How to take care of hamsters in daily life? Daily Routine, Seasonal Strategies, Travel Preparations, and Emergency Measures —— The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Keeping Hamsters (Part 5)

Daily Maintenance

Caring for hamsters is crucial every day. Whether it’s about keeping them healthy or managing hygiene, daily attention is essential. Key tasks include ‘cleaning dirty areas,’ ‘preparing food,’ ‘managing health,’ and ‘interacting with the hamster,’ all of which are important.

Tailoring Care to Personality

This section introduces an example of caring for hamsters, noting that the daily routine can vary depending on the individual and the method of care. For instance, if a hamster hasn’t learned to use a designated spot for toileting, the cage will be littered with urine; if a water bowl is used instead of a water bottle, it may need frequent changes. Consider the environment and your habits to adopt the most convenient care routine.

Additionally, if you already have hamsters at home and are welcoming a new one, prioritize the care of the existing hamsters first; if there are both sick and healthy hamsters, care for the healthy ones first to reduce the risk of infectious diseases.

Cleaning to ‘Adequate Cleanliness’

When cleaning the hamster’s living space daily, it’s important to note that ‘don’t clean too thoroughly.’ Hamsters become anxious if they can’t smell their own scent. Therefore, daily cleaning should focus on tidying up dirty areas to an adequate level of cleanliness.

Daily Maintenance Example

1. Clean Dining Utensils: Remove the food tray from the night before and check if it has been eaten.
2. Clean the Litter Box: Empty the soiled litter and replace it with new. Check for any abnormalities in feces and urine.
3. Provide Meals: Prepare food and place it in the living space. Observe the hamster’s reaction to confirm its appetite.
4. Change Water: Replace the water in the water bottle every day. Even if the water hasn’t decreased, it must be changed to fresh water every day.
5. Interact with the Hamster: Stroke the hamster’s body to check for health status. Also, observe for any abnormalities in movement.
6. Replace Part of the Litter: If the litter is soiled with excrement, discard that part and replace it with new.
7. Check the Nest Box: Some hamsters hide fresh vegetables or fruits in the nest box. Check for these items and discard them if found.

Regular Maintenance

Some time-consuming tasks and occasional clean-ups can be scheduled for weekends or the end of the month.

In addition to the examples mentioned, if toys like running wheels and nest boxes become dirty over time, remember to clean them regularly. Wooden products should be dried thoroughly, such as by sun exposure.

When cleaning the entire cage, as mentioned before, be careful not to completely eliminate the hamster’s scent. For example, you can separate the days for cleaning the entire cage from the days for cleaning the feeding utensils, cleaning only half at a time.

Regular Maintenance Example

1. Replace All Litter: Even if the hamster has learned to use the toilet, it will still defecate everywhere. Occasionally, replace all the litter. Once a week, or about twice a month.
2. Clean the Entire Cage: Clean the cage thoroughly. Make sure to scrub hard-to-reach areas with a toothbrush. It’s okay not to use cleaning agents, but if you do, make sure to rinse very thoroughly. Dry the cage before returning the hamster, preferably by airing it out. Do this once a month or so.

Comfort Living Tips

1. Teach Hamsters to Use the Toilet: Hamsters naturally have the habit of defecating in specific locations. Therefore, by placing a litter box, it is possible to train them to use it. Due to individual differences, some hamsters may never learn, but it’s still worth trying.
2. Toilet Training Example:
   1. Place the litter box in the desired toilet location (corner of the cage). Add litter.
   2. Place soiled bedding or toilet paper that has touched the hamster’s urine into the litter box (refer to the illustration).
   3. Since the smell of urine is emitted, the hamster will run into the litter box to urinate.
   4. If the hamster urinates elsewhere, use a pet-specific deodorizing disinfectant to carefully wipe it away to avoid leaving a scent.
   5. Repeat steps 2-4. If the hamster still only urinates elsewhere, move the litter box to that location.

Hamsters may never want to use the litter box no matter what. In such cases, it’s best to give up and not force the hamster or feel anxious.

Most children can learn!

3. Handling Odors: If you take good care every day, you probably won’t encounter unbearable odors, but if the hamster urinates elsewhere, there may still be some lingering smell or concern about the hamster’s body odor.

In such cases, using a deodorizing disinfectant during cleaning can help. Since hamsters may lick it, choose a pet-specific product and wipe it carefully clean.

Sometimes urine seeps into the nest box or runs into the gaps of the wheel. Depending on the individual, you may need to clean these types of feeding utensils more frequently.

The room where the hamster lives must be kept clean, and placing an air purifier is also a method.

Seasonal Care

Hot Weather Strategy

During summer, control the temperature with air conditioning. In extremely hot weather, if you don’t turn on the air conditioning, it will be difficult to keep hamsters in most areas. Anti-heat tools such as marble boards, aluminum plates, and ceramic nest boxes can be used inside the cage. Additionally, high humidity can easily lead to hygiene issues, so keep the area clean and recover uneaten fresh vegetables and fruits as soon as possible.

Using a wire cage instead of an aquarium-type cage in summer is also a good method.

Cold Weather Strategy

In winter, also control the temperature with air conditioning and use a pet heater as needed. When setting up a pet heater, don’t fill the entire cage; only warm part of the space. Let the hamster choose a comfortable spot by itself, which is the best approach. There are various types of pet heaters that can be placed under the cage, inside the cage, on the side, or on the ceiling, so choose a product that is convenient to use.

Conversely, aquarium-type cages are warmer in winter, so it’s also worth considering changing to an aquarium-type cage in winter.

Spring and Autumn Strategy

In spring, when you think it’s warming up, it can suddenly get cold again; in autumn, when you think it’s getting cooler, it can return to hot or drop sharply. During these periods, temperature differences are particularly drastic. For example, if you don’t leave the air conditioning on for the hamster when you go out, it may become very hot during the day. In this sense, spring and autumn actually require more attention to temperature control than summer and winter.

Prepare a pet heater to use immediately when the temperature drops sharply. Before going out, make sure to check the weather forecast and take appropriate temperature measures to prevent accidents caused by temperature changes.

Seasonal Care Checklist

The following are seasonal care strategies that must be noted throughout the year:

1. Carefully maintain an environment below 25°C in summer and above 20°C in winter.
2. Try to place a thermometer near the hamster’s location to control the temperature.
3. Be careful not to let the cold air from the air conditioner blow directly at the hamster.
4. Observe carefully whether the temperature control is appropriate through appetite and mental state.

Hamster Watching at Home

When family members go out to work or school, the hamster must watch the house alone. As long as daily care management is implemented, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. However, as mentioned earlier, during periods of large daily temperature differences such as spring and autumn, use the timer function to turn on the air conditioning; in winter, prepare a large amount of nesting material and pay more attention to temperature control.

As long as you can feed the hamster once in the evening, it’s okay, but if you have to stay late due to unexpected overtime, you must take corresponding measures, such as preparing food and water in the morning. Sharing information with family members living together is also very important.

Long-Term Watching Tips

If you need to leave the hamster alone for more than 1-2 nights due to travel, returning home, business trips, etc., it’s okay for the hamster to stay alone at home alone. However, this has a prerequisite: the hamster must be healthy. When you have to leave older or sick hamsters alone for a long time, or even if they are healthy but the duration of being left alone is long, you must think of other ways, such as asking someone to come over to take care of them, or taking them to other places for foster care, etc.

When leaving the hamster alone at home, control the temperature with air conditioning, and it’s safer to set up 2 water bottles to prevent water from running out or bottles from falling.

Long-Term Watching Points to Note

1. Coordinate with seasonal changes and make sure to control the temperature with air conditioning.
2. Provide drinking water through a water bottle. Setting up 2 bottles will be more reassuring and can prevent water from running out or bottles from falling.
3. Prepare a little more food. Even if you usually feed fresh vegetables and fruits, reduce the amount during the watching period to avoid eating spoiled leftover food by the hamster.

Taking Hamsters Out

Taking hamsters out includes situations such as going to the vet or returning home. Especially when the hamster’s condition is poor and must be taken to the vet for treatment, it is even more important to avoid causing physical strain.

1. Use a Travel Cage: Place the hamster in a travel cage and take good care of it. In summer, avoid being too hot; in winter, avoid being too cold.
2. Summer Preparation: When it’s hot, you can place cooling packs near the cage. Inside the travel cage, also lay thick bedding so that the hamster can hide inside to keep warm when it’s too cold. To replenish moisture, remember to put some shredded cabbage or other vegetables. Some types of travel cages can be equipped with water bottles, but please pay attention to avoid splashing water due to shaking.
3. Winter Preparation: Adhesive disposable heat packs are very convenient. Make sure to stick them on the outside of the cage. Only stick them on one side so that the hamster can escape to the other side when it feels too hot. However, disposable heat packs use oxygen to generate heat, so for safety, it’s best not to wrap the cage and heat pack together with fabric. Just cover the top of the cage with the fabric.
4. Travel Time: Avoid midday in summer and early morning/evening in winter, and choose a more comfortable time slot.
5. Driving: Regardless of how short the time is, avoid leaving the travel cage with the hamster in the car. Even in spring, when the sun is strong, the temperature inside the car can rise rapidly beyond what the hamster can tolerate.

Hamster Disaster Preparedness Strategy

When major disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons occur, only the owner can protect the hamster. Disaster preparedness should start from daily preparation.

1. Check Placement of Cage: Confirm whether the cage will be hit by falling furniture or items. Depending on the placement, there is a concern that the cage may fall.
2. Simulate Emergency Response: Confirm where the evacuation shelter is and whether pets can accompany you. Whether you can enter the evacuation shelter with your pet varies depending on the shelter. Currently, the Japanese government promotes ‘companion evacuation’ with pets, but this does not guarantee that you can always enter the shelter with your pet.
3. Stock Up on Consumables and Disaster Supplies: In the event of a major disaster, the circulation of goods may be interrupted or significantly delayed. Stock up on enough consumables from the usual. Especially pellet food, some hamsters won’t eat if the brand is changed, so it’s safer to buy about 1 extra bag.
4. Prepare Disaster Supplies for Hamsters: In the event of an accident, bring along the necessary disaster supplies for hamsters, including the travel cage. Also, regularly replace the pellet food and treats with new ones.