Below is a detailed guide to hamster care, covering living habits, housing requirements, diet management, health care, and interaction tips:
1. Living Habits
Nocturnal Nature
Hamsters are typical "night owls." They sleep most of the day (in deep sleep, hard to wake) and are most active from dusk to dawn, engaging in foraging, exercising, and playing.
Note: Avoid frequent disturbances during the day. Keep the environment quiet when they’re active at night to prevent stress or aggressive behavior from startling.
Solitary and Territorial Instincts
Syrian hamsters (Golden Hamsters): Strictly solitary. Housing adult Syrians together will result in fights until severe injury or death.
Dwarf hamsters (Campbell’s, Winter White, Roborovski, Chinese): They live in groups in the wild, but cohabitation in captivity is extremely risky. Limited space and resources often trigger conflicts.
Territorial marking: Hamsters mark their territory with urine, feces, and gland secretions. When changing bedding, retain some old bedding to maintain familiar scents.
Burrowing and Digging Instincts
Wild hamsters dig complex burrow systems. In captivity, provide at least 15cm of bedding (20cm+ recommended) to satisfy their digging needs.
Bedding choices: Dust-free aspen shavings, paper-based bedding, or paper pellets. Avoid pine/cedar shavings—their volatile compounds are harmful to respiratory health.
Food Hoarding Habit
Hamsters store food in their cheek pouches and transport it to their nests. You don’t need to empty the food bowl daily, but check the nest every 1-2 weeks to remove moldy or spoiled food.
Avoid overfeeding: Prevent nutritional imbalance or obesity from picky eating.
2. Housing Environment
Cage Requirements
Dwarf hamsters: Minimum floor space of 0.25㎡ (e.g., 50cm×50cm), larger is better.
Syrian hamsters: Minimum 0.4㎡ (e.g., 60cm×40cm).
Cage Types
Wire cages: Good ventilation, but bedding is easily kicked out; extra insulation is needed in winter.
Acrylic/glass tanks: Clear visibility, bedding stays inside, and excellent insulation. Ensure sufficient ventilation holes on the top or sides.
Essential Supplies
Hideout: Ceramic caves (cool in summer), wooden huts (natural for chewing), or coconut shell houses—provide a sense of security.
Water bottle: Use a ball-bearing or vacuum bottle with boiled and cooled water or purified water. Avoid water bowls to prevent bedding from getting wet.
Food bowl: Stable, non-tippable, and easy to clean (ceramic, glass, or heavy plastic).
Exercise wheel:
Dwarf hamsters: Minimum diameter of 20cm.
Syrian hamsters: Minimum 28cm (30cm+ recommended).
Avoid: Wheels with grates/bars (risk of paw entrapment) or noisy wheels (disrupt sleep).
Environment Control
Temperature: Optimal range is 20-28℃. Avoid extreme heat (>30℃, risk of heatstroke) and cold (<15℃, risk of torpor).
Placement: Keep in a quiet, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight, air conditioner vents, radiators, kitchen fumes, and noisy electronics.
Cleaning: Wash the food bowl and water bottle daily. Perform a full cage clean every 1-2 weeks (retain 1/3-1/2 of old bedding and nesting material to reduce stress).
3. Diet Management
Staple Food Choices
Pelleted food: Nutritionally balanced, prevents picky eating.
Mixed seed/grain food: More natural, but monitor for selective feeding (hamsters may only eat favorite items).
Avoid: Low-quality unbranded food, or processed human snacks high in sugar, salt, or oil.
Supplements and Treats
Fresh fruits/vegetables: Offer small amounts (e.g., broccoli, carrots, apples, cucumbers). Avoid toxic foods like onions, garlic, chives, citrus, grapes/raisins, and raw potatoes.
Protein sources: Cooked egg whites, unsalted/unsweetened nuts (sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds—small portions, only sweet almonds), and mealworms/superworms (in moderation).
Avoid: Excessive high-fat, high-sugar treats (lead to obesity and illness).
Feeding Principles
Portion control: Follow the recommended amount on the food package (usually ~10% of the hamster’s body weight) and feed at a fixed time daily.
Fresh supplements: Remove uneaten fruits/vegetables the same day to prevent spoilage.
Fresh water: Replace with clean water daily.
4. Health Care
Teeth Grinding Needs
Hamsters’ incisors grow continuously. Provide safe chewing items: apple sticks, bamboo chews, mineral blocks/salt licks, or safe wooden toys.
Avoid: High-sugar "chew sticks," plastic toys (risk of ingesting fragments), or untested branches.
Bathing Method
Hamsters cannot be bathed in water. Provide specialized bath sand (fine-grain) and a bath container (ceramic/glass, deep enough to minimize sand spillage).
Avoid: Water baths, cat litter, chinchilla sand (too coarse), or scented bath sand.
Common Disease Prevention
Skin conditions: Keep the environment dry and clean; change bedding regularly.
Wet tail: Avoid overfeeding watery or cold foods; maintain food hygiene.
Overgrown teeth: Provide adequate chewing items and check tooth length periodically.
5. Interaction and Handling
Acclimation Period
New hamsters need 3-7 days to adjust to their environment. Avoid disturbance except for refilling water and food.
Building Trust
After acclimation, offer treats from your palm (don’t chase or pinch with fingers) to help the hamster familiarize itself with your scent.
Speak softly to it and gradually attempt gentle handling—cup from the sides, never grab the tail or reach down suddenly from above.
Interaction Principles
Respect boundaries: Never disturb a sleeping hamster or a pregnant/nursing mother.
Read body language: Stop interacting if the hamster shows signs of stress (squeaking, hiding, freezing, rearing up, or hissing).
Time limits: Keep interactions short (10-20 minutes) and choose evening/night when the hamster is awake and active.