Pet Habitat South Africa

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18 Mar 2015

Keeping Your Hamsters Fit & Healthy

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Hamsters | Pet Inn | Pet Care

Hamsters are naturally energetic and inquisitive animals who benefit from exercise and play. A bored hamster with no way to burn calories may become lethargic, irritable or destructive. Supplying your hamster with toys and exercise equipment is an essential part of keeping him healthy.

Benefits of Exercise

Running around helps alleviate boredom, preventing your hamster from developing bad behavior such as excessive or destructive chewing. A bored hamster is going to be more likely to chew on his cage and destroy various toys and items within the living enclosure. A hamster who is not getting adequate exercise may be irritable or difficult to handle. If your hamster cannot exercise for extended periods of time, he may gain a significant amount of weight, which can cause other health problems to develop.

Exercise Wheel

An exercise wheel is an essential piece of equipment for your hamster's quality of life. Hamsters get in their wheels and run in place. Every hamster should have an in-cage exercise wheel to help prevent boredom and allow exercise. He'll take to it innately. The hamster wheel's size should allow your hamster can run in the wheel without bending his back at an unnatural angle. The surface of the wheel needs to be solid so your hamster cannot get his feet stuck between slats or bars. Hamster wheels come in regular and dwarf varieties.

Tunnels and Tubes

Many hamster cages are equipped with tunnels and tubes. It is generally accepted that the larger your hamster's cage is the better it is for him, as he has more room to run, explore and play in. You can purchase a cage with tubes and tunnels already in it or buy additional climbing structures for your hamster. Your hamster gets exercise by running through the tubes as well as some mental stimulation. Tubes systems are not an alternative to providing an exercise wheel, but they can help keep him entertained.

Hamster Balls

Hamster balls are clear plastic circular enclosures that you can place your hamster inside. Hamsters can run and play inside the ball, effectively roaming around the parts of your home you don't have blocked off with doors or barriers. Some hamster balls come with stands, allowing them to serve as exercise wheels inside your hamster's living enclosure as as explorer capsules independently. Don't allow hamster ball use upstairs or where the ball could fall from one surface to a lower one. Hamster balls provide a good source of exercise and mental stimulation for your hamster, but you should allow their use for no more than 20 to 30 minutes at a time to avoid overexertion and dehydration. Supervise your hamster carefully while he is in the ball to make sure he does not escape, fall off a ledge or face attack from other pets.