What Hammies Like:
Food:
Hamsters are omnivorous, which means they eat both vegetables and meat. Their natural foods include grains, seeds, vegetables,
and insects, and they will like corn, oats, or wheat mixed with dry dog food. Premixed hamster food from a pet store has complete
nutrition, but some hamsters won't eat it.
Either feed the hamster at the same time each day or leave a constant food
supply. Hamsters will not overeat but will often store food in their cheek pouches and put it in a hiding place to eat later.
Remove food that is no longer fresh each day, and clean out the "hidden" food once a week. Put food in heavy ceramic or plastic
food dishes (so they won't tip over) and clean them weekly.
Bedding:
No cedar or pine!! Both contain oils called phenols that cause liver and kidney failure, a long term, slow process that
will shorten the animal’s life. Acceptable bedding include, shredded aspen, and CareFRESH™ (a paper product).
Gentle Touch™, a pelted aspen product, is very good at odor control. It can be used as a base for the bedding, followed
by a layer of bedding. Thin shredded aspen is very good nesting material that is easy to dig holes in that stay. When your
hamster is pregnant do not use fluff, which is easy to get stuck on, or have babies loose limbs. Use toilet paper as a nest
that will protect the babies
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Treat Tips: Try Fresh Fruits and Veggies
Water:
Water should be available at all times in a gravity fed water bottle. These are available at any pet store. A dish of water
will only get spilled or walked in, getting both hamster and bedding wet. Water bottle holders are also available that come
with chew guards and caps to prevent destroyed water bottles.
Toys:
In the wild, hamsters travel great distances in search of food, so lots of exercise is needed. Be sure to include a wheel
in their cage. Hamsters also like a house to hide or burrow in. These come in wood or plastic. Plastic is easier to clean,
and wood gives them something to chew on. Small cardboard boxes, toilet paper tubes, and paper towel rolls make excellent
toys as well. Hamsters also like tubes and tunnels. They enjoy mazes and Puzzles, and live the wheel's that roll on the floor.
Be creative, Hamsters are Mischievous animals, and each hamster is different, so you may find a hamster that likes to o things
you never thought a hamster did before!
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