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It is a known fact that human beings are social creatures, they need partners in their lives. In turn, to fulfill the need for social interaction, humans frequently interact with each other. This way of satisfying the need for interaction is not only limited to humankind but can also be achieved through their pets. Most of the time, humans choose to have dogs or cats as their animal partners. In this post, however, we are going to talk about fur balls that can also be your great pet partner, hamsters.
A hamster is a great pet option for humans that don’t have much house space. They don’t need a lot of rooms like other animals, they don’t make noises, and are easy to take care of. Ironically, people frequently get a pet hamster without really preparing the knowledge and the tools for their pet. Through this post, you may want to make sure that you have things prepared and ready for your first hamster. Here are some things for you to make sure of, before getting your first hamster:
1. Hamsters are mostly active during the night
Hamster owners are usually shocked or confused when they find that their hamsters only sleep throughout the day. Forcing your hamster to be awake during the day may cause them stress. According to pocketpet101.com, hamsters are known for being nocturnal or crepuscular animals. This means that they will sleep most of the time during the day and become active at dawn. Make sure you have the ability to stay awake late at night if you want to play with your hamster. Remember that waking them up during the day may harm them. If you’re not a night type of person, you may want to reconsider your decision on getting a hamster.
2. Getting the perfect cage
Although hamsters are small animals, they actually need a lot of space. In choosing their cage, people are mostly fooled by their pet store into buying cages like this:
The image is taken from Google
This is NOT a recommended cage for hamsters. Although hamsters are small, when it is their active hours, they can be really energetic. In fact, in the wild, hamsters can run up to 8-9 Kilometers every single night. Therefore, giving enough space and the right toys for them is mandatory. Instead of using the cages as in the image above, it is recommended that you use a fish tank or simply, like me, use a large container box. Remember the goal is to give them a large space to live, and their house should have enough ventilation for them to breathe too. For toys, you can find hamster wheels easily through online stores, avoid getting a hamster wheel that is made of wires as they can harm your hamster legs. In bedding, there are lots of options for you to choose from, avoid getting cotton as the material is hard to digest and can cut off circulation.
3. Knowing the hamsters’ behavior
If you think you’re ready with the previous two points, the last thing you need is to understand hamsters’ behavior before you actually get one. Another fact about hamsters is that they have bad eyesight. Hamsters mostly rely on their hearing and smelling ability for navigation. Therefore, avoid putting hamsters in a room where fragrance is frequently used. As they are really sensitive about their nose, you can’t give them food or bedding with a strong smell. You should take care of your hamster as they already have a short lifetime (2-3 years) compared to humans.
When hamsters are stressed, there are several signs you can visually see. Activity such as bar biting, monkey barring, and crashing themselves into the walls of their cage is the sign of stress, and it means that there is something wrong with their environment, you should check whether the size cage is large enough, or the entertainment the hamster needed to pour their energy to is provided.
Those are the several things you need to know before getting your first hamster. Remember that you’re going to adopt a living being, so knowledge of how to handle them is really important. You may want to search for more information about them because a happy animal means a healthy owner, good luck with your preparation!
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