Bedding material serves two purposes: as a soft cushion for your hamster to walk on, but also to soak up urine. Hamsters love to burrow and dig so make sure you place at least two inches of material on the bottom of your hamster cage. The most common material used for bedding material is wood shavings, but it’s important that you NEVER use Cedar shavings. Cedar shavings contain a chemical that can cause serious illness in your hamster, so it’s best to avoid it altogether. Pine shavings are an option, but have been shown to cause allergic reactions in some hamsters. Your best bet is bedding material made from Aspen shavings or litter made from wood pulp. Also try to avoid any scented products – it may smell great to you but your hamster’s sensitive nose will not appreciate it.

You may think that simple cat litter would do, but the dust from the litter can cause respiratory issues for your hamster, and the tiny grains get caught in your hamster’s feet causing irritation. Hamsters spend the entire day sleeping, so they like things comfy. They’ll construct their nest out of whatever is available, including bedding material, but would prefer something a little softer. Shredded paper towel or bathroom tissue would be ideal, as long as it doesn’t have dye and is unscented.

Although you may be tempted to supply your hamster with cotton for his nest this should be avoided at all times. The cotton strands can get wrapped around the hamster’s limbs or neck, cutting off blood supply. Stick to bedding material or the shredded paper for nesting material.

Exercise wheels are a must have for your hamster cage. In the wild hamsters roam up to five miles every night in search of food, so whether they’re in a cage or out in the desert they’re going to feel the need to run! The most common hamster wheel that comes to mind is the wire frame wheel, with rungs laid across the length of the wheel. These can be very dangerous for your hamster, as a missed step can lead to the hamster putting his leg between the spokes while it’s turning, thereby breaking his leg. The ideal choice is a hamster wheel with a solid base and entry holes instead of spokes. This greatly reduces the chance of injury for your hamster.

Although you can place a food dish in your hamster cage, it really isn’t necessary. Hamsters love to forage for their food, so simply sprinkling their food throughout the bedding material in their cage will suit them just fine. In fact, if you do put food in a food dish they’re likely to simply remove it and store it elsewhere anyway! As for water bottles, any water bottle designed for small animals should do just fine as long as the spout has a ball bearing at the end and a screw on top.

Consider adding extra toys to the cage to enrich your hamster’s life, such as cardboard tubes, a wood gnaw, a sand box, a hamster house, etc. Your hamster will thank you for it!

Visit the Hamster-Zone website for even more detailed information on hamster care, hamster diet, hamster cages, and much, much more. Learn important tips on how to keep your hamster healthy and happy, including proper diet, care, and cage enrichment.

Copyright 2009 Fine Pet Care.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you see your hamster creeping along the floor of his cage, your hamster is nervous about something, usually something outside of his cage. Do you have a cat nearby, or is there a lot of commotion that could be startling your hamster? Keep an eye out for things that could be causing your hamster stress. If things get worse and your hamster gets frightened he may put his ears forward and puff his cheeks up. This is a classic sign of fright, and may be quickly followed by an emptying of his cheek pouches if he was carrying any food in them. At this point he’s not happy about the situation at all and is getting ready to run.

If you ever attempt to handle your hamster and you notice that his ears are back then you’d better remove your hand quickly as he’s feeling very aggressive and is likely to bite. Another warning sign if you ever go to handle your hamster is if you see him lying on his back with his teeth bare – you may think this a sign of submission but it’s actually another sign that your hamster is frightened and he will bite you in this state if you attempt to pick him up.

Some of the more pleasant signs to look for in your hamster are burrowing and grooming. If you spot your hamster burrowing (which is very likely) it just means that he’s looking for stray bits of food lying amongst his bedding material that he may have missed before. They’ll spend a great deal of time doing this so it’s an easy one to spot. If you catch your hamster grooming or stretching then you are looking at a particularly content and happy hamster!

If you have particularly good hearing you may occasionally catch your hamster making squeaking noises. Consider yourself lucky, as the average hamster squeak lasts only a fraction of a second, and the vast majority of hamster vocalization takes place in a frequency range that is completely undetectable by humans.

A more noticeable noise is teeth chattering – this is a sign that your hamster is unsettled, and is seen most often when a hamster is introduced to a cage that already has a hamster in it. Watch for the warning signs of potential combat between the two hamsters.

Hamsters use various scent glands on their bodies to mark their territory by rubbing the glands up against the sides of the cage. If there’s a spot in the cage they wish to mark but can’t get to with their glands they’ll scratch their scent glands with their rear feet and then walk around the area they wish to claim as theirs. When males and females in the same cage are ready to mate they’ll both reduce their markings, giving each other the signal that it’s okay for the other to approach.

You may occasionally catch your hamster chewing at the bars of his cage. Although he may look like he’s trying to chew his way to freedom he’s actually keeping his every-growing teeth at a reasonable length. If he didn’t continue to keep his teeth ground down they’d cause serious dental problems and illness. Just make sure the bars on the cage aren’t rusty!

Visit the Hamster-Zone website for even more detailed information on hamster care, hamster diet, hamster cages, and much, much more. Learn important tips on how to keep your hamster healthy and happy, including proper diet, care, and cage enrichment.

Copyright 2009 Fine Pet Care.com. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s what you should know about helping someone who is mourning the death of a pet since there is great sorrow involved that can go on for long periods of time.

1. Just as in the death of a friend or family member (and most animals are considered part of the family), grief is to be expected due to the degree of emotional investment in the object of loss. Emotional investment means caring and concern; it is love in-depth. Only the mourner knows the depth of that investment. Sometimes pet grief is more intense than the grief associated with the death of a loved one.

2. Give permission to show emotion by something you say or do. Give the person a hug and say, “This must bring deep hurt” or “I’m so sorry to hear that.” Use the name of the pet when you can. Recognize how close the relationship was between the pet and the mourner and encourage him/her to talk about the illness or what led up to the death.

3. Offer to be of service in some way. Bring food over to the home, if appropriate. Go with the owner to the pet cemetery. Provide transportation. Simply showing you are aware of the impact of the death will be of great help to your friend.

4. Review the relationship the person had with the pet in a gentle caring way. Ask questions regarding how long the pet was part of the family and where he/she came from. Encourage story telling involving what the pet did or did not do. All of this will give you a better idea of what the loss means to the person.

5. Grief over the death of a beloved animal is just as individual as grief over the death of a family member. There will be a wide range of differences, some demonstrative others very reserved. Do not judge the depth of grief by outside appearances. Respect all expressions of grief. Some individuals will hide their grief over fear others will ridicule their behavior. Be sure to include children in learning about grief and death through the death of the pet.

6. Keep in mind, especially with older adults living alone, some companion animals may be the only family the person has. Thus the animal is one of the few or perhaps the only one the mourner received unconditional love from.

7. If other losses have preceded the death of a pet, it can make the pet death more difficult to deal with. For example, if a pet owner has had to give up driving, has had a debilitating illness, has had friends move away, or experienced the death of a loved one, these or other losses can easily result in bereavement overload. The mourner will especially need a nurturing and understanding community at this time of transition.

8. Guilt, anger or depression can also be associated with pet loss. Guilt is the most common reaction, especially if the owner had to have the pet euthanized, was not there when the pet died, or did not recognize the illness until the later stages.

9. Help create or suggest a memorial. A picture, toy, or collar can be used as a way to honor or remember the pet. An object belonging to the animal can be encased in Lucite or placed on a shelf that can be easily viewed.

No longer do pets play a low key role in homes throughout the country. Rather, they have come to fill the role of companion, supporter, and old friend. Consequently, the death of a pet can become a major grief experience for the young or old alike. Become sensitive to the role the animal played in the life of the family and you will be better equipped to provide ongoing support and appropriate remembrances that will be immensely helpful in the months ahead.

By Lou LaGrand

Dr. LaGrand is a grief counselor and the author of eight books, the most recent, the popular Love Lives On: Learning from the Extraordinary Encounters of the Bereaved. He is known world-wide for his research on the Extraordinary Experiences of the bereaved (after-death communication phenomena) and is one of the founders of Hospice of the St. Lawrence Valley, Inc. His free monthly ezine website is http://www.extraordinarygriefexperiences.com.

Copyright 2009 Fine Pet Care.com. All Rights Reserved.

When it comes to learning how to care for a hamster, your goal should be to remember that your furry friend must be kept warm, dry, and entertained.

A hamster’s needs are directly related to the life it would be living were it a wild animal. Hamsters are desert creatures, populating dry, rocky areas in places like Syria, Mongolia, and Pakistan. This is why it’s essential that you meet your hamster’s need for dry, warm housing. Avoid keeping your hamster in an aquarium, as the glass enclosure will promote the locking-in of moisture. Instead, seek out a cage made especially for hamsters-either a standard wire enclosure or one of the popular “habitrail” type cages. A habitrail cage, with all of its tubes, turrets, and tunnels will also help ensure that your hamster’s need for entertainment is met.

Diet is another essential element in knowing how to care for a hamster. Fresh water should be made available at all times via a specially made drinking bottle. Never put your hamster’s water in a dish, as the dish will quickly be tipped or filled with debris, and then you will have a sad, wet hamster. As for food, there are a multitude of pre-packaged hamster foods on the market, and it’s always a good idea to make those foods the bulk of your hamster’s diet. However, hamsters, like people, appreciate a little variety at dinnertime, so an offering of apple pieces, carrot slices, or crackers is always welcome. Greens can also be integrated into your hamster’s diet, but avoid overfeeding these vegetables to your hamster as they will contract an illness called “wet tail,” which is fatal if left untreated. Keep in mind also that hamsters are hoarders. It is nearly impossible to overfeed them, as they will most likely take much of their food with them into their nest, so remove uneaten foods that might spoil if your hamster decides to save them for later!

Other items that should be on your hamster care checklist include plenty of bedding (try cedar or pine shavings), adequate nesting material (facial tissues work great), and the all-important exercise wheel. Hamsters are nocturnal by nature, so be sure to get a wheel that won’t make a ruckus and keep you awake as your pet makes its nightly rounds. Always be sure your hamster’s wheel is unobstructed and can turn freely. The exercise a wheel provides is necessary to prevent your hamster from developing a condition called “torpidity.” When a hamster is torpid, it hasn’t had the activity it needs to maintain proper mental health. This lack of exercise will cause the hamster to snap, and possibly attack you when you reach in to pet it. Also be sure to respect your hamster’s nocturnal habits. Avoid waking your hamster during the daylight hours as much as possible, as this could result in a nasty bite, or in the very least, a grumpy, confused pet.

Now that you’re prepared, it’s time to go pick out your new friend. Make sure you choose a clean, reputable pet store from which to buy your hamster. Look carefully to ensure that none of the animals seem sick, and make sure that the pet store employees are equipped to answer any questions you may have. After bringing your hamster home, allow it a day or so to adjust to its new surroundings before attempting to handle it. This may seem like a lot to remember, but know that the time you devote to learning how to care for a hamster is time well spent! Hamsters are affectionate, fascinating, and of course, adorable pets who will provide you with several years of enjoyment and companionship in exchange for your expert, loving care.

About The Author: Barry S. Mcgee is a pet enthusiast. His site at: http://www.squidoo.com/petcareonline provides advice and information on all aspects of pet care for all types of pets including dogs, cats, ferrets and others and makes it easier for pet owners to choose the best solution for their companion’s care.

For answers to all your pet care questions, please visit: http://www.squidoo.com/petcareonline

Copyright 2009 Fine Pet Care.com. All Rights Reserved.

It is really great to have a hamster as your pet. They are very cute and they like to chew different things but especially cloth. While cats and dogs are allowed to walk freely around your home, you don’t let your hamster out of its cage. You do need to have a hamster cage in case you own one of these lovable pets. The cages come in many different shapes and sizes and have a variety of features for your hamster.

The most popular shape for hamster cages is rectangular. Because of this particular shape the hamster cages are usually put in a corner, so that they wouldn’t stand in the center of the room and be on your way. When you feel like playing with your pet, you can easily take the hamster out but when you have stopped playing with it and are leaving the room it is good to make sure you have put it in its cage.

You should pay attention to your hamster’s security because if it escapes from its cage, it might become a prey for animals. Many neighbours have cats and they can hurt your adorable little pet, so you should protect it from them. Consequently, if there are any cats around you should always lock your hamster in its hamster cage, so that it would be safe.

Just as any other mammal hamsters need a daily supply of water. Most of the hamster cages have a water bottle system. In cages made of wire there is a little ball at the end of the nozzle so that the water doesn’t flow free but comes out when the hamster is thirsty.

You can also buy little bows which can be used for feeding. They are put in the hamster cages and the pets can eat from them. There are several types of hamster food.

It is very important to keep your hamster fit as it needs regular exercises. You can help it by purchasing a small wheel that fits inside the hamster cages. This is how you will make sure your lovely pet will get some exercises when it is closed there. There are also such hamster cages which have plastic tubes which go through and around the cage. Their main purpose is to entertain the hamster and let it roam around its home.

Cleaning hamster cages is a very important task and should not be neglected for the well-being of both your little pet and yourself. To make it easy for cleaning, you can put a newspaper on the bottom of the hamster cage and also some wood chips. You just lift the paper and the wood chips out and replace them with new.

When living in a building where having animals is restricted taking a hamster might be just the way to have a pet. It is good for your children to have a pet like hamster as they will easily learn how to take care of a pet while playing and having fun with it.

About The Author
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning pets. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.petsnewsonline.com/pets–animals/pet-news/great-ideas-for-hamster-cages.html

Copyright 2009 Fine Pet Care.com. All Rights Reserved.