Care for Shorthaired Hamsters

Hamsters in the United States today originated from a mother hamster and her babies found in Syria in the 1930s. Though many distinct varieties of hamsters have been developed since then, the most common pet store hamster is still the Syrian, which comes in both long-haired and short-haired types. Whether a hamster has a long or short coat is not as important as whether it is a Syrian or dwarf hamster. Syrian hamsters are larger and can be handled more often than their dwarf hamster cousins.

  1. Housing

    • Give your hamster a spacious, clean and interesting place to live. Although an aquarium larger than 2 feet long and 1 foot wide is suitable for a hamster, a cage designed specifically for hamsters with several levels is best. All floors need to be solid, since wire can injure your hamster's feet. Be sure to keep it clean and include adequate paper for your hamster to shred for bedding material. Hamsters should not be housed in small, cramped spaces or in plastic running tubes like mice since they can become stuck due to their larger size..

      Your hamster will chew on everything, so make sure you don't put anything toxic in its cage or anything that can become lodged in his digestive system, such as soft plastic or paper towels. Also, unlike rats and mice, hamsters can die from ingesting the pine or cedar shavings that many people use on cage floors. Giving your hamster paper to shred that has no odors, inks or oils is your best option.

      Make sure you provide your hamster with some hiding places. You can use hamster-safe wood or hard plastic like a pet store hamster house or PVC pipe. Give your hamster a large ceramic food dish and hang a glass water bottle on the cage with a stainless steel drinking tube that angles in for easy drinking. Change the water every day. Make sure your hamster has plenty of toys. Hamsters are especially active in the early morning and the early evening and need plenty to keep them occupied.

    Feeding

    • Hamsters eat mostly vegetables, but they need about 16 percent of their diet to be protein. A high-quality commercial hamster feed can be supplemented with raw vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, asparagus, celery and leafy greens like spinach. Iceberg lettuce is not good for hamsters since it has little nutritional value. The larger Syrian hamster can be given fruit occasionally, but the smaller dwarf hamsters are prone to diabetes and should not be given sugary foods.

    Grooming

    • One of the best things about hamsters is that you don't have to groom them. Hamsters are constantly grooming themselves. They trim their own nails by digging and clean their own teeth by gnawing. The most you will ever have to do for a hamster is to keep his cage clean, provide him with plenty of items and surfaces to chew, and perhaps clip his nails if you notice they are getting too long. Be watchful. If you notice your hamster is not groomed to perfection, it might be sick.