A hamster has a lot of needs which cost much more than the hamster. Hopefully this page can be a resource for you.
The stores mentioned are all in Harrisonburg.
The stores mentioned are all in Harrisonburg.
Your hamster will need:
A Cage
A Syrian hamster needs a cage with at least 360 square inches of floor space. Many cages that claim to be good for hamsters are actually too small. There are three main types of cages:
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No Roommates
Syrian hamsters are solitary creatures. In the wild they live alone. Adult Syrians should never be kept in the same cage, or they will live under constant stress. They will almost certainly fight and might kill each other.
If you see photographs of multiple Syrian hamsters together on our website, know that they are juveniles and haven't reached an age when they must be separated. All our adult hamsters live in individual cages. |
Bedding
The floor of your hamster's cage should be covered with bedding material. It creates a more natural environment, allows the hamster to burrow, and absorbs urine. Give your hamster enough bedding for it to burrow. If your hamster regularly pees in the same corner, you can cut down on the odor by frequently replacing just that spot of the bedding. Periodically replace all the bedding and wash the cage with soapy water. Adding some baking soda can give extra odor protection. Be sure to rinse and dry it before adding new bedding.
There are two main options for bedding: Hardwood shavings. Softwood shavings like cedar and pine are great for many pets, and may smell nice, but they are not for hamsters (no matter what it says on the package). Hamsters have very sensitive respiratory systems, and coniferous woods contain aromatic oils that are harmful to them. Use a hardwood like aspen. If you have your own source of wood shavings, check out this list of safe and unsafe woods, and be sure the wood isn't chemically treated. We've found natural aspen shavings at the following stores in Harrisonburg in bales that expand to 4 cu. ft. (113L):
Paper-based bedding. CareFresh is a popular brand of bedding made from natural paper pulp. You can also make your own paper bedding. Shreds from a paper shredder can be added to augment your hamster's bedding, but they aren't absorbent enough to work on their own. We've found paper bedding at the following stores in Harrisonburg (listing the size when expanded):
How to choose: In general, we find paper-based bedding to be superior because it's more absorbent and better for burrowing, but the aspen shavings are cheaper. We use aspen shavings for shorthaired hamsters and longhaired females. Longhaired males, however, should not have shavings in their cage because their fur is so long, the shavings will get stuck in it and form tangled mats. Use paper bedding for longhaired males. Here's a fancy chart of bedding types:
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Grooming
You don't have to worry about this with most hamsters. Hamsters groom themselves all the time, even more frequently than cats do! However, male longhaired hamsters have more fur than they know what to do with, and it will need some attention once in a while. A toothbrush or fine-toothed comb works well.
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Food
Check the guaranteed analysis of all food you consider for your hamster. The guaranteed analysis should be somewhere on the product and will have percentages for different categories.
A hamster diet should have the following contents:
While seed mixes may look more healthy than blended mixes, they allow the hamster to feed selectively, choosing only the tastiest bits and not necessarily getting the proper nutrition. We recommend lab blocks. They don't look appetizing but hamsters love them, they don't allow selective feeding, they provide necessary nutrition, and they're good for gnawing. Of course you will want to give your hamster treats now and then. You can buy treats for it at a pet store, but from our experience what hamsters love most is fruits and vegetables. But not all of those are safe. Here is an excellent reference list. |
A Wheel
Hamsters need lots of exercise. An adult Syrian needs a wheel at least 8.5 inches in diameter. Smaller wheels are bad for their backs; if you see your hamster's back arching while it runs on the wheel, it needs a larger wheel.
Wheels made of wire are bad for their feet and can pull out patches of fur. If you have a wire wheel, attach cardboard to the inside surface where the hamster runs to protect its feet. If the axle pulls out the hamster's fur, please get a different wheel, like the Comfort Wheel or the Wodent Wheel (and check that it'll fit in your cage before purchase!) |
Toys
Hamsters love things to climb on/in/around/over/through objects. And they need wooden things to gnaw on. Like all rodents, their teeth grow constantly and need to be kept filed down. Anything you buy in a pet store for pets to chew should be safe for hamsters, unless it says it's specifically for rabbits. Here's a list of some kinds of wood that are safe and unsafe, for structures and/or chewing. Hamsters sometimes gnaw on the metal bars of their cage. If they do it a lot, it can be bad for their teeth. Try giving them another option for gnawing material. If they aren't interested in wood, try small, flavorless dog biscuits or walnuts in the shell.
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Water Bottle
You can find these at a pet store. Ones with a little metal ball in the tip tend to leak less.
If you bought a new bottle and it is leaking or not letting out liquid, we've found that filling it to the brim and shaking out all of the air from the shaft helps the bottle function better. It's a good idea to check that the water bottle is working every day. To do this, tap the end of the bottle. You should get water on the tip of your finger. If you don't get water after two or three taps, take the bottle out and fix it. It's likely that the plastic ring used to create a vacuum got off in some way, so check that the plastic ring is fitting snugly and all the way down inside the head of the bottle. |
A Rock
What? Yes, a rock. Okay, it's not super essential, but it's easily obtainable. A hamster should have a hard, rough surface to walk on to help keep its tiny claws filed down. Sanitize the rock by soaking it in water with vinegar, rinse, and dry it before putting it in the cage. If the claws are growing uncomfortably long, you can attach fine sandpaper to the running surface of the wheel (but please check for bumblefoot every day if you do this!)
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Temperature Control
Although Syrian hamsters come from a warm climate, they are active at night in the wild and thus are not well suited to hot temperatures. They should be kept between 65 and 80°F. Temperatures over 80°F can lead to heatstroke which can be fatal. In temperatures that are too high, a hamster might collapse in an abnormal place, appear lifeless, have wet and matted fur, and might tremble when touched.
Wild Syrian hamsters hibernate in the winter like many other rodents. But after decades of living in captivity in temperature-controlled environments, domestic hamsters can't handle hibernation anymore. They haven't lost the ability to hibernate; they've lost the ability to wake up from it. Hibernation in domestic hamsters is usually triggered by a sudden decrease in temperature to below 65°F. It's not just the cold that causes it; it's the sudden drop. If your hamster hibernates, chances of saving it are slim. If the hamster goes into hibernation, contact a hamster expert immediately. If you can't reach us, here are some places where you can find help:
Here are some ways to keep your hamster cool: Refill the water bottle often with cold or ice water. Ceramic objects naturally stay cool. You can put a ceramic tile or mug in the cage. You can even put it in the fridge first. The fridge trick also works with rocks. Bits of celery and cucumber can help re-hydrate your hamster if it can't drink enough. Here are some ways to keep your hamster warm: Give your hamster extra nesting materials like tissues and paper and bedding so that it can burrow deeper. If your house is very cold, you can put a heating pad on low underneath one corner of the cage on the outside. You can also warm a rice bag or put hot water in a bottle and lean it against the outside of the hamster's cage. |
Veterinarian
We try our best to breed healthy hamsters, but there will be health problems that arise. We can tell you the trends we've seen in our lines, but your hamster may still get a surprise illness or have an accident that physically hurts their bodies. If your hamster has a health crisis, you need to go to a vet ASAP! Syrian hamsters are delicate little things and time is precious if they're sick. Please do research on veterinarians before your hamster becomes ill so that you can get them medical attention as quickly as possible.
Hamsters are technically exotic pets and therefore require specially trained veterinarian care. When looking for a vet, find a clinic that specifically takes small exotic mammals. If you're unsure, call the clinic and ask them if they accept hamsters as patients. Other things to research:
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Remember that we love hearing from you and answering questions about hamster care. If you have a question about anything you've read on this page or something you've read or heard elsewhere, we're happy to research with you and find an answer together. We are connected to other ethical hamster enthusiasts who know more than we do, and we lean on them for support. If we don't know the answer to your question, we can likely contact someone else who does. Contact us here.