How To Care For a Pet Hamster

Line your hamster’s cage with plenty of hay, shredded paper, or “pellet-type” bedding.

Feed your hamster store-bought hamster food, which contains various types of seeds and cracked corn, and offer him small amounts of fresh greens and vegetables each day. Don’t be scared if he stuffs his face—hamsters use their cheeks to carry food and bedding.

Hamsters’ teeth grow continuously throughout their lives. Make sure they have plenty of untreated wood to chew, and offer a dog biscuit periodically as a treat.

Give your hamster clean, fresh water every day. Hamsters don’t drink a ton of water, but it should always be available.

Hamsters love lots of hiding places to play and to sleep in. Try empty coffee cans, shoeboxes with doors cut in, overturned flowerpots, and cardboard tubes. Give him clean paper towels to shred for a nest.

Hamsters crave nightly runs on their exercise wheels. Put an exercise wheel in your hamster’s cage and make sure he can use it easily. Get one made from solid plastic, not wire.

Get your hamster used to handling by holding and stroking him for a few minutes each day. Once he’s tame, you can let him play in a safe, enclosed area outside the cage. When you put him back, make sure his cage is securely closed—hamsters are fabulous escape artists!

Call a small-animal vet if your hamster has dull or runny eyes, matted fur, respiratory problems, or diarrhea.

With his bright eyes and bustling ways, your new pocket pet will be a great friend once he gets to know you. Have fun with your hamster!