A HAMSTER, FOR WHOM?

If this adorable hairball is like a stuffed animal, it is not one. Before adopting this small rodent, it is necessary to study well the constraints related to its way of life, its character and the insurance of its daily well-being.

Do you dream of adopting a hamster, do your children want one? Before you decide to welcome this adorable rodent, measure all the consequences and the feasibility of its adoption.

Have space and availability for a hamster

A SUFFICIENT LIVING SPACE

The larger the hamster cage, the better your little companion will feel. Before adopting a hamster, plan to have a minimum of space. The cage should ideally make 100 x 50 cm (80 x 50 is a minimum). The ideal remains a cage high floor. The hamster is a solitary animal that does not support the presence of a congener and is happy only alone. So 1 hamster = 1 cage.

If you want to have several hamsters, plan as many cages as animals. It is advisable to take out the hamster daily outside the cage to allow him to better stretch his legs and break his confinement. The hamster is a nocturnal animal that spends a lot of time and will have to let off steam every night. Quick and fast, he runs the risk of playing soap and escaping when you try to catch him to put him back in his cage.

To protect him also from the other animals of the house, to prevent it from eating away at the electric wires, that he goes to hide behind a piece of furniture, it is recommended to him to install a small park surrounded him of fine fence in a corner of the House. Plan to have enough space to give Mr. Hamster a few short trips, and time to watch him.

A QUIET PLACE TO INSTALL IT

Your home will also have some quiet places, far from the passage, smells of smoke, cooking, noise and drafts. When he wants to sleep, your hamster will need calm. A stressed hamster is an animal that will live less. If your available space can not offer your hamster a place of its own, it is best to avoid adopting one.

TIME AVAILABLE TO TAKE CARE OF IT

Hamsters are nocturnal animals that sleep all day. You will only enjoy their company in the evening. Your availability to take care of it (changing the litter box, cleaning the cage, feeding it, controlling the water, taking it out) will have to respect the animal’s schedule at the risk of disturbing its sleep during the day.

Suitable for all except children

A RIGOROUS INTERVIEW

The hamster is an easy animal to tame and it is very easy to care for. However its maintenance requires a minimum of daily care for the control of food and water, and requires a thorough cleaning of the cage. If your children are not able to take on these responsibilities, think that it is you who will have to make sure that this little animal will not miss anything.

A HAMSTER IS NOT A STUFFED ANIMAL

Contrary to what one might think, the hamster is more a pet for adults than for children. Especially when it comes to young children. Little ones rarely know how to handle them safely, without hurting them or letting them escape. A hamster that escapes from the hands can seriously hurt himself by falling, without mentioning the untimely manipulations that will stress him and shorten his life. In addition, hamsters do not like shouting. If in the presence of children, they do not have a quiet place, it is better to forget the adoption of a hamster.

THE HAMSTER LIVES AT NIGHT

You must also know that the hamster is a nocturnal animal and not very cuddly. These are small rodents that we observe more than we handle. Some will leave their hiding place only in the evening when there will be no more noise. As a result, the hamster is not the ideal animal for a child.

THE PAIN OF HIS DISAPPEARANCE

These adorable rodents have, moreover, a rather short life expectancy (3 years maximum). For this reason, they are not recommended for young children who will inevitably attach themselves to the animal and suffer to lose it.