The Basics

This is a quick and easy guide to the basics of ethical hamster care. While the individual guides go more in depth into each topic, this will serve as a condensed summary.

I recommend new owners especially to take a look at this guide to get an overview into everything their new or soon to be furry friend will need to live a long and happy life. If you’re new to ethical hamster care a lot of the information provided might come as a surprise. Pet stores haves marketed hamsters as child- and beginner-friendly pets, which due to their small size require little space and are easy to take care of.

While hamsters are not as care intensive as other popular pet choices, such as cats and dogs, they still have needs which often exceed the small Crittertrail with its squeaky wheel and colorful tubes.

• Often mistaken for breeds, but are in fact different species

• In the wild there have been documented about 19 different species, but only 5 of them have been domesticated

• Syrian Hamster: The largest domesticated species, comes in a variety of colors, strictly solitary, rather docile and good for beginners

• Chinese Hamster: A small species with a 2 cm long tail, strictly solitary, tends to be rather skittish, can express aggression in small cages, prone to diabetes

• Winter White Dwarf Hamster: Also known as dsungarian or russian dwarf hamster, small and round body shape, changes to a white fur in winter

• Campbell Dwarf Hamster: Comes in a variety of colors, but might be more bite-y, compared to WW Dwarf has a more triangular face and ear shape, prone to diabetes and obesity, can be found in family structures in the wild, which are hard to replicate in captivity

• Hybrid Dwarf Hamster: A Hybrid between Winter White and Campbell Dwarf Hamsters, most hamsters sold as Campbells, Winter Whites, Russian Dwarf etc are not purebred and likely to be hybrids, prone to diabetes and obesity

• Roborowski Dwarf Hamster: Smallest domesticated species, comes from deserts and prefers large sand areas, very skittish and shy, hard to tame, not beginner friendly

• Chinese and Dwarf Hamster Species: Minimum 0.5 sqm or 775 sqin, f.e. 100 x 50 x 50 cm or 39.3 x 19.7 x 19.7 in

• Syrian Hamsters: Minimum 0.6 sqm or 930 sqin, f.e. 120 x 50 x 50 cm or 47 x 19.7 x 19.7 in

• Good choices are tanks and terrariums, DIY cages, store bought cages like Bucatstate or PawHut, bin cages are not recommended

• The enclosure should be well furnished with at least 1-2 houses, one of which is preferably a multi-chamber house, 2-3 additional hide-outs, a wheel, a sand bath, a water dish or bottle, some toys and things to chew on

• Bedding should be safe wood or paper bedding

• Minimum bedding height:

Syrian Hamsters – 30 cm or 12 in

Winter White, Campbell and Hybrid Dwarf hamsters – 20 cm or 8 in

Chinese Hamster – 25 cm or 10 in

Roborowski Dwarf Hamster – 15 cm or 6 in

More is always better!

• Hamsters require a sand bath with safe chinchilla or reptile sand, no dust, play sand or bird sand. It should be provided in a dish or box with a diameter of at least 20 cm (8 in) and a height of at least 5 cm (2 in)

• The wheel should be sturdy, have a completely closed back and solid running surface and be big enough so the hamster can run with a straight back, no arching and no head pointing upwards

• Minimum diameter size:

Syrian Hamsters – 30 cm or 12 in

Winter White and Campbell Dwarf Hamsters (as well as Hybrids) – 25 cm or 10 in

Chinese Hamsters – 27 cm or 11 in

Roborowski Dwarf Hamster – 20 cm or 8 in

As long as the hamster is capable to turn the wheel, there is no harm in offering a larger sized wheel, a wheel cannot be too large.

• Hamsters are omnivores, they eat seeds, insects, herbs, flowers and fresh vegetables

• A species specific diet is recommended, as dwarf hamsters have different requirements and preferences than syrian hamsters

• Campbell, Hybrid and Chinese hamsters are prone to diabetes and overweight, true grains and fruits should be avoided

• Daily Amount:

Syrian Hamsters – 1 Tablespoon per day

Chinese and Dwarf Hamster species – 1 Teaspoon per day

• Your hamster should have access to fresh, clean water at all times

• A healthy hamster will drink about 1 to 2 ml of water every day, which might even be lower if offered vegetable or fruit containing lots of water

• Boredom in hamsters can lead to stress and stereotypical behavior, which is why we recommend providing additional forms of enrichment

• The following options are recommended:

• Sprays, such as flax, millet, wheat and sunflower heads. Sprays tend to be high in calories which is why they should not be provided all the time

• 1 to 2 additional burrowing materials, such as coconut fibers, corncob bedding or wood chips

• Dried or fresh flowers for unique smells and tastes

• A play pen area, can be a hamster safe room or area, it’s also great for bonding with your hamster

• Chew toys, wooden ones, dandelion roots or hamster cookies

• Boredom Breakers, puzzles and mazes, they provide your hamster with a challenge that gets rewarded with food or a treat

• Wired metal wheels, wheels with open front and back, wheels without a solid running surface should be avoided

• Hamster balls are very unsafe and classified a risk to animal welfare

• Saucer wheels or Flying saucers are not a safe alternative to wheels, hamsters can bend their spine and fly off at higher speeds

• Salt Lick Stones or Mineral Chews can lead to overdose of salt, calcium or other minerals and are not necessary in a diverse diet

• Cedar / Pine Bedding can cause respiratory infection and skin infection and should be avoided

• Scented Bedding irritates their sensitive noses and causes respiratory infections