As we said at the very beginning you must be committed to providing the very best for your hamster. It is amazing how many people dont think its necessary to interact with their hamsters once they bring them home. But it is, and it is something you need to consider BEFORE you buy your pet. Lets see what hamsters need.

HOUSING
In the wild hamsters live in deserts or barren places, and spend the majority of time foraging for food. They are used to being in large, open spaces so need good, secure, but roomy housing. There are many types of cages and runs available at your local pet shop. Be aware that many of the cages that are sold as hamster cages are really much too small and should be avoided.

Hamsters can be housed in a wire cage with a plastic base, a plastic hamster home or an adapted aquarium (vivarium) with a well-ventilated cover. Wooden cages should not be used as hamsters can chew their way out! The most important thing to remember is that a hamster home can never be too big they love to explore and exercise. Multi-level cages are a good idea as they add interest to the hamsters environment but be careful with plastic tubes as the larger Syrian hamsters may get stuck. The hamster home must always have a place for your hamster to rest and hide, and another area for play, exercise and feeding.

Hamsters must always be kept indoors and careful thought should be given to where your hamsters home is situated. The temperature in the room should be constant, away from direct sunlight and draufts, away from constant noise (ie: a freezer). Because they have sensitive hearing they should never be placed near a television, CD player, stereo, etc.

Ensure your hamsters cage has lots of room for them to exercise. It is best to buy your cage and equipment before you purchase your hamster so that your hamster can be placed straight into its cage on arrival home, keeping stress to a minimum.

Cage Hygiene
Cages should be cleaned out on a regular basis. This is especially important in warmer weather in order to prevent flies being attracted to the cage, as this may result in an infestation of maggots. In the wetter months, bedding can become damp and moldy from extreme weather. Did you know that hamsters can catch nasty diseases from dirty cages? So make sure you pay lots of attention to keeping your hamsters cage clean and hygienic. Here are some tips to help you:

EVEREY DAY
* Remove any soiled bedding

ONCE A WEEK
* Remove all old bedding. Thoroughly sweep out all the cage.
* Rinse with warm water and mild detergent and wait until dry.
* Spray inside of cage with a hamster safe disinfectant/deoderant and wait until dry.
* Replace with clean bedding.

BEDDING MATERIAL
Keeping your hamster warm and cozy at night is very important. You also need bedding that is absorbent which makes cleaning easier for you. Do not use bedding that is synthetic as this could harm your hamster if he ate it and might block his cheek pouches, stomach or gut.

It is also recommended that all bedding should have been dust-extracted as this reduces irritation to the eyes, nose and respiratory system.


Carefresh - Supreme Science
This is a top of the line bedding made from virgin wood pulp fibers. A great alternative to traditional bedding. It is more absorbent than wood shavings and really helps eliminate pet odors. It is an environmentally friendly product, contains no inks or dyes, is dust free, hypo-allergenic and is, therefore, particularly suitable if your hamster. Carefresh is both safe and hygenic, has been heat treated to inhibit bacterial and fungal growth. It absorbs up to 3 times its weight in liquid and lasts up to twice as long as traditional bedding. It is also environmentally friendly as no trees were cut down to make it.



EXERCISE
It is extremely important that your hamster has the opportunity to exercise every day. Your hamster will also benifit from some fresh air, daylight and grass. Exercise is essential to:

• maintain high levels of fitness
• maintain mental well-being
• increase cardiovascular fitness
• control weight levels
• maintain joint mobility
• maintain muscle tone

Your hamster will love running around and playing with his toys! If you want to provide a wheel for your hamster to play in, it MUST be big enough so that the hamster does not have to bend his back when he is inside, and must have a solid floor rather than rungs as these can cause injuries to the feet.. Although hamsters sleep during the day, they are really energetic and will exercise for 3-4 hours a night. Place the wheel in the cage for a few hours only, to avoid over-exercising. Hamsters love climbing, so hang some sisal rope so they can climb (and gnaw on) it.

Make an exercise yard for them using a large cardboard box with bedding on the bottom. Drop in toilet roll or kitchen roll tubes to run through and wood to gnaw on. Always keep an eye on your hamster whilst he is in the exercise yard make sure they are supervised or they may escape.

Hamsters are naturally very active and inquisitive animals. They like to keep themselves busy and, when allowed, spend the majority of their time running around and investigating their surroundings.

Their natural instincts are to forage and explore. Mealtime is always over too quickly and this could mean that your hamster will get bored. It only takes a few items to create an exciting environment for them to be in.

• Hamsters like to look under, hide in, or climb on to empty cardboard boxes, baskets or plastic flowerpots. Small pots and plastic pipes make great hiding places and excellent tunnels. Change the items around occasionally to provide added interest for your hamster.
• Piles of twigs (natural wood willow, beech, hazel or apple) make platforms for them to explore or rest under. Hamsters will chew the wood and this will help keep their teeth trim!
• Feeding time for a domestic animal is often over in minutes whereas, in the wild, feeding takes most of the night as they forage for their favorite foods. By hiding food and the occasional treat under cardboard boxes, in empty plant or yoghurt pots, or in different areas of the animals cage, your hamster will be forced to hunt for his food this will keep him occupied for many happy hours and prevent boredom.

HANDLING YOUR HAMSTER
To ensure that your hamster becomes tame and affectionate it is important that you handle it frequently and correctly. Picking up a hamster incorrectly could lead to your hamster being permanently frightened and may lead to it becoming aggressive.

Hamsters can often be a little nippy, and this is for a number of reasons:

• Hamsters are nocturnal creatures and like to sleep for the majority of daylight hours. A hamster awakened from the depths of sleep too quickly may become a little grouchy just as we would under the same circumstances.
They are also very small prey animals and any handling in the wild would be due to being captured by a predator. Your hand represents a large claw and can be threatening and stressful to the animals. The majority of hamsters will tolerate being handled, rather than enjoy it.

It is important to handle your hamster correctly from an early age. Any rough or incorrect handling can lead to fear later on resulting in aggression the animals response to fear. Handling your hamster will help build their confidence in you, and make them more sociable. You need to ensure that they associate handling with something pleasurable for them.

Before attempting handling, make sure that your hamster is awake and alert. Try not to wake your hamster suddenly if he is asleep. It is a good idea to wash your hands before interacting with your hamster. Especially if you have been eating recently. Hamsters have poor eyesight and rely heavily on smell. If your finger smells like a treat you may get a nip as the hamster tries to figure out what it is.

Always approach him slowly and gently. Place a closed fist in front of your pet, and allow him to approach and sniff. If your hamster is confident and appears interested, slowly unclench your fist and offer your palm. He may well crawl on to your hand or you can gently scoop him up. Cup him in the palms of your two hands to ensure that he is safe and wont be dropped. Lift him up slowly as picking him up too quickly would be the equivalent of going up the Empire State Building in 3 seconds! To ensure he is safe at all times you should hold them over your lap or close to your chest.

If he wriggles during handling he may fall and their skeletons are so small and delicate that they are likely to be injured. This is also true of rough handling never squeeze or tighten your grip around the hamster during handling. Small children often do not realize how hard they are squeezing.

Never scruff a hamster to pick him up as it can put immense pressure on the head region and possible result in a prolapsed eye.

If your hamster is difficult to catch or aggressive, a simple solution is to use a cup or mug and gently usher him in. Place him in a container if he tends to wriggle during transportation. If he is prone to nipping you can use a soft toothbrush to stroke him gently prior to handling. Initially he may bite the toothbrush but continue stroking. He will soon understand that, even if he bites, the stroking will continue and that it doesnt hurt him in any case. Continue with this until he no longer bites the brush and, when ready replace the brush with your finger. This whole process may take a few weeks, but will be worth it for both of you in the end.

Grooming and health checks
Hamster do not require washing and dont generally require grooming (except long-haired breeds), but if some bedding gets trapped in the coat, a special hamster brush, or an old soft toothbrush, will be ideal to remove this. They will love the occasional dust bath. Place some of Supremes Charlie Sand in a shallow dish and allow them to bathe.

While handling your hamster every day, it is important to check their eyes, ears, nose and under the tail for any discharge, sore areas, scabs, soiling, etc. Also check that his coat is clean and shiny and there are not any lumps or bumps, and that his teeth and nails arent too long.

COMPANIONSHIP
We touched briefly on pairing hamsters at the beginning, but it needs explaining in more detail. Hamsters in the wild live in large colonies with a well-structured hierarchy. Syrian or Golden Hamsters must be kept alone, but the dwarf varieties are happy in a pair or a group.

If you are intending to have more than one hamster (dwarf breeds only), you must have a cage which is large enough. It is best to acquire littermates in order to avoid fighting. Female pairs or groups will be fine. Males will live happily together but may become agitated if in the vicinity of females. Females and males will be happy together but will result in litters. You should never breed from related individuals.

Veterinary treatment
A hamster is inexpensive to buy, but you must be prepared to pay for veterinary treatment if he becomes ill. (See the next section called Is my Hamster healthy? for more details on signs of illness and behavior.)

Gestation and lactation
If you do decide to breed from your female hamster, you will need to give her twice as much food as normal while she is pregnant, as the demand for nutrients during this time is much greater. Once she has had the litter she will need three times as much food as normal while she is lactating (feeding her babies herself). Do not be tempted to touch the pups for the first week as the mother hamster may reject them.

Older Hamsters
When Hamsters reach the senior stage of life, it is equally important to consider changes in their environment and diet. Older animals tend to be less active and will have lower energy requirements. They may begin to put on weight, so reduce their food intake to prevent obesity. Encourage them to exercise daily to maintain as high a level of fitness as possible. This will also help them fight off disease.

Diabetes is also common in dwarf hamsters so seek expert advice on changes to their diet. Hamsters can also develop cataracts (this is often linked to diabetes). This is not a problem, but it is advisable not to move things around in their cage so that they become fully familiar with their surroundings. Hamsters with cataracts may also nip your fingers because they are unable to see your hand clearly, so let them sniff your hand first.

Check them daily for signs of illness or disease and you should help your hamster have a long and healthy life.

VACATIONS
If you want to go on vacation, you must ensure that someone is happy to look after your pet properly while you are away, or you must be prepared to pay for them to be boarded at an appropriate facility.