Hamsters as Pets

Hamsters are one of the cutest members of the rodent family and are sold by the thousands as pets. Children love them, they are relatively easy to take care of, never need to go for a walk and are perfect for apartments where dogs and cats may not be allowed. But, as with any animal who is about to become a member of your family, you need to know some things about them before you make your decision.

First of all, hamsters are smart. They can learn their name and they remember and recognize their relatives. Hamsters will sleep during the day and their most active time is just at twilight. In the wild, their diet is a mix of
seeds, grasses, roots, fruits, vegetables, corn, pulses, insects, lizards, frogs and small mammals. In captivity, just feed them commercial hamster food. It is not expensive and is readily available.

Hamsters love to burrow under things, which is why you will find them hiding under their straw bedding. Their eyesight is also very limited. Not only are they color blind, but they can only see six inches in front of them, so if you don't want to give the hamster a good scare, be quiet when entering the room and only try to interact with them when you are within six inches of the cage. And speaking of the cage, it needs to be cleaned daily.

Have the cage and everything ready before you get the hamster. When you bring him home, give him a day or so to get used to his new home. The animal will be missing his family and really scared. Talk to him so the animal gets used to the sound of your voice, but don't handle him much for the first day or so. Once the animal is used to the new environment, it will eat, drink and relax and groom himself.

Have a water bottle available at all times and feed the pet two times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. If he does not finish all of the food, reduce the amount till he eats all of the meal. Try to stick with one kind of food. If you do switch, do it gradually by mixing in a little bit more with the old food each day. If you want to give him a special treat, give parsley, carrot, apple, celery, broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower, kale, spinach, tomatoes, banana or cucumber, but do it very sparingly or the animals digestive system will go out of wack.

Hamsters do not get along with each other. They will probably get along with their owners better than they will with each other. If you get more than one, keep them in separate cages. The only exception is if you want them to mate and in that case, put the female into the male's home. Females are territorial and will fight to protect her territory. Males of some of the varieties do get along in the same cage.Along those same lines, you cannot have a hamster spayed or neutered.

Unfortunately, the life span of a hamster is just two years, with some reaching a ripe old age of four, a fact to consider when getting one for a small child who would have a problem dealing with the loss of a pet in such a short time. Be careful with the way small children handle the animal also. They have to learn to be gentle.

A hamster is really a complex creature. Read all you can before you make the final decision. The result will be a happy animal and a happy family.

Sources:
I Love India

Karelma

Small Animal Advice