(1) It is forbidden to feed food that is eaten by human beings, the salt is too high and the seasoning is too heavy, which will increase the body burden of the rats. (2) Prohibit direct contact with the sun, rats are very afraid of heat, summer is here, please use a heat sink or marble to cool them down. (3) Please do not wash your hamster in water if it is not necessary. (4) Please know your own hamster species, except for male and female hamsters, which are not allowed to be kept in joint cages, and male and female hamsters must be kept in separate cages if they don't get along. (5) If you are not psychologically prepared or financially capable, please do not combine female and male hamsters in a cage, as the reproduction ability of hamsters is very considerable. (6) Prohibit the use of feed of unknown origin. Please discard any insect or moldy feed and do not feed them! (7) Do not let the rats drink raw water, please let them drink boiled cold water, or mineral water or pure water. (8) Prohibit the use of bamboo chopsticks, popsicle sticks and other things for the rats to grind their teeth, please use the special teething products and feeds for rats on the market. (9) Prohibit the use of newspaper and tissue paper as bedding material. Newspaper has too much ink, and Kleenex contains bleach. (10) It is prohibited to keep rats in a space that is too small, and the space should have at least a wheel, a water bottle, a small nest (except for bears), and other supplies. (11) It is prohibited to keep hamsters in air-conditioned rooms to avoid harming their health.
Hamster keeping environment
The optimal temperature is 20-28 ℃, avoid direct sunlight or direct windy places, but pay attention to ventilation. Don't be too close to the TV, stereo, computer, hamsters can hear the sound that humans can't hear, should avoid radiation and noise. Summer: It is best not to open the air conditioner, because when you go out to turn off the air conditioner, and come into the house and open the air conditioner will make the temperature difference inside the house is too big, the hamster is very sensitive to the temperature, and it is easy to catch a cold. Winter: Don't put it outside, hamsters will hibernate because it is too cold. Spread more wood shavings and other bedding materials, and configure a wooden or grass hut for the hamster to keep warm. Or give more napkins for the hamster to make its own nest. The easiest way is to put the whole cage in a cardboard or plastic box, but be careful about ventilation. Don't give them cotton thread woven items to use as nests. It's warm but hamsters are burrowers by nature and they will chew the cotton items out of shape and burrow into them to sleep. However, some unbroken threads can become entangled in their feet or other parts of their body, and some can become dangerously entangled in their necks, causing them to suffocate and die. So don't put any threads in there.
Basic Hamster Supplies
Cage In summer, please use a ventilated wire cage or a half-iron, half-glue cage, such as a field cage; in winter, please pay attention to the rat's warmth, and a full-glue cage is more suitable in winter. Please do not use wire mesh on the bottom of the cage, as the rats are prone to fractures and injuries. Food bowl Most cages come with a food bowl. If you need to buy your own, you can choose any small container, as long as it is not easy to be knocked over and the edge is not too high, otherwise the hamster can't climb into it. Commonly used containers: glass cigarette jar, soy sauce dish, various small bowls, microwave oven box. Drinker Most cages come with a drinker, and it's best to install one when DIYing because hamsters need to drink water. The general design of the water dispenser has stainless steel beads on the front end, so be careful to test whether it leaks or not when you buy it. Don't take a bowl to hold the water directly, because the hamster will wet its fur when drinking water or swim in it, so it is easy to catch a cold and get sick. If you don't have one for a while, feed your hamster some vegetables and fruits first. Toilet A regular plastic box with cat litter is a simple toilet. Remove the clumped litter every day or change it out, depending on your personal hygiene habits. Some hamsters will use it, it is not necessary,. Bathroom Some hamsters will bathe in the toilet with cat litter, although unhygienic, but this is the hamster's preference, at this time there is no longer a need to bathe the room, but some hamsters love to be clean, the owner should buy it a bathroom, put the bath sand for the hamster to enjoy rolling, playing holes to play. Please buy professional products for the bath sand Running Wheel Most of the cages come with running wheels, because wild hamsters have to run 20 kilometers a day, so the right amount of exercise is very important for the hamster, and without enough exercise, the hamster will be too stressed and appear to bite the cage behavior. So careful owners should give hamsters a running wheel. At the same time, because nowadays owners give hamsters very good nutrition, often make hamsters overweight, easy to make hamsters also get cardiovascular disease, so even hamsters should have a normal and healthy body. Be careful when you buy, you should choose the running wheel without seams, the hamster is not easy to be injured. Current price: $10-80. Wood shavings Many materials are available to be used as the bedding material for the rat cage, but most people will choose wood shavings because it is cleaner and easier to get. Teething stone/teething stick Hamster's teeth will continue to grow, so a teething stick is needed to grind down overgrown teeth. Many hamsters grind their teeth in other ways and don't worry too much when they don't use the whetstone/teething stick you provide. Hut Huts There are ceramic, wooden, grass and plastic huts that hamsters love, because hamsters are animals that love to live in holes, and if you have the means, you should match your hamster with a hut, which can be homemade.
Timetable
When you bring the hamster home, as it leaves the environment where it has been living, there will be a relatively long time to seem very sensitive and nervous, sometimes there will be biting, biting the cage, not resting, refusing to eat, etc., and this is a critical period for you and the hamster to establish trust! Below is a timetable, don't be in a hurry, get along with your hamster a little bit: Day 1: Let it get used to the new environment, don't harass it at all, don't touch it, and don't bring it to take it away. It's best to cover the cage with a rag, as hamsters are less likely to get nervous in a dark environment. Try not to harass them when you put the food bowl in, too. Day 2: You can feed it with your hand and talk to it softly to familiarize it with your smell and voice. Day 5: You can pick it up gently and hold it in the palm of your hand (don't let it fall or run away). Day 10: You can play with it as much as you like. Note: Sleeping hamsters don't like to be disturbed, so make sure he's awake before you pick him up. You should spread his nest so he can see you, then pick him up gently, and don't force him to do so if he doesn't want to be picked up.
Hamster food
(1) Please don't give too much sunflower seeds or high-calorie food to a rat that is too cute; rats tend to get fat and have unbalanced nutrition. Too fat rats are easy to get heat stroke in summer, skin fat is too thick and easy to lose hair. (2) Please do not think that rats do not need to drink water! Water must be supplied and the drinking water should be changed once every two or three days. (3) Please do not feed too much fruits and vegetables at one time, as it may cause death from diarrhea. Most fruits and vegetables contain pesticides, so please wash them with water and wipe them dry before feeding. (4) Match the snacks with the main food, increase the snacks and decrease the main food, do not give too many snacks, as fat rats are prone to illness. (5) Please keep the feed and snacks in a sealed jar, or in the refrigerator, and discard any food that breeds insects and ants. Edible food: Vegetables Green vegetables (e.g. Aoji-kai), carrots, spinach, cucumber, cabbage, bok choy, squash (green and yellow vegetables are preferred) Seeds Sunflower seeds, peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts (do not give too much) Fruits Apples, strawberries, cherries, bananas (may stick to the cheek pouches, so try not to give them to the rats), grapes (please do not give them too much as they have a lot of sugar) Grains Chicken feed, feed for turtles, feed for small birds, wheat, etc. Feed for birds, wheat, corn, millet Plants Clover, dandelion, kudzu, plantain (Please do not feed plants that may be contaminated.) Animal protein Beef, chicken, boiled egg white, cheese, milk, yogurt, worms, dried fish for pets Amount of food: It is easy to provide hamsters with a large amount of food, because hamsters have the habit of storing food, and they get very upset if there is less food. Therefore, if you find the food bowl always empty every time you add food it means the food is added too little, and you should also pay attention to clean up the uneaten food in time, especially the fruits and other things with moisture to prevent deterioration. Hamster is an omnivore, you can give it yellow-green vegetables such as pumpkin, cabbage, lettuce and other light-colored vegetables; potatoes, beans, fruits, weeds, seeds and so on. There are also hamster-specific feeding grains. However, it is important to pay attention to feeding some vegetables and fruits when the feeding diet is the mainstay. As a source of protein, you can feed it boiled eggs, cooked dried fish, boiled chicken and cheese, tofu, etc. You can also feed it some dog and cat food. Hamsters have the habit of storing food in their gills. Be careful to change the water regularly. Wash the food bowl and water feeder daily and replace with fresh food and water. Replace nesting materials as well. Check the nest box and leave some food such as fruit or solid feed for the hamster where it accumulates food. Change the cage bottom dressing once a week and clean and sterilize the cage 1-2 times a month.
Hamster Emotions
Hamsters, compared to dogs and cats, are animals that are less likely to get through to their owners. However, it is still possible to understand the emotions of hamsters if you observe them carefully every day. Hamsters can also express their emotions, so look carefully at these actions and messages to understand the hamster's mood. Tidying up the body hair When the hamster tidies up its body hair, it is in a relaxed state. Otherwise, it is the state when the hamster's own smell disappears after the owner strokes the hamster and wants to apply the smell on the body again. Hamsters love their own flavor. Turning over When the owner's hand reaches inside the cage, the hamster will turn over. This is because the hamster is startled or annoyed when the hand is pushed in. The hamster has little or no weaponry to fight the enemy, so it will roll over and use all four feet to resist. At this time, just go over slowly and reassure the hamster. Especially when the hamster is sleeping, don't scare the hamster. Rolling up in a circle You can tell that this is the hamster's sleeping posture, so keep your voice down at this time. However, they will also roll up when they are not in good health, so be careful. When the weather is cold, they will also roll up, so they are trying to keep warm. Cage chewing When a hamster chews on the wire of the cage, it may be that the hamster is trying to escape, and some hamsters will rub the hairs on the top of their nose between the wires, making the top of their nose bald. This behavior is what allows the hamster to grind its teeth and control the length of its teeth. Droopy Ears The easiest thing to see to understand a hamster's mood is the ears. If the ears are drooping, it must be when they are feeling annoyed or scared, and they are also drooping when they have just woken up from a nap. Stiffness After spinning on the wheel, the hamster will suddenly stand still. This is because the hamster is trying to use the wheel to move to a faraway place, and stopping and standing still is to make sure that it has arrived at the right place. Standing up and shaking Standing up is to understand the situation in the distance, feeling to observe the surrounding, paying attention to the sound, and also standing up when reacting to the sound of the feed bag. Lying on the ground When coming out of the cage, the body is located together, lying on the ground and sniffing around. This is a sign of nervousness about the new place and wanting to sniff around. Do not make a lot of noise at this time. Hiding in narrow places Hamsters were originally wild animals that lived in narrow tunnels. When playing indoors, hamsters will always look for narrow and dark places in order to feel at ease, so be careful if the hamster runs to the corner of the room. In addition: hamster such a small thing, be sure to put more food in its cage, to slightly exceed its own needs, it will feel comfortable and happy. On the contrary because hamster has the nature to collect food, food shortage will cause it to panic, even if it has enough food to survive, it will cause it to be restless and irritable.
Self-inspection of the rat's body
(1) Teeth: The rat's incisors are constantly growing, and sometimes the teeth are too long, making it impossible to eat. At this time, you can cut your own teeth, please use a small animal tooth cutting utensil, if you are afraid to cut, you can bring it to the doctor to cut the teeth. (2) Aroma gland: male rats only have it, in the middle of the abdomen, there is a yellow grain of something, that is the aroma gland, when the male rats are in heat, the smell here will be particularly heavy. Sometimes the scent glands will be too much, so remember to use hydrogen peroxide mixed with saline at a rate of 1:10 to help them wipe it off! If there is too much, please take them to the veterinary hospital and ask the doctor to clean them. (3) Eyes: If the rat is healthy, its eyes should be very bright and shiny. If they are red, oily, or have eye droppings, it is time to pay attention to them and take them to the doctor. (4) Poop: The rat's poop should be a little hard, the size of a grain of rice, black and odorless. Sometimes it may turn green or red, don't be too nervous, please recall if there is any green or red color in the rat's feed, if there is, it is normal for the poop to be green. If there is, it is normal for the stool to be green. If the stool is soft or has a foul odor, please send it to the doctor as soon as possible. (5) Buccal sacs: Sometimes you have to pay attention to the buccal sacs to see if the food has been eaten, if not, please don't give them any more food. If the food in the bursa is rotten and smelly, it may lead to bursitis. Pay regular attention to the cheek pouches to see if there is any odor of food rotting, and help him to remove the food from the cheek pouches regularly. Use saline to mix with water in a 1:3 ratio, and use a feeding syringe to insert into the cheek pouches to rinse them out. (6) Coat color: Rat's coat is usually soft and shiny. If there is hair loss, please pay attention to whether it is allergy and bring it to the doctor as soon as possible for examination. (7) Body temperature: The body temperature of rats and mice is usually slightly higher than ours by touching with our hands, but the feeling is not obvious. If it is obvious that your rat or mouse has a high body temperature, please send it to the hospital immediately, as it is very likely to be the precursor of heatstroke!
Note on medical matters
Precautions for mother rats during the labor period: (1) During the period of pregnancy of female rats, remember that they must be separated from male rats in separate cages. The male rats may eat the babies; most importantly, the male rats may still be in heat at this time, so if they are not separated from each other, they will cause the female rats that are still nursing to become pregnant again, which will affect their health and even lifespan. The female rats still have the ability to store sperm, and there is a possibility that one litter will be followed by a second litter. Therefore, it is necessary to separate the male rats from the cage in time. (2) Please help mother mice to replenish their body well, as production is very traumatic. You can use flaxseed, nutritional cream, nutritional water, dried fish, bread worms, etc., so that the mother mice can increase their nutrients. (3) Please try not to change the objects and matting in the mother's cage between the first and second months of her life. It is easy to scare the mother mouse, causing her not to nurse her babies or to recycle (eat) the mice, so don't touch the mice before they reach one month of age! (4) When the mice are one month old, they can leave their mother after their fur grows and their eyes are opened and they are weaned, so you can try to touch the babies! (5) It is best to wait until the mice are full term before feeding them breadworms, which have shells. At this time, the baby's digestive system is not yet complete, please do not feed breadworms, as it is easy to get indigestion. Mothers will feed the mice themselves, please do not intentionally help the mice to feed. (6) During pregnancy, please remember to pick up the roller, sometimes the mother will neglect breastfeeding in order to play with the roller
About the Hidden Dangers of Raising Hamsters Raising hamsters is not without any hidden dangers, but as long as the hygiene and cleanliness of the hamster's residence are ensured, they can be completely avoided. Bubonic plague: hamsters basically don't have bubonic plague, its physiological structure is different from that of rats. And the Black Death isn't some cold or something like that, it's everywhere. Currently, the Black Death virus only exists in laboratories in a few countries, such as the United States. Listeriosis: Listeria monocytogenes is widely found in nature, not easily frozen or thawed, and can tolerate high osmotic pressure. It is found in soil, surface water, sewage, wastewater, and rotten vegetables, so it is easy for animals to ingest the bacterium and spread it through the oral-fecal route. Would you let your hamster eat rotten vegetables and dirty water? Hemorrhagic fever: the virus is usually transmitted from infected non-human primates (e.g., green monkeys) to humans first, and then from sick people to other healthy people. Hamsters are primates? Children can not be raised: some very small very small, do not understand the correct way and do not listen to the children really best not to raise, lest the abuse of the rat abused to death but also said that it is the rat is not right
I hope you can be good to the rat, remember, must be kept in separate cages! Responsible will have serious consequences!