Cute fluffy hamsters are the most ideal animals for keeping in the house. They are unpretentious in food, they do not need to walk two or three times a day on the street, they do not scream and do not ask for your attention at the moment when you are busy. Caring for this rodent does not require much time, effort and expense. If the above arguments helped you make a decision in favor of having a hamster, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the further information presented in the article. From it you will learn all the main points of caring for animals: how to train a hamster in the toilet, in the feeder and drinker, in the wheel. We hope that this material will be a good clue and guide to action for you.
Raise a hygiene culture in the rodent
How to train a hamster in the toilet? This important hygienic point will be discussed in the first part of the article. From the first day, as soon as you bring the rodent into the house and put it in a cage, pay attention to the corner in which it goes to the toilet. Hamsters, living a place, choose a certain zone for their physiological needs. This is where you need to put a toilet. Pour a special filler or sawdust into it. But not the fact that your pet will go there to defecate immediately. You can make him do it by applying a tricky move. How to train a hamster in the toilet? Put a little of that litter on the filler. which you removed from the corner where the rodent initially satisfied his physiological needs. The smell of urine and feces will serve him as a clue that this is the place for the toilet. The hamster walks around this equipment, sniffs it, and the urge to defecate will force him to go there. Thus, your pet will understand where and how to satisfy their needs.
Master rodent toilet at home
This type of equipment is sold in pet stores. It has a triangular or square shape, fits well in the corner of the cell. But you can easily and quickly build a toilet for a hamster with your own hands. How to do this is described in the following instructions.
Pick up a small sized plastic container with a lid. On one side, above the base, cut a hole with a diameter of about 2.5 centimeters (1.5 cm for dwarf hamsters). From the bottom of the box, back off about 1 cm. Thus, during the entry and exit of the rodent in the toilet, the litter will not spill out into the cage. Sand the edges of the cut hole so that they are not sharp and the small pet is not injured. Put filler in the toilet and install in the right place. Such DIY equipment will need to be changed from time to time, since the plastic absorbs the smell of urine, which is completely impossible to remove, no matter how thoroughly you wash the container.
Another type of homemade toilet for a rodent is a glass jar. A 0.5-liter wide-necked container (250 ml for dwarf hamsters) should be installed horizontally in the desired corner of the cage. Pour a little filler into the jar. Everything, it remains only to regularly wash and change the internal contents of the container.
You learned how to teach a hamster to a toilet, how to make this type of equipment with your own hands, and then we’ll talk about other, equally important aspects of raising a rodent.
Feeder
Feed the rodent in a bowl is best. It should be stable and not very light so that the hamster does not turn it over when it rests on its paws or climb inside. You can buy or make a feeder yourself, for example, by cutting a plastic bottle or by adapting dollware for these purposes.
As for drinking bowls, drinking a hamster from an ordinary bowl is not very convenient. All the time he will turn the water over, as a result of which he will be all wet, and will moisten the bedding. It is better to use special equipment.
Water fixtures
Option number 1 - a standard plastic drinker. It is attached to the rods of the cage so that the flask with the liquid itself remains outside, and only its nose is inside. Such a drinker the rodent will not turn over and will not bite.
Option number 2 - automatic drinking bowl. It is a plastic container equipped with a steel spout with a vertical valve or two balls. Due to these devices, the water in the bowl is held, and when pressed, it flows out. The main advantage of such equipment is that the water in it is not polluted, and it needs to be changed less often.
How to teach a hamster to a drinker? Bring her nose to the rodent's face so that a few drops fall into his mouth. Repeating these manipulations a couple of times, the animal will understand what's what, and will begin to drink some water on its own. You can smear the metal tip of the bowl with what the hamster likes to regale (jam, cheese, butter). While the rodent will lick the equipment nozzle, water will drip into his mouth. The animal will understand what to do when thirsty.
Apartment for a rodent. How to train a hamster in a house?
In this case, you need to act as you would when teaching the animal to the toilet. The first two days, observe in which part of the cage the rodent will go to bed. Then put a house in his chosen place. Place a fresh litter there and a little of that which was in this zone before the installation of the equipment. Smelling his den, the hamster will go into the house.
But there are times when the animal does not want to live in this equipment at all. What exactly does he not like? There may be several reasons: poor ventilation of the house, unpleasant odor, humidity. Consider these points, try changing equipment. If the rodent does not like the plastic house, put a wooden or just a cardboard box.
Entertainment for the hamster
One of the essential elements of equipping a rodent's cage is a wheel. It is used not only to keep the hamster busy. Running in a wheel helps prevent rodent obesity. Therefore, at night, when the animal is most active, put this equipment in a cage. How to train a hamster to a wheel? Put in it a slice of the product that the rodent loves. When he gets into the wheel, lightly scroll it. From the first time, the animal may not understand what happened. Repeat this procedure several times. As a result, the hamster himself will start to go in and run in the wheel.
How to teach a hamster to hand? Show patience and care
Hamsters are shy and fearful creatures. It’s difficult to accustom them, but it’s possible. You need to act slowly and gradually. To get started, just go to the cage and stand near it. While pouring food, change the water and the litter, talk with a small pet. Try treating him to a treat: a slice of apple or cheese. When the rodent becomes bolder and begins to take food from your hands, stroke it lightly with your finger on the back. Repeat these steps for several days in a row. Well, then take the animal in your hands. If he resists, release and try again later. You already know how to accustom a hamster to hands, to a house, a drinking bowl and other things, and caring for a little fluffy will now be simple and easy for you.
Conclusion
So, step by step, you will teach your pet to live in his own cage and use its equipment for its intended purpose. But the most important thing is that he will begin to trust you. Show patience, love and care, and the hamster, however, like any other animal, will respond to affection in the same way.