Hamster Habitat Crafts

Hamsters build up a lot of energy while sleeping all day. By evening they are ready to take on the world and will do it at 100 miles an hour. When making crafts for a hamster's habitat, their natural instincts need to be considered. For instance, they chew everything and they love to hoard, they squabble if they have a cage mate and they will occasionally bite if interrupted while sleeping.

  1. Chewing Crafts

    • Make a wooden box leaving the top and bottom off using a hard wood such as oak. This will provide hours of in and out exploration but will also give your hamster something he can chew for several days before it is reduced to rubble. Put a branch, thick enough to fit through the cage bars, from one end to the other inside the case. He will try to "walk the plank" but will also be able to chew it if you put it low enough.

    Climbing Crafts

    • Hamsters are also known for their climbing feats. A can affixed on the upper level of a cage will give him a destination he will visit often. Take a clean small can, cut two holes in the bottom, put wire through the holes and affix, tightly, to the cage bars. The hampster will probably bring some straw into the can and may even store some of his hoarded stash there.

    Trail Crafts

    • Tissue holders taped together work fine for a day or two but will be chewed quickly. If your habitat is big enough to support it, glue several open-ended cans together. If you only have one level, have the cans intersect at three corners. If you have more than one level, take the cans into the opening from the first level making sure the can fits tightly through the hole or that you have closed the gap with something your hamster cannot easily chew (a metal ring).

    Safety

    • The object is to make sure your hamster is happy and safe while in his habitat. Never put glue on a project and put it into the cage before it has dried completely. Shave down to smooth metal edges on cans. Watch closely to see your hamster is not chewing into metal and injuring his mouth. Hamsters will urinate or defecate in a favorite place time and again. He may choose one of the trails to do this in which case you will be cleaning that portion daily or simply have to remove it to get him to go somewhere else.