Are you thinking about buying a pet hamster? You’ll also need to pick out a hamster enclosure to go along with it.
This hamster habitat won’t need to be very big. Most pet hamsters only grow to be between 2 to 6 inches in length, depending on which type you get.
But this doesn’t mean you should simply choose the first hamster enclosure you can find and bring it home. It would be worth considering different types of enclosures and deciding where you would like to set one up.
We’ve created a guide filled with 13 tips on how to set up the perfect hamster enclosure in your house. Take a look at it below and utilize it to create a great place for your hamster to live so that you can practice proper hamster care.
1. Decide Which Type of Hamster Enclosure You Want
There are a handful of different types of hamster enclosures that you can buy for your home. Some are made out of plastic, while others are made out of metal or even glass.
You’re welcome to buy whichever kind of hamster enclosure you would like. But generally speaking, your best bet will be to invest in one that’s designed specifically for hamsters.
Hamsters are known to be escape artists to some degree. So if you buy a hamster enclosure that is going to be easy to get out of, you might find yourself trying to chase down a missing hamster at some point.
2. Consider How Big a Hamster Enclosure Should Be
As we alluded to earlier, most hamsters won’t grow to be more than 6 inches long. But the exact length and weight of a full-grown hamster will change based on which type of hamster you get.
You should research the specific type of hamster you’ve picked out and find out how big it’ll grow to be. This will give you a much better idea of how large your hamster enclosure will need to be to accommodate it.
3. Look For a Hamster Enclosure That’s Easy to Dismantle
You might not think much about dismantling a hamster enclosure when you’re buying one. But you should keep in mind that you will need to take a hamster enclosure apart every so often to clean it.
For this reason, you should read up on how much effort you’ll need to put into dismantling different hamster enclosures. Ideally, you’ll want to take home one that’s going to be easy to take apart as necessary. It’ll make cleaning your hamster enclosure so much easier.
4. Think About Where You’ll Put a Hamster Enclosure
While you’re in the process of shopping for a hamster enclosure, don’t be afraid to give thought to where it’s going to go. This will help you decide everything from how big it can be to what it’ll need to be made out of.
You should avoid putting a hamster enclosure in a place where it’ll be exposed to too much sunlight or heat. You should also keep it in a place where other pets won’t be able to get to it.
5. Put Bedding in a Hamster Enclosure
When you reach this point in your search for a hamster enclosure, you should have the enclosure itself all picked out. But you’ll also need to get some things to go along with it.
For starters, you’ll need to pick up a big bag of bedding for your hamster enclosure. This bedding will go into the bottom of the enclosure. It’ll be responsible for providing your hamster with a comfortable place to sleep while also soaking up urine from your hamster.
You may be tempted to skimp on paying for high-quality bedding. But it’ll be well worth it in the end. You should aim to buy the best bedding possible so that you know it’s going to do its job.
6. Pick a Place to Put Food and Water in a Hamster Enclosure
From the second that you put a hamster in its new hamster enclosure, it’ll need to have constant access to fresh food and water. Because of this, you’ll need to buy a food bowl and water bottle for your hamster enclosure.
The food bowl should be large enough to fit enough food for your hamster to eat each day. The water bottle should hang on the side of the hamster enclosure and make it easy for your hamster to drink water when it gets thirsty.
You should set both these things up in your hamster enclosure prior to putting your hamster in it so that it’ll be able to find them and begin using them right away.
7. Provide a Place for Exercise in a Hamster Enclosure
Most types of hamsters will sleep for at least 8 hours every day, with some of them sleeping for up to 14 hours in certain cases. When they aren’t sleeping, they’ll need to get their fair share of exercise to keep themselves healthy.
With this in mind, you should devote a portion of your hamster enclosure to exercise. Many hamster owners will put hamster wheels in place that’ll provide their hamsters with all the exercise they could ever want and need without taking up too much room.
You’re welcome to go in this direction if you want. You might also want to look into adding tubes and other accessories to your hamster enclosure so that your hamster has room to explore.
8. Create Hiding Places in a Hamster Enclosure
When your hamster is sleeping or even just relaxing in its enclosure, it’s most likely going to want to hide. It’s in a hamster’s instincts to hide from potential predators when it’s not moving around.
Because of this, you should set up areas where your hamster can hide when it feels like getting away. It might simply bury itself in its bedding at times. But you should also look into buying small plastic structures that your hamster can hide in to make it feel safe.
9. Stick Chew Toys in a Hamster Enclosure
Most hamsters have incisors that will grow continuously throughout their lives. To stop them from growing too out of control, hamsters will find things to nibble on to wear down their teeth.
You should help your hamster out by positioning chew toys throughout its hamster enclosure. It’ll turn to these chew toys early and often to wear down its incisors and stop them from getting to be too big.
10. Remove Soiled Bedding From a Hamster Enclosure Daily
As we mentioned, the bedding in your hamster enclosure is going to do more than just help your hamster sleep. It’ll also soak up all your hamster’s urine.
More often than not, your hamster will pick one or two specific spots in the hamster enclosure you set up to pee. You should try to identify these spots and then make it a point to remove soiled bedding from them every day.
11. Replace Bedding in a Hamster Enclosure Weekly
Although removing soiled bedding from your hamster enclosure will keep bedding clean for the most part, you shouldn’t leave the same bedding in place for too long. Your hamster will start to get dirty if you do this.
Once each week, you should take all the bedding out of your hamster enclosure and replace it with fresh bedding. It’ll help keep your hamster cleaner and prevent your hamster enclosure from starting to smell bad.
12. Wash an Entire Hamster Enclosure Monthly
Outside of replacing the bedding in your hamster enclosure each week, you should also make it your mission to clean the whole enclosure at least once each month. To do this, you’ll need to take everything out of the enclosure and wash it by hand while you keep your hamster somewhere else.
As you do this, just make sure you only use cleaning products that’ll be safe to use for your hamster. The last thing you want to do is accidentally expose your hamster to chemicals that could prove to be toxic to them.
13. Add New Features to a Hamster Enclosure Over Time
Your hamster might get bored if you keep their hamster enclosure the same for months on end. It’s why you should try to add new features to it all the time.
Even if all you do is replace an old plastic structure with a new one, it’ll help to liven up your hamster enclosure. Your hamster will appreciate getting the opportunity to explore its new surroundings when you make changes to its enclosure.
Start Setting Up an Amazing Hamster Enclosure Now
You’re going to love having a hamster live in your home no matter what. But you’ll love it even more than usual when you set up the perfect hamster enclosure in your house.
Use each of the tips found here to start building a hamster enclosure that your hamster will be able to grow into in the months and years to come. Make sure you learn how to care for your hamster, too, so that you can keep it happy and healthy.
Discover more about caring for a hamster by browsing through our other blog articles.