There are many varieties of hamsters, however, the traditional short and long hair are the most common pets. Hamsters are nocturnal, meaning that they are active mainly at night. It is not a good idea to wake sleeping hamsters as they may give your hand a nip! Also, hamsters are solitary animals and should be kept alone as adults. Hamsters are clean, odorless, and entertaining pets, but it is important to remember that they should only be handled in the evening when they are active. Hamsters have large cheek pouches that they use to transport food from one place to another.
Feeding:
Any high quality hamster food is recommended. As with all animals, clean, fresh water should be available
at all times. While green vegetables such as dark green lettuce and sprouts are a welcome addition to their diet, they should be served sparingly because they have a high moisture content. Recommended treats include small pieces of apples and carrots. Fresh food that is served and not eaten within 24 hours should be removed from the cage as it will spoil. You can also add small amounts of plain oats (oatmeal) to their food, this is a supplement that adds needed fiber and a treat for the hamsters.
Housing:
All hamsters should be housed seperately, unless you have dwarf hamsters. If the have been together since a young age, they can live together in same sex pairs. Cages should never be placed in direct sunlight or in a drafty area. All cages should have hiding places and wheels. Hamsters' wheels should not have the metal bars, as they could injure themselves if their leg gets caught between the bars. The picture at the top of the page shows 2 good examples of safe hamster wheels. They DO need exercise. Below is a list of good cages to use.
*Habitrail
*S.A.M
*Crttertrail (1, 2, or 3)
* Aquariums (w/ screen cover)
*Wire cages (NOTE: never use a cage with wire bottoms, hamsters can get their feet caught. Also, make sure they can't squeeze through bars.)
Out of all the cages to choose from, I personally prefer aqauriums and(or) wire cages. They have more air ventilation and you can rearrange the hamster's toys and "furniture" however your heart desires. In other cages, like SAM, Crittertrail, etc, you are stuck with the amount of space you have, and can't really move much arround. Also, hamsters can't escape from wire cages or aquariums as easily. If your ham is in a wire cage and you are scared that your he is going to kick bedding all over your floor, you can set the cage on an empty box(the kind that sodas sometimes come in)or you can buy a cage that has high sides/litterguards.Also, if you want toobes for an aquarium, SAM makes special aquarium covers that you can attach toobs to. For pictures and descriptions of cages, click the link.
Good cages
Bedding: You should use CareFresh and/or Aspen bedding. NEVER use ceder or pine! They can have harmful chemicals that can make your hamster sick.
Health:
A healthy hamster should have a well rounded body, bright eyes, and a blunt nose. Ears should be set well apart and be uncreased or upright when the animal is fully awake. The coat should be even with no bare patches. Baby hamsters are called cubs and are weaned at 3-4 weeks of age.