Five tips to take good care of your hamster and keep it happy

To keep your hamster happy and healthy, your little fur ball has to eat healthy, have enough room to move around, and live in a clean cage. Follow our tips to take optimal care of your hamster.

The basics: food and drink

Hamsters are rodents, but they also like the occasional chunk of animal protein. As such, good hamster food is enriched. Either the muesli contains dried mealworms, or animal protein is incorporated in the grains. In addition, good nutrition for hamsters also includes grains, seeds, fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Always provide water in a water bottle: it’s cleaner than in a bowl. Replace the water every day if possible. Clean the bottle by adding uncooked rice and a little water and shaking vigorously. The rice removes any algae build-up. There shouldn’t be any more rice in the bottle when you put it back.

Give some treats

Reward your hamster with a treat several times a week. Treats that are big hits (in hamster foodie circles) include carrots, cucumber, apples, bananas, peppers, lettuce, celery, kale, and dandelion greens. Don’t overdo it with fruit, as it often contains a lot of natural sugars. There are also ready-made snacks. This way you can be sure you’re taking good care of your hamster by not feeding them unhealthy or toxic candies.

Let your hamster dig

Wood fibers are an excellent ground cover for hamsters. Don’t worry about being too generous with this: Hamsters love digging tunnels and will be grateful if they’re given the space to do so. Don’t use newspaper (the ink is poisonous!) or cotton. Cotton is indigestible and can wrap around your baby's paws, cutting off circulation.

Toys keep it busy

Keep your hamster busy to take care of its mental health! Refill its food pot daily, but also let your little furry friend search for food, for example in toys and tunnels. This way the animal is more active, which is healthy.

A large running wheel is the bare minimum, but your hamster needs more than a wheel and a few balls to keep it busy. Provide enough toys so you can rotate and keep your hamster interested.

Clean cage, happy hamster

Finally, clean the cage regularly and thoroughly. Use dish soap - not hand soap - mixed with water. Rinse the cage and let it dry. Make sure that all water has evaporated and that all cleaning fluid has been removed. After all, hamsters have sensitive noses, the smell of vinegar or soap disturbs them. After the cage has been washed, you can also disinfect it with a suitable disinfectant spray.

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