How to properly arrange a hamster cage, accessories and home decoration for Djungarian and Syrian pets

• home
• Housing

12.04.2018

Hamsters are easy-to-keep animals that do not require much care. Even children can look after them. The decision to acquire a shaggy pet is made with all responsibility, and the first priority is to find him a spacious and comfortable house.

How to set up a hamster cage

The hamster is a charming and unpretentious pet, the maintenance of which does not require much effort from the owner. A variety of colors and breeds allows you to purchase a fluffy dog ​​to suit your taste: Djungarian, Chinese, Syrian. Hamsters are ideal pets for people who spend a lot of time outside the home, as well as for children and teenagers. A child, caring for a little friend, will learn to be responsible, attentive, and caring. However, in order for an animal to be healthy, cheerful, active and make you happy, it needs to be provided with optimal conditions for a happy and long life. What is meant? First of all, a spacious and comfortable cage that will have everything you need. The requirements for “housing” for hamsters are quite modest; you can easily find everything you need in a pet store. You will need:

• house;
• Bowl;
• drinking bowl;
• mineral;
• toys for active recreation.

A happy, healthy hamster will be happy to sit on your palm, take treats from your hand, communicate with its owner and give a lot of positive emotions. Do you want to know how to choose and equip a cage correctly so that your pet likes it and fits into the interior?

Expansion of living space

A new addition to the hamster family is inevitable, so the question arises: how to choose a comfortable house for parents and their offspring? Modern pet stores have a wide selection of two-story and even three-story cages for hamsters.

But the owners can make a multi-level house with their own hands; to do this, it is enough to purchase metal gratings and secure them to the rods. As a result, the parents will move freely around both tiers while the cubs sleep sweetly in the nest below.

Fig. 1 – Newborn Djungarian hamsters in the nest

How to choose a cage for a hamster

hamster's cage The size should be chosen taking into account the breed of the pet. The Dzungarians can be kept in a small one, but the Syrians will need a larger home. The material matters too. Cages with wooden parts are not suitable for rodents in principle. The grille should be metal - only stainless steel, since zinc and copper can cause serious health problems if they enter the pet's body. It is best to purchase a cage with a food-grade plastic tray and a stainless steel grid coated with animal-safe paint. Plastic is a durable and neutral material; even if a hamster chews on the tray, it will not harm its health. Primary polypropylene does not contain chemical additives that are dangerous for pets. Stainless steel will withstand the teeth of even the most active hamster - it will not be able to gnaw through a rod, but it can easily sharpen its teeth. And at the same time, chew off the paint. Therefore, the dye must be on a neutral basis; powder paint applied under pressure has proven itself best. Other dyes may contain chemicals that are harmful to pets. They usually have a pungent odor, so pay attention to this point when purchasing. The cage door is located on the side or top. Immediately after purchase, you need to check how securely it closes so that the hamster cannot open it himself. At first, you need to keep an eye on your pet - among hamsters there are lovers of walks who manage to crawl through even a small gap between the door and the cage, and this can become a serious problem for the owners.

Popular goods

Nowadays, specialized pet stores sell all-inclusive mansions for rodents, which already have the necessary furniture. To the question “how much does a hamster cage cost?” It’s difficult to answer, since the price range is very wide.

We present you the most popular models:

• Zoomark. Two-story and three-story wire cages for hamsters. Their disadvantage is the lack of furniture. Some models have ladders. Advantage – low cost (from 500 rubles);
• IPTS "Alex". Spacious dwelling, equipped with a running wheel, drinking bowl and dining room. In such an “apartment” the Djungarian hamster will feel very at ease. Costs from 3000 rubles;
• Zolux Rody lounge solo. In addition to the drinking bowl, wheel and feeder, there is a small labyrinth with pipes and a balcony for swimming (it must be filled with dry sand or sawdust). You don’t have to be afraid that your pet will run away from the balcony; it is closed, equipped only with holes for air access. The owners will like the stylish design. Cost – from 2500 rubles.
• Ferplast. The company's products are varied, but owners prefer to buy the Ferplast “DUNA FUN” model for hamsters. It is two-story, large in size, contains cutlery, a wheel, a long labyrinth, and a shelter on the 2nd tier. Price from 5200 rubles.

Dunes for rodents are much less common on sale. This is a prefabricated plastic container with holes on the surface of the lid. Plastic cages for Syrian and Djungarian hamsters are sold with furniture and have two levels. The downside of the dunes in front of the lattice apartments is poor air circulation.

Selecting equipment and accessories for the cage

In the cage it is necessary to create conditions for a comfortable life for the hamster. First of all, install the feed container and drinking bowl. You should buy specialized food intended specifically for hamsters; it is not advisable to use mixtures for other rodents.

The brand name does not play a big role; you can choose an option depending on your capabilities and preferences. In any case, you can supplement your pet’s diet with treats and snacks if you feel like there aren’t enough goodies in the food. However, remember that an excess of high-calorie and high-carbohydrate foods is harmful to the health of the rodent. You can read information about the composition of the food on the packaging. If it is not there, it is not recommended to buy such food.

The food should be poured in the recommended amount - about 20 g - into a ceramic or plastic feeder. It should be stable and have a side no higher than three centimeters so that it is convenient for the pet to take food.

The most practical water containers are drinking bowls with a transparent wall and a metal drinking straw. It is easy for a rodent to use it, and it will not damage the drinker with its teeth, and it will be convenient for you to monitor the amount of water. The water should be changed to fresh daily, even if the hamster has not drunk the entire bottle. The bottle should always be clean; do not forget to wash it thoroughly in warm water without synthetic detergents.

A drinking bowl in the form of a bowl is less convenient, because in it the hamster can get its paws wet and catch a cold. Also, pieces of bedding and food get into the water, which quickly becomes dirty and unsuitable for drinking. In addition, the water bowl takes up a lot of space in the cage, and the area for walking and jogging is reduced.

A hamster definitely needs his own house - a cozy burrow, where he can rest comfortably, keep an “emergency supply”, and hide from bright daylight or excessive attention.

What kind of mink could it be? Made by the hamster himself from nesting material that will be under his paw: paper, hay, twigs. If there is building material, the rodent will follow its instincts and build its own house and storage room. The second option is a cardboard box with a door cutout. This is a cheap house that kids often make for their pets. Please note that the box does not contain metal parts that could injure the animal, or areas glued together with glue. Glue is an aggressive chemical that can poison a rodent if it chews on the house. And he will definitely do it!

The most practical and durable design, convenient for hamsters and owners, is a house made of plywood or plastic. Depending on the breed of the pet and the number of animals in the cage, you need to buy a more or less spacious house. But it will last a long time, looks aesthetically pleasing, and can be washed.

An important accessory in a hamster cage is a teeth grinding mineral. Rodents' teeth grow constantly. If they are not removed regularly, they can cause inconvenience and even serious illness. At the pet store you can buy monolithic chalk bars, both without additives and with treats, as well as mineral salt for rodents. The Masterzoo online store offers a large assortment of crayons and mineral stones - look at the image, size and choose an option to suit your taste and budget.

A toy for a hamster is not a whim or a decorative element in a cage, but a very important item designed to keep your pet in good physical shape. Indeed, in nature, a hamster travels about twelve kilometers in a day in search of food, and in a cage it is literally two steps to a bowl of food. Lack of activity and abundant nutrition causes obesity, problems with the heart, liver, and digestive organs. To avoid this, you need to take care of your hamster's active rest. A wheel, a roller coaster, a tunnel, or a running ball are perfect for jogging, in which the fluffy can ride both in the cage and outside it - on the floor.

You need to be careful when using the ball for walking outside the cage: make sure that other pets do not approach it, so that the ball with the animal is not in bright sunlight or near a heating device. The walk should not last more than 20–30 minutes, and then the animal needs to be provided with rest and plenty of clean, cool water to drink.

Also, for additional activity, you can offer your pet ladders, swings, horizontal bars, ropes, and cages suspended between tiers. Hamsters love to climb on them.

Determination of gender

How to determine the sex of a Syrian hamster? Finding out the gender of babies is almost impossible, so if you don’t trust the seller, choose an older animal. Sexual characteristics become clearly visible at the age of 2 months. Males have large testicles, which are easy to see if you lay him on his back.

Who is better to have: a boy or a girl? In general, everything depends on the individual preferences of the owner, since there are no special differences between the behavior of males and females. But many owners note that boy Syrian hamsters smell less and make contact with humans more easily than girls.

It is not recommended to keep several Syrian hamsters at home, regardless of their gender. These animals prefer solitude and do not live in families in the wild. Living together in the same cage will lead to frequent violent fights and constant struggle for territory.

Selection of bedding and nesting material

Cleanliness in the cage is the key to your hamster’s health and your comfort. To ensure that cleaning is not a difficult, time-consuming task, you need to choose bedding that will suit you and your pet as much as possible. Some owners put paper, cardboard, newspapers, and napkins on the bottom of the cage. This is not the best option both in terms of hygiene and safety for the animal. The paints and chemicals used to treat paper often cause pet poisoning. And if a hamster eats a napkin, it can result in serious digestive problems.

The best bedding options for a hamster are:

• wood granulate;
• sawdust;
• quality hay .

Wood granules make cleaning simple and easy, they absorb liquids and odors perfectly, but for small hamsters and babies it can be inconvenient - small paws will get stuck between the granules.

Sawdust is an excellent filler, from which a hamster can also make a bed for himself in the house. Sawdust does not injure the limbs, it is comfortable to run on it, it absorbs liquid well, but in fluffy hamsters, pieces of wood often get stuck in the fur, so you will have to regularly care for your pet’s fur coat.

Hay is used not only as food, but also as an environmentally friendly filler for the cage. However, you should choose only high-quality hay without straw and sticks, which can injure rodents’ limbs. Hay will also serve as excellent nesting material.

By the way, about the nest or bed. At the pet store you can buy special material for making a mink - flax fiber. This is an environmentally friendly, soft, pleasant material, safe for pets and perfectly retains heat, which is especially important in the cold season. If you want to buy it, contact the Masterzoo store.

Requirements

The main criteria when choosing a cage are its comfort and safety for your pet. In addition, the future home of a furry friend should be comfortable for its owner. The owner needs to select in advance the place where the new home will be located, and also select a product for a certain size, no less than the minimum recommended for a dzhungarik.

The materials from which the cage is made must not only be durable and strong, but also safe. Rodents taste everything they see, so the grill bars they try should not be harmful to the health of the animal.

Choose a cage that is easier to clean. It is more convenient to buy a product with a pallet. Be sure to check that the door closes well.

Djungarians are very curious creatures, prone to escape, and a weak locking device may not withstand its sharp teeth. Try to buy a home with built-in attributes in advance. This will be a more economical option, and in the future you won’t have to think about where and how best to install all the additional devices.

Article on the topic: House for a hamster: choice, arrangement, materials (photo)

Materials

Pet stores offer several options for hamster cages.

• Made of metal rods. A good ventilated home in which the rodent feels quite comfortable. The inconvenience is that the noise the hamster makes can be clearly heard through the bars, and dirt always forms around. Filler and debris easily penetrate through the bars. The grill itself should be made of high-quality solid metal.

Do not take products made of copper or aluminum - the animal gnaws everything, so it will quickly render such rods unusable.

• Plastic or glass aquarium. In such a closed home, the noise level is significantly reduced, and there is almost no garbage. In addition, this is the safest option for a home where there are cats - it is unlikely that a predator will get to the rodent, which is kept in an aquarium under a breathable mesh. However, the hamster himself will be uncomfortable in such a home, since it does not allow air to pass through well.

The inconvenience for the owner is that the aquarium is difficult to clean.

• Lattice cage with plastic tray. This is the most preferred option. This cage is easy to clean. If the home is two-level, and the “floor” of the second floor is made in the form of a lattice, then check whether the pet is injured by getting its paws or abdomen stuck between the bars. If the risk of injury is high, cover the second level with cardboard.

It is recommended to buy cages in which the second floor is made of plastic and reinforced with high quality. Try to avoid wooden elements in the cage, as wood absorbs unpleasant odors and also becomes a favorite material for grinding down the rodent's incisors.

Designs and sizes

The length of the cage for one dwarf hamster should be at least 50 cm. This is even longer than for a Syrian hamster. And although the Syrian is larger in size than the Djungarian, the miniature pet still has to run a greater distance per day, so it needs a more spacious cage. If the cage is purchased without additional equipment, then do not forget that the area will be reduced due to the established mandatory attributes.

Another important point when choosing a cage is the gap between the rods. It should be no more than 10 mm.

Give preference to a cage with horizontal bars - rodents like this shape more, and it is much easier to attach additional devices to a horizontal grid for a comfortable life for a rodent.

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If the distance between the rods is greater, the hamster will definitely try to escape. And even if the cage contains a fairly well-fed individual, this factor does not deprive it of its plasticity.

If you purchase a very spacious cage, then do not forget that cleaning the hamster is done quite often, and the large dimensions of the cage will significantly complicate this process.

However, if the owner keeps several hamsters at once and plans to breed them, then it is better to opt for a large cage. It is worth mentioning separately about the day of the dwelling. It can be with a retractable mechanism or high. A retractable bottom is much more convenient in terms of cleaning, but a cage with a high bottom is suitable for breeders, since the high sides will prevent curious little hamsters from falling out of the cage.

Tips for caring for your cage

Experienced breeders willingly shared with us some secrets that will make caring for a hamster simple and easy.

First of all, you don’t need to pour food too generously, especially for raw vegetables and fruits, as well as protein products. They quickly deteriorate, an unpleasant odor appears in the cage, and you will have to clean it more often. Not to mention the fact that spoiled food can poison your pet.

Don't throw away your hamster's supplies. The pantry is sacred for a pet. Not only his good mood, but also his well-being depends on its presence. If the owner constantly throws out NC, the hamster may become aggressive or, conversely, apathetic and refuse to communicate. The presence of a house and supplies in it is the key to the physical and mental health of the animal. You just need to make sure that there are no perishable products in your supplies.

The subject of particular concern for the owners is cleaning the toilet. Usually the hamster allocates a special area in the cage to relieve itself. To minimize the likelihood of an unpleasant odor, you can carefully remove this particular area of ​​the litter every 2-3 days and add new litter, and completely change it every 6-8 days.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in arranging a home for a furry pet. Take care of him, pay at least a little attention every day, and the hamster will invariably please you and give you a good mood.

Rules for arranging a home for a hamster

In nature, these animals live in burrows. So the domestic animal also needs an impromptu mink. He hides there and sleeps. Sometimes he can store food supplies in the house.

For large breeds of hamsters, carefully choose a cage so that the holes in it correspond to the size of the animal , otherwise it risks getting stuck in them.

Simple tips for creating a cozy place for your hamster inside the cage:

• Napkins or torn paper can serve as a house, from which the pet will make a nest for itself.
• Pieces of non-woolen fabric are placed in the house.
• You can buy ready-made nesting material for rodents.
• Periodically it is necessary to clean the hamster's house, and at the same time clear it of old food supplies.

Your pet feels more comfortable having a secluded place to retreat to..