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A hamster is not a social animal and should be kept housed individually. There are many varieties of hamsters. Those varieties with long coats need regular grooming to maintain the coat and prevent them from matting. It is easy to keep a hamster as a pet as it is easily tamed, clean and quiet.
A hamster is very active and has a high metabolic rate. It needs a balanced diet of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins and fresh drinking water. Commercial hamster food mix is specially prepared with the correct proportions of grains, seeds and nuts to provide energy and other nutrients. Fresh vegetables and fruit from your refrigerator can be added to its diet in minute amounts. This avoids waste and decay of unfinished food. As long as its diet is balanced, your hamster does not need supplements.
Your hamster can be housed in a plastic box-like cage with sufficient vents for ventilation. The floor should have a bedding layer of soft wood shavings. This bedding needs to be changed at regular intervals to eliminate the odor of urine. The cage should be in a shady spot. Aerosol sprays are toxic to hamsters as the droplets may stick onto the coat and be consumed when the hamster licks its coat. Dogs and cats are instinctive predators of hamsters and must be banned from your hamster's cage.
Carry your hamster in your cupped hands. Try to refrain from handling your sleeping hamster as it may react by biting you.
A hamster spends plenty of time licking and grooming itself. Long-haired hamsters need their owner's help with a soft brush to brush through its hair coat. A healthy hamster will show a nice coat of hair. The hamster trims its teeth and toenails by gnawing and digging. If it shows discomfort around its mouth, it may mean that its teeth need cutting. Bring it to the vet for this. You can help your hamster trim its toenails by clipping them.
When your hamster is active, bright-eyed and clean, it means that it is in the pink of health. Irregularities like dribbling, swellings, lethargic and gloomy may mean that your hamster is sick.
The hamster may experience common eye problems like sore eyes. This results in its eyelids being stuck together. You can use warm boiled water with a pinch of dissolved salt to wash its eyes. If its condition does not improve, visit your vet for an antibiotic cream.
A fatal illness to the hamster is the wet tail / worm infection. Its anal area becomes wet. You should destroy the wooden cage and bedding and use a blow torch to sterilize metal cages. This avoids contamination and transmission of the infection. Older hamsters are prone to illnesses like skin disease, hair loss, respiratory problems, cancer and pneumonia. A common symptom of any hamster illness is abnormal behavior. You should consult your vet for treatment or advice.
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