When raising hamsters, you must keep the hamster's living environment clean and tidy. So that the hamster will not become restless and keep from getting sick. Especially in summer, you should pay attention to cleaning, because hamsters live in the cage the whole time. After a long time, the cage will have other smells, and it will be wet. When cleaning, you can change the bedding and disinfection. Some may wonder if hamsters have bacteria, so they care about cleaning a lot. Read the following blog to learn more.
Daily Cleaning of the Hamster Cage
Doing simple cleaning every day, washing food bowls, changing the water in the water dispenser, cleaning the bedpan, etc. These are all things you need to do every day. Maintain basic hygiene. Take out the bowl of rat food, clean up the unfinished rat food in time, wash the bowl and dry or wipe it dry, and put the new food into the cage when the hamster is active at night.
Supply of water and food: Change it at least once a day, observe whether there is something blocking the water outlet of the kettle, and clean it up in time. Since hamsters need to use the food bowl and drinking utensils every day, be sure to keep these two utensils clean. Pour out the water in the water dispenser, rinse it, and pour in clean water. In particular, the water outlet of the water dispenser is easy to stick to some food residues, which can be cleaned with a small brush. Remove the cork chips from the nest and put in new ones, and search the nest for food that the hamster is hiding.
Nest: Hamsters generally hide their food in their nests, and also spread some sawdust in their nests to keep them warm. The nest is the safest place for them, and some clean hamsters will throw out the poop little by little after waking up. As for the cleaning of the nests, you can observe the nests when they are not there to see if there are piles of grain and observe whether they have just been stored or have been left for a day or two. At the same time, replace some of the bedding in the nest (just a little bit) with new ones. Washing and cleaning of the entire nest can be done once every 4-7 days.
Whole cage: After daily cleaning of certain places in the hamster cage, the cage is generally cleaned and washed every 5-7 days. It is important to note that the cleaning of the cages should also be scheduled on a periodic basis. If cleaning is too frequent, it may cause anxiety in the hamster, the cleaning interval is too long, and there may be bacterial residues that can cause skin diseases in the hamster.
Clean the Inner Materials in the Hamster Cage
Matting material: The place where the rat usually urinates is relatively fixed, usually a corner of the cage. Therefore, when changing the water every day, clean up the wet sawdust in the corner and replace it with clean sawdust. If it is cat litter, put the block out. At the same time, clean the pads of the chassis every 2-3 days and replace them with new ones. You can also take it once every 2 days and change half of it each time. It not only leaves a little smell for them to ensure that the little hamster is not disturbed but also can be cleaned up in time. Don't change and clean the whole plate every day, especially for the hamster that has just been brought home, they may be irritable due to frequent changes in the environment.
Replace cork chips in the potty, but mix a small number of cork chips or other litter with new cork chips or waste from the litter to maintain flavor. Hamsters remember smells, go to the toilet in a fixed place.
It is best to clean up regularly and move the hamster safely to another cage or isolation box. Take out all the things in the cage, wash the cage with water, and carefully check whether there is excrement in the joints and corners of the iron mesh. Then soak and clean with detergent, dry it, put it in the sun, and disinfect it under sunlight.
Put bowls, water dispensers, bedpans, nests, and toys, in detergent, and then dry for disinfection or drying, but cages made of synthetic materials are only suitable for drying. Return the sterilized vessel to its original position in the cage. Finally, put the hamster back in the natural hamster enclosure.
How Often Do You Need to Clean Your Hamster Cage
- Change the water and food once a day, observe whether there is any blockage at the water outlet of the kettle, and clean it in time. Since bowls and water dispensers are things that hamsters use every day, be sure to keep these two utensils clean.
- Clean up the rubbish on the chassis every 2-3 days. Don't replace and clean the entire tray every day, especially for hamsters you just brought home. They may become irritable due to frequent changes in the environment. Hamsters usually urinate in a relatively fixed place, usually a corner of the cage. Therefore, when changing the water every day, clean up the wet garbage in that corner and replace it with clean garbage.
- Clean the nest. Watch for piles of food in the nest as they leave, and see if it's fresh or if it's sitting out for a day or two. If there is any odor, clean it up in time. At the same time, replace the litter in the nest with new ones.
How to Sterilize Hamster Cages?
Alcohol and disinfectant can be used. Alcohol is a strong irritant, so the hamster must be kept away when cleaning, and it is best to prepare a cage. The wiped object should be placed in a ventilated place to dry, and then wiped with a clean towel.
Disinfectant water can be made by yourself. The most common one is disinfectant, which is also very simple. It should be reminded that you need to pay attention to protective measures. Disinfectant is more irritating than alcohol, so it takes a certain amount of time to volatilize after cleaning the cage and other environments. After the smell dissipates, it needs to be wiped again with a clean towel.
A good living environment is a basis for ensuring the health of hamsters. Only a clean wooden hamster houses can avoid bacterial infection of hamsters as much as possible. Therefore, the owner should regularly clean the cage for the hamster, but the frequency of cleaning should not be too fast, otherwise, it will affect the normal life of the hamster. Only by reasonably arranging the cleaning cycle time can we provide a good living environment for the hamster.