The hamster will spend most of the time in the cage. Don’t let his life be boring. Provide your hamster pet with many hamster toys and varied activities to keep her moving and her brain cells to work.
If you want your hamster to stay healthy and cheerful, provide him with a variety of toys that can be purchased at pet stores. Note swings, climbing slides, straight or curved ladders, perforated logs and tubes, round grass nests and tubes, prefabricated playgrounds and digging containers.
Exercise is a key factor to keeping your hamster healthy, and fit. You can give your hamster a lot of exercise but it requires a few extra items such as the very popular Hamster Ball and Wheel.
These are both great ways to keep your hamster fit and healthy.
Hamsters are some of the most lovable pets available for purchase. They are easy to maintain and do very well with children and adults the same. Not only that they are fun to play with. But because hamsters are kept in a cage they just don’t get all of the exercise necessary for their little bodies. As a result hamsters can become obese overweight and be put in danger of passing on.
Would you want this for your little companion. I didn’t think so. That is why hamster toys have been created. These little toys help hamsters stay in shape by allowing them to get plenty of exercise by running and expending calories.
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Best Hamster Toys Make Your Pet Happy
If you have a pet hamster, you know that these are very active little critters. Like you, these guys are intelligent and curious and need a variety of toys and other stimulations to give them exercise and keep them happy. Hamster cages are designed to keep them in but they’re also their home, so why not make it a place they like being?
Hamster Care
Hamsters, like chinchillas, are members of the rodent family and their teeth are constantly growing because they’re always chewing. To keep them happy it’s not enough to keep stocked up on hamster food and hamster treats, you also need to give them something to chew on.
Wooden hamster toys are a great choice because hamsters like chewing on them. Because they do break down you have to make sure that it’s made out of something safe. You can’t just grab any old piece of wood because some woods are harmful to hamsters.
Hamster Wooden Chew Toys
Plastic hamster toys can also be a hazard because they tend to break down and can be swallowed. This is why homemade hamster toys can possibly be harmful if you inadvertently include something hazardous.
While there are sites on the web that give you good instruction on how to make hamster toys, it may be safer to stick with hamster toys especially made for pets to be sure you’re avoiding any harmful paints or toxins.
Hamster Toys For Exercise
As active little pets, your hamster needs exercise. Hamster toys made for fun and activity are essential to keep them from getting fat and unhappy. Putting hamster tubes, tunnels and a hamster ball in their cage gives them the workout they need while they have fun and get their exercise.
Like all of God’s creatures we all need to get out and stretch our legs. Hamsters do this by playing in hamster wheels, exercise pet balls, fun exercise ball cars and many other toys. These toys allow hamsters to explore their surrounding and also accomplish the primary exercise of maintaining a strong and healthy pet.
Now their are a number of hamster toys on the market available for purchase. But remember don’t get fooled by your friendly pet salesman who says that you need to spend an extra $5 to $10 dollars for the latest colored toy. Hamsters are color blind so their is no need to buy a more expensive colored toy to enlighten the hamster’s senses. It will not affect the hamster at all.
Hamster Tubes/Tunnels Toy
Hamster Balls
One of the most common hamster accessories is the hamster ball. These are often light-weight, see-through plastic balls with tiny air holes all around for ventilation. They usually have a screw on lid to secure the hamster safely inside.
Hamster balls have many uses and probably the most common use for these balls is for when you are cleaning your hamster’s cage and you put the hamster inside the ball so that the hamster has free rein to run around the area, get some exercise and remain safe. The balls are also used sometimes as small transporters when the hamster is being taken to your local veterinarian.
Important things to remember when purchasing a hamster exercise ball are, among others, the ball should be made of a strong, sturdy plastic for protection, it should also have sufficient ventilation and the ball should be able to be secured properly to prevent the hamster from escaping. I would not recommend getting one that can split in the middle, as many a hamster has escaped from one of these. Instead, there is a model of hamster ball that has a screw lid consisting of approximately one quarter of the ball. These are more secure.
Run About Ball for Hamsters
Another important aspect to remember is the safety of the hamster whilst confined inside the hamster exercise ball. Even though the hamster is secured inside the ball, keep it away from stairs and other potentially dangerous areas of the house. Hamsters should also not be left inside the hamster balls for too long, as they can become dehydrated and exhausted very quickly. Another important aspect to remember is that sometimes hamster feces and urine and clog the ventilation holes which could cause a lack of oxygen for the hamster.
Many people refuse to buy their hamsters the exercise balls as in their opinion they regard these hamster balls as being cruel. Many stories have been told of hamsters knocking themselves around against furniture. To avoid this I would recommend clearing an area that is large enough for the hamster to move around in without bumping into anything. Some hamsters actually love the exercise balls and will willingly go into them to have a run around. Some actually show that they do not want to be in one of these balls.
If your hamster should at any time show that it does not like the hamster ball, I would recommend finding another alternative to its exercise patterns. Other hamsters on the other hand, will willing enter these exercise balls and will wait for the lid to be screwed on so that they can run around with a lot more freedom than what they are perhaps used to. These balls are not expensive and you should test one out.
As hamsters need plenty of exercise, I do recommend that you purchase a hamster ball so that you can test if your hamster will indeed like one of these and have great fun while they are getting their daily dose of exercise.
Happy Hamster with Wheel
The most visible of all hamster toys in most hamster cages is probably the hamster wheel. This toy allows hamsters to run in place for hours as they burn off excess calories and fat. This is necessary. In the wild hamsters travel great distances usually 7 to 8 miles per night forging for food and water. With this toy in the cage expect that a hamster will run said distance every day.
Hamsters make for wonderful pets, especially given the fact that they demand little responsibility in terms of their upkeep requirements. They settle well in captivity and are a good pets for most young kids. When you are out to keep one, there are some basics that are needed. The first has to do with the sheltering. A good well sized cage is required with the flooring needs being met. Besides the provision of the water barrel and feeding trough, there is one there essential needed- a hamster wheel.
Hamsters are rodents. They are instinctively created to be curious animals with the natural hunger for exploration. In cage conditions, they are away from their natural environment, but that does not mean that they are without their natural instincts.
All that raw energy they have needs to be tamed as well and that is why a hamster wheel is of the essence. It is their modem of letting it out where they put all their energy to running until the point where they are ‘burned out.’ They are really necessary, so necessary in fact that some records indicate hamsters running a record 6 miles in a time spun of 24 hours.
Hamster Running Wheel
The material of choice in making the hamster wheels is usually either plastic or steel each with its set of pros and cons. Hardened plastic is what is normally used. It provides a more comfortable running environment because the space between the rungs is solid enough, with minimal injury risk. However the same cannot be said about steel wheels.
But some hamsters, a minimal numbers so to say, have this habit of gnawing the plastic wheels with their front teeth, either for recreation, or in an attempt to wear out their length. They cannot do this with steel as it is un-bitable. And that is why hard plastic is the recommended as it is harder, but more risk free in contrast to steel.
When getting a hamster wheel, besides looking at the material of make, you also have to consider the size. This ultimately depends on the size of the hamster, since some breeds are generally bigger than others. You will need to replace a hamster wheel at least twice in the course of their life. One indicator for a bigger wheel is an arched back when a hamster is running. It symbolizes the hamsters need for a much bigger wheel with more abundance in terms of space.
It’s important to highlight at this concluding point that hamster wheels are not limited to hamsters per se. They can be used with any other rodents in captivity, but the requirements of the wheels do differ. There are some rodents that would like some kind of bumps in the inner circumference of the wheel so that it can add a spin to the running.
You should do an experiment with this for your pet rodent before semi-permanently installing one. Running is well enjoyed by humans, and in the same way rodents are into it to. The only way to provide a running environment in a cage situation is only via the use of a hamster wheel.
Hamster Maze – Keeping your Hamster Occupied
One of the fun ways to bond, play or simply occupy your pet hamster is via playing in the hamster maze. Basically a hamster maze is a small version of a maze, specifically designed to suite hamsters. It consist of some leading paths, some blind ending, while others leading to the next path.
It’s basically used as a challenge where the hamster gets to tread through all the paths until they reach the exit point. Others don’t have an exit point, and basically lead to reward points, like to a pot of hamster goodies and snacks.
A hamster maze has a long history, being used by scientists to investigate some common traits in mammals. It’s not limited to hamsters alone, since it is used with all other kinds of rodents, especially the lab mice. It tests the memory levels of rodents and how easily they can remember their way.
They may be small, but records indicate that a rodent can go through a maze in perfection a second time, given a defined time span; something a human is almost incapable of doing without leads. The only disadvantage is their memory is short lived. Usually, hamster mazes used for these experiments are huge, being made of wood in most instances.
Hamster Wooden Maze
But for home purposes, it doesn’t need to be that big, and can usually be home made. The DIY option goes down well with home owners since all you need are some cardboard boxes, decorating papers, adhesive tape or glue, and some little imagination. You need to have some kind of layout for your maze to ensure that not all paths are blind ending.
You can have fun with the overall size and design, but it’s recommended that the walls are not too high or too low in such a way that the hamster would jump over them. Plus as a bargaining chip, it’s always good to have some kind of snack at the end of the maze to give the hamster even more reason to overcome the challenge.
Since making a hamster maze is not hard, you can easily make several designs, and increase the size of the maze to avoid monotony. In any case, you are not likely to get bored especially when you make some kind of game out of it.
You could time and see how fast the hamster gets to the others side and give it a treat every time it clocks better performance. Buying a hamster maze is not really necessary, but should you need one, they are available in most retailing pet toy stores.
Hidden Place for Hamsters
One thing about hamsters is that they are not usually visible during the day. They have many enemies in the wild that pray on them so they need to stay hidden during the day to avoid being eaten. This is the same when they are caged. Be sure to have small toys that allow your hamster to hide when they want to.
If you don’t have these toys in your cage they will substitute for these toys by burying themselves under the underbrush in the cage. As I said they like to hide this is their nature. Since it is their nature be sure to have toys that cultivate this instinct.
Hamster Chamber Hideout House
Hamster Chew Treat
Chew treat are also a welcomed hamster toy. They help to cultivate a sensible diet for your hamster and allows them to get necessary vegetables like corn, fruits and seeds that are needed for hamsters. These are a nice treat for the hamster. Although, it is not necessary to always have these toys in the cage. They are occasional treats that supplement their diets.
Crunch Stick Treat for Hamsters with Wood Chew Center
Great treat for hamsters made with whole grains, seeds, peanuts and honey with a natural wood chew center that provides hours of chewing fun long after the treat part is gone.
If you want to come up in price for premium cages then you may already have climbing toys for your hamster installed in your cage. Climbing toys are another way to help your hamster to gain that necessary exercise. These toys are always great to always have in your cage.
A hamster is a great pet to have. They are a lot less responsibility than having a cat or a dog, and they are not too attention demanding. They however do like to spend time with their owner. There are several activities that you can perform together. Chances are, every once in a while, they will come out of their cage and explore the room surroundings but under the guided watch of their owner.
Multi-level Hamster Cage
Hamsters are highly active little creatures. Part of hamster care is making sure that they have the toys they need that will provide an outlet for the energy they have. Everyone has heard that hamsters enjoy running incessantly on a wheel, and that is no urban legend. They truly love to exercise.
Hamsters also enjoy burrowing and tunneling, so giving them empty cardboard toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls to climb through will give them countless opportunities to fulfill this need. Don’t be surprised when they begin chewing on these homemade toys as well!
There are many hamster toys available for purchase. When hamsters do sleep, they like to curl up in small spaces, so adding small empty boxes with an entrance “door” will be perfect for your hamster.
If you haven’t thought about toys, you should know that they are an important part of any hamster’s life. Not just because they’re fun and you probably want to spoil your cute little hamster, but toys are important for their health as well.
These are just a few of the many hamster toys available. Be sure to check out the more toys to find the best that your hamster will enjoy.
