How to Build Hamster Toys Out of Household Items

Finding toys for your pet hamster does not have to break the bank. Use household items to create play items for your furried friend. Not only will you save money, but you also will help to save the environment by recycling items you likely would throw away.

Things You'll Need

  • Empty tissue box or plastic 1 lb. coffee can
  • Cardboard tubes (empty toilet tissue rolls)
  • Tape
  • Small, dry branch
  • Thin, rectangular wood scrap (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch by 3 inches)
  • Sand paper
  • 1/4 inch diameter dowel cut into 6 inch long pieces
  • Nontoxic glue
  • Hamster food
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place an empty tissue box or coffee can inside your hamster's cage for a sleeping or hiding place. Save between $4 and $5 by making a hamster hiding place instead of buying one.

    • 2

      Tape several cardboard tubes together to make a maze for your hamster to run through. Compare this to the price for hamster tunnels bought on the Internet for $24.99 found from PetSmart.com at Google Shopping.

    • 3

      Prop a clean, dry branch inside your hamster's cage for him to climb and gnaw. Make your own hamster gnawing toy and save $1.49 to $30.16 over the price if purchased through Google Shopping.

    • 4

      Sand the edges of wood scrap thoroughly to ensure no rough parts or splinters remain. Glue 3 inch long pieces of 1/4 inch dowel along the length scrap board, setting a dowel every 1 inch along the board. Place the wood scrap inside the cage as a ramp. If you bought a hamster play house with a ramp on the Internet through Google Shopping, you would spend $3.99.

    • 5

      Create a puzzle food dispenser for your hamster with a cardboard tube and some of his hamster food. Flatten the bottom 2 inches of the cardboard tube so it can fit through the top bars of the cage. Check that the bottom of the cardboard tube will not allow food to spill out. Check that the flattened 2 inches of the tube inside the cage keeps the tube upright so it does not tilt and spill hamster food. If the cardboard tube falls over, remove it from the cage and flatten an additional 1 to 2 inches of the bottom of the tube. Fill the top portion of the cardboard tube with hamster food. Watch your pet nibble at the cardboard until he opens up a hole in the base of the cardboard tube and he gains access to his food. Use one of these instead of a food bowl to save $1.99 to $9.99 over the cost of a food bowl or dispenser from an Internet pet store.