Be sure to house each Syrian hamster separately. The Syrian hamster is a solitary animal. If it is housed with another Syrian hamster, be it male or female, injury or death is almost certain to occur. I've found the most secure hamster habitat to be a 10-gallon aquarium. A mesh screen lid with three metal clips will make it escape-proof. Make a bedding with a one to two inch layer of good quality of pine or aspen (NEVER cedar) or use a safe paper product such as Care Fresh. Freshen the litter by removing urine-moistened litter daily. Clean the aquarium and replace all the bedding weekly. Hang a glass water bottle from the side of the aquarium and refill it with fresh water every day. The basis of your hamster's diet should be either lab blocks or a good quality seed mix. Provide additional variety to your hamster's diet by giving an occasional piece of fresh fruit or vegetable. Remember NOT to use onions, lettuce, kidney beans, or chocolate. Give you hamster an occasional dog biscuit on which to gnaw. This will help keep your hamster's teeth trimmed. Provide a solid wheel, such as the Wodent Wheel, for exercise. NEVER use a wire wheel which can injure a hamster's feet or legs. Provide a little house in which your hamster can sleep away the daylight hours. I like to fashion a disposable house out of a cardboard box with a cut-out circle for a door. Hamsters adore chewing these apart. For bedding, NEVER use cotton or fluff that is sold in pet shops. Strands of products such as these can do great injury to hamsters by becoming impacted in their body or amputating a limb! The best bedding is unscented, uncolored tissue paper torn into strands. Keep the newly assembled hamster habitat in an environment that is comfortable for a human and your hamster will have quite a luxurious new home!

My hamster is constantly chewing on his cage bars! What can I do?

If your hamster lives in a wire cage, replace it with a 10-gallon aquarium to prevent further injury to your hamster's mouth. Next, try to find something on which your hamster can safely gnaw in order for him to fulfill his instinctual need. Regular gnawing will trim his teeth naturally. Suggestions for safe materials on which to gnaw are: lab blocks, dog biscuits, crunchy hamster treats (often found in pet shop seed mixes), nuts in the shell (hazelnuts being particularly challenging and rewarding), large crunchy vegetables (carrots, broccoli, etc.), toilet tissue rolls (with some tissue remaining), and a cardboard hamster house made of a cereal or tissue box. In such a cardboard house, a busy hamster will often be found creating a few windows and a back door as well!. Avoid placing plastic toys in your hamster's cage if your hamster gnaws on them. Wooden blocks or toys are better as long as they will not splinter.

How can I make my hamster stop biting me?

Remember that a hamster might bite out of hunger or fear. To avoid smelling like a tasty morsel, always remember to wash your hands before handling your hamster. Your hands will then not smell like the sandwich you just ate nor will they smell like the other animal you just touched. Allow a new hamster sufficient time to adapt to his new home. Hamsters can be very fearful if they don't have a place of their own in which to feel secure. Never poke at a hamster nor swoop down on him from above. Those motions mimic movements of natural enemies of hamsters, so naturally they will try to protect themselves. Do not try to pick up a hamster that appears afraid of you. First you must tame him. Always let the hamster know that you are approaching by speaking to the hamster as you draw near. If he's in his house, you might also tap on his cage to advise him of your approach. Never touch a sleeping hamster. Let him wake naturally and come to you. To get him to draw near, offer him a treat. When he comes to you frequently in search of a treat, then lay your hand down flat, palm up, with the treat so that he gets used to walking on your hand without fear. To pick up a hamster, try to keep your hand flat or just slightly cupped. If you try to wrap your hands around him, he'll become afarid of being squeezed and will desperately try to get away. Hamsters like to run from hand to hand. Do NOT drop your hamster. Handle him over a nearby surface so that he won't become injured if he jumps. A fall CAN kill a hamster. If you need to pick up a hamster who is not fully tamed or still bites, use a scoop. This can be a cup, a soup ladle, a juice can or a jar. Just remember to let him come to you rather than you going after him. Put a treat in this "hamster scoop" to entice him to jump in! I know this is a lot to remember, but with patience, your hamster will enjoy coming to you and being picked up.

Disclaimer: My knowledge about hamsters has been obtained from breeding Syrian hamsters, reading a variety of books about hamsters, participating in hamster mailing lists, and visiting web sites related to hamsters. The information presented on my hamster pages is MY OPINION ONLY. My opinions may differ from those expressed by other hamster owners or breeders.