Help i dont know how to take care of my hamster what do i do?

Question

well im getting my hamster tommorow and i dont know how to take care of it what do i do

Answer 1

first, do some online research on hamster care.  

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/rabbit...

second, go to pet store and buy cage, bedding, food etc.  If buying at a pet store you can ask the ppl working there for advice.  

I have 2 dwarf hamsters, both are very easy to take care of.  They sleep most of the day and make a ruckus at night.  Basically, just make sure to feed them every day, change their water 3 times a week, change bedding once a week  and so on.    

At the store it's best to see for yourself which hamster suites you.  Some hamsters are aggressive (might nip you) while others are docile and can be easily handled, so it's best to have the store owner let you touch/handle them for a while before you make the final decision.

Answer 2

Buy a book at the pet store about it... no offense but why get a hamster if you aren't rdy for one

Answer 3

u shouldnt have even thought about getting a hamster unless u knew how to take care of one

Answer 4

Look up hamster information online. You might want to wait to get one until you are a little more prepared.

You will need a proper cage and bedding, make sure to keep the cage shut very well so the hamster can't escape.

You will need to purchase hamster food- you can easily find it at any pet store or supermarket.

The hamster will need water at all times- you can purchase one of the water bottle things at pet stores, etc., sometimes I know it comes with the cage.

Don't scare your hamster by playing with it too much the first few days, give it a little while to settle in. Just pet it gently and don't scare it.

Good luck, just search for "hamster care" and you will find a TON of info- I only covered the basics. Again, don't rush this big decision to get an animal... you don't really sound prepared to get one TOMORROW. Good luck!

Answer 5

HAMSTER CARE:

Hamsters were living in relative obscurity until just 70 years ago, when a zoologist discovered a family of these rodents in the Syrian desert. Today, hamsters' friendly nature and adaptability have placed them among America's most popular small pets.

To learn how to fulfill the special needs of these cuddly creatures, follow the suggestions below.

Set up House

There is no such thing as a habitat that is too big for your hamster. She will be spending a majority of her time in the cage, so it should be as big as possible. It should be safe, roomy, comfortable and interesting.

Hamsters are well-kept in a wire cage with a solid tray bottom, solid levels and a coated wire top. The cage should be a minimum of 2 square feet, with no more than half-inch of spacing between bars (hamsters can fit through larger gaps). Any levels in the cage should be solid, not wire. Wire levels can be made safe by covering them with mats available in pet supply stores, ceramic or vinyl tiles, cardboard (like cut cereal boxes) or other similar material.

If you choose to keep your hamster in an aquarium, it should be at least 24 inches long and 12 inches wide (a 10-gallon aquarium is too small). The aquarium should have a secure, well-ventilated, coated wire, screen lid. It is better to have a long aquarium with more floor space than a tall aquarium with unused height. Colorful plastic cages with attached tubes are not recommended, since they break easily, do not provide proper ventilation, are very difficult to clean and harbor odors.

Creature Comforts

To create bedding for your hamster, use products made from recycled wood or paper materials that do not contain scents or oils. Aspen bedding is an acceptable second choice. Never use pine, cedar, sawdust, corn cob bedding, chlorophyll bedding or cat litter and remember — pine and cedar shavings are toxic to hamsters!

Privacy, Please

Even hamsters housed in quiet rooms still need hiding places within their tanks to feel secure in their surroundings. Empty tissue boxes and round oatmeal containers can perform double duty as both gnawing toys and hiding places. Notorious nibblers, hamsters may harm their internal systems if they ingest soft plastics, but some hamster owners provide PVC piping or hard plastic items that withstand chewing.

Hamsters enjoy cozy spaces for sleeping and relaxation. Provide a plastic igloo, a wooden nesting box or other similar hideaway. If your hamster chews excessively on her plastic igloo, remove it and provide a different type. Use unscented toilet paper or paper towels for nesting material, but do not use the commercial "fluff," as it can become wrapped around limbs and/or block a hamster's intestines if swallowed.

Stock the Pantry

Hamsters have high metabolisms and should have constant access to food and water. Some hamsters like to sit in their food dishes, so use a heavy ceramic dish to decrease the likelihood of food spillage. Respect the hamster's need for order by placing the dish a good distance from the bathroom and sleeping areas.

Your hamster's food should be at least 16 percent protein and should not contain molasses. Do not use mixes that contain ethoxyquin. Hamsters need and benefit from a varied diet that includes small amounts of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein sources.

Hamsters enjoy a variety of fresh vegetables every day. Try asparagus, avocado, basil, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, green pepper, okra, parsley, peas, red pepper, spinach and squash. Fresh fruit can be given as an occasional treat to Syrian hamsters, but not to dwarf hamsters, who are prone to diabetes. Syrian hamsters often enjoy apples, bananas, blueberries, cherries (pitted), cranberries, grapes, kiwi, melon, peaches, pears and strawberries.

Hamsters may also enjoy (in small quantities) whole oats, spray millet, whole wheat bread, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, tofu and hard-boiled or scrambled egg. Use common sense when feeding your hamster and introduce new foods slowly.

Things to avoid feeding your hamster include iceberg lettuce, dried corn, raw beans, potato eyes, green potato, green parts of tomatoes, garlic, chocolate, processed foods and any sugary or salty foods. Do not give your hamster a mineral or salt wheel; they are not necessary or healthy. You can give your hamster natural wood chews that have not been artificially colored and/or dried apple branches from apple trees that have not been sprayed with pesticides.

Wet Their Whistles

To ensure that your hamster has an adequate water supply, use a hanging water bottle that has an angled stainless steel sipper tube with a ball bearing in the spout. A glass water bottle is preferable, but a plastic water bottle is acceptable. Give your hamster fresh water every day.

Keep Them Occupied

In their native habitat, hamsters have to travel great distances to find food, a fact that explains domestic hamsters' need for lots of exercise. Exercise wheels can provide hamsters with a good bit of activity, but they should not be the only source of physical activity. For Syrian hamsters, the exercise wheel should be at least 8 inches in diameter and should provide a solid running surface. Never use an exercise wheel with metal or plastic bars/rungs; a hamster's feet or legs can slip between the rungs, get caught and break.

Complement the hamster's home gym and entertainment center with chewables such as a dog biscuit or pesticide-free twigs from beech trees, maples, willows, hazelnut bushes or fruit trees; these will also help keep the animal's incisors worn down. Cardboard boxes, toilet-paper rolls and paper-towel rolls are also safe for hamsters to burrow in, chew on and play with. Wooden ladders and branches fastened securely to the inside of the tank can help hamsters show off their climbing agility.

Hamsters need time out of their cage every day. You can let them run around a hamster-proofed room, or you can use a large plastic tub as a playpen. Hamsters can easily escape fence-type playpens.

Hamsters love to explore. They like anything they can climb in, on, over, under and through. Give your hamster toilet paper tubes, little boxes, bridges, blocks and other toys to check out and play with. NEVER put your hamster in an exercise ball, which is dangerous and stressful for all animals.

Practice Good Housekeeping

Hamsters can be cranky if disturbed during their daytime sleeping hours, so try cleaning, feeding and handling in the late afternoon or evening. Be sure to clean out the hamster's bathroom space between weekly full-cage cleanings. Hamsters like to amass treasure chests of tidbits, so check for stockpiles of perishable food. Also clean the water bottle and sipper tube daily to prevent buildup of food, algae and bacteria; check to be sure it is working properly as well.

Dwarf hamsters often enjoy a dust bath a few times a week. The bathing dust/sand can be purchased online and at most pet supply stores. Put the dust or sand in a ceramic bowl in the exercise area instead of in cage. You can reuse the sand as long as it is clean and not soiled by urine, food, etc.

Change all the bedding weekly, disinfecting the tank and letting it dry before laying down fresh bedding and replacing the hamster's chewing, nesting and climbing toys. To remove a hamster to clean her tank, you can hold a small box near her and she will probably run right in. Before you pick her up, make sure you have clean hands that do not smell like food, otherwise she might mistake your finger for a treat. Make sure she is fully awake and aware of your presence. Scoop her up slowly and gently using both hands and always hold her over a surface such as a tabletop in case she manages to wriggle out of your hands.

Answer 6

http://www.petloversonline.co.uk/Hamster...

http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-Happy-Hams...

http://www.freewebs.com/pet-whizz/hamste...

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-out-a-Hamst...

http://www.essortment.com/all/howtotakec...

http://www.hamsterland.com/default.asp?c...

http://www.ehow.com/how_6041_care-hamste...

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/hamsters/...

hope i help

that help me

Answer 7

Do not get a hamster. It doesn't sound like your ready to care for an animal. If you were ready you would have been excited and studied up on it!

Answer 8

get a cage i prefer a aquarum an put hamster shavings in it get a food dish an water bottle feed an water them every day clean cage once a week or when they stink

Answer 9

okk.. ya u shouldnt get a hammy unless you're ready for one

here is what you need to do

make sure that he has lots of room to run around in his cage, a waterbottle that is at the exact height of his mouth, lots of things to do to keep him occupied like places to dig, hide and climb and a little place to sleep

he needs lots of different things to eat like regular hamster food in addition to vegetables and things of that nature but stay away from citrus fruits

some time out of his cage would help him be more social

but dont be alarmed if he runs and hides when you try to get him out of his cage

and i advise you do do more research

Answer 10

You can't get a pet when you know nothing about its care.  You should have everything ready before you get your hamster.  Go on the internet and look up hamster information.  It really isn't hard.  I have a hamster so let me fill you in.  Get a ten gallon aquarium with a screened top, of course.  An aquarium is cheaper than a cage and it is the easiest to clean.  Nutriphase hamster food is the best.  Make sure that fresh water is always available.  Put a wood chew in the cage for your hamster to chew on because their teeth are always growing and you don't want them to get too long.  Put a wheel in the cage.  My hamster loves hers.  Change the bedding and clean the cage once a week.  Aspen bedding is good and so is kiln-dried pine.  People say pine isn't good for rodents but I have always used it an my animals have never had a problem with it.  The best bedding is carefresh but it is more expensive than the wood shavings.  Hamsters are solitary animals so only keep one in a cage.  Hamsters are nocturnal which means that they will sleep from the morning until about dinner time and then they will be up all night.  I really enjoy my hamster.  I have a female fancy bear named Honey.  She is a sweetheart.  I have had her over a year and she has never bitten me.  You have to be very gentle at first.  For the first day just let your hamster be left alone.  Hamsters can be very temperamental and sometimes they will bite.  Just proceed very slowly.  Never startled your hamster.  When you open the cage just reach in slowly and pet your hamster gently and talk to it softly.  You have to earn it's trust.  Spend time with it every day.  It will really get to know you and love you.  Hamsters will let out a warning when they want you to back off.  They will tolerate being held for a few minutes but they don't love to be held.  Still, I really enjoy my hamster.  I love how she runs to the front of the tank when she knows that I am going to give her food and I love to watch her digging or going on her wheel.  Hamsters live about three years so it isn't a really long time but you will love having a hamster.  I hope that I was helpful.

Answer 11

Buy a book about them or do some online research and ask any questions at the pet store.

Answer 12

your not ready for a hamster....you need to do WEEKS of research before getting ANY animal....

Answer 13

i would suggest reading a book or somethign on the internet about them before you get the acuall hamster. yesterday i got one but i already know alot about hamsters.

hope this helps

Answer 14

you can buy a book about hamsters or an hamster book that already said what type of hamster your getting to be more easyier!