What Do Hamsters Like to Play With? [10 Best Toy List]
Hamsters are playful pets who usually spend most hours of their day doing various activities, including burrowing and playing. As a first-time owner, you must understand this fact and provide various enrichments for them.
However, deciding which enrichments and accessories to offer the pet can be confusing since there are many of them in pet stores. What helps is understanding what hammies like most and buying them first, before the others.
Hamsters enjoy playing with wheels, tubes and tunnels, bridges, and climbing toys. They also enjoy dipping themselves in the sand, which helps them get rid of oils in their fur and remain clean.
Hamsters also enjoy chewing toys that help keep their teeth strong and short. Most of these toys are for fun and to keep the pet entertained and release tension. However, they also help them exercise, which keeps them healthy.
The article discusses various accessories and toys that pet hammies enjoy playing with. Read on to learn the ones you should buy first and their benefits for the pet.
10 Best Toys to Help Your Hammy Entertained
- Hamster Wheel
- Tubes and Tunnels
- Chewable Items
- Sand Bath
- Climbing Toys
- Hideaways
- Hammock
- Bridges
- Treat Toys
- Puzzle House
1. Hamster Wheel
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Hamster-Wheel.webp)
Hamster wheels are among the favorite things they enjoy playing with. The pet enjoys running miles on the wheel, especially at night when they are most active.
But do hamsters need a wheel? Hamster wheels are necessary accessories to add to the pet’s cage as they have several physical and mental advantages.
Besides satisfying their natural need to run for miles in search of food as they do in the wild, it also allows them to exercise. Through exercise, the pet remains healthy and is less likely to develop conditions like obesity.
Hamster wheels are available in various materials, but plastic is more popular as it’s available in multiple colors. They cost between $10 and $40, varying with material and size.
2. Tubes and Tunnels
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Tubes-and-Tunnels-for-Hamster.webp)
Naturally, hamsters are burrowers and are in constant need to run through tunnels they make underground. Hamster tubes and tunnels help them satisfy this need, which makes these accessories a must-have in the cage.
Some hamsters also hoard the food they carry in their cheeks and deposit it in these tunnels, an activity they do in the wild. The owners can also enjoy watching their pets as they run through the tunnels.
However, the pet can also burrow through the substrate used to line the floor of their cages. The user must, however, offer an ideal type of substrate in the correct depth. Tunnels and tubes cost between $10 and $40 depending on the material used.
3. Chewable Items
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Chewable-Items-for-Hamster.webp)
Like most rodents, hamsters have open-rooted dentition, meaning their incisors are continuously growing. To keep them filled down, the pet chews on various things, including tree branches, sticks, and chew dispenser toys.
Hammies use chew toys, often wooden made, to trim and keep their incisors from overgrowing. The pets enjoy playing with them and can spend hours chewing if provided with various materials.
Hamsters often get bored if they don’t have chew toys and develop destructive behaviors. They may start chewing on the cage bars or destroying other toys. Chew toys can cost as low as $2.
4. Sand Bath
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Sand-Bath-for-Hamster-1.webp)
Hamsters in the wild bathe in the sand which helps their fur remain clean and free of oils. In captivity, they use sand baths, which are provided occasionally by their owners. They enjoy playing in the sand and even attempt to burrow in it if offered plenty.
Sand used in the sand bath should be plain without added dyes or minerals like calcium. The pet often inhales the sand while bathing, and they can develop respiratory problems if it has chemicals.
Sand baths should also be occasional as in excess can cause the pet’s skin to run dry and hurt them. Provide hamsters with the sand bath two or three times a week, each bath lasting at most 20 minutes. Sand baths can be bought in pet stores and online stores starting at $10 for the sand and container.
5. Climbing Toys
![](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Hamsters-Climbing-Toys.webp)
Hamsters enjoy climbing, and you can often see them attempting to climb on their cages. Their owners provide climbing toys, like a platform with a ladder for them to climb on, and they enjoy playing with them.
Besides being fun climbing toys for the pet, they also allow them to exercise and keep fit. The pet also develops better balance, and if the toy is wooden, they can also use them as chew toys. Climbing toys can cost between $9 – $40 in online stores.
6. Hideaways
![Hamster's Hideaways](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Hamsters-Hideaways.webp)
Hamsters enjoy privacy, where they can hide and snuggle away from their surroundings. Owners can provide various hideaways like igloos, tubes, tunnels, and houses.
These pets enjoy the time in the hideout as they allow them to feel safe, especially from a threat, preventing stress. The hideaways can be sectioned, allowing the pet to have several rooms for various activities, including sleeping.
Hideaways can be store-bought, but users can make them at home using large materials. However, the materials should be safe for the pet due to their gnawing nature. Hideaways can cost as low as $2 and are among the must-haves in the hamster supplies list.
7. Hammock
![Hammock for Hamster](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Hammock-for-Hamster.webp)
Hammocks are suspended platforms made of different materials that the hamster can get on to rest or play with. Some hammocks are designed like a bed, which serves as a suspended hideaway for the pet.
However, they are not popular hamsters’ toys, which often leads to new owners wondering, do hamsters use hammocks? Yes, they can, and studies show that hamsters in cages enriched with hammocks and other things are more optimistic and in a positive mood.
Hammocks are available in local and online stores and can also be homemade. They cost between $6 and $100, varying in materials and sizes.
8. Bridges
![Hamster Bridges](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Hamster-Bridges.webp)
Hamster bridges are also among the toys pet hamsters enjoy playing with. These bridges can be covered in moss, giving them a natural look, which improves their playing experience.
Like other climbing toys, bridges allow hamsters to exercise and keep fit. They also help them reduce loneliness which can invite stress and aggressive behavior.
Popular bridges used for pet hammies are bendy bridges often made of wood. They can be bought online and in local stores, but users can also make them at home. They cost between $10 and $50, which varies with the design and materials used.
Bendy bridges pose a threat to the pet if not properly made and have holes between them. The pet’s limbs can get stuck in the holes and hurt if the owner is not around.
9. Treat Toys
![Hamsters Treat Toys](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Hamsters-Treat-Toys.webp)
Treat toys contain treats that the pets take as a reward for them playing or finding them. Pet hammies enjoy these toys because of the reward they get after or while playing.
These toy types can be buried below the substrate, and the pet must burrow under to reach them and get the treat. They can also be placed in the tunnels or an under-the-bridge toy.
Chew dispenser toys, like Kaytee’s small animal Ka-bob chew dispenser which make ideal treat toys for hamsters. Carrot-shaped chew toys are often popularly used for pet rodents, but users can also make their custom types.
10. Puzzle House
![Puzzle House for Hamster](https://caringtinypets.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Puzzle-House-for-Hamster.webp)
Hamsters enjoy running through puzzle houses, and their owners enjoy more. The house can be one floor with several sections and obstacles for the pet to go through.
The puzzle houses allow the pet to exercise while having fun which keeps it fit. To motivate the pet the owner can reward it with a treat after finishing the puzzle.
The puzzle house can be store-bought or DIY made at home using cartons and various store-bought obstacles. Buying these houses can cost between $15 and $100, varying with size and materials.
Other Toys
Hamsters also enjoy playing with various accessories and enrichment toys other than the few mentioned above. However, they might like these other toys less than the latter. These toys include a seesaw, swing, unicycle, bell roller, etc.
Ensure these toys are made of safe materials that the pet can chew on as it plays. However, they shouldn’t be easy to damage or deform, which can invite injuries.
Wrapping Up
Enrichments and accessories are among the things that improve a pet’s stay in a new home. For fun and playful rodents like hamsters, it’s crucial to have these things included in their cage.
Begin by providing enrichments and accessories mentioned above as pet hamsters like them most. Besides entertainment, these accessories also help the pet exercise and keep fit, preventing conditions brought about by inactivity, like obesity.