be ready to intervene if they start fighting
So the process requires you to actively watch the hamsters while you are introducing the new hamster, so it is quite time-consuming and can be dangerous.
I recommend keeping a gardening or thick rubber glove near the cage since intervening between two fighting hamsters can leave serious wounds.
Conclusion
Hamsters are territorial animals and they will try to mark their territory as fast as possible even if they are alone in the cage, they don’t know that the cage is only for them, so they have to make sure other hamsters know that the territory is occupied.
Can you imagine your little hammy always marking its territory when you clean its cage to make sure other hamsters will not invade them, it is funny to think about it.
I hope this article helped you understand a bit better hamster behavior when it comes to marking its territory, why they are doing it, and how you can keep more hamsters together without increasing their chances of fighting. [...]
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All About Hamster Diabetes – Symptoms, Prevention, And CareAny hamster owner is worried their hammy might get sick. The two main worries are diabetes, and wet tail, and today we’re discussing diabetes in hamsters.
How to know if your hammy has diabetes, how to care for a diabetic hamster, symptoms to look out for, and which hamsters are most vulnerable. Let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
ToggleWhat is diabetes in hamsters ?Preventing your hamster from developing diabetesGenetic predisposition – some hamster breeds are vulnerableYour hamster’s diet and exercise can make things worseA word on sugar and carb in your hammy’s dietSigns of diabetes in your little hamsterFrequent urinationDehydrationIncreased thirstShould your give a dehydrated diabetic hamster Pedialyte ?Change in appetiteDramatic weight gain or lossYellow, thick nailsTesting your hamster for diabetesTreatment and care for a diabetic hamsterA word from Teddy
What is diabetes in hamsters ?
Diabetes (in a simplified version) is an illness that keeps the blood sugar very high. Usually the pancreas deals with this, and it must produce insulin.
Insulin is needed to regulate how well the body manages its sugar levels. Sometimes the body becomes immune to insulin, or it produces too little insulin. This is where insulin shots come in.
In very broad terms, and simplified, this is what diabetes is.
When it comes to hamsters, this is a dangerous illness to have since they are so very small, and caring for them isn’t as easy as with a human. They might require insulin shots too, and will need regular testing in order to monitor their levels.
Please remember:
Your best option is to seek out a veterinarian who will be able to diagnose your hamster properly.
Do not diagnose or treat your hamster’s condition without consulting with a medical professional beforehand.
Now let’s talk a bit about what your can do to prevent diabetes in your little friend, and which hammies are at risk.
Preventing your hamster from developing diabetes
No hamster is born directly diabetic. True, a hammy can have the genetic makeup that makes diabetes easier to happen. But born diabetic, no.
This means diabetes can be prevented, for the most part. A hamster can still get this illness even if you do prevent it as best you can, if it’s one of the breeds at risk.
Still, you can rest assured that by trying to prevent it you’ve delayed the onset. Now let’s see which hammies are at risk, and why that is.
Genetic predisposition – some hamster breeds are vulnerable
If you’ve got a Dwarf hammy, then it’s very possible you’re going to have a diabetic hamster later on. Not all Dwarf hamsters will develop diabetes.
But all Dwarf hamsters can develop it, they have the genetic makeup that makes it easier.
As for Syrians, they don’t have this predisposition. They can develop diabetes too, but not as easily as the Dwarf types. For Syrians there needs to be a very high carb, high fat diet and very little exercise for diabetes to set in.
Syrians have the misfortune of getting wet-tail easier, so if you’ve got a Syrian like me, you should check out this article on wet-tail and how to help your hammy.
If you’re not very sure which hamster breed you’ve got, here’s a guide on figuring that out.
Your hamster’s diet and exercise can make things worse
Aside from the breed, which makes your hamster prone to either diabetes of wet-tail, there is also the influence of food and exercise.
Exercise will help your diabetic hamster burn off the excess fat that likely developed, and use up the blood sugar. This will make the impact of diabetes on your hamster’s live lower, and his life easier.
Regular, simple exercise like a running wheel can be enough. If your hamster’s gotten lazy, or just isn’t a running hamster, you can place him in an exercise ball.
Never keep him there more than 30 minutes at a time, though, since he will need water and a bathroom break. If your hamster’s already diabetic, he will pee every 15-20 minutes, so keep him in the ball much less.
Alright, now onto the food. This is a major player in your hamster’s condition.
A diabetic (or diabetes-prone) hamster eating high carb, high fat foods will have a terrible time. This means most fruits are of limits for diabetic hamsters, and even the Dwarf types that aren’t diabetic yet.
You can find out more about the fruits that are safe for hamsters to eat here. Of that list, berries/forest fruits, apples, pears, are the safest bet for a Dwarf. Always in very small pieces (half an inch/ 1 cm), and only rarely (once per week or less often).
A word on sugar and carb in your hammy’s diet
Do not remove sugar completely from the hamster’s diet. That will send your hammy into a hypoglycemic shock, and be another problem of its own. Instead, only allow a small amount of sugars.
This means that you need to check out the label on your hamster’s food mix. If it’s got any kind of sugars – cane sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup, agave, honey, fructose, dextrose, those pieces need to be picked out of your hammy’s feed.
The problem is not with just sugar. Yes, sugar and overly sweet foods will make your hamster’s diabetes worse. But, the problem is bigger than this.
You see, when the hamster eats, his body breaks down all the food into sugars. Sugary foods produce more sugars, and high-carb foods produce more sugars as well. This is by comparison with protein meats, or veggies.
So keeping chocolate away from your hamster is good, but giving him a slice of italian bread is just as bad. A bit exaggerated, but you get the idea.
High-carb foods like bread, pasta, rice, maize, corn, are all foods that should be kept away from your hamster since they will produce almost the same effect as giving your hamster a slice of sweet, sticky banana.
It might sound like your hamster’s got nothing left to eat, but he does. Check out this handy guide on what is safe and unsafe for hamsters to eat, and you’ll see the foods that are still on the list, even for diabetic hamsters.
Signs of diabetes in your little hamster
Alright, now that you know what you can do to prevent your hamster from getting diabetes, let’s see the symptoms of diabetes in hamsters.
There are several signs, and please remember that you can’t take into account just one sign or another. Diagnosis is really more complex than this, and some symptoms may not even show up, even if the hamster is diabetic.
Again, the best bet is to get your hamster friend to a veterinarian who will diagnose him correctly. A vet that can help you is going to be an ”exotics” vet. They have experience with rodents, reptiles, and birds in general.
Onto the symptoms of diabetes in hamsters:
Frequent urination
A hamster with diabetes will urinate much more often than a hamster without diabetes. This means as often as every 15 minutes, for example.
You’ll notice your hamster is peeing more often if you actually see him. He usually goes in his corner – he has just one corner – rolls back his little tail, and just wees. He will be immobile, and look like he’s staring into space for a couple of seconds.
Another sign, if you’ve never caught your hamster peeing, is that his corner will be wet much more often. Pretty much always wet, and smelling fairly sweet and pungent. Think nail polish remover.
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Dehydration
The easiest and clearest way to find out if your hamster is dehydrated, is to scruff the hamster by the back of the neck.
It won’t hurt the hamster if done properly. Hold the hamster gently, but with a good enough grip that he won’t jump away. Then, right on the back of the hamster’s neck, you can use your fingers to pinch/pull at the skin a bit. Let go of the skin immediately, and you should see it sliding back into place.
If it takes more than a second to spring back, your hamster is dehydrated. The hammy’s skin has lost it’s collagen and doesn’t arrange itself back into position as fast. You might even notice the skin is slightly raised where you picked it.
The longer the skin takes to get back in place the more severe the dehydration.
Increased thirst
Along with dehydration comes increased thirst. Ironic, but the problem is not the water intake. But the regulation of how the electrolytes are being used by the hamster’s body.
This can be noticed by your hamster drinking water much faster and often than usual. A healthy hamster consumes about 10 ml water/100 gr hamster per day. That’s 0.33 fl oz per 3.5 ounces of hamster.
You can find out more about hamsters and their water requirements here, and how to give your hamster water the right way.
That being said, a diabetic hamster will consume much more water than that, getting to even 3-4 times the amount of water. However he will be dehydrated still, since his body isn’t functioning properly.
Should your give a dehydrated diabetic hamster Pedialyte ?
This is something I’ve heard about, and did some googling to find people who have experience with this. As it happens, I did find the answer for this on thepipsqueakery.org.
You can read their full blog post here. They also have experience with giving hamsters insulin shots, so you might want to check their article for that too.
About the Pedialyte, the clear answer is no, you should no give it to a dehydrated diabetic hamster. This is because Pedialyte is a mix of water, sugar, and salt. The sugar will not help the diabetes, even if it does bring back some electrolytes.
It may seem like it’s helping, but it’s actually make things worse.
Change in appetite
Another symptom is a sudden change in your hamster’s appetite. It may be that your hamster will eat much more, or much less. It varies from hamster to hamster. But there is a clear difference between a diabetic hamster, and a healthy one.
2 teaspoons of dry food are enough for an adult Syrian hamster. Dwarf hamsters need less, 1 teaspoon. So if your hamster is going through his food, and his food stash as well, quicker than you can feed him in a day, this is something to worry about.
Dramatic weight gain or loss
As a result of a sudden change of appetite, and also dehydration, your hamster will have a very different weight. He might gain weight, or drop a lot of weight.
You can use a kitchen scale that measure in exact grams or ounces and track your hamster’s daily progress.
Place the hamster in a cup he can’t climb out of, and use that do weight him on the kitchen scale. Of course, take the weight of the cup into account.
Yellow, thick nails
Not all thick yellow nails mean your hamster’s got diabetes. But it can be a sign, and is worth noting.
Testing your hamster for diabetes
Of course, you can test your hamster’s sugar levels at home too. You can test your hamster’s glucose and ketone levels with ketone test trips.
Your veterinarian will do the same in his lab, with urine samples from your diabetic hamster.
But, if you want to monitor your hamster’s progress and see how his treatment is coming along, then you can also use these strips at home.
This particular box will last for several months, since you do not need to check the hamster’s urine daily.
Do keep in mind that these test strips are not meant just for diabetics, but can also be used by them to monitor their health.
Remember that the glucose levels aren’t always normal. They can sometimes be off, due to an infection for example. So it’s important that you consult with your veterinarian as well the first few times you use these strips, to know how to best read them.
There are manufacturer’s indications yes, but your vet is the best person to ask about this.
Treatment and care for a diabetic hamster
Part of caring for the diabetic hamster includes changing the diet and exercise routine like we’ve discussed before.
Another part is the treatment. There are treatments that can be successful, but it depends on how well the hamster responds to them, and what the veterinarian will recommend.
Treatment with fenugreek is a common way of helping hamsters with diabetes, but the dosage is harder to be exact with. Fenugreek has been used as a healing plant for centuries, and often in diabetes treatment. It’s not a definite cure, but might be an option.
Another option your vet might present you with is Glipidize tablets to mix into the hamster’s food or drink. It’s basically going to make the hamster’s pancreas produce more insulin. So shots are out of the question here.
And finally, insulin shots for a diabetic hamster are what your mind probably first wandered to. Honestly, they were my first guess too, given how humans are usually treated.
The thing about insulin shots is that they need to constantly be adjusted to how well the hamster’s responding to other treatments, the new diet, the urine needs frequent measurements and so on.
So it’s not a great idea to do this without a vet’s help, or if you’re not a vet at all. A trained professional will know how to dose the amount according to the hamster’s size and resistance to insulin.
A word from Teddy
I hope you found what you were looking for in this article. Us hammies can get sick sometimes, and we rely on you for help. Diabetic hammies can lead normal lives, but we need some treatment.
If you want to know more about us hammies, you should check out the related articles below. You’ll find out more about how to keep up happy and safe. [...]
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The Surprising Reason Your Hamster Is Eating His Own PoopPoop eating is never comfortable to imagine, let alone witness. But maybe you’ve seen your ball of fur do that. Maybe you were confused and grossed out like I was.
After catching my Teddy do this a few times, talking to other hamster owners, and doing some research, I found out why this happens.
Turns out, there is no reason to panic, and there’s actually a very good reason this happens.
Table of Contents
ToggleSo why is your hamster eating his poop ?Changing your hamster’s diet to stop poop eatingThe nutritional value of night poopThe dry poop you’re used to seeingYour hamster could be pooping in his foodPlace the hamster cage to avoid a messA word from Teddy
So why is your hamster eating his poop ?
The short answer is that there are 2 types of poop. The regular, dry droppings that you find in his cage, and then softer droppings that occur mostly at night.
When your hamster is eating his poop, he is eating the night poop. These are called caecotrophia and they are necessary for your hammy. His night poop contains a lot of vitamin B12 and it’s basically the only way for him to obtain that vitamin.
Also, since some nutrients are not absorbed by their bodies properly on the first go, by eating their night poop they get more nutrients.
The B12 vitamin is only produced by the hamster’s small intestine, but it can only be absorbed into the body by the stomach. So that means your hammy has to bring the poop back to the stomach by eating it.
That’s the short version, and it sounds kind of icky. But that’s what it is, and it is normal for your hamster. Actually a lot of rodents do this, including the guinea pig, mice, and even rabbits.
Changing your hamster’s diet to stop poop eating
It will not work. This is something that your hamster will do anyway, since that is simply his programming from mother nature. He needs to digest and redigest some foods in order to get all the benefits.
Even if you bring more nutritional food for your hamster, he will still need to eat his poop sometimes, because his body is made that way. He needs to digest twice in order to get all the nutrients.
I understand that seeing your cute friend eat his poop might look and sound icky, but this is normal for him.
So let your hamster eat his night droppings, since it is a normal and healthy thing for him to do.
If you want to know what to feed your hamster in general, read my food list article here. I’ll also cover what to not give your hamster to eat, and what treats he can have.
The nutritional value of night poop
Your hamster needs his night poop for one very good reason. Once he eats something, it passes through his stomach and gut, and he gets a part of the nutrition he needs.
Once that food forms into droppings and comes out, your hamster will eat it, to bring it back to his stomach so he can get more nutrition from it.
This is something your hamster does when he is a baby as well. When the baby hamsters are born, their gut does not contain the necessary bacteria to break down their food. Also, they do not immediately know what is food and what is not.
So, they will eat their mother’s night poop, to get the bacteria they need for their own gut. And also to learn what can be food.
(If you like this article, you can pin it to your Pinterest board by clicking the image below. The articles continues after the image.)
The dry poop you’re used to seeing
That’s the poop we all know our hamsters have, and the ones you see in their cage when you clean the cage.
Those droppings are dry and hard, and sometimes your hamster might leave them in weird places. I’ve seen Teddy poop in his food bowl, hoard poop in his house, and store it in his cheeks sometimes.
The oddest part was when we’d just cleaned his cage, and we knew there was no poop inside. After we put him back into the cage, we saw 5 new droppings. He didn’t have time to poop, but he’d kept them in his cheeks along with a bit of food.
I’ve seen him sometimes throw the dry poop across his ‘room’, or even spit it out of his cage. It’s never funny to step on a dry poop and only realize it after a few minutes when you feel something weird on your sock.
But it happens, and it’s part of owning a hamster.
Your hamster will not eat the dry poop, since it has no nutritional value.
Your hamster could be pooping in his food
It’s strange, but you’ll find the poop everywhere. Everywhere. In your hamster’s food bowl. In his home. In his sand bath.
You have to understand that animals, especially rodents, don’t care about their droppings as much as humans do.
With rodents, and including your hamster as well as mine, the poop happens everywhere they live. You’ll find a large amount in his nest, since that’s where he spends most of his time.
If your hamster’s cage smells, it’s not the poop. For humans the dry poop the hamster makes is nearly odorless. What smells is where the hamster pees, which will usually be in a corner. If you’re not careful, repeatedly using the same corner for his needs will make that corner very hard to clean.
So I’d recommend getting some mineral sand for your hamster, and placing a few tablespoons in the corners, for easier cleaning. And to trap odor as well.
Place the hamster cage to avoid a mess
This is something I’ve learned the hard way. I’ve always kept Teddy’s cage just on the carpet, and found out soon enough that the dry poop can cling to the carpet. Even if it’s dry, it’s a bit sticky.
And depending on the color of your carpet, you might not know it’s there until you squished it into the fibers.
So what I’d recommend is what I did, which is keep the cage on a piece of cardboard, or cloth that can easily be cleaned or even just shaken clean.
Your hamster will probably spit out some dry poop around his cage, along with some stray bedding. And while poop is easier to get rid of, bedding is like glitter. 4 months later you still have bedding around the house, and you’ll find it in your pants as well.
So make sure you place the cage on something that can be removed easily, and is easy to clean.
As for the cage itself, check out my article on the best cages for hamsters. You’ll see the pros and cons of each cage type, and which have the most bedding spill-over.
For more info on how to properly care for your little hamster friend, you can check out these 15 essential steps. You’ll get everything from what kind of food to what temperature he needs, and how to figure out what kind of hamster you’ve got.
A word from Teddy
I know this is not a topic you want to think about very much, but this is normal for us.
We need the night poop to get all the nutrients we can from our food. This does not mean you’re not feeding us right ! It’s just that we have to do this, because of the way we’re made.
I hope you’ll still see us as the cute ball of fluff you’re used to, and let us do our thing in peace.
If you want to know more about us hamsters, and what the bet cage would be, or why we need a certain temperature in the room, and even why we’re night creatures, you can check the articles below. You’ll find more quality content on hamster care and facts.
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