10 Things You to Know About Keeping a Hamster as a Pet

A hamster might seem like the perfect pet for a small child, but this is not the case. They require careful, gentle handling, may bite, and don't generally feel safe in smaller hands.

Always make sure that your hamster's chow, whether block or kibble, is served in a bowl or dish of some sort. Hamsters may ingest their bedding otherwise, and this may cause serious health issues.

Hamsters don't like to eat leftovers. For optimum nutrition, keep you pet's feeding dish about three-quarters of the way full, and change her food out on a daily basis.

Supplementing your hamster's regular food with small pieces of fresh fruits and vegetables is a great way to help your pet enjoy her food while getting balanced nutrition. Make sure that fresh offerings do not exceed around twenty percent of her diet. Fruits and vegetables are not a complete a diet as hamster chow.

Depending on the type of cage you keep your hamster in, you will want to spot-clean her bedding (removing feces) on a weekly basis, changing her entire bedding once per month.

Hamsters groom themselves, and often do it more than once a day. There is no need to bathe, comb, or otherwise supplement your pet hamster's grooming practices.

It is a best practice to take a pet hamster to see your veterinarian once per year, regardless of her apparent health. Health concerns to watch out for include sores on her feet, blood in her urine, loss of appetite, loose stools, overgrown front teeth, bald patches in her fur, wheezing, and running nose.

Hamsters need daily exercise. If her cage is not equipped with a wheel for running, then consider getting her a hamster ball to run inside of. But no matter what you do, don't ever leave your hamster unattended while she's inside of a ball.

Timothy hay, orchard grass, brome hay, botanical hay, and oat hay all make excellent bedding options for hamsters.

A hamster without anything to keep its teeth occupied may choose to chew on her cage or enclosure. Pet stores offer special chewing toys and blocks made just for hamsters.