Hamster Maze Games

A child̵7;s pet hamster is a handful of cute, curious and playful love. Creating games from mazes can be fun for the child to construct and watch, and an interesting activity for the hamster that would otherwise spend hours in a small cage. Test the memory and scent skills on the hamster by setting a food reward at the end of the maze and timing its progress with a stopwatch.

  1. Play Time

    • Hamsters are nocturnal and active at night when children should be sleeping. The ideal time for play is in the early morning or in the evening when the hamster is likely to be awake and active. Waking a sleeping hamster is risky. The animal is likely to be cranky and prone to biting. Daytime wakings also could cause stress for the hamster, leading to illness.

    Maze Materials

    • You can purchase plastic hamster tubes that attach to cages and cage accessories at a pet store. Building the ultimate hamster maze is the goal of many shoppers in the pet store, until they start adding up the price of these items. There are plenty of materials found around the home that could make hamster mazes. Look for a large shallow box to be the case for the maze. Collect tubes from paper and toilet paper rolls. Look for interesting pieces of bark or other items a hamster could climb over. Cut cardboard pieces the same height as the box to use for the walls of the maze. Get a reward for the hamster, like sunflower seeds or a favorite vegetable for the hamster to get at the end of the maze.

    Constructing the Maze

    • Hamsters are more likely to chew through an obstacle than push it over. Use masking tape or glue to position walls and tubes in the maze. Using tape allows you to change the direction of the maze without having to get new materials for extended maze making for your child and the hamster. Add inclines and obstacles in the course, using tubes or cardboard ramps. Hamsters love to climb, but they do need footholds. You can include foot grips inside an upward tube using pieces of toothpicks and glue.

    Playing With Hamster

    • Set the hamster at the beginning of the maze. Have a food reward as a goal for the hamster. These animals do not see well, but are curious and active and have a keen sense of smell. Keep a stopwatch handy to time how long it takes the hamster to finish the maze. Send the animal through the maze a second and third time to see if its time improves with practice. This is a test of hamster memories.