Keeping your hamster entertained, means making your pet happy and healthy. There is a saying ‘ Busy hamster, happy hamster’. So what can you do to keep your hammy entertained?
Hamsters are really energetic creatures that like to play so play with him whenever you can.
Since your hammy will spend most of its time in the cage make sure you enrich its cage as much as possible. Provide large habitat in which you can put different toys such as a hamster’s wheel, tubes, tunnels, ladders, ramps, hanging, and chewing toys. Ensure its bedding is deep enough so you can hide some treat in it or your pet can dig and hide some food as he would do in the wild.
Keeping your furry pal mentally stimulated and away from boredom means you provide really good care for him/her. This is not always easy but with little help and a lot of love you will succeed. Keep reading this article and hopefully you will find a bunch of ideas on how to keep your hammy amused and happy.
Table of Contents
Do Hamster Ever Get Bored?
Yes! If your hammy gets stuck in a plain cage without toys, no hamster wheel on which he could spend its immense energy, he gets bored. Boredom in hamsters leads to depression and self-destruction. He might start chewing on cage bars( if you notice that he is doing this despite having plenty of toys, then check if the cage size is appropriate.If cage is too small, a hamster will start chewing on the bars), his fur and skin and trying to find an escape route.
What do Hamsters Like to Play with -inside the Cage?
Hamsters are very curious animals and like to explore. They also love to dig,hide and burrow.
Having that in mind, provide high-quality bedding for hamsters( paper-based or wood shavings )and make sure it is deep. Of course depth depends on the size of your pet. If you have Syrian hamster, bedding should be at least 3-4 inches deep and if you have Dwarf or some other small hamster you can put 2-3 inches(minimum) of bedding. It is important to be deep enough so he can dig, make a nest and maybe hide some small toy or food that he wants to save for later.
The hygiene has nothing to do with entertainment but it has a lot of with you hammy happiness. Make sure you change its bedding at least once a week, as hamsters are really clean animals and will be happy only in a clean environment.
Chewing toys are very important. Hamsters like to chew on things. Not only they like but also they have to in order to keep their teeth short and healthy. If you do not provide adequate chewing toys, your hammy may start chewing on things that can harm him, such as cage bars or some plastic parts.
Perfect chewing toys could be wooden blocks/sticks/balls/, mineral blocks ( contain salt and other minerals), lava blocks ( made of volcanic lava) some small treats such as dog biscuits ( they has to be garlic free), hanging toys you can buy in a pet store ( such as Kaytee Perfect Chews Hamster Toy), handmade grass balls ( such as Niteangel’s grass balls).
What is important when buying a chewing toy is that it should be made of pet-safe, durable material, easy to clean, and has some different textures for more entertainment.
If you are more into DIY chewing toys, you have plenty of options. In case you have kids you can even include them and make some perfect chewing toys for your hammy. After you have eaten the ice cream, take the sticks and make a ladder for your pet. Use toilet paper or paper towel tubes and make a tower that your pet will enjoy. Cardboard boxes are perfect for chewing and hiding, don’t throw them away( just make sure they are ink-free).
If you provide wood chewing toys on your own and not buying them in a pet store, just make sure the wood was not treated with pesticides and avoid evergreen wood (these trees can have sharp edges and oils that can obstruct your pet’s breathing ).
The exercise wheel is a must. Hamster likes to run ( he would run several miles during the night in the wild) and since they do not have too much space in their cage, you should put some good, noise-free wheel with the non-slip running surface. Never pick the metal wheel with rungs as hamsters have tiny legs and can easily end up hurt. Plastic wheels are a much better option. Watch out the size of the wheel, it should not be too small for your hamster. If you have Syrian hamster you need a larger wheel than if you have Dwarf or Chinese.
Running on the wheel helps your pet stay healthy and fit. He could turn out overweight unless he does its exercise regularly.
Hamsters have a strong instinct for exploring in the wild and somehow running on the wheel comes as a replacement.
They are less stressed and depressed if they run on a regular basis.
I also found out the fact that females that run on the wheel will give birth to more babies per litter than those that do not have access to the wheel.
As you can see the wheel is not only the subject of amusement and entertainment but also a very important item for your hamster’s health.
As hamsters like to hide, different hiding toys are also very amusing for your pet. You can use cardboard boxes and tubes but also can buy very complex ‘houses’ and ‘castles‘ with a bunch of tunnels, doors, rooms. Before you give the money for something like that, think about the cleaning. Everything you buy has to be easy to clean otherwise you will be spending too much time and will not have enough time for your hammy to play with instead. If you decide to make hiding toys on your own, make sure you use pet-safe natural materials which are ink, toxic, pesticide and dye-free.
You can also hide some food in the bedding, your hamster will be thrilled to look for it.
If you have too many toys, you do not have to put all of them in the cage. Do the same thing parents do with kid’s toys. Put away some toys and then after some time ( few days), change existing toys in the cage. Hamsters do forget the toys they have not seen for some time so they will be excited about ‘new toys. You can also rearrange cage set up, change the place of the toys, your hammy will enjoy the new look of its home.
What do Hamsters Like to Play with – outside of the Cage
It is true that hamsters spend most of the time inside the cage. As they are nocturnal animals and sleep during the day, they become active around 7 pm.
Humans usually sleep during the night so pet owners have a couple of hours daily to play with their furry friends. Any activity out of the cage should be strictly supervised so you understand that the cage is the main spot for the hamster’s amusement.
I was talking to several hamster’s owners and realized that people like to put their pets wandering around and exploring outside of the cage area. There is nothing bad in that but some precautions are necessary.
First make sure no predator pets are in the vicinity ( dog, cats, ferrets etc).
As hamsters can easily escape or get lost, it is advisable to watch their every movement when they are out of the cage. It is also better to keep them entertained with some toy rather than just let them explore on their own.
You can make some maze or simply buy it in the pet store. If you prefer to create it on your own, you can easily do that with a cardboard box and little glue. Besides this, you can use plastic blocks, wooden block and bricks, Lego bricks… To encourage your hammy to explore, put some small treat in the maze.
Another thing most of the owners find useful is rodent fence or playpen. You can set up wherever you like, out of the cage and let your hammy explore the outside area. As he will be playing inside of the fenced area, you can relax a little bit, as it is much safer than let him wandering around the whole house.
One more interesting ‘out of the cage’ gadget is hamster ball. It has the same purpose as the wheel. You can put your hammy inside the ball where he will run as much as he likes.
This little thing is very useful for example when you are cleaning the cage and you need to put your pet in some secure place. Just be careful where you put the ball, it should be placed close to you, far away from the stairs.
Hamster’s exercise in the ball should be always supervised. There is no chance for the hamster to stop exercising once he gets tired, you have to pull him out. Don’t let him play in the ball for more than 10-15 minutes.
You can take a chance when your pet is out of the cage to make an even tighter bond with him/her. You can let your hammy crawl over your hand, sniffing around.
This is good because your pet is experiencing a new area and smells and that is keeping him pretty busy. It is good to hold your hamster from time to time, to get used to your smell and start trusting you.
As hamsters are very curious, smart creatures and like to learn, you can try to learn your hammy some tricks which are great for mental stimulation.
For example, you can learn him to stand on his hind legs. Take some treat, hold it above its head, and clearly say ‘Stand’. Whenever he follows your command give him a treat.
Do not let this kind of training lasts for a long period of time as your pet can easily get bored. With some practice and patience, your pet will be able to learn new skills fairly quickly.
Do Hamsters Like Music?
For most humans, music is something entertaining and relaxing. What about hamsters, do they like music? As a matter of fact, they do. They prefer calmer tones, instrumental music.
Although there is no big number of scientific studies in the field, some research showed that nice and calm music has a beneficial influence on rodents in general.
Music decreases the level of stress in hamsters and even helps them to fall asleep especially classical music. On the other hand, some other types of music such as rock or other fast-paced music can make your hammy more agile, active but also more aggressive. It is not recommended to expose your furry friend to this kind of music.
Can I Walk with my Hamster?
No and Yes. Some owners are waking their furry pals, some others do not. It has also something to do with the hamster itself. Some hamsters are not interested in this activity, but some others will let you walk them.
The truth is that the hamster’s body is really fragile and that makes the walking activity more risky and difficult. Although they love exploring outside areas, they are not meant for walking.
Apart from being fragile and very gentle, hamsters are not like dogs, they will not follow your steps, they will go wherever they want to go. The result could be dragging your hammy on the leash risking his life and health.
But if you insist and would like to try walking your hammy, make sure to follow certain rules:
- Buy either adjustable or full body harness – the adjustable harness is safer if you ask me, although full-body harness can look nicer. It is also easier to put adjustable harness, unlike full body harness which can look like a trap for your pet.
- Walk very slowly with you hamster
- Do not go for long walks and avoid going outside for a walk – choose some spacious room in your house for walking or your backyard but do not go outside of your backyard because different dangers may be lurking ( other animals such as dogs, cats, birds)
- Don’t drag your hamster while walking and let him lead the way- follow him, as he will certainly not follow you.
In the end, I must repeat, walking a hamster is really not recommend. It might look cute to you but it can harm your pet and I am sure that is not your idea of having fun with your furry ball.
There are dozen of other ways to keep your hammy entertained but also safe at the same time.
