There are certain things need to follow while keeping hamster as pet. First, the housing: housing is part of the most important hamster’s basic live requirement. Insight of how to arrange the hamster cage which allowed the animal to live life comfortably, how to clean the hamster cage to maintain health condition, and how properly feed hamster with nutritious foods need to master by all hamster’s owners. Do not try to keep hamster if you don’t know everything about them.
But, you might to considered avoiding the hamster from pregnant mom; based on research which done by world-wide specialists, hamster occurred to be one of animal that carried particular disease and virus that could affect mom and her baby. Wisely avoid direct contact of hamster and pregnant mom was the perfect way. Furthermore, besides the housing and foods, there’s one other thing to pay attention: the toys. Yes, like people, your hamster need something to entertain him.
Toys was the perfect medium to channel hamster’s hobby and the needs of exercise. There are variety of toys sold out there on pet stores or even the online stores. But, you need to understand, there are consequences of each toys that effected the hamster, such as the ball. Some people definitely classified ball as dangerous for hamster. Beside that issue, today we would learn the importance of toys for hamster, and why you should provide toys in your house.
Stimulating Hamster’s Health Body and Mental
The importance of toys for hamster was associated with hamster’s health. Since hamster was lived inside limited space of cage which is totally different compare to the wildlife, you need to create enrichment environment due to stimulating hamster’s mental health. Toys are the perfect equipment to execute the idea. Keep in mind, hamsters that not provided with amount of toys would search another alternative to channel their boredom.
It leads to several issues such the hamster would start to chew his own skin or fur, anything he could find around him. The most dangerous action is chewed the bar of the cage that could break his teeth. There’s also advice to give hamster another hamster as companion. But, in case, that your pet is dwarf hamster – despite well-adaptation to other breeds: the larger ones or the same breed, it is always better to keep this breed alone. So, yes, basically, lack of toys inside the cage would lead hamsters to self-destruction.
Furthermore, in the wildlife, climbing, digging, burying, and hiding are part of hamster’s routine. When they were moved to captivity, is it very important to create simulation of environment inside their new house to which able to provide what nature provided to them. You don’t need to worry, due to meet hamster’s needs, now days you could find plenty of toys that fulfill the needs of hamsters to do their things inside limited space of cage. There are multilevel cage, hide boxes, tubes and wheels, and other toys as long as it’s not too difficult for your hamster to climb.
Also, the cleaning access should include to the subject of consideration before you pick toys. Pick the one that easier to clean make you easier to maintain the hygienic of it. For instance, although aquarium was one of the safe cage to choose, it comes with bad ventilation. The lack of ventilation unprovided proper circulation of ammonia which built from hamster’s dropping. This issue leads to respiratory problem in hamster if keep let it happened.
This kind of issue was something that anticipated by commercial cages, which commonly provided gaps as ventilation and basically made from plastic which is very easy to clean. Choose removable toys that simplify your clean service duty.
What Kind of Toys Essential for Hamster?
There are many choices of toys to pick, and the good news is you don’t have to purchase all of them. Some of them are able to make by materials around your house, for the examples: you could use PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipe and cardboard boxes. The PVC pipe would be a perfect, safe and sound tunnel for hamster to run inside of it; the cardboard boxes also become safety chew toys that would not harm this rodent species teeth. Yes, these materials are inexpensive and provided as household equipment.
Next common toy to pick by hamster’s owners are exercise wheel. Wheel was a good medium to simulate hamster mentally, but it also a perfect tool to maintain hamster’s weight. Fun fact, hamsters that not provided wheel inside their cage potentially having overweight or obese due the lack or exercise accommodation.
However, the wheel must made up from safe material which solid (doesn’t have gaps which is commonly happened on wheel wire) and smooth-sided to prevent hamster’s feet get caught. So, considered that your hamster is nocturnal animal, you must choose lee-noisy wheel so you don’t have to be disturb during the night while you sleep.
Toys Made Hamster be the Happier Pet
A research have been made and reviled that a hamster that have enrich living environment became more optimistic which concluded that he was happier than the one who don’t. These enrich conditions was included a comfortable nesting and bedding, plus, plenty of toys. Scientists of John Moores University that lead by Emily Bethell had test hamsters with changing their living habitat. These people believed that hamsters also exhibited emotional states like other animals.
Scientists already understand that hamster there’s a term called judgmental bias test which is formed of optimistic choices made by animal that influenced by the environment enrichment. The test would measure animal responses and measure do they react optimistically or pessimistically. It reviled that a proper cage that held comfortable environmental enrichment lightened hamster’s mood and in this study, scientists learned that hamsters was learned the changed surround them and toke choice based on what they understand.
Therefore, do the hamster welfare, you people need to set up a proper environmental for your pet hamster, so you are able to keep maintain hamster’s mentally and physical health at the same time.