Hamsters are generally grooming themselves so usually, they don’t need much of your help with that. But if you have a long hair Syrian hamster then your assistance would be highly appreciated.
Aside from long hair Syrians, other breeds of hamsters will do the grooming job by themselves but you still have some role in it. Let’s see how you can help.
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Hamster’s Teeth
Hamsters do have teeth that are constantly growing during their whole life. The teeth need to be kept short otherwise your hammy can have a problem.
The topic about teeth is much complex so if you are interested particularly in dental problems in hamsters you can read our article ”How Can I Keep My Hamster’s Teeth Short and Healthy”
Hamster’s Claws
A similar situation is with the hamster’s claws. They need to be trimmed but again hamster is perfectly capable to take care of his claws by himself. The best way to keep his claws short is to have a lot of to dig.
Bare that in mind when you put entertainment items in his cage. Put some rough surfaces, stones, wooden bridges. While your hammy is playing, climbing, digging, he actually does a very important job, keeps his claws short and healthy.
You can also put some coconut shells or walnut with shells on. Walnuts are great things as your furry ball will be using his teeth and claws trying to open the shell.
In some cases, the hamster’s claws will be too long no matter what so you need to cut them. I would recommend you to take your hammy to the professional as hamster’s nails are very small and you can easily hurt him.
If you still want to cut your Hamy’s nails by your self make sure you have proper equipment :
- A magnifying glass could be very useful
- Good lighting
- Nail clippers
- A lot of patience and treats – don’t do this if you are in a hurry or your hamster is nervous. First, you need to calm him down and offer plenty of treats and then start the job.
Even though you prepared everything and calmed down your hammy, it still can happen that you cannot finish the job. Your pet can become nervous and simply he is moving constantly which disables you to trim the claws safely.
For this reason, it is better to cut the longest nail first and then to continue with others. If your hammy wants to slip away in some moment at least you have done something.
Should I Bath My Hamster ?
You should NEVER bath your hamster regularly with water. Hamsters have special oils in their fur. During the bath, water would remove those oils and your hamster would be left unprotected. These oils keep your pet’s body temperature normal so without them, he may catch a cold or even die.
Although a water bath is not recommended, a sand bath is highly desirable. Don’t buy any send, try to get the sand from the pet shop. Ask for chinchilla sand but do not mix it with chinchilla dust. Dust is no good for your hamster’s lungs so avoid it.
Put the sand in some bowl or container and place it in the cage. Let your hamster roll around every time when he feels like he needs a bath. This is something he would naturally do to remove grease and other dirt things from his fur.
Optionally you can sterilize the sand by putting it in the oven for 15-20min at about 220 F. It is not obligatory but if you want to do that, you can.
In case your hammy has something sticky on his coat, that is hard to remove, you can use a damp cloth but do drain the cloth well before you start cleaning your pet.
As an alternative, you can use unscented baby wipes but always make sure your dry well your hamster after cleaning it this way.
How Should I Groom My Long Hair Syrian Hamster?
This breed requires the most help from your side when it comes to grooming. Long hair Syrians as their name suggest have long hair especially males that have those cute hair skirts at the bottom.
First what you will notice that bedding and nesting material can tangle in your pet’s long hair. This is why you need to think about the bedding material you use.
It is recommended to your paper-based bedding or wood-based cat litter and to avoid aspen. This doesn’t necessarily mean that aspen bedding would not suit your hammy but according to the many long hair Syrian owners and their experience better to avoid it.
You can remove the bedding material from your pet’s coat by your fingers but for regular grooming, you can use either cat brush or simple old toothbrush. If your hamster doesn’t have such long hair (maybe you have a Syrian girl with no skirt )you can groom it once a week.
But if you have a Syrian with very long hair then the grooming treatment should be done at least 2-3 times a week and you can also use a pet comb instead of a brush ( look for cat flea comb in a pet shop).
I have even heard that some owners do it every day. It is a good idea to sprinkle a little bit of sand and then to brush your pet, this way you will remove the dirt and make your hammy looks neat and tidy.
An alternative to cat brush or toothbrush could be a little finger rubber brush designed for cats. But this little thing you can use only if your hamster has a thick coat. If your hammy has thin hair this will not work, don’t buy it, especially as it can be costly.
If you are concern whether grooming your hamster will cause nervousness or stress, it is important to know that if grooming is introduced at a young age, your hamster will get used to and will have no problems. Moreover, hamster grooming doesn’t take long so no need to worry about it.
If you have a young hamster and you are just starting with grooming sessions in order to avoid any feeling of discomfort, first put your pet in your lap and offer some treat to calm your hammy and to make him feel secure and comfortable. After that start slowly with brushing but always avoid the head area as that can make your hammy nervous and cause stress.
If you run into some knots or tangles in your pet’s coat, try to resolve that easily and gently without any force.
If your pet has long hair that makes him trouble by constant tangling or he simply does not like you to brush him, you should consider a haircut.
If you feel uncertain leave this job to the professional but if you think you are capable do it just be very careful not to hurt your hammy.
Pay special attention around the tail area and cut around 1 inch of fur. Note that fur that you have cut will most probably grow again but in some cases, it can happen that cut fur never regrow.
Conclusion
Grooming your hamster will not take you too much time and doesn’t require some expensive equipment. Some part of grooming such claws trimming or teeth trimming is better to leave to the professionals But in most of the cases if you take care of your hamster properly he /she might not need your help neither with claws nor teeth trimming.
