How to Avoid Hamster Illnesses

Hamsters are small animals that require care and attention. Like all other animals hamsters fall ill but due to their small size hamster illness is often fatal. Although there are many medicines that can treat your hamster if the illness is caught in time it is always advisable to prevent illness by taking adequate care of your beloved pet. The following paragraphs will help you understand how to avoid hamster illness by following some easy steps.

The first way to avoid hamster illness is to use the right bedding. Improper bedding like pine or cedar shavings can cause respiratory problems in hamsters. Improper bedding can also cause allergies like watery eyes, diarrhea and hair loss. Dusty bedding like mud and sand should also be avoided. If you are using hay as bedding then you should ensure that the hay is dust free and is free of pesticides. Old clean newspaper and safe commercial bedding can be used in your pet hamsters enclosure.

The second way to avoid hamster illness is to change the bedding periodically. Since bedding absorbs your pets urine and excreta it is important to change the bedding every 5 to 7 days. If the bedding is not changed on time then mold spores can develop in the bedding and insects can also be attracted to the bedding. Dirty bedding can also cause skin infections like wet bottom, ring worm infection and scaly skin. Skin mites are a common problem in enclosures that have dirty bedding.

The third way to avoid illness is to feed your hamster a varied diet. The diet you feed your beloved pet should consist mainly of vegetables. Fruits can be fed to your pet hamster twice a week but fruits should not be fed every day. Seeds should consist of a small part of your pet diet and you should feed healthy seeds to your hamster once or twice a week. You may also need to give your pet supplements during certain periods of his life. Nursing mother hamsters and baby hamsters often require various supplements to remain healthy. Supplements should be mixed in the food and not in the water, since water has some supplements that attract bacteria very fast.

The fourth way to avoid hamster illness is to change the drinking water in the enclosure often. If you are using a water cup for your pet then you will need to change the water twice a day and wash the cup well once a day. A good way to keep the water in your pet enclosure is to use hamster water bottles. These bottles prevent food from getting into the bottle and they are easy to clean. The food cup should also be washed once a day well.

Every hamster owner wants to avoid illness and by simply following the four methods listed above you should have great success. Your pet should enjoy a healthy life.