by Jane Allyson

Created on: April 18, 2008

Looking after your small pet is a big responsibility. They are relying upon you to keep them happy and in good health. Part of this responsibility is making sure that your hamster always has a clean and well kept stress free environment.

Hamsters are very fragile creatures and they do not take to upheaval very easily so it is best that they are only cleaned once a week.

The first rule is to never wake your hamster up and give his cage a clean when YOU feel like it. It is much better to do it when he is active, which is usually during the early part of the evening. Some hamsters do wake up during the day for a while to stretch their legs, but they really don't like to be disturbed. An unsettled hamster can lead to all sorts of complications such as unfriendliness and a bad case of "wet tail" which is a kind of diarrhea caused by too much stress.

Have all your clean bedding ready for when your hamster wakes up. It may be useful to consider this a chance for your hamster to get a little quality time outside his cage and he can be put in his exercise wheel for a run around while you are busy or perhaps he may like a cuddle from other members of the family. Hamsters are friendly creatures and enjoy a lot of attention, the more attention your hamster receives, the tamer he will get and the more easier it will be to clean his cage.

When I clean my hamster cage out I always get a big bag and tip the whole lot in. I then reach in and remove a good portion of his "nesting material" and save that for later. This will need to be replaced with the new bedding to put his scent back into his cage. it will make him feel at home again much more quickly after he has been returned to his home.

Give the cage or tank a good wipe around with a cloth dampened with a suitable cleaner that can be obtained from most pet shops and leave it to air dry for a couple of minutes. Inspect the rest of the cage for chew holes and generally do a basic safety check on the hamsters domain to make sure he hasn't started chewing his way out of his house.

If needed, pull a damp cloth through any tubes or play equipment and check that there are no loose or sharp splinters from the wooden toys he has.

Some people may choose to use hamster litter. This is a useful substance that is similar to the kind you can get for your cat. I have a litter tray for my hamster and he uses it religiously. This can be a real boon in keeping the cage much more cleaner and nicer smelling, and I feel it is healthier for the hamster.

Sawdust

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