Hamsters are wonderful animals, and if treated, and cared for correctly will make fantastic pets.

The Syrian Hamster.

The syrian hamster should always be kept alone, they are solitary animals and will fight if kept in pairs / groups.

The syrian hamsters cage should be as big as possible, with seperate areas for sleeping and storing food. A seperate area for the toilet. ( hamsters are very clean animals and will urinate in one place ) you can even buy hamster loos to make cage cleaning easier. The cage should also have enough space for a play area for your hamster, with tunnels and toys to keep your hamster entertained. Provide your hamster with an exercise wheel too, but make sure it is the right size, a wheel that is too small isnt good, also make sure you buy a solid wheel that doesnt have open rungs. Also supply hardwood gnawing blocks to keep your hamsters teeth trimmed. Line the cage floor with a paper based or wood pulp litter, such as carefresh. megazorb or back 2 nature. Sawdust can cause respiratory problems in hamsters, so its best to avoid using this.

Provide bedding for your hamster, dont use newspaper or cotton wool.

Make sure your hamster has a constant supply of fresh water, given via a plastic bottle with a metal nozzle, the water should be changed, and bottle cleaned daily.

Clean your hamsters toilet area daily, and give the whole cage a thorough clean weekly.

Hamsters should not be kept in round cages. Hamsters dislike them and easily become stressed. They also have poor ventilation, which can lead to respiratory problems, and are difficult to keep thoroughly clean.
Instead opt for a large wire cage. Just make sure the cage bars are no more than 1cm apart

Keep the cage in a warm, but not too hot room, away from direct sunlight. The room should be quiet.

Do not use hamster balls. Your hamster may look like it is having fun, but it is just desperately looking for the exit. Being in a ball in no way resembles anything they would experience in their natural habitat.
Remember hamsters are very short sighted, so as they roll into objects unexpectedly, they will just become more anxious.
It is extremely cruel to allow other animals, such as dogs and cats, to approach the ball. It may look funny to humans, but is very frightening for the hamster. It will be able to smell the other animal, but not see it clearly, and will feel vulnerable and trapped.
Instead of a ball, make your hamster an adventure playground out of various sized cardboard boxes and tubes.

You can provide your hamster with a sand bath to dig and play in. You can buy chinchilla sand for this.

Feed your hamster early evening, they are nocturnal, so feed them around the time they normally wake up.

When you first bring your new hamster home, put them in their cage, and leave them for a couple of days to get used to their new surroundings. Then for a few days after that talk gently to your hamster, try passing it some food through the cage. Hamsters are very short sighted, they can only see about 9 inches in front of them, so dont make sudden movements towards them. A scared hamster can bite and become nervous. When the hamster is used to you and your voice and feeding through the bars of its cage, try gently putting your hand inside the cage, and letting your hamster smell and explore your hand. You can then build up to opening your hand, and letting the hamster climb on. Once your hamster seems happy and confident with you, gently pick your hamster up and let him walk from hand to hand. Be careful though, hamsters can move very quickly. Once your hamster is used to being handled you can start introducing him to friends, and take him out of his cage for regular exercise every day. Always supervise his time out of the cage closely though.

The main part of your hamsters diet should be a good quality, shop bought hamster mix. You can also feed your hamster others foods as small treats.

Suitable foods for hamsters are :-

Fruits

* Apple (seedless)
* Banana
* Blackberries
* Blueberries
* Cantaloupe.
* Cherries
* Cranberries
* Grapes(seedless)
* Lychee
* Mango
* Melon
* Peaches (no stone)
* Plums (no pits)
* Raspberries
* Raspberry Leaves (helpful for diarrhea)
* Strawberries

Veggies

* Asparagus
* Bean Sprouts
* Bok Choy
* Broccoli
* Cabbage (Limited amounts)
* Carrots
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Chard
* Chestnuts
* Chickweed
* Chicory
* Clover
* Corn on the Cob
* Cucumbers
* Dandelion Leaves
* Endive
* Green Beans
* Kale
* Parsnips
* Peas
* Radicchio
* Romaine Lettuce
* Spinach
* Squash
* Sweet Potatoes
* Sweet bell Peppers
* Swiss Chard
* Turnip
* Water Chestnuts
* Water Cress
* Zucchini

Proteins foods

* Low Fat Cottage Cheese
* Bread(whole grain no white bread) soaked in milk ( Low Fat, Skim, Soy)
* Eggs ( boiled or scrambled)
* Plain Tofu
* Plain Low Fat Yogurt
* Dog Biscuits (No Garlic, onion, or onion powder)

Other foods

* Buckwheat
* Baby Food(low sugar and no onion or garlic)
* Cheese (mild cheeses in moderation)
* Cooked Plain Brown Rice
* Cooked Pasta(Wheat or Spinach would be better)
* Dry toast(Also helpful for diarrhea
* Flax seed
* Low or Sugarless Cereals
* Pumpkin Seeds (unsalted
* ) Nuts (No almonds)
* Sesame Seeds
* Soybeans(Roasted no salt)
* Squash seeds
* Lentils
* Oatmeal(dry or soaked in skim, soy or lowfat milk)
* Nutritional Yeast
* Bran and Wheat Germ (Refrigerated goes bad fast)
* Peanuts (unsalted)
* Alfafa
* Unsalted Popcorn (no butter)

Foods To Avoid :-

* Almonds (Contains Cyanic Acid)
* Apple Seeds
* Canned food
* Chocolate
* Candies
* Chips and Junk food
* Pork Products
* Potatoes (Raw)
* Raw Kidney Beans
* Eggplant
* Fool's Parsley
* Grape Seeds
* Avocado (Contains Cardiac Glycosides)
* Raw Rhubarb
* Tomato leaves
* Oranges or Tangerines(no citrus fruits)
* No watermelon (the water content is high causes diarrhea)
* Cherry Stone
* Peach Stone & Leaves
* Apricot Stone
* Lemon or Lime
* Jams and jellies
* Spices
* Garlic
* Onions
* Leeks
* Scallions
* Chives
* Pickles

My hamster cage set up