Hamster Care | hamsters

An Introduction To Hamster Care

So you are thinking of getting a hamster, or maybe you

have one already either way there is a lot to learn about

hamsters and the way to care for them properly.

Up until the late 90s it was still seen as acceptable to keep hamsters in small cages and throw in a few handfuls of food every now and then to keep them rooting along in life for the enjoyment of the kids. Now however, hamster keeping has become more of a hobby and quite competitive when it comes to who gives their hamster the best quality of life. If you are a regular visitor of hamster forums you will see pages of posts on the cages, toys and strict diets owners spoil their beloved pet with. If you visit the German hamster forums you enter a whole new world of rodent royalty!

So what really is the best way to care for hamsters? Since you have taken time to read this you are probably a newbie to this type of pet so lets start with the basics. Forget anything parents and pet shops have told you about hamsters. In fact forget what half the books and websites have told you too. A simple fact of life is that pet shop workers often know very little about proper pet care (unless they have taken the time to educate themselves) and most books and websites are far outdated.

Hamsters are no longer seen as easy children's pets that you can house in a tiny cage with a tiny wheel and leave them to it, they have special needs and requirements which can sometimes make them quite pricey pets!

So the first place I recommend you check out is the 'Shopping List' in the drop down menu. Even if you already have a hamster it's best to check you have everything on the list too. From there feel free to browse around and learn as much as you can about hamster care, I strongly recommend also joining a hamster care forum such as Hamster Central or Hamster Hideout as both of these are very useful when it comes to learning and asking questions about your new pet.

Have fun!