Homemade Hamster Maze

Materials

• If you have pet hamsters, you know that they love to chew anything and everything they can sink their teeth into. This is an important consideration to take into account when you're building your homemade hamster maze. Cardboard is an acceptable maze material for hamsters because chewing it won't damage their digestive systems. Avoid Styrofoam, packaging peanuts, bubble wrap, thin plastic take-out containers and other synthetic materials that are not biodegradable. Flatten and cut up old cereal boxes, moving boxes and shoe boxes to construct a fun and safe hamster maze. Staple the maze pieces together or use clear tape on the outside of the maze to prevent your hamsters from ingesting it. If you use glue, make sure you use a glue that is nontoxic and safe for use with children, and wait until it is completely dry before letting your hamsters into their new maze.

Layout

• You can make your maze as large or as small as you wish, although the bigger the maze, the more excitement for you and your hamsters. Construct the maze with relatively high walls to prevent your hamsters from jumping or climbing out. Make long, narrow hallways out of cardboard boxes that wind around the floor as elaborately as you dare. A large, flat expanse is ideal for a hamster maze. A basement is a great place for a hamster maze -- if your pets escape from the maze, they'll still be indoors. Use hamster mazes outdoors in an enclosed pet run. You can make an outdoor enclosure with a small fence or series of plastic storage boxes that surround the perimeter of the maze. Make sure there are no gaps or holes in the enclosure, as hamsters are difficult to recapture once they escape into the open and are vulnerable to predators.

Obstacle Course

• Your hamsters may be confused by the maze at first. Encourage them to explore their new playground by placing food pellets in a long line that they can follow around the maze. Placing obstacles inside the maze will also add to the excitement. Hamsters love playing with empty toilet tissue or paper towel cardboard rolls. Small boxes that they can climb up, over or under also make amusing additions to your homemade maze. Even discarded pieces of PVC pipe can provide hours of fun for hamsters. Transfer your hamsters' wheels into the maze for another fun distraction.

Safety Precautions

• Don't leave your hamsters in the homemade maze unattended. Unless the maze is enclosed in a large cage, your hamsters are vulnerable when left out in the open alone and could injure themselves or get lost. Place the maze low to the ground instead of on an elevated surface, such as a table or counter top, as hamsters can injure themselves by unknowingly leaping from great heights. If you have other pets with an unhealthy curiosity towards your hamsters -- like cats, for example -- make sure the maze is kept separate from them at all times.