by Danielle Branch

Created on: April 17, 2008

Where's a gas mask when you need one? The hamster cage should be cleaned properly at least once a week. Once you learn how to do it, the routine becomes almost as easy as brushing your hair. If you wait too long, the smell will be unbearable for you, which will make this process a whole lot harder for you.

Supplies

First you will need to assemble some tools you will need to clean it out. You will need:

* A garbage bag
* Disinfecting wipes
* New bedding
* More food

It is also preferred that you have a hamster ball so your hamster has something to do while you are cleaning out its cage. You will obviously need water, and beyond that you don't need much else. This task is not too bad and should not take too long.

Hit the road jack

You need to put your hamster in a ball or in a box with air holes, but a ball is preferable. Please make sure you have someone watch your furry little friend as you will be a bit busy. Now that fur ball is safe, it is time to empty the cage.

Out with the old

Put all the bedding and old food in the garbage. This seems like a given, but some people will reuse the food which your hamster may have had a call of nature in.

Clean up time

Now here there are a couple of ways to wash out the cage. If you have a dishwasher safe cage you can put it in the dishwasher and let the machine do the hard work. If you do not, that is fine too; some people use disinfecting wipes and then rinse out the cage. Some people have the tubes soaking while they clean the rest of the cage and others do not. This is up to you.

Nice and Dry

After everything is clean make sure you wipe the cage down with a dry cloth. Skipping this step will make your next cleaning time a nasty experience.

In with the new

Now that your cage is ready, we need to lay down the bottom of the cage down with more bedding. Clean out the food bowl and make sure to rinse and dry well. Fill food bowl with more food and do the same with the water bottle.

Daily Maintenance

The water bottle should be refilled every day as your hamster gets thirsty throughout the day. The last cleaning step is the tubes or any other tunnels and toys your hamster may have in its cage. Once they are clean and dry, it is time to set them back up in the cage.

Welcome back fur ball

Now the cage is clean and hamster-ready, it is time to go fetch your furry little friend and reintroduce him to his home. First your hamster may eat and drink, much to the dismay of most owners. However they are tired from their time-out of the cage. Don't worry your hamster will play soon.

With a sparkling clean cage, your hamster can live another comfortable week in his home. Remember this is a home for your little fur ball. If you let it get too messy, he may become depressed or sick, which will be even more problems in the end. A Simple clean up job once a week should do the trick.

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