What do I need for a hamster?

Before they arrive

• A tank or cage of at least 600 square inches of floor spaceThis is the single most important number on this page. Most retail cages are half that. Bar-biting, repetitive circling and escape attempts are usually a space problem.
• Six inches of bedding, deeper if you canHamsters are burrowers. Deep bedding is not decoration, it is where the animal lives.
• A solid-surface wheel, 8 inches or more for a SyrianNo bars, no mesh. If the back curves while they run, it is too small.
• A sand bath, not a dust bathChinchilla sand, not chinchilla dust — the dust causes respiratory problems. This is how they keep their coat clean.
• Hides, and things to chewCardboard tubes, untreated wood. Their teeth never stop growing.
• A water bottle and a bowlOffer both at first and see which they use.

The first 48 hours

• Leave them completely alone for two or three daysFood, water, and nothing else. A hamster that is handled on day one takes far longer to settle.
• Work out when they wakeMost are properly active late evening. That is the only time to interact.
• Do not wake themA startled hamster bites, and then you both have a problem.

The first week

• Start hand-tamingRest a hand in the enclosure. Then food on the flat palm. Then let them walk onto it. Days, not minutes.
• Spot-clean onlyFull cage cleans destroy their scent and stress them badly. Change soiled corners, leave the rest.
• Check the teethOvergrown incisors are common and fixable early.

Can wait a month

• Extra tunnels and enrichmentAdd gradually once you have seen how they use the space.
• A second wheel or a larger oneIf the first turns out to be too small.
• A travel carrierSmall tub for vet trips.

Do not buy this

• Exercise ballsThey cannot see or smell where they are going, the ventilation slots catch feet, and they cannot stop. Floor time in a pen instead.
• Tiny 'starter' cages and colorful tube setupsPoor ventilation and nowhere near enough floor space.
• A second hamsterSyrians are solitary and will fight, sometimes fatally. Dwarf species can sometimes cohabit but often will not.
• Cotton wool nesting materialIt wraps around limbs and does not break down if swallowed. Plain toilet paper is fine.