Code of Hamster Care

The Commitment

Good hamster care begins before you ever get a hamster. A conscientious prospective owner will learn as much as possible about hamsters and their requirements ahead of time. This ensures that proper supplies will be in place when the hamster arrives. Learning in advance also permits the caretaker to make an informed choice about readiness to commit to answering a hamster's needs for the length of its entire life.

Housing

Housing must provide height enough for the animal to stand upright unimpeded and adequate floor space for nesting, exercise, feeding and elimination areas. The floor should be solid (nonwire) and covered with safe, clean bedding. Any wet bedding (from a leaky water supply) should be removed immediately. The cage should be cleaned regularly. Some form of exercise should be available during the hamster's waking hours. Syrian hamsters must be housed alone after the age of about six weeks.

Nutrition

The hamster should be provided with a continuously available supply of fresh commercial hamster mix or lab blocks supplemented regularly with small amounts of fruits and vegetables. Any homemade diets should equal or surpass the nutritional values of commercial feed. Clean water (bottle, tube or high-water fruit or vegetable) should be available at all times.

Personal Contact and Taming

A new hamster not given regular attention will be fearful and stressed. Taming will not only make for a better pet, but will also give the hamster a better quality of life. Older, tamed hamsters that are neglected can become apathetic much like caged zoo animals. It is our responsibility to provide each hamster with frequent contact, stimulation, and chances to explore.

Safety and Health

To protect a hamster from danger, the cage should be as escape-proof as is reasonably possible. When out of the cage for play, it should be supervised at all times. Syrian hamsters should not have contact with other hamsters even during supervised play. Within the cage, there should be no excessive heights from which a hamster could fall and no piece of equipment that is apt to cause injury. Fluffy bedding and wood shavings high in aromatic oils (such as cedar) should never be used. Wire wheels, if used at all, should have the rungs covered with tag board or an acceptable substitute. Nontoxic wood blocks or hard biscuits should be supplied for chewing. Regular physical inspection of each animal should be made to ensure its health by spotting any problems early.

Illness and Injury

It is unethical to ignore suffering in an animal under your care. Disease and injury should be addressed as soon as they are noticed in whatever manner is possible or appropriate. This may range from seeking professional attention to simply keeping the animal comfortable, depending on the owner's resources and the hamster's needs. Any new animal brought into the home or hamstery should have a 10-day quarantine away from other animals with proper hygiene observed.

This page is not meant to be a complete guide to hamster care, but rather an outline of an owner's basic responsibilities. Check the Links section for sources of more detailed information.