How should I clean my hamster's cage?
I found this advise on the internet, its better then using soapy water or bleach water. We personally use hot soapy water with a small amount of bleach, especially if transferring another small animal into it. This below is a great way and saves time also. Just the advise we need to clean 20 cages quickly. "Once all this has been established your cage will and should be changed at least once a week,heres a simple but effective way to do just that. Step 1, Remove the hamster or hamsters in the cage into a safe place like a spare cage or travel cage or a hamster ball so they will be out of any harms way while you deal with their housing.. Step 2, Remove any chew toys like sticks, food dishes, food bottles, habitats inside the cage such as hamster cuddle spots or pods, or activity type toys and clean them off as well,check for splinters as they do love to chew these things. Step 3, Use a Vacuum cleaner with a good suction and turn it on suck all the debris and used bedding into the bag. Step 4 Remove any tubes or excessive wheels and using a Clorox brand or Lysol brand cloth disposable wipe, wipe all tubes, plastic parts, wheels, dishes outside of cage inside of cage this will kill almost any bacteria and wont hurt your pets since it drys faster than most harsh cleaners Step 5 Refill the cage with fresh fluff, food/water toys and cuddle pods can also be cleaned off and put back into the cage Dont use any cleaners on the inside of the water bottle just rinse them with clean warm/hot water Step 6 Return the hamster to the cage, he/she will sniff about and still note their smell but its fresh and clean than with out changing was Step 7 Toss the vacuum bag in the trash You are done takes about 10 minutes when done in order and your hands can be covered in playtex style rubber gloves if desired and you dont have to touch thr dirty stinky stuff with your hands. I hope this helps someone who is afraid to have this type of pet because with this method its very simple to follow and a child can do it also."
I heard that hamster cages can get maggots if not cleaned what are the signs.?
You have the right idea, clean the cage twice a week although they generally do not soil their bedding which needn't be changed so regularly. You would see the maggots as little white grubs that are not harmful to hamsters or humans but and are actually beneficial in recycling putrid waste and dead tissue. they eventually pupate and hatch into flies which can be annoying and spread germs. Enjoy you clean little Teddy Bear Hamster.
How often do you have to clean a hamster cage?
You have to spot clean everyday. Spot cleaning means you clean out the poo from the cage. How often you clean the cage (empty out all the bedding & wash the cage) depends on how many hamsters you have. I normally clean out my hamsters' cage once a week.
Help! 3 hamsters died in 1 month, could it be the cage?
We have used the bag of pine bedding for hamsters and small animals (for pet store) I clean their cage about every 5 days and in between the deaths and new one comming home. My sons is fine and thriving his gets handled alot more because we have had it longer and he seems to like us. My daughters all 3 a day before dieing I have noticed a wet tail on them (after 3 you start to notice things more and put 2 and 2 together) But she is not into handleing them but watching. I think I am the only one to handle hers and I always let them climb onto my open palm if they want to or into their ball if I need to clean their cage. Maybe is could be stress??? I just wanted to make sure it wasn't the cage we bought it from the store right before buying the hamsters. My sons has the same bedding, food, and enviroment, and people around. But all of the ones we have put in her cage has died after a week. (I have had a cold but wash my hands before and after handleing them) ????
Can Male hamsters die after mating?
No, a male hamster does not die after he mates as part of the hamster plan of life. Was he injured when mating and did he have lesions? It is more likely that he had a medical problem that was not identified and it took his life unnoticed. I am sorry to hear of his loss but hopefully you will have babies soon that will carry a part of him to remember/ Hamster become sexually mature as early as 4-5 weeks old but this is way too young to start breeding and can lead to complications. The best age to breed a female is from 4 months old. A female Syrian will go into heat every four days. This fourth day is the day when you should attempt to mate. When the time is right place the female in the males cage or create a neutral area for them to mate. Never place the male into the females cage. When placed together they should begin to sniff each other and the male will mount the female. Once they've finished separate them in their cages. If the female isn't ready she will attack the male, separate immediately and try again the next night. In dwarfs it is a little different the male and female can stay together until the birth if you wish as long as they get along well.
Should I release my hamster to nature? My hamster is trying to "break jail" every night. I wonder if it is eager to be free. Will it be happier living in the wild?
If by "the wild" you mean inside your home, then by all means go ahead.He will love living under your fridge. Ours did, when he escaped. Make sure and leave out some food and water and he'll be happy as a clam. Oh, but he'll need a mate. The two of them will be happy under your fridge or they may decide to move into larger quarters behind the dishwasher when the kids arrive. They'll die eventually, probably from chewing on power cords or falling into the toilet. I don't know how ours did it, but he somehow found a way. (We found him before it was Too Late.) Some of their offspring should survive though, and continue to entertain you by climbing into your sock drawer and chewing up your socks to make a nest.In the outdoors, they will soon get cold and wet, and they won't know how to find food or evade predators, so that is not safe for them. They won't be happy at all.I think what your hamster really wants is some exercise. First, he needs a running wheel in his cage. This is an absolute necessity. Hamsters love to run and explore, that's why they love escaping. In measured wheels, they have been recorded traveling as far as four miles in one night! That doesn't mean they want to be fed to the neighborhood cats and owls in the great outdoors.We let ours out for a run every night, indoors of course. We taught them to come when we called. (They were all very tame to handle, so they were not scared of us.) I call a hamster by scratching and making scuttling sounds with my fingers on the floor. They are so curious about that noise that they always come to see if it might be another hamster. Then I just scoop them up. Sometimes they would fall asleep in certain favourite places, like my shoe cupboard. We got to know where to look for them. Don't ever feed them outside their cage (except as bait). If they can't find any food during their outings they are usually happy to find a treat back in their cage when they return.For the more skittish ones, another way to catch them is to put a small dark box on the floor. We used a tea cannister. Dark holes are irresistible to hamsters, they just can't help themselves, but must go in and take a look. Worked every time. We had full-sized hamsters, not the mini Russian ones. The mini ones are much harder to tame and catch, but I think the same techniques might work.
Why do my Hamsters keep dying?
what are you feeding them?? it could be something in the food, they are not big cheese eaters... try yogurt treats, also try different varieties of foods. If that doesn't work, try rats, they seem to love to eat just about anything.
My first hamster tips anyone?
I'm sure you already informed yourself on the most important things: Living space, diet, care etc. for your hamster. So I am going to give you some real life advice. I have had three hamsters :) 1. Hamster balls and wheels can both be bad for your hamster if they are too small for them. They tend to bend their backs running in them, which, over time can cause damage to their back and hips. So make sure to get a wheel that is big enough! My current hamster grew a lot after I got her and I had to get her a rat-sized wheel. Now she is happily running in it without having to bend her back. 2. Make sure your hamster has food and water at all times and keep the temperature in the room he or she will live in regulated. Also, make sure it's quiet during the day, so that they can sleep! But the temperature is really important, because hamsters can easily die from getting too cold. 3. I would advise you not to get the plastic tube cages you see everywhere. Most of the time these cages are waaay too small. These animals are used to gather their food at night and they can run for miles doing that. No, a wheel is not good enough! They need space! Aquariums or Terrariums are the best choice in my opinion. They are a bit harder to clean, but here your hamster can dig as well! tThey love that. 4. Give them a time to run and explore! Take your hammy out at least an hour each night and play and bond with him or her. Also, make their cage interesting. You don't need a food dish, just hide the food and put it all over the cage. They love to run around and gather it in their cheeks! Like this: http://www.dkimages.com/discover/preview... haha Other than that, have fun with your new pet. Oh, and always wash your hands before playing with them! If you have just eaten, they might mistake your yummy-smelling fingers as food and bite you by accident. But if you take your time with them, they can become wonderful little companions! Have fun, I hope I helped :)