Hamster Accessories
Tips on Which Hamster Accessories You Need for Your Pet
Having hamster accessories is an important element of caring for a hamster, but there is a lot more to a hamster than simply buying accessories. If done correctly, taking care of a hamster is fairly easy, but you will need a cage of an appropriate size, as well as some other accessories to ensure that your new pet is healthy and happy.
If you live in an apartment or small house a hamster will make a great pet; a hamster is a little rodent that doesn’t require a lot of work, though it will take some effort to care for this animal. One of the most important things to keep in mind before you go off and buy a hamster and some hamster accessories for your child, at first the child will be enthused but they could lose interest and then the care of the animal will fall to you, the parent.
Before running out and buying a hamster it is probably a good idea to research some basic facts about this little animal. Most of the hamsters that you will see being kept as pets are what is known as Syrian hamsters, of this type of hamster there are three different subtypes; these include the golden hamster, short haired fancy hamster, and the long haired teddy bear hamster. No matter which of these three types of hamsters you get, they will need the same care.
With the proper care, hamsters will live for about two to three years. Hamsters are not very big animals and are perfect for holding in your hand, though the females do tend to grow larger than the males. If you are planning on breeding hamsters you should know that female hamsters could begin breeding when they are 6 to 10 weeks old. Males can start breeding when they are about 14 weeks old. If you do not intend to breed your hamsters you will want to keep the males and females in separate cages once they are old enough to begin breeding.
When a female hamster does become pregnant the gestation period is approximately two weeks and she will usually have a litter of about 5 to 10 babies. These babies can be weaned from the mother when they are 3 to 4 weeks old.
The most important of all hamster accessories is making sure that you have an adequate cage to keep your pet hamster. The cage should have a solid bottom and be escape proof. Although you can use a plastic or glass cage you will have to have at least one side of the cage with a screen so that the hamster will get enough air; this is why many people prefer to have the screen cages.
At the bottom of the cage you will need to place some bedding, this can be shredded paper, wood shavings, or cotton. To keep your hamster healthy and to avoid a bad odor developing you will want to clean the hamster’s cage at least once a week; use hot water and a non toxic disinfectant, making sure that you rinse and dry the cage completely before returning the hamster to it.
Some additional hamster accessories that are important to have for your pet include exercise wheels, nest boxes and tunnels. With these hamster accessories your pet will get plenty of exercise and feel right at home in his or her cage.
For hamster accessories you will want to make sure that you have a feeding dish and water dispenser; these will also need to be cleaned about once a week.
When handling your pet hamsters always do so carefully so that you do not scare them into biting, or becoming so frightened it puts them into shock and kills them.
With the proper care and the right hamster accessories your pet can bring you years of enjoyment.