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warf hamsters like exercise, and they love running. Here’s some ideas for hamster toys for your beloved pet.

There is plenty of choice available to increase your hamster’s fun while giving him or her needed exercise. Pet stores will have a wide variety of cages, toys, and wheels.

And your hamster will definitely need a wheel. It is known that they can run up to eight miles in a single night on these things, can you imagine that and with those small legs! But please make sure, if you have a dwarf hamster, that your wheel doesn’t have rungs. These not only hurt your hamster’s feet but can also, possibly, cause a broken leg if their foot slips between the rungs and gets caught.

Plastic toys are of course very popular. They are easy to clean, come in bright colors and very inexpensive plus they come in almost any shape or form. They can be bought online or at your local pet store.

Have you though about buying a hamster ball? I’ve always found them very useful and fun for your pet. And you can pop your pet inside while cleaning the cage, and they can get some exercise while you get the job done. They are invaluable!

And what do you do if you haven’t got much money? Try making homemade hamster toys! There are tons of things around the house which can be used, just make sure it isn’t toxic, you don’t want to give you pet stomach ache or even worse poison him or her.  Try  the cardboard center from a simple toilet paper roll. Hamsters love these and they’re free! You can also cut the ends off small soft drinks bottles and use them as tubes, perhaps even build a labyrinth for you beloved hamster.  Cut the bottles with scissors very evenly and carefully sand the edges so there are no sharp areas.  Put one bottle slightly inside the other and tape or super glue them together.  It’s easy to make both long and short tunnels for your hamster to craw and climb in.

After deciding you want a hamster we need to look at hamsters cages. Which ones are good and which ones are not so well designed and then,what sort of equipment is needed.

Hamsters cages are the most important area in your hamster’s life. They form the framework and environment for our pet. There is a huge range of cages available but not all models make suitable hamsters cages. Read through this article and think about what you need before buying your hamster’s habitat.

How hamsters cages look is probably the least important feature nevertheless most people tend to choose a cage which looks nice instead of thinking of their hamster’s needs.

Hamsters Cages – Basic Model.

The simplest hamsters cages are the type with a large plastic tray and a wire cage attached. The plastic tray is about 4 inches high at the sides forming a protective “wall”. This will help guard your pet from drafts and offer protection allowing him to build a little hideaway in the sawdust and hay. It will also help prevent the sawdust from falling out of the cage as your pet burrows through it!. These types of hamsters cages are very cheap and easy to clean.

The bars of the cage are also useful for attaching a hamster wheel and water bottle. Check that the spacing between bars is narrow enough to prevent your pet from escaping, especially if your getting baby dwarf hamsters. They’re tiny and very active!

I remember well when our two Dwarf hamsters Chip and Chap were small, they’d rush up and down the bars of their cage and even managed to cross the top by going “hand over hand” along the rungs using there small front legs! Very impressive and fun to to watch.

Hamsters Cages – with more advanced features.

Hamsters Cages with More Advanced Features

These are higher and contain a number of shelf like levels with ladders, tubes and ramps to enable your pet hamster to navigate from one level to the next. This means the living area is increased considerably without taking up more floor space. Plus there is the added advantage that your pet gets a more interesting habitat.

Check carefully that the shelves are securely attached and should be preferably offset from each other and overlap. This will increase safety for your hamster, if it should slip and fall it’ll only fall a short distance to the underlying level and not to the bottom of the cage. Hamsters love climbing but they’re not particularly agile and often fall so we want to make sure they don’t fall far!

Hamsters Cages – Super top model!

Hamsters Cages Super Top Model

These are newish design of hamsters cages and what is special with them is the levels are connected using plastic tubes and several cages can be joined together like this. In this way one can make a rather big, I’d almost call it “hamster town”. Containing plenty of different areas similar to the burrows they make in nature.

This is especially good for dwarf hamsters as you add more areas to their cage as the family grows.

On a practical note these type of cages are more expensive than something less flamboyant and can be difficult, or at least time consuming to take apart and clean. But you can start up small and expand Hammy’s habit as you like.

A great hamster toys as well as exerciser for your pet is the run-about or hamster ball. These are clear or transparent plastic ball with a secure, removable lid. The idea is to carefully place your hamster inside lock the the lid and put the hamster ball on the floor. As your pet moves around on the inside the ball will begin to move, and as he or she moves faster and starts running the ball will also move faster across the floor.

Hamster Toys - The Hamster Run-About or Hamster Ball

These are great for a number of reasons, they’re fun for your hamster, they’re safe and your pet gets a great work out! I can’t think of a better hamster toy for your pet. Your hamster gets the freedom of the lounge floor so won’t get bored while at the same time getting tons of exercise which is good for their health.

Finding the right size run-about or hamster ball is something to think about when buying. Your hamster will need enough room inside to be comfortable and move about easily but at the same time the ball shouldn’t be too large and heavy so your pet finds it difficult and tiring getting the ball rolling.

We once put our pair of dwarf hamsters in together in their run-about, when we first bought one. Thought it would be more fun for our pets to together. But they couldn’t decide to run in the same direction! which meant the ball moved a little one way and then a little the other way without really getting anywhere. We quickly saw our mistake and bought an extra run-about so they had one each.

These hamster toys are very safe for your pet. Made from tough durable plastic and easily washed and cleaned. However a little word of warning, don’t forget your pet, while watching TV or doing something else. They can wander far in a hamster ball and if you have any low standing furniture (chairs, sofa, sideboards etc.) their run-about can get wedged underneath. Also keep your eye on where the hamster ball is so it doesn’t get inadvertently kicked by someone coming into the room.

As said these are highly recommended hamster toys. The only problem we’ve ever had is a broken plastic catch on the lid, and that was my fault by closing the lid too forcibly and cracking the plastic. I personally prefer the clear plastic run-abouts but they can be bought in many different transparent colors.

Hamsters love to scamper and run about. Long before they became our beloved pets they lived in the wild and needed to keep away from predators. Big carnivores would try to catch them so they needed speed and agility to stay out of harms way. Therefore fitness and exercise is important for their well-being. Fortunately for our pets there is a wide range of good hamster toys available to help keep them fit and healthy.

Hamster Toys - The Hamster Wheel

By far the most popular is the well known hamster wheel. No hamster home is complete without one. Finding the right one for your hamster isn’t expensive or difficult however there are a few things you ought to bear in mind.

The first, one could say, is size. However it isn’t necessary the first thing we think about. If the hamster wheel is too small your pet will feel cramped using it and on the other hand if it’s too large he or she might not be comfortable either, therefore choose a size that’s right for the hamster size you have. A golden hamster will need a big wheel and a Syrian Dwarf Hamster will need something smaller.

I would strongly recommend the clear plastic type of wheel. We originally had a wire wheel but our dwarf hamsters but they often slipped on the rungs and their legs would go through the gaps. Fortunately they never injured themselves, but they might have. Besides the plastic type of hamster wheels are easy to wash and keep clean, so are the wire wheels you may say, but they soon become rusty when immersed in water.

Hamster Toys - Fun Hamster Wheel

A couple of other things to consider, and one is noise levels! Not an entirely obvious consideration. But for those of us who have or who have had hamsters, we know they’re primarily nocturnal and are using their hamster toys at night. While we’re trying to sleep. Therefore test the hamster wheel by spinning it and listening for squeaks and other noises. Finally get a good quality product, some of them you can take the wheel part off the spindle, which is useful for washing and keeping the wheel clean and then greasing the axle before reassembling.

Good hamster toys are worth the few penny’s extra they might cost. Your pet will get plenty of needed exercise to keep him or her healthy and fit and you’ll have a hamster toy which will withstand the wear and tear our pets can give them.

In the wild hamsters get plenty of exercise foraging for food and fending for themselves. The also use energy tunnelling to build a shelter and store supplies. Therefore when in captivity hamsters need exercise and amusement in order to stay healthy. It is important to find hamster toys for your pet that will provide both.

The best known type of hamster toys are the hamster wheel. This will give your pet a good work out and plenty of fun. When our dwarf hamsters were small they used to love running side by side together in their hamster wheel. If one stopped he’d get very confused because the wheel kept turning while his partner continued to run! Always get a hamster wheel made from plastic without rungs as there small feet can easily slip through the gaps which could cause an injury. The wheel is an essential hamster toy.

Another great hamster toy which gives your pet plenty of exercise is the run around or hamster ball. This is a clear or transparent plastic ball with a removable lid. Put your hamster in and carefully lock the lid shut then put the ball on the floor. Your hamster will run on the inside of the ball which then moves across the floor. Be careful to keep your eye on your pet because they can move far and could be inadvertently trodden on or kicked, both of which will cause serious injury to your hamster. We once put both our dwarf hamsters into a large run around we’d bought for them, however they didn’t get far as one would run in one direction and the other in the other direction! The run around ball is a recommended hamster toy.

Your hamster will love crawling through tubes as this is part of his nature and is similar to the borrows and tunnels built in the wild. The hamster cage we bought is a combination of a traditional wire cage plus clip together plastic tubing which goes through the cage walls, over the top of the cage and in the other side. This allows our hamsters more freedom and fun. The advantage of clip together specialist plastic tubing is its easy to clean, although you have to be very careful to make sure all the joins are secure when assembling it so your hamster doesn’t escape. If you give him a chance he will! Plastics clip together hamster tubing as not an essential hamster toy but it will give him masses of fun.

Hamster toys are necessary for your pets’ well being but you don’t need to get everything at once. Many hamster toys you can make from household articles, just be sure they are non toxic and won’t cause your pet injury. Start by buying the hamster wheel and build up from there.

Hamsters are one of the most common and popular small pets. They are cuddly and cute while their small size makes them easy for children to handle. They don’t smell, are easy to look after and it’s relatively cheap to buy a hamster and all that is needed.

There are a number of different breeds of hamsters today (approximately 32) but only a few of them are kept as pets. The most common is the Syrian Golden Hamster which is found in a variety of colours and fur and the Siberian Dwarf Hamster.

The Pet Hamster’s Basic Family Tree:

1. Golden Hamsters

• Rumanian Golden Hamster
• Syrian Golden Hamster

1. Dwarf Hamsters

• Campbell’s Dwarf Hamsters
• Winter White Russian Dwarf Hamsters.
• Roborovski’s Dwarf Hamsters
• Chinese Dwarf Hamsters

Hamsters belong to the rodent family

which is the greatest group of mammals with nearly 2000 species. Like other rodents hamsters are known for their front teeth which continue growing throughout their life. To prevent their teeth from growing too long hamsters need to wear them down by gnawing. You’ll often see your hamster gnawing things in it’s cage. To help them it is a good idea to but a gnawing block (which is made of some nice tasting abrasive material) from you pet store for your hamster.

The hamster has apparently got it’s name from its amusing habit of storing seeds and other food in its cheek pouches. These cheek pouches can in fact hold quite a lot, up to half the hamsters body weight.

When we study the hamsters senses we can see its strong and weak sides are very different from ours. Hamsters are very near sighted and as they are very nocturnal animals don’t depend on their eyes as we do. Therefore hamsters can be startled and jump when you suddenly put your hand down to pick him up.

On the other hand a hamster has good hearing and sense of smell. Both of these senses are far better developed than ours. They can for example hear sounds beyond our hearing. The hamster’s sense of smell is also essential for him and he relies on it continually . All animals have olfactory glands and leave scent trails to mark their territory.

The hamsters whiskers are also an important way for it to gather information about it’s environment. When the hamsters whiskers come into contact with anything the hamster feels it immediately and this can help to compensate for it’s bad eyesight.

More articles coming on your Hamster.

Everything you should know about Hamsters. Happy Hamster Toys is full of information for keeping your pet hamster healthy and happy. There are tons of useful tips and advice on Hamsters and Hamster Toys. Join in and share your tips, advice, ideas and pictures of your hamster. For hamster lovers everywhere.

]]> http://happyhamstertoys.com/3/feed/ 0 http://happyhamstertoys.com/chip-and-chap/ http://happyhamstertoys.com/chip-and-chap/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:46:11 +0000 Chris Moon http://happyhamstertoys.com/?p=26

We want our hamster friends to be happy and enjoy life, so exercise and fun in essential for our pets’ well being. Both the Siberian dwarf hamsters and the Syrian need Hamster Toys to entertain them and keep them fit both physically and mentally.

Chip and Chap love to climb and as all hamsters, love to burrow.

The hamster toys we have for them are

• A Hamster Wheel

• A small labyrinth made from old toilet rolls

• Logs and ladders they can climb over.

Hamster Toys can be bought but a great part of the fun with having a pet is making and building things for it and hamster toys are easy to make! A few old toilet rolls can be put together to form a labyrinth and some pieces of wood can glued or nailed together to create things for them to clime over. But be careful there are no sharp edges or nails sticking out that could harm your pet.

A hamster wheel is perhaps the only hamster toy you will need to buy, these are cheap and easily available.

Be careful to buy the right size wheel for your hamster and I would recommend a clear plastic one so you can watch your pet exercise.

Another useful hamster toy is what is known as a “run about”. These are transparent plastic balls with a secure lid and are great hamster toys! Chip and Chap love running all over the lounge floor in their “run about”, it gives them plenty of exercise and somehow they seem to be more a part of the family because they’re no longer in the cage. However remember to keep an eye on you pets they can travel far in their little balls and be very careful not to tread on them.

All hamster owners know that hamsters love hamster toys. They are naturally active animals who love climbing and burrowing so it will give them exercise as well as amusement to  have hamster toys in their cage. Pet shops offer a wide assortment of toys for your hamster but it’s great fun and easy making your own hamster toys yourself.

Hammy peeping out!

A simple hamster toy

Could be just a cardboard toilet roll which will keep you hamster occupied for ages. If you have a few of them you can also join them together by cutting a hole in the side of one of the rolls just large enough for another roll to join on to it. Carefully glue the edges together and you’ve made a little tunnel, by adding more toilet rolls you can end up with quite an advanced labyrinth. Hamster toys like this should be discarded when they become soiled.

Empty tissue boxes can also be used and are easy hamster toys, creating hours of fun for your hamster. Put a little saw dust or hay in the box and your hamster will soon snuggle into his new home. In fact you could also add some of the toilet rolls you’ve saved and create an exciting maze for your pet.

Our hamsters also love climbing

So we’ve built some more advanced hamster toys with some spare bits of wood and glue. There was a small ramp, a bridge and a little house for them to play in. Be careful to sand all the edges so your home made wooden hamster toys don’t have any sharp edges that could come harm to your pet.

Clear plastic bottles can also be used as a hamster toy. Cut a hole large enough for your hamster to be able to get in and out, again, carefully sand the edges with some fine sand paper so there are no sharp edges. Either put some tissues in or even some fine sand from your pet shop so your pet can take a sand bath, all hamsters love that!

Dwarf hamster love running around and hiding so there are plenty of hamster toys you can make yourself from things you find around your home. Just be careful that whatever materials you use for your hamster hasn’t contained anything that might harm or even poison your pet. Hamsters are part of the rodent family and naturally like biting and tasting things. So be very careful that your hamster toys are safe for your beloved pet. Do not use anything that might be toxic, if in doubt don’t take a chance.

Be creative there tons of things that can be used to build your own hamster toys. You’ll have fun, save some money and you hamster will have fun, have plenty of exercise which will keep him or her healthy and fit.