| Hamsters are loved as pets around the world by | | | | You should buy and prepare your hamster cage |
| young and old alike. Their cute antics and playful nature | | | | before heading out to get your hamster so that when |
| make them a popular choice for a family pet. The | | | | you return to your house his home is ready and |
| average hamster lives anywhere from one to three | | | | waiting for him. Be sure to get the essentials such as |
| years, so when considering a hamster as a pet for a | | | | bedding and nesting material, a food dish, a water |
| child it is important to keep this in mind. Coping with the | | | | bottle, and some toys. Having all of this prepared will |
| loss of a pet hamster can be a sad yet important life | | | | drastically reduce the stress on your hamster. |
| lesson for a young child, and in the meantime they can | | | | If you choose a wire cage for your hamster make |
| learn responsibility while they care for the daily needs | | | | sure that the distance between the wires is no more |
| of their pet hamster. | | | | than half a centimeter or else your hamster can |
| The two most common pet hamsters are the Syrian | | | | squeeze right through! |
| hamster and the Dwarf hamster. The Syrian hamster | | | | The location of your hamster cage is just as important |
| has been bred into many different types that go by | | | | as the type of cage you choose. Hamsters are |
| several different names: Teddy Bear hamster, Golden | | | | nocturnal creatures and so they sleep during the day. |
| hamster, and Fancy hamster to name a few. A fully | | | | They'll need some peace and quiet during daylight |
| grown Syrian hamster can reach about seven inches | | | | hours, so don't put their cage next to a blaring TV set! |
| in length, with the females being just a touch larger | | | | Hamsters are also very susceptible to temperature |
| than the males. The most important thing to remember | | | | changes, so keep them away from direct sunlight or |
| about Syrian hamsters is that they're extremely | | | | drafts. And even though they're in a cage, having a cat |
| territorial, so you must only ever have one Syrian | | | | or dog tormenting them all day long will lead to a very |
| hamster per cage. They will fight to the death if | | | | stressed-out hamster. If you already have other pets |
| housed with another Syrian hamster! | | | | please keep this in mind when deciding on a location |
| Dwarf hamsters are smaller, and most importantly, can | | | | for your hamster cage. |
| share a cage with other Dwarf hamsters without | | | | Hamsters are naturally quite clean creatures, but even |
| fights breaking out. Dwarf hamsters are a popular | | | | so you'll need to clean the cage about once a week. |
| choice as they tend to be quite tame and friendly as | | | | The hamster will need to be removed from the cage |
| long as you handle them correctly. | | | | while you do this, so it's a great opportunity for him to |
| When taking your hamster home it's important to | | | | get some playtime in a hamster ball. Throw away all |
| remember that hamsters are extremely susceptible to | | | | the old bedding material and replace it with fresh |
| stress, so you want to make the journey to their new | | | | material. Use a light disinfectant as any strong smells |
| home as pleasant as possible. A pet store will typically | | | | left behind by your cleaning will upset your hamster, |
| give you a small cardboard box to carry your hamster | | | | and make sure that the cage is completely dry before |
| home with, but if possible you should bring a larger | | | | you put the new bedding material back in the cage. |
| container filled with hay and some hamster food. | | | | |