Hamsters, in general, are fairly healthy creatures. There’s no one disease that is specific only to hamsters, and if you provide a balanced diet, a low-stress environment, and room to play your hamster will avoid most preventable ailments.

Food and Drink
The staple of any hamster’s diet is his hamster mix. There are several different options available to you, and asking five different breeders for their recommendations will likely get you five different responses! However, keep an eye on the mix that you’re using to see if your hamsters take to it. If they start showing signs of illness or if they’re choosing not to eat it try a different brand.

Water is vital to your hamster's well-being. Always make sure the water bottle you use is reachable by both adults and any pups living in the cage. Hamsters also get some of their water requirement from fresh fruit and vegetables, such as apples and cucumbers. Remember, when you first introduce fresh food into your hamster’s diet (or any new food for that matter) that you do so gradually. A change in diet can often cause stress in your hamster, and too much fresh food at once can cause diarrhea, so be alert for signs of illness.

Environment
Hamsters are native to desert climates, so it’s important to keep their cage in a spot that’s not going to get any cool drafts or suffer from dampness. If you happen to live in a cooler part of the country and cold drafts are inevitable, consider housing your hamster in an aquarium as opposed to an open-bar cage. Be sure that, particularly in the case of Syrians, the aquarium is big for them to explore, exercise, play, and burrow.

Speaking of burrowing, not only do hamsters enjoy burrowing for food, but they also like a quiet place to get away from it all now and then. Even lone Syrians will desire a hideaway spot where they can be by themselves for a while. You can buy specially-made hamster homes from a pet store, or you can simply provide some toilet paper tubes or other cardboard structures for them to hide in.

Exercise and Play
Hamsters, as we know, have quite a bit of energy and they need some way to spend it! A hamster wheel is a must, but you can also let them out for some supervised playtime. Hamster balls allow your hamster to cruise around a room without escaping, and provide him not only with exercise, but with a little variety too.

We noted earlier that hamsters will need something to chew on in order to keep their teeth at a healthy length. Often the bars of the cage will suffice, but you should also consider chew toys that are designed specifically for this purpose. Throwing in any old plaything from your youth could result in your hamster choking if he manages to chew off a piece.

What Do I Do If I Discover a Sick Hamster?
If your hamster is sharing a cage with others, remove the sick hamster and put him in his own cage to reduce the chances of passing the illness on to his cage-mates. If your hamster has soiled the bedding of the cage then you’ll want to give it a cleaning before you put him back in. Try not to disturb him too much, and make sure that you wash your hands before and after you handle him. Clean any toys and his exercise wheel, preferably with bleach, making sure that they’re well-rinsed before you put them back in the cage. The last thing your hamster wants is to be overwhelmed by the smell of bleach!

 

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