Basic Care Requirements
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Enclosures
I require that my hamsters go to homes that provide at least 775 square inches of unbroken space. The larger the enclosure, the better (and the more you can style it like a fairy garden for your hamster)! Feel free to contact me before purchasing any enclosures, and I can help ensure they meet the requirements. Enclosures I personally recommend include:
Niteangel Vista Hamster Cage - Medium or large will work, but I recommend going with the large size. This is my favorite enclosure by far!
Niteangel Bigger World - Medium or large will work, but I recommend going with the large size.
Bucatstate Metal Hamster Cage 2.0 - You will want to select the larger version. It comes in black or white and can be stacked with another 2.0 cage with the additional purchase of their stacking accessories. If you purchase this cage, please be careful not to add too much weight to the center of the enclosure or to press down too hard when packing your bedding.
Bucatstate Metal Hamster Cage 3.0 - Either size will work for this enclosure. It comes in black and white and can be stacked with another 3.0 cage of the same size with the additional purchase of their stacking accessories.
75 Gallon Tanks - These are heavy, but they’re great if you plan to keep the cage stationary and/or are worried about chewing. Just make sure you also purchase a lid, and I recommend buying lid clips as well to secure it down. Petco often has tank sales, which helps offset costs.
DIY enclosures - This includes but isn’t limited to: IKEA Linnmon hack; IKEA Pax hack; and cages made from safe, sealed plywood. All of these enclosures require lids as well. To minimize the risk of chewing, I would opt to tile at least the corners but preferably the whole bottom and about 6 inches up the sides.
Wheels
Your Syrian hamster should have full time access to an upright wheel that’s at least 11 inches in diameter, with a solid running surface. Wheels with wire, mesh, crossbars, sand tracks, or tracks with holes must be avoided to prevent your hamster from being injured or getting bumblefoot. I recommend cleaning your wheel at least once a week if you have a wheel pee-er. Feel free to contact me before purchasing any wheels, and I can help ensure they meet the requirements. Here are some wheels I recommend:
Bucatstate Hamster Wheel 12.5'“
Niteangel Super Silent Wheel 12.8”
Exotic Nutrition Silent Runner 12”
Diet
Both a quality seed mix and a quality lab block should be fed for a complete diet, as hamsters may selectively eat their seed mix and miss out on vital nutrients. Providing a lab block will help curb the effects of picky eating and ensure your hamster will not become malnourished.
Seed mixes I recommend include:
Robin’s Gourmet 500g Syrian Hamster Pellet-Free Food Mix
Hamster Eatery 500g Syrian Hamster Seed Mix
Snow White’s Rescue Cottage Seed Mix (available in 1kg or 2kg options, nut free)
Getzoo Golden Hamster Food
Lab blocks I recommend include:
SunSeed Vita Prima Critter Cubes
Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Mouse, Rat & Hamster
*** Kaytee Field+Forest Hamster or Gerbil - only for older hamsters, see note below
*** Older Syrian hamsters, especially males, can have issues processing higher percentages of protein since their kidneys may not function as well as they age. It’s recommended to drop the protein to 15% when your Syrian hamster turns 18 months old to help their kidneys, but some may need to be fed this sooner.
Bedding
Bedding should be paper or aspen, unscented, free from additives like baking soda, and relatively free of dust. Your hamster should have a minimum of 8 inches of bedding so they can burrow, but some hamsters may need more bedding and/or burrow starters before they’ll burrow. You will want to gently compress the bedding so your hamster can build sturdy burrows and has a more solid ground to walk on.
Don’t fully change the bedding unless needed - medical issues, allergies, it seems too dusty, etc. Otherwise, spot cleans (removing visibly soiled bedding) once a week and deep cleans (removing visibly soiled bedding, as well as mixing the bedding to shake out dust and aerate it) every 6-8 weeks should be enough.
My favorites as far as bedding go include:
Small Pet Select Unbleached White Paper Bedding
Oxbow Pure Comfort White Paper Bedding
Full Cheeks Classic White Paper Bedding
Tafit Pure White Paper Bedding - This bedding is a bit expensive, but I like using it for cozy nests.
Sand & Sand Baths
Your Syrian hamster should have full time access to a sand bath that’s at least large enough for them to comfortably turn around in and contains safe sand. Your sand needs to be calcium-free, dye-free, sepiolite-free, unscented, and shouldn’t be dusty or powdery. Your sand bath needs to be sifted at least once weekly to remove waste. Replace sand as needed. I recommend the following:
Reptisand Desert White - 10 lbs
Niteangel Desert Sand - 2.5 lbs
Niteangel Rectangular Sand Bath
FatPotatCreations Large Squiggle Substrate Container
Hideouts
Your hamster should have multiple hiding spots in their enclosure, including a multichamber hideout as well as a few other appropriately sized hides. Syrian hamsters require hides with an opening of at least 2.5 inches, although larger Syrians might still be too large for this. Avoid hides that are held together by nails or that have rough surfaces like bark. I personally highly recommend these:
Niteangel Two Chamber Peep Shed
Tafit Honey Pot Hide 1 / Honey Pot Hide 2
Hide and Cheek - includes custom options!
Clutter Items
Hamsters do best in a cluttered enclosure, but keep in mind there is such a thing as too cluttered or poorly cluttered. As you place items, think about how your hamster will use them and if it’ll make their enclosure difficult to navigate. Keep in mind entrance sizes - 2.5 inches or larger for Syrian hamsters - or if there’s a possibility of entrapment. Here are some clutter ideas:
Other Substrates
Having multiple substrates in your hamster’s enclosure is amazing enrichment for them! You can offer different substrates by using different kinds of bedding together (like paper and aspen), as bedding toppers, and/or by providing substrate dishes or dig boxes. These are a few options aside from their bedding and sand:
Seed Sprays
Sprays are a great way to provide mental enrichment for your hamsters. Some hamsters will forage the seeds from the spray, while others won’t touch them but will still benefit from the natural cover they provide. Be cautious with sprays as hamsters who forage them in excess may favor them over their food mix and/or may become overweight. Replace as needed, typically every other week, unless your hamster is experiencing issues.
Some easy to find sprays include millet, oat, and wheat. However, you can find other sprays like flax, sorghum, pagima, delicha, etc. in shops like HamstersWeLove, OakwoodForest, HappyHamstery, or MoonyPaw.
Treats & Chews
A pretty comprehensive list of safe food for your hamster is available on the Ontario Hamster Club website. Common favorites here include eggs, cucumber, broccoli, kale, blueberries, and dried grasshoppers. Other commonly fed treats include homemade hamster safe cookies (many can be found on Etsy) or Gerber Baby Puffs (banana and strawberry is a favorite here).
Hamsters actually grind their teeth down naturally through activities like eating and foraging. If your hamster will use them, chews help promote this grinding which may help keep your hamster’s teeth in proper shape. Some popular chews include Whimzee’s, apple sticks, and bamboo sticks - this infographic goes over this a bit more. Please note a chew item should never replace proper dental care by an exotic veterinarian if there are issues with your hamster’s teeth.
Travel Carrier
Travel carriers should be roomy enough for your hamster to easily turn around in, especially if you’ll be driving a few hours. I recommend the following carriers:
Imagitarium Temporary Pet Keeper for Aquarium Fish, Large
Full Cheeks Small Pet Top Entry Travel Carrier
* I recommend joining care groups on Facebook such as HAMSTERS. You can also reach out to me with any questions, and I will do my best to support you through my experience or by researching the topic.