Hamster Supplies List: Everything You Need for a New Owner
Hamsters are small, active, and playful rodents known for their tricks, which many owners enjoy watching them perform. They are low-maintenance pets and can go for days without supervision, provided they have essential things.
However, as a new owner, you must understand their playing behavior. These pets use most of their time playing and activities like burrowing and building tunnels. Therefore, keeping them entertained should be among your top priorities.
When planning to own your first-ever hammie, there are various supplies you need on your list. The first set of supplies includes things like the cage and feeding bowls. Others include enrichments and accessories the pet will require to keep active and entertained. An exercise wheel should be a must.
The pet should also get a supply of healthy foods with the essential nutrients they need. They’ll need commercial pelleted foods and also fresh vegetables and fruits.
The article discusses all the supplies every new owner should get for their pet hamster. After reading the article, you will be able to set up your new pet hammie with no problems and get a better stay with it.
Quick Checklist for Hamster
All 5 hamster species kept as pets require almost similar supplies to get started. These supplies ensure they have everything they need to get started in your home as your pet.
- Spacious Cage
- Suitable and Safe Bedding (Substrate)
- Sand Bath
- A Large Wheel
- Hidey Houses
- A Food Bowl
- A Water Bottle or Bowl
- Healthy Food
- Chew Toys
- Cage Accessories and Enrichment
- Playpen
- A Carrier or a Small Travel Cage
- Exotic Vet & Emergency Savings
The following quick checklist contains supplies you will need as a new hammie owner to get started.
1. Spacious Cage
Hamsters are active pets and require a spacious cage with enough space to move around. The cage should also be large enough to accommodate all the items and accessories. Some materials used to make their cages include wire, glass, and plastic.
The ideal size should be at least 39x20x20 inches (100x50x50 cm.) However, you need a larger cage if you want many toys and accessories or to keep more than one hamster.
2. Suitable and Safe Bedding (Substrate)
The cage needs substrate, a suitable material to line the floor to keep it dry and comfortable. The substrate should not be scented or dusty, which can negatively affect the pet’s health. The pets use the substrate to burrow and create bedding.
Compressed shredded papers, moss, toilet paper, and dried leaves are some of the ideal substrates for hammies. The substrate should also be at least 3 inches deep to allow enough space for the pet to dig.
3. Sand Bath
A sand bath makes a great addition to a hamster’s cage. Occasional sand baths can help keep their fur clean and free of oils. However, sand should not be in the cage every time, as the pet can overuse it and develop dry skin.
Ideal sand for hamsters should be plain with no additional calcium or dyes. Some hamsters can also train to pee in the sand, minimizing the times you clean the cage.
4. A Large Wheel
New owners often wonder, do hamsters need a wheel? Well, they do. It helps them exercise and keep healthy, preventing diseases like obesity, which is common in pet rodents.
Also, hammies in the wild run for miles in search of food, and the wheel allows them to run and satisfy this natural need. Depending on the hamster you have, the wheel diameter can range between 8 and 12 inches.
Some people use hamster balls for exercise and to keep their pet rodents healthy. But are hamster balls safe? Hamster balls can over-exhaust the pet, roll down the stairs, and may roll into a wall injuring the pet if not monitored. Therefore, most professionals don’t recommend them.
5. Hidey Houses
Hamsters require a safe place to hide when they feel threatened and when resting. Without a hiding place the pet may feel much more stressed when threatened. As prey animals in the wild, hamsters are always fearful of something and require a safe spot.
While hamsters can hide in their burrows when threatened, you can add a Hidey house. The Hidey house should be spacious and have multiple chambers allowing them to use each one for a certain purpose.
Avoid cedar or pine wood shavings as they have high amounts of phenol compounds that give the tree its sweet smell. These compounds can cause acute toxicity to the pet.
6. A Food Bowl
Hamsters need a feeding bowl where you’ll be serving them healthy foods and treats. The bowl can be ceramic, wooden, or even stoneware, but avoid materials like plastic and wood. They can chew on these materials and develop health problems.
The bowl should not be too large to avoid overfeeding the pet, with most experts suggesting 3.5 inches bowl size. It should also be weighty to avoid toppling when the pet is feeding. Position the feeding bowl far from the bathroom area.
7. A Water Bottle or Bowl
Hamsters need a regular water supply, and they can take from a bowl or a bottle. The bowl should be small to discourage them from getting into the water. Also, it should be away from a playing ground to avoid contaminating the water.
A water bottle, or sipper water bottle, is usually the better option when feeding the pet water. The bottle can be hung in the cage, providing fresh water whenever the pet needs some.
8. Healthy Food
Hamsters require healthy foods with lots of nutrients to remain healthy. They can feed from compound pellet food or seed mixtures with all essential nutrients. The pets also need fresh greens and fruits, though in small quantities.
Avoid sugary treats, which can cause health problems like obesity and tooth cavities. Also, ensure you provide ideal amounts not to overfeed or underfeed them.
9. Chew Toys
Like most rodents, hamsters need chew toys as their front teeth are constantly growing to keep them filed. They can chew various types of materials, including wood and paper.
Hammies can chew on cork logs, wood or pine cones, paper towel tubes, and wooden balls. They can also use chew toys bought in pet stores, but avoid those with artificial flavoring or added sugars.
Calcium blocks are also some of the recommendable options for trimming the pet’s teeth items. Other than trimming hammies’ teeth, they are also a great source of calcium.
10. Cage Accessories and Enrichment
Accessories and enrichment affect a pet’s mood positively by keeping them engaged. The accessories can be hung from the cage for chewing and playing with. But what about hammocks, do hamsters use hammocks? Hammies can use swings and hammocks, especially if they like climbing.
However, most hamsters find joy in burrowing and building tunnels. You can provide hamster tunnels and tubes available in a variety of materials and colors for more tunneling activities. Some tunnels are also made of wood which hamsters use as chew toys.
11. Playpen
Hamsters are active pets and spend most of their time playing. But what do hamsters like to play with? Hamsters can play with a variety of toys which they can do in a playpen.
Include different types of toys like seesaws, swings, and rainbow bridges for more fun during the few hours in the playpen. Most playpens are easy to set and put away when the pet is done playing.
12. A Carrier or a Small Travel Cage
You need a carrier or travel cage if you travel a lot and want your pet hammie to accompany you. The travel cage aims to keep the pet safe when traveling, preventing it from escaping.
The carrier should have bedding material for comfort, a hiding hut, a water bottle, and a feeding bowl. The materials on these items should be lightweight not to hurt the pet in case of emergency braking.
13. Exotic Vet & Emergency Savings
Your pet hammie will need regular visits to a veterinarian for checkups and emergencies. While these visits can be once a year, it’s usually better to have some savings in case of a health emergency within the year.
A vet visit can cost about $35 and $70, and is usually recommended to have at least $100 in emergency savings for your hamster. However, if the pet is kept in a safe environment, fed on a balanced diet, and exercised regularly, you’ll unlikely get health emergencies.
Final Thoughts on Hamster Supplies
Every new pet is special and requires proper preparations to ensure they get a comfortable stay. Pet hamsters are not different and require a supply of various things listed in the article. One of the crucial items on the list is the cage which determines the number of accessories the pet will get.
Apart from the physical supplies, another crucial need in preparation is emergency savings. You need to save some money for emergency treatment if the pet develops health problems. However, as mentioned earlier, if the pet is on a proper diet and environment, they’ll have fewer health emergencies.
Resources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6179209/#:~:text=The%20predominant%20phenolic%20compounds%20are,exist%20in%20sapwood%20%5B22%5D.