these are some tips and facts on hamster care. these are all by alyssa, enjoy!
Cages: I recommend two different types of cages- tanks and bin cages, if you are getting a tank there needs to be 360 inches (2322 sq. cm) of floor space 360 is the MINIMUM. Bin cages are cages made out of storage bins, you cut squares in the sides and put wire (preferably chicken wire) over the squares you cut, if you need help look up an instructional video on YouTube.
Is a hamster right for you?: If you are a light sleeper hamsters may not be the right pet for you because hamsters are nocturnal. If you cannot afford all of the supplies a hamster is not the best pet for you, for a hamster you need- a cage, food, water and water bottle, bedding, a wheel or something for it to exercise on, chew toys, and something to keep it busy like tubes and hideouts. If you don't have enough space for a fairly large cage a hamster isn't right for you, do you have enough money/time? if not a hamster is not right for you, here are the average prices of things you need, bedding- $10-$30 wheel- $8-$12 cage- $30-$55 tubes- $8-$12 chew toys- $2- $5 hideouts- $3-$12. Of course prices may not exactly what I said. Hamsters need play time everyday for about 10-20 minutes, if you don't have enough time and money, hamsters are not for you. Do you have access to the right types of wheels, bedding, and food? pine and cedar beddings are BAD for your hamster, they may be cheap but they can get your hamster sick, also cotton nest things are not good for hamsters so NEVER get those, you need a good wheel also, NEVER get a wheel that have holes, there are two reasons why, one, they can get a disease called bumble foot, two, the hamsters foot can get stuck in one of the holes, and get a wheel big enough for your hamster, and food make sure you have a good hamster food, if you don't have access to these things a hamster may not be right for you . Can you take your hamster to the vet? hamsters don't need check-ups but if they were to get sick you would need to take them to a vet, if you can't a hamster may not be right for you. Lastly, can you clean a cage, if you can't then a hamster is not right for you. Hope you liked it, bye!
BAD HAMSTER PRODUCTS! (I do not own these pictures, all credit to rightful owners)
Bad hamster wheels
These two wheels are bad because they can cause bumble foot and your hamster's foot could fall through or get stuck
BAD HAMSTER BEDDINGS
Pine and cedar beddings can get your hamster sick! never get pine or cedar bedding for you hamster! Also never get cotton nesting material! your hamster's toes could get caught in it
Types of hamsters (I do not own these pictures, all credit to rightful owners)
There are 5 types of domestic hamsters some pet stores will say that they have a teddy bear hamster, but that is just a syrian hamster.
This is a roborovski (robo) hamster, it is the smallest kind of hamster, but just because it is small DOES NOT mean it needs a smaller cage.
This is a winter white hamster, it is also very small
This is a Chinese dwarf hamster it gets around 4 inches long
The syrian hamster and it is the biggest type of hamster it gets around 8 inches long, syrians very in colors. (sometimes it is called a teddy bear hamster or panda bear hamster but that is NOT true there is no such thing as a teddy bear hamster or panda bear hamster)
The russian dwarf hamster is a fairly small hamster and lives about 2-3 years