How to keep your hamster from getting fat

Hamster fact

The average hamster will crawl two miles a day.

Pistachios, walnuts, and peanuts... Oh my.

Peppy gets into bag of pistachios

Hamsters like nuts. The shell provides a nice thing for the hamster to chew through.

Hamster Tip

It should be noted however that larger nuts (like walnuts) or nuts with an extremely hard shells (like pine nuts) should be partially cracked before giving them to the hamster. That is if you want the hamster to eat the inside. Otherwise it would be like you trying eat something the size of a soccer ball without a knife, fork, or pneumatic drill. The nut becomes more of an obstacle than food (which you may or may not want).


Captain Hill tries to bite into a chestnut


an uncracked walnut becomes an plaything to Peppy

The ideal nut then would be the peanut as it's shell is textured and can easily be broken by a hamster bite. It should also be noted that most hamsters like peanuts.


Captain Hill enjoys a peanut

Holding the Hamster

The right way to hold a hamster

When holding your hamster as with any living creature you should use extreme care. It's safety and comfort should be your number one concern. After all no one wants to be picked up squeezed around the gut (especially after eating).

To pick up, use both your hands as a scoop and lift the hamster from the bottom. With a bit of training you can get the hamster to walk onto your hand. If you have to grab them from above, gently pick up with one hand around the hamster's waist and have your other hand ready to put under the hamster for support.

With the hamster standing on one hand, use your other hand to cup over the hamster. Some hamsters are more fidgety than others and may try to jump or crawl off your hand only to fall and possibly injure itself.

Do not SQUISH

Hamsters can be squashed quite easily. Be gentle while holding them.

Lights, Camera, Action!

TIP: Photograph your pet

While you might be able to put a hamster in your pocket to show all your friends, they are referred to pocket pets after all, carrying a bunch of photos is easier. A live hamster might bite your friend with the new stink, and get hurt as your friend reacts by flinging the hamster in the air (purely unintentional). Also the hamster may try to escape by eating it's way out of your pocket.

Photos come in handy should your hamster escape from it's habitat and you need people to know what your hamster looks like. You can also use photos to show how your pet has the changed over time (eg. "Wow, I can't believe my hamster was sooo small. Look how freakishly fat it looks now!").

For added fun you can also take videos of your pet.  Just look at all the internet footage of cats and dogs.  Gads! (I encourage all you budding film makers out there to make your pet videos interesting, here's a small tip - good sound helps)

low res (mushy version) version

I took photos of Captain Hill during her lifetime and having photos is a way to remember her.  Hopefully she's somewhere still having adventures and snack foods.  Here's an Apple movie trailer I created using the iMovie app on the iPad using some of the photos.

high res (not as mushy?) version

Oddly enough this video does not show up in safari on my iPad.

Climbing and the Environment

A bored hamster is a fat hamster.  Imagine you were put in a cage and had to live there for the rest of your life.  It would be very nice if the owner allowed you to get out once in a while or allowed you to have a change of scenery every now and then.

A good time for a change of scenery is when the cage has to be cleaned. The hamsters have to be put somewhere, one place to use is the tub in the bathroom.  Make sure the water drain is plugged first as you don't want your hamster exploring the drain.  Also, if you're living with others make sure they know that you're putting hamster(s) in the tub. After all you don't want anyone turning on the water while they are in there.

An empty tub can be quite boring to a hamster, placing things in the tub can make things more interesting. A towel is a good start as most tubs are cold. It allows the hamster(s) to stand on something a bit cozier. Other things like modular climbing sets, flying saucers, and hamster wheels are good.

There are a few items on the market that will allow you to make the hamster's climbing life more interesting.

Puzzle Playgrounds


The professor showcases the Puzzle Playground

The puzzle playground by Super Pet is a plastic made modular system that has compatible connectors to the Critter Trail and the Habitrail systems.  This is an ideal addition to cages that don't have a lot of space.  You can also use this outside the cage in a more open environment (eg. bath tub) to make the existing environment more interesting.

There are different versions available and you can buy them at Amazon.com or click here for the larger Super Pet Puzzle Playground, 60 Piece version.


Build and Chew



Peppy and the Professor climb the Build and Climb

The Build and Chew by Burgham takes up more space and may not be ideal for small cages however the plus side is that it's made of wood.  This means that it's chewable and environmentally sound. Also the design allows for multiple levels of hamster fun.


Build and Chew packaging

I picked up the Build and Chew at a Petsmart but I don't see them being advertised on the Petsmart web site so here's a link to Mr. Pet's another pet store online that carries the Build and Chew.

In a day and age where we have plastic floating around killing off animals (eg. birds, fish) it's important to choose the items we buy more carefully, Avoid plastics if we can and if we do use plastics make sure it's for long term use.

Cleaning House

I once attempted to clean a part of the cage while Captain Hill was sleeping in another section. Whoops! She woke up and started exploring.

Hamster Tip

When cleaning the hamster cage, especially if you own a habitrail or other cage of modular design, a good place to temporarily place a hamster is the bathtub. Make sure the tub is dry and place a towel in the tub so the hamster isn't sitting on a cold surface. Also, very important, make sure the tub is plugged. You don't want the hamster trying to explore the drain.

If you own other pets make sure they are locked outside of the bathroom. A hamster in a tub is an easy mark for a cat.

What's that smell?

Hamster Fact:

The hamster has a keen sense of smell. They also have terrible vision. With this combined set of characteristics it makes sense that hamsters will mark their territory to figure their way around. It's equivalent to Hansel and Gretal leaving a breadcrumb trail to make their way through the forest.

Hamster Tip

If a hamster cage is stinky. Do not immediately clean the cage as the hamster will think it needs to pee more in order for it's scent to linger around resulting in more stink. Also when cleaning cages try to use scent free soaps as the soap scent can be over powering.