Spec Work: The Dos and Don'ts of Owning a Hamster

A blog post including the top tips for owning a hamster. Includes in depth information about the relevant care required for hamsters, from cage size, to type of bedding, to appropriate enrichment.

Friendly and non-intimidating research and experience backed pet care advice.

1519 words.

BLOG POST:

Picture this. I was in my second year of university, just after the full-frontal lockdown had ended. I was sitting in the living room with my housemates, when one of them said from across the room: “Let’s get a hamster!”. 

What a great idea! I had missed my pets since I had come to university, and was desperate to love - and be loved by - an animal. 

So, I quickly skimmed Google for hamster essentials, found a hamster breeder, and off we went to Pets At Homes to buy all we needed before we got the little guy. 

The little guy, Bilbo, was the light of my life. As all my other housemates’ interest in looking after him waned, he was moved to my room to avoid the noise of the living room. I continued to look after and love him until he passed away at the grand age of 2 and a half years!

But it wasn’t all plain sailing. After the initial Pets At Home trip, I started deep diving into hamster care. And lo and behold, I had got it all wrong. I had to change his home 2 times until it was a suitable size, get rid of toys, buy new ones, change his bedding type and so on and so forth. It took months of research, and adapting as I went to give my hamster what he needed to live a happy life. But it doesn’t need to be like that. 

So, here are the dos and don’ts of hamster ownership, so you can know the basics and not so basics of hamster care before you welcome your hamster into your home.

DO: Make sure your cage is big enough. 

The size of hamster cages is incredibly important. Hamsters are used to living in the wild, across large expanses of land. Nowadays, they’re kept in cages by humans. That’s fine! But the cage needs to be large enough for them to run around and explore. 

The recommended size of hamster cages is 100cm x 50cm x 50cm. Hamster’s need a cage this large in order to live a happy life. It’s a non-negotiable! So, if you’re thinking back to the little multicoloured cage you had for your childhood hamster with lots of plastic tunnels and thinking that’s okay - stop. The standard has changed and those cages are nowhere near suitable, despite still being sold in pet shops. Trust me on this one. They need a minimum of 600 inches unbroken floor space (that means without levels).

Suitable cages include:

Large fish tanks/ aquariums (40 gallons is ideal) 

Large converted storage boxes (none are suitable in the UK) 

Converted IKEA Linnmons, Detolfs, Paxs

Or check out this Amazon list with suitable cages

So. Once you have your suitable cage, what’s next?

DON’T: Get two hamsters (in the same cage)

You may be thinking about getting two hamsters to keep eachother company. Stop right there. Hamsters are NOT social animals. In the wild, hamsters live solitary lives and only come together for mating. The mother and pups will live together until they’re old enough, then they go their separate ways. 

Hamsters are extremely territorial animals, and when kept in cages together will almost certainly fight, and in many cases, fight to the death. Too many people will recall going to check on their hamsters and fighting one or both dead or dying. Some will only find one left - with very little trace of the other. The cause? They fought to the death and the loser got eaten. 

So, again, trust me. Just get one hamster. Or get two but bare in mind you will need separate set ups, with everything on this list.

Hamsters are burrowing creatures. In the wild they have large and extensive networks of burrows, so in our setups we need to give them the opportunity to do the same. This means we need a deep substrate for them which is dust free, unscented and can hold tunnels - 30 cm is the ideal. 

Suitable substrates include:

Teabag bedding 

Paper, dust free bedding 

Aspen wood bedding 

Any other sort of wood shavings are unsuitable. Hamsters only have little respiratory systems, and other sorts of wood shavings can give them respiratory issues. If it doesn’t specifically say aspen, steer clear. 

Did you know, hamster balls are completely unsuitable for hamsters. Surprising? Well, it’s true. 

Hamster balls trap a hamster in a confined space. You might think they like them because they run around incessantly in them. But what else can they do? Any sort of movement will make the ball roll. Then, the only thing the hamster can do is run! Also, if a hamster pees whilst they’re in there they have no choice but to continue running in it, which isn’t hygienic. They’re also just straight up dangerous. If it rolls down some stairs, it could seriously injure your hamster. 

Instead, you can get a safe playpen for your hamster to run around in and explore. 

Even better, hamster-proof a room so they can have free rein of it. Make sure: there’s no objects they could hurt themselves on, like wires or sharp things; there’s no holes they could escape down or get stuck in, and there’s nothing they could eat that they shouldn’t. 

DO: Provide different substrates and enrichment for them. 

Hamsters love to dig and explore. So let them! In their cage, provide different areas for them to dig in filled with coco soil, large wood chips and moss. Just make sure you sanitise it properly! 

Most importantly, make sure your hamster has a sand bath. Don’t use chinchilla sand as this is too dusty for them, but reptile sand (with no added calcium), and kid’s play sand (baked on a low heat for 20 mins) is perfectly safe. Hamsters actually need sand baths in order to clean themselves - they don’t require baths with water! Make sure it's large and deep, ideally with a hide such as a ceramic plant pot for them to hide in if they want to. 

Other examples of enrichment include sprays. You can find these easily on Amazon and Etsy, and they’re great for hamsters. They allow them to forage and display natural behaviours. Some of the best ones include millet, flax, oat, wheat and quinoa. 

If you bought a cage from the pet store, ditch the wheel. They seldom ever come in the right sizes, and if a wheel is too small it can cause spinal damage. 

Syrian hamsters need a wheel with a 30 cm diameter. 

Dwarf hamsters need 20 cm. 

Don’t use flying saucer wheels, they can cause spinal damage and hamsters can fly off, injuring themselves. 

Wheels come in all sorts of materials but the best ones are either plastic (for easy cleaning, if your hamster pees whilst they run), or wooden with cork (soft on your hamster’s paws). Don’t use wired wheels as they can trap your hamster’s limbs or feet causing injury. 

If you’re keeping your hamster in your bedroom, you’ll want the quietest one you can. This is the wheel I had, and recommend. Just make sure you get in the right size for the hamster you have. 

The more things in your hamster’s cage, the better. 

Add boxes, unscented toilet rolls, grapevine logs and cork logs and tunnels to give your hamster lots of things to explore and hide in. Your hamster should have at least one multi-chamber hide, and more hides dotted around their enclosure. 

Just make sure anything you add is a safe wood-based product, or ceramic. Plastic should only be used for wheels, the cage itself and bottles, so if your hamster chews anything (and it will), they won’t get injured. 

Hamsters are omnivores and need a mix of plants and proteins in their diet. You can find specially created species-specific hamster food on Etsy from stores like Bears Hamsters. 

Safe treats include sunflower seeds, mealworms, dried fruit, fresh fruit and veg, pumpkin seeds, unseasoned chicken, and hard boiled egg. As always, feed treats in moderation. 

It’s also a great idea to scatter foraging mix, as well as their food, across the cage. This is called scatter feeding, and provides enrichment for your hamster by making them search and dig for their food, like they would in the wild. 

Hamsters are wonderful creatures. They will provide so much happiness! Watching them go about their daily (or nightly, since they’re nocturnal) lives, will give you hours and hours of entertainment. So love them unconditionally, have fun setting up their cages, and give them the best life you can. You’ve got this. 

So that’s that for the dos and don’ts of owning a hamster! This is not an all-inclusive list, there’s always more to learn. Remember, Google is your friend - and there’s great hamster forums online including this one on Reddit. 

Enjoy your little friend!