The hamster needs time for its favorite activities such as sleeping, gnawing, eating, grooming, digging and climbing.
Remember that the hamster is an active and alert animal. Offer him a stimulating cage. Because its life is confined to this space and it will not be able to let off steam in the wild. Quickly obtain hamster accessories and set up the cage after filling the litter box.
- A shelter to sleep
- A cozy nest
- A good litter box
- Feeding and drinking trough
- Something to build teeth and muscles
- The wheel
- A box for playing and digging
- From the bark
A shelter to sleep
Wild hamsters sleep exclusively in their burrows. Your hamster can hardly build a burrow in its cage, so it needs a shelter to sleep. This can be an upside down flowerpot, which you break the rim to make an opening (don't forget to file off sharp edges!). Or you buy one of the "house" models made of wood, plastic or ceramic, to be placed or hung from the grill (with built-in ladder). The usual dimensions are 12 x 12 x 10 cm.
Tips for do-it-yourselfers: you can easily build the house yourself, as long as you respect the following rules :
Do not use plywood or chipboard, because the glue is toxic for the hamster. A natural, soft and easily workable wood will be perfectly suitable.
Do not join the boards together with staples. The hamster can tear the jaws by gnawing on them. Use large U-shaped steel nails, which even your rodent will have trouble getting out, or glue that you are sure is as non-toxic as possible. Allow to air dry for several days.
A cozy nest
Hamsters insulate and pad their house, building a nest. For this, they need appropriate materials such as tissues (unscented), wood fiber, hay, straw and clean scraps of cloth cut into small pieces.
A good litter box
On the floor of the cage, preferably spread a biological litter, special for small animals, which can be found in pet stores or specialized departments of department stores. It is particularly absorbent and non-toxic. Cat litter and sand can injure the hamster's sensitive paws. With soil, which may seem more natural to you, you run the risk of carrying diseases. If you insist, put it in the oven at 180°C for one hour, spreading it in an even layer on a sheet covered with aluminum foil and let it cool down well afterwards.
Feeding and drinking trough
Feeder: a rack is very practical for hay and green fodder. It is not necessary to spend the expense of an extra manger, since the hamster will stuff everything it eats into its cheeks before going to store it. So you may as well put the food in a clean corner of the cage. But if you use a feeder, make sure that it is solid (ceramic or porcelain), easy to clean and cannot spill.
Drinker: preferably choose a suspended "bottle" drinker, to be attached to the bars of the cage or to be fixed by suction cups to the terrarium glass. The hamster will immediately know how to use it.
Something to build teeth and muscles
The hamster does not give the impression of being a great sportsman. However, even if this is not obvious, the hamster loves to give itself movement. Climbing the horizontal bars of its cage already guarantees him a certain pleasure, but eventually becomes monotonous. He will be very grateful if you think about offering him other climbing opportunities, and even renew them from time to time for a change. Your imagination for the cage layout can be limitless.
Rough bark tree branches: Small branches will allow your hamster to climb, to make its claws, but also to satisfy its rodent instinct. You can wedge the branches between the bars or tie them with raffia. Always make sure the assembly is solid.
Important : Fruit tree branches are ideal, but only if you can be sure that the trees have not been treated with pesticides. If you are not sure, take branches from other trees such as oak, alder, surreau, chestnut, linden, poplar or willow. But again, be careful: don't take them from roadsides, where all branches are polluted by exhaust fumes. If you bring back branches from a park or a forest, pass them for a long time under very hot water and let them dry before putting them in the cage because, unfortunately, toxic substances may have penetrated there.
The wheel
This well-known object has advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it gives him the movement he needs, but he can become so dependent on it that it is, in the long run, a source of imbalance. Night after night, it runs in its wheel to lose its soul and this can end up annoying you considerably as well, because often, after a while, this kind of instrument starts to graze and squeak noisily. If you are afraid of being annoyed, we advise you to take a so-called "silent" one.
The wheel is not necessary if the cage is big enough and the hamster can climb up.
Finally, three additional accessories :
In case you would like to give your hamster something special, here are some more suggestions.
A game to build yourself: simple to assemble, a kind of merry-go-round that enchants most hamsters. For this you need a round wooden board, 2 to 2.5 cm thick, a wooden block about 5 cm thick (12X5 cm), a thin metal tube and a dowel adapted to the diameter of the tube. Push the tube at an angle into the wooden block. Place the dowel in the center of the round board and fix it to the board with a washer and nut. Now drive the dowel into the metal tube. The wooden disc is now slightly skewed on the base. The hamster will be able to swing and make all kinds of movements on this inclined plane.
A box for playing and digging
Hamsters like to dig. The instinct to build burrows and galleries is still present, even in domesticated animals. If your hamster could abandon itself to this instinct in a "digging box" of its own, complementary to its cage, it would be ideal. Naturally, the dimensions - surface and height - should not be less than those of the cage. The taller and more spacious the box will be, the better it will be. It must also be solid, so that it is not eaten away within a few days.
Put this box at the disposal of your hamster preferably in the evening, when it is most active. He will then be able to let off steam at his leisure.
Bark
You will find bark in all pet stores. It is normally used for decorating aquariums and terrariums. But, thanks to the imagination of hamsters, it finds its application in their cage too. With pieces that are big enough and well rounded, some make a "prefabricated roof" for the shelter they have dug, they sleep in it or make an observation post from which they spy, anything that attracts their attention.
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