Syrian hamster care sheet

Hamsters make good family pets. Being nocturnal they're just waking up as the little ones are coming home from school. Hamsters are suitable pets for children, providing they're taught the responsibilities of their pets daily cleaning, feeding and general care. A hamster is ideal for anyone with limited space as they only requare a small cage.

Syrian, or golden hamsters, originally came from Syria. In the wild they would live in burrows in order to keep out of the midday heat. At night they would be extremely active and travel long distances which is why a hamster wheel or an excercise ball is required to keep a pet hamster in a healthy condition.

Hamsters have cheek pouches which they would use to collect food that they would come accross whilst roaming in the wild and carry it back to their burrow. This behaviour is still expressed in pet hamsters and they may be found stuffing all of the food in their dish into these pouches and moving it into their sleeping area. The name hamster is derived from the German word "hamstern" which means "to hoard".

Syrian hamsters are solitary animals and therefor must be kept alone. They are very violent towards each other and will, in most cases, fight to the death if housed together. There are over twenty different colourations and coat types of Syrian hamster.

Choosing Your Hamster

A healthy hamster should be:

Bright and alert
Have no signs of discharge from eyes, ears, mouth, nose, or genitals
Have a clean anal area
Have a glossy coat with no bald patches and no sores on the skin
Have no signs of breathing problems
Have good mobility around the cage with no stiffness or staggering
Should feel well covered and not bony

Housing

A cage with a plastic base, minimum size of 22" x 12" floor space, and metal bars with no more than a 1cm spacing should be suitable for a Syrian hamster. Hamsters like a house to sleep/hide in. Use hamster bedding to provide them with a nice cosy sleeping material to stuff into their house. Don't put it there yourself, your hamster will enjoy doing it on its own. Hamsters can be toilet trained easily as they always use a specific corner as a toilet anyway, the toilet can be placed in that corner with some dirty shavings inside.

Clean the corners of the cage out every couple of days, using a pet safe disinfectant only. Household disinfectant is poisonous to small animals. Once a week you will need to clean out the entire cage.

The best kind of shavings to use are timberflake shavings, these are large flakes that are dust extracted. Using a dusty substrate can cause respiratory problems for hamsters. For bedding you can use shredded paper or wool.

Hamsters are indoor pets and should be kept at an even room temperature between 17 - 23 degrees. Avoid housing a hamster in draughts, direct sunlight or damp/humid areas. A sudden drop in temperature could be fatal to a hamster.

Feeding & Water

Hamsters are omnivores, and so will enjoy a varied diet. A good hamster mix or pellet will provide the nutrition that is required. This can be supplemented with small amounts of fresh fruit or vegetables, nuts, seeds and the occasional insect. Do not give any foods that may get stuck in the hamsters pouch such as apple or banana. Mineral or gnaw blocks should be used as hamsters teeth will continuously grow and they will chew on these to help keep them at a nice length.

Handling

It's important to handle your hamster regularly to build up a bond with them. This will also keep them tame as if you don't handle them enough then they can get nippy. When you first get your hamster home it is really important to let it settle in for a couple of days before starting any handling.

Firstlt introduce your hand to your hamster so that it can get used to what you smell like. When they seem happy, gentlt cup one hand under them and pick them up. Always concentrate when holding your hamster as they have loose skin and can slip out of your hand. Don't try to handle your hamster if they have just woken up as they will be grouchy and will feel vulnerable which can lead to them biting.

Shopping list

Cage
Hamster food
Food dish
Water bottle & bottle brush
Mineral block
Timperflake shavings
Bedding
Litter/Litter box
Gnaw block
Toys
Treats
Pet-safe disinfectant
Exercise ball/wheel