Choice of cages for a hamster and its arrangement

Buying a hamster, it is not superfluous to learn about the habits of this animal, its food preferences. In advance, you should take care of his home. A cardboard box or a glass bottle, of course, will not work. Although literally a decade ago hamsters often kept in three-liter jars, simply because it was almost impossible to purchase a special cage.

The life span of this animal is not very large - only two years, and in order not to reduce it additionally, it needs to create conditions that will be as similar to the natural habitat. Currently, hamsters are mostly kept in an aquarium or cage. Any of these options has its positive and negative points.

To date, if you go to any pet store, you can see a large selection of different cells designed for rodents. Cages for a hamster should be chosen according to the size of the bottom. Experts believe that the parameters can not be less than 30x50 cm. In the wild, hamsters live in large desert areas where there is not a lot of food. During the night, this rodent can overcome tens of kilometers to collect edible plants. Therefore, at home they should be given more space for movement. In the case of a cell for a hamster too small, animals often suffer from cardiovascular diseases and obesity. Insufficient physical activity reduces its immunity, and hence resistance to various diseases. The height of the cell does not matter much, but still for the comfort of the rodent should not be less than 50 cm.

When choosing a cage for a hamster, you need to pay attention to the distance between the rods. Many have heard of the ability of rodents to penetrate even the smallest cracks, but they believe that their plump pet is unlikely to be able to do it, and they are mistaken. The distance between rods for a dwarf hamster should not be more than 5-6 mm, and for Syrian - up to 10 mm. Otherwise, the animal can escape and get lost.

A hamster cage preferably has a horizontal position of the rods. To them it is convenient to fasten the elements that are used to equip his home. In addition, these animals can easily climb on such rods and hang on them.

Often in the cage set a house of plastic, which can be bought at a pet store. But your pet can do without such a structure. If you put a few napkins and a little hay, the rodent will independently make a mink-house for himself.

But the wheel for a hamster is just necessary. Running on it, he can realize the need for physical activity. To save space, it is better to fix this element at a certain height from the floor. It is not advisable to buy a wheel from wood, because in a short time your pet will chew it. It is better to install a metal, with fairly wide rods. Some owners say that the hamster does not run around the wheel. But these are nocturnal animals and the peak of their activity falls precisely at this time.

These rodents are not very demanding in nutrition, but they need fresh drinking water. A drinking bowl for hamsters can be arranged in different ways. The simplest version is a small bowl or a jar of baby food, installed in a cage. However, the animal can easily overturn it and then it will not only lose its water, but it will also get wet. In addition, water is easily polluted. A very interesting option - a drinker as in birds, but only with other sizes. It is inexpensive and lacks the aforementioned shortcomings. However, during a period of activity, a hamster can throw a "pocket" with water with food or litter elements. Ideally suitable for all kinds of rodents is an automatic drinking bowl, but it's quite difficult to find a really high-quality specimen and the cost is quite high. But if you get it, the hamster will quickly learn to use this device and it will always have fresh water.