Many people don’t think much about hamsters. They mostly think “Oh, it’s so small, it can just live in a tiny cage.” This turns out to be completely false! So I’m going to talk to you about proper hamster care.
The first topic I will cover today is a hamster cage. One important factor to keep in mind is that unlike humans, hamsters don’t have the luxury to leave their cage when they want to. For them, their cage is quite literally their entire world. When picking out a hamster cage you will want to make sure that the hamster cage is at least 10 inches deep to provide enough room for bedding and enrichment (I will get to that later). Additionally, your hamster cage needs at least 400 square inches of floor space (the space that your hamster can walk on). These cages do get pricy and can be anywhere from $200-$400.
Keep in mind that if you’re not willing to spend this (and even more), maybe you shouldn’t get a hamster. Remember, pets are a luxury, and no one is forcing you to get a hamster.
Another extremely crucial part of hamster care is bedding. In the wild, hamsters are burrowing animals, and will create deep and intricate underground tunnels. This means that you will need to provide your hamster with a safe bedding that can hold a hamsters burrows. You must include AT LEAST six inches of bedding! Ten inches and up would be better. If your hamster is already three inches thick it can not burrow in four inches of bedding! Bedding will add up over time and can cost anywhere from $200-$300. This is another factor in hamster care that is absolutely necessary.
Hamster wheels are also an essential when considering a hamster for a pet. Hamster wheels are important because in the wild hamsters can run three to five miles each night! When picking out a hamster wheel, make sure that your hamster wheel is at least eight inches for a Dwarf hamster and ten inches for a Syrian hamster. Wheels are a one time purchase item and can cost $20-$50.
Hamsters need to saw down their teeth, and need things to entertain! Hamster chews will do just that. You can buy safe hamster treats online for cheap or you can DIY them. A hamster will be just as happy with a toilet paper tube and a piece of cardboard. Also, there are lots of DIY hamster toys online. Since you can use cardboard for your hamster, toys will only cost you 0$-20$.
Another hamster product that you need for your hamster are substrates. What are substrates? Substrates are different textures like coco fiber, coco chips, beach ships, aspen shavings, hemp shavings, and more. One substrate that is 100% necessary is sand. What is a hamster going to do with sand? Giving your hamster a sand bath will allow them to clean themselves. Unlike most animals, hamsters should NEVER be washed with water. Washing your hamster with water will remove the natural oils from their coat and make them stressed. Instead, give your hamster a sand bath. They will roll around and dig in the sand which will clean them. Adding other substrates like mentioned before will provide your hamster with new textures and smells to explore. Like sand, your hamster will roll around and dig in the different substrates. After adding these all up, this could reach anywhere from $50-$100.
Obviously, your hamster has to eat. But something many people don’t know about hamsters is that they are omnivores, meaning that they need animal proteins to survive. The best way to provide your hamster with animal proteins is to mix in dried mealworms in their seed mix. Speaking of seed mixes, in the wild, hamsters will eat a variety of seeds. Sadly, very few store bought hamster seed mixes have a wide enough variety, but some seed mixes on eBay do. Another thing to consider when feeding your hamster is that they will need a fresh fruit or vegetable at least once a week. Overall, a hamsters food can cost $30-$70.
I hope that you have learned something about hamster care! If you are considering getting a hamster, I highly recommend watching Victoria Raechel. She owns hamsters, and I wouldn’t know how to take care of my hamster if it wasn’t for her!