Articles by Maz
What types of enrichment do hamsters need?
Hamsters benefit from a variety of textures and hiding places, for stimulation and as they are a prey species. There are a lot of items or "toys" sold for hamsters which aren't suitable or safe, so here are some recommended items which are perfectly...
Congratulations to Magpie, winner of the July/August photo competition, with this photo of Mr Maggie looking adorable :-)
Budget Hamster cage set up for 2026
Preparing to give a hamster a home can work out quite expensive. Here we show how to create a home for a hamster on a budget, with all the basics you need - an inexpensive option for a hamster cage or enclosure, a hamster wheel, suitable hamster bedding...
Choosing the best cage or enclosure for your hamster is important for the hamster and making the right choice is also important for your pocket! Information below, including a list of recommended cages, further down the page:
Hamster Cage Size and enclosure size
The forum recommended cage...
What is a safe diet for Hamsters?
Hamsters can eat many veggies, fruits, nuts and human foods, but some are not safe for them. Here is a researched and referenced list of safe and unsafe foods for Hamsters. Providing hamsters have a good hamster mix, with the correct nutrients and protein...
The basic answer to that is no – we don’t advise keeping pairs or groups of any species of hamster together. The risks outweigh any perceived benefits. And unrelated dwarf hamsters should never be introduced. "They do not need company to be happy" (Blue Cross Animal welfare charity - see...
As our little furry hammy friends get older they develop various ageing symptoms, just like humans. They can get toothache, arthritic jaw or arthritic back legs and various other issues. One of the most common things is noticing they are drinking and peeing more. This is very common as their...
Syrian Hamsters
Syrian hamsters were originally just golden hamsters. Over the decades, different colours and patterns have emerged either spontaneously (mutation) or via breeding. There is a huge range of colourings for Syrian Hamsters - more about dwarf hamsters later. This is quite a...
Taming is something that can take time and patience but can be very rewarding when it happens. Many hamsters are not hand tame when you get them. They are easily frightened - they are prey animals so this is instinctive with strange people and hands. They can also "ping" if you try and pick...
Hamsters are great escape artists! Cage doors need to close firmly. If your hamster does escape, here's how to safely catch them and return them home. There are a number of ways, and which way you choose may depend on circumstances.
The best known way, that works, is the bucket trap.
Bucket...
Cage cleaning is a very important issue for hamsters. As in - not too much of it and not too much all at once. Yes we need to clean hamster cages but our human instinct is to clean the whole lot in one go and have everything new, clean and fresh. While that might work in our house, for us...
Photo courtesy of Happy Henry's Homes - Large chamber house
Houses or nesting boxes in the cage are important for hamsters, as they can mimic an underground burrow so the hamster can have more normal behaviours and keep their own environment organised and even clean sometimes.
Most commercial...
This is a guide to the different species of Hamster. Bearing in mind each species can come in various different colours also. The main species are:
Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus Auratus) -also known in the US as teddy bear or black bear hamsters - and originally known as golden hamsters -...
There are a number of types of hamster wheel on the market and it's important to choose a safe wheel for your hamster as well as one that's the right size. A safe wheel has a solid running track. Mesh wheels and the old fashioned metal wire wheels are very dangerous for them and can lead to...
What is the best Hamster food mix?
A good Hamster food mix needs plenty of variety, and the correct nutritional balance for health, including 18% to 22% of protein, to help build muscle in the first year of life. A good hamster mix is also sugar-free - hamsters can get tooth decay like humans...
Substrate, or litter, is what you fill the base of a hamster cage with. Not the same as nesting material. There are quite a few different substrates you can use, but the important thing is that they are safe for hamsters. Traditionally owners bought bags of pine wood shavings. There are now...
A large amount of space in a cage for a hamster isn't enough. It needs to be their habitat. This article is all about enrichment. See other articles below and also chat to other members on our forum by clicking the tab above (on mobile view it's the word “Forum” above or tap in the 3 bar...