The optimal temperature is 20-28 ℃, avoid direct sunlight or direct wind blowing to the place, but pay attention to ventilation. Don't be too close to the TV, stereo, computer, hamsters can hear the sound that humans can not hear, should avoid radiation and noise.
Summer: It's best not to turn on the air conditioner, because if you turn it off when you go out, and turn it on when you come in, the temperature difference inside the house will be too big, and the hamster is very sensitive to the temperature, and will easily catch a cold.
Winter: don't put it outside, hamsters will hibernate because it's 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 into a cardboard or plastic box, but pay attention to ventilation.
Basic Hamster Supplies
Cage
Food bowl
Most cages come with their own food bowl. If you need to buy your own, small containers are generally available, as long as they are not easily knocked over and the edges are not too high or the hamster can't climb in. Commonly used containers: glass cigarette jar, soy sauce dish, all kinds of small bowls, microwave oven box. Current price: $3-10
Drinker
Most cages come with a drinker, and it's a good idea to install one for DIY, because hamsters need to drink. Drinkers are generally designed with a stainless steel bead on the front end, so be careful to test for leaks when purchasing. Never take a bowl to hold 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, feed your hamster more vegetables and fruits.
Toilet
A regular plastic box filled with cat litter is a simple toilet. Remove the clumped litter every day or change it all out, depending on your personal hygiene habits. Hamsters raised by people who love cleanliness are also cleaner.
Bathing room
Some hamsters will use cat litter to bathe in the toilet, which is unhygienic, but it is the hamster's preference, and at this point there is no longer a need for a bathing room. However, for some hamsters who love to be clean, the owner should buy a bathing room for them, and put in the bathing sand for the hamster to roll around, and play holes to its heart's content. The sand should be disinfected, or you can wash the sand yourself, put it in the microwave oven to sterilize and dry, and mix it with talcum powder to make bath sand. It's best not to use talcum powder directly, as it's too irritating and can easily hurt your hamster's eyes.
Running Wheel
Most of the cages come with a running wheel, because wild hamsters run 20 kilometers a day, so the right amount of exercise is very important for hamsters, and without enough exercise, hamsters will be stressed and fight with each other, chewing on the cages and other behaviors. 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
To be the bedding material for the rat cage, many materials are available, but most people choose wood shavings because it is cleaner and easier to get. Be careful when using paper bedding, don't use printed paper, the ink is toxic and the hamster will be poisoned.
Grinding stone/teeth grinding stick
The hamster's teeth will continue to grow, so a grinding stick is needed to grind down overgrown teeth.
Hut
Hut has ceramic, wooden, grass, plastic, hamsters love it, because hamsters are animals that love to make holes to live in, if you have the conditions, you should give hamsters with a hut. Current price: $10-45.
Schedule
Bringing the hamster home, as it leaves the environment where it has been living, leaving its mother and siblings, there will be a relatively long period of time seems very sensitive, nervous is lost, sometimes there will be biting, dazed, refused to eat, etc., and this period is the key period of time for you and the hamster to build up trust, if you do not handle it well it will be very difficult to build up a good relationship in the future! If you don't handle it well, it will be hard to build a good relationship in the future, and it's possible that your hamster will turn into a bad hamster that bites all the time! Here's a timetable for getting along with your hamster:
Day 1: Let it get used to its new environment, don't harass it at all, don't touch it, and don't take it to and from the house.
Day 2: Hand feed it with treats 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.
Be careful when picking up a hamster: Sleeping hamsters don't like to be disturbed, so make sure it's awake before you pick it up. You should spread its nest so it can see you, then pick it up gently, and don't force it if it doesn't want to be picked up.
Hamster food
Edible food:
Vegetables Green vegetables (e.g., green river vegetables), carrots, squash (green and yellow vegetables are good) Seeds Sunflower seeds, peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts (don't give too much) Fruits Apples, strawberries, cherries, bananas, grapes (don't give too much due to a lot of sugar) Cereals Chicken feed, turtle dove feed, bird feed, wheat, corn, millet Plant feed Wheat, corn, millet Plant Clover, dandelion, kudzu, plantain Animal protein Beef, chicken, egg white, cheese, milk, yogurt, worms, dried fish for pets.
Feeding amount: The amount of food supplied to the hamster is easy to be more or less, because the hamster has the habit of storing food, and it will be very uneasy if the food is less. Therefore, if you find the food bowl always empty every time you add food it means that 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 spoilage.
Keeping hamsters can use a 50-centimeter-square tank for tropical fish, with a cover made of wire mesh (which is easy to swelter in summer, so pay attention to it). When using a wire cage, the hamster grabs the wire to climb upward, there will be a risk of falling, so it is best to cage is not very high, and to remove the bottom of the cage after the use of the wire. Line the bottom of the cage with straw, hay, sawdust or strips of fine newspaper. Feeding tubs can be made of earthenware, preferably heavier. Some twigs can be provided for gnawing to prevent the teeth from growing too long. Nest boxes can be made of wood or paper, etc. Bird nest boxes can be utilized in addition to those that come with the cage. Line the nest box with hay, sawdust, newspaper, rags, etc. Sinks do not scrape feet, but they tend to accumulate moisture, so be careful to keep them dry. Also, the sink is deep enough to put in plenty of straw, hay, and other cage substrate that will allow the hamster to dive in, put in dirt, and then lay hay on top. Create a very natural environment where hamsters can dig holes for nests.
Drinking water can be done with a water feeder, mounted at a height where it is easy to drink, and add water to a vessel-type pitcher. You can let hamsters play with water in the summer, but don't make the cage too wet. Hamsters have the habit of defecating in a fixed place. Put a potty in the place where it often defecates and put urine or feces in it to make the potty smell bad, so it will use it as a toilet. If you don't use the toilet, don't force it to do so, just be careful to clean the cage often.
Hamsters are omnivores, so you can give them yellow-green vegetables such as pumpkin, light-colored vegetables such as cabbage and lettuce, and potatoes, beans, fruits, weeds and seeds. 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 some dog food, cat food, etc.
Hamsters have the habit of storing food in their gills. Be careful to change the water regularly. Wash the food bowl and water feeder every day and replace them 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 disinfect the cage 1-2 times a month.
The temperature inside the tank is easy to rise in the hot summer, and in summer, it is best to move to the cage for feeding. Keep the cage in a well-ventilated place and be careful not to let direct sunlight. When it's hot, hamsters don't like to eat solid rations, and should be fed water-rich foods such as vegetables. Store food in the fall, and don't forget to check the nesting box frequently to prevent the hamster from going into hibernation due to low temperature. When placing it in a heated room, take care that the temperature difference between day and night is not too big. You can put a plastic bag over the cage, or put the cage into a paper-shell box to keep warm.
Hamster Emotions
Hamsters, compared to dogs and cats, are animals that are less likely to get through to their owners. However, it is 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.
Finishing the body hair
When a hamster finishes its body hair, it is in a relaxed state. Otherwise, it is a state where the hamster's own flavor disappears after the owner strokes the hamster and wants to apply the flavor to its body again. Hamsters love their own flavor.
Turning over
The hamster will turn over when the owner's hand reaches inside the cage. This is due to the state of being startled or feeling annoyed when the hand comes in. The hamster has almost no weapon against the enemy, so it will roll over and resist with all four legs. At this time, just go over slowly and reassure the hamster. Especially when the hamster is sleeping, don't scare the hamster.
Curl up in a circle
It's obvious that this is the hamster's sleeping position, so keep your voice down. However, they will also roll up when they are in poor health, so be careful. When the weather is cold, it will also roll up, this time is to keep warm.
Cage chewing
When a hamster chews on the wire of its cage, it may be 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 nasty or scary, and they are also drooping when they have just woken up from a nap.
Body stiffness
Turning on the wheel and then suddenly standing still is a sign that the hamster is trying to use the wheel to move to a faraway place, and that it has stopped and is standing still to make sure that it has reached a certain 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. Don't 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.
When buying:
1. It is best to use the same breed of hamster, because different breeds of hamsters can easily fight.
2. As they are nocturnal animals, they sleep for 12-14 hours a day, and only move and eat in the evening, so it is best to buy them in the evening or at night, so that you can see the active side of the hamster.
3. Generally speaking, a healthy hamster is characterized by sound limbs, eyes, normal ears without secretions, average and soft fur, and dry, hard, granular feces.
4. Hamsters are also afraid of strangers, and when they first come home, they seem to be more sensitive, and need two or three days to get used to the idea before they can "get close" to you.
Hamsters are nocturnal animals that like to sleep during the day and come out at night, so don't wake them up when they're sleeping! Four-week-old hamsters are adults. Unlike rats, they have a short tail, or even no tail at all. One of the most interesting things about hamsters is that they know how to hide their food in the sides of their gills and spit it out only when they are in a safe place.
Needing a safe environment
A safe environment requires you to put yourself in the hamster's shoes - is it time to change the wood shavings? Will it get cold? Is it hungry? etc... If you can put yourself in the hamster's shoes, your hamster will be able to trust you and you will be able to live happily with your hamster! Every hamster has a different personality, so it's important to keep your hamster in line with its personality so that it can live a good life.
Home for hamsters
There are three types of hamster homes: cages (usually made of iron), plastic (or acrylic), aquariums (glass shells), these types of nests have ordinary, luxury respectively, to do no matter what kind of need is, water feeders, food trays, rotating wheels and other basic equipment, the most basic things you can't do without, or how to let it eat well! the first thing you need to do is to get a good meal and a good night's sleep.
Floor plates, rotating wheels safety first
Warm wood shavings or pasture grass is also good for hamsters to keep warm, other can also be used for small animals special sand. Excellent wood shavings, pasture and sand can deodorize and maintain environmental hygiene and cleanliness, if used in combination is also a good choice.
Toy items, such as spinning wheels, it is best not to have a gap so as not to get stuck in the hamster's feet, and small nests (can be used for one or two objects), teeter-totters, etc. .... You can choose a wooden one, which will be less problematic for the hamster to chew on, and will also prevent the hamster's teeth from growing too long.
Countermeasures in summer and winter
To keep hamsters comfortable and at ease, it is important to pay attention to changes in the weather, especially during these two seasons, so that they can live comfortably.
The heat is worse than the cold for hamsters, which originally lived in the desert, so why would they be afraid of the heat? That's because hamsters rest in cool tunnels during the day and come out at night.
In the summer, plastic or aquariums can become like a steamer, so you can replace the cage with one that is ventilated. In addition, the place where you put the cage is also important, make sure you don't put it in a place where it will be exposed to direct sunlight, such as by a window. Hamsters in direct sunlight can cause dehydration, or other lesions, or even death.
And pay attention to the ventilation, but do not give the hamster air-conditioning, electric fan is OK.
Taiwan's climate is less problematic in the winter, so just pay attention to keeping warm, like Japan and other places where winters are colder, you may be able to use an electric heater for small animals.
The hamster escaped!
Anyone who owns a hamster has experienced a hamster escaping. Usually it's the owner's inattention, and even if they pay attention, the hamster will escape in ways the owner can't even imagine.
In my experience, the cage should not be equipped in such a way that the hamster can step or climb on it. Also, the cage material should not be so flimsy that the hamster will chew around the cage causing it to break and escape. A loose cage door can also be opened by the hamster.
Keeping males and females separate
Hamsters are fragile creatures in the wild, so each time they give birth, they give birth to many offspring, and so they are able to achieve ecological balance when they run into carnivorous predators. However, as pets, it is not possible to do so. When males and females are together, the number of hamsters will keep increasing if they are not properly controlled.
Additionally, males have a strong sense of place when they become adults and will fight with other hamsters. So it's best to separate them immediately after you notice the quarrel.
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Preparation before keeping rats
Before keeping rats and mice, are you prepared? Have enough basic common sense? The rat is also a life, need to be taken care of with full love, not just casually said to raise Oh. Before you get a rat, please make sure that you have enough money and time to take care of the rat for the rest of its life, that your family agrees to keep a rat, and that you have the ability to take the rat to the doctor when it gets sick. A rat is a life, not a toy, so please think twice before getting one.
Basic supplies and prices before raising a rat:
. Feed. Mice and rats are very good small animals, their feed can be bought ready-made in the flower and bird market, but more affordable is in accordance with shishi mom's feed table to match their own, flower and bird market year-on-year price can eat for a long time! The main recipe: shelled hemp seeds, millet (flower bird market sells small birds of the place to sell), and then you can buy in the supermarket corn flakes, buckwheat, cereal, and finally with some original flavor melon seeds, remember to be original flavor! Don't bring the salty flavor, the rat will eat it and it will be hot and dry in the mouth.
. Wood chips.
This is a must Oh, can absorb moisture to remove the odor, the general price according to the weight in 25-60 yuan range.
. Mouse cage.
Shishi recommends imported cages made of plexiglass for good ventilation. There are many plexiglass cages on the market with different prices, shishi suggests not to buy too big and too complicated, cleaning and hygiene work is not convenient, and secondly, do not buy a cage surrounded by wire, so that the rat will be colder in winter, and it is best to buy two sides of the ventilation! In the winter just take cardboard to cover one side, the rat is very warm!
. Roller.
The roller is for the rat to exercise and play with, there are separate ones on the market and also with the cage, if it is a separate one, remember not to buy the wire one, the rat's feet are easy to be sprained.
. Food bowl.
The food bowl doesn't have to be a special one for rats, you can also use a small dish for human use instead.
. Bathing tub and bath sand
Bathing is a must for rats and mice to stay clean! So a bath tub is also a necessity! Keeping clean is a priority for healthy rats!
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Staple food:
Mice and rats live only two to three years, so it's not too much to ask that they eat well. Mice and rats are omnivores and will eat almost anything.
But the staple food is grains and cereals: you can refer to the recipe told above.
Moisture:
Rats can do without water, if you want to drink remember to always boil water! Shishi's rats are fed vegetables and fruits to get water! Since they are so small, a little bit of water is enough! Their favorite food is bok choy, so remember to rinse it well and dry it in the air. Yellow Brussels sprouts and cabbages are fine! But wash them well! Like tomatoes, cucumbers, apples and oranges are all fine for them to eat.
. About sunflower seeds.
Melon seeds also have a variety of types, like sunflower seeds, melon seeds, watermelon seeds, etc., the rat is very love to eat oh.
Rats are quite fond of sunflower melon seeds, but the fat content of sunflower melon seeds is high, and the rats will eat too much of them, which will cause obesity, partiality, malnutrition and other problems. Therefore, sunflower melon seeds can only be used as snacks or non-essential products to enhance the relationship, and they cannot be fed too much, and they can only eat a meal of one or two at the most. However, if it is in winter, you can give some more to the rat to increase the heat, in order to tide over the winter oh.
. Foods not to be eaten.
The rat is an omnivorous animal, but there are still things you can not eat, if you accidentally eat, light diarrhea, heavy death, not to be careful Oh!
. Spicy (stimulating) food.
such as chili peppers, green peppers, green onions, garlic, ginger, leeks, nine layers of peppers and so on.
. Peaches, plums, apples and other kernels.
It is said to cause a rapid heartbeat in rats, potentially leading to symptoms such as shock. The reasons for this are not clear, but be careful what you wish for. These products are high in potassium ions, which can cause rats to overdose and die of tachycardia.
. The human food.
People's food, after cooking, is too oily and salty for rats, which is very harmful to their health, especially meat dishes or other oily snacks should not be given to rats!