Attention and exercise for your hammy (Stayin Alive, Stayin Alive, Ah Ah Ah Ah....)!

This page is connected to the Hamster Tunnel, a site devoted to promoting and encouraging the humane and ethical way of raising and caring for healthy and happy captive hamsters!

Exercising Your Hamster

Hamsters will generally get most of the exercise they need from their own home, if the amount of room and tubing is adequate, and if they have an excersize wheel. In fact, if you keep them anywhere near your own sleeping area, you are likely to hear them running away throughout the night. If this is the case, you will get to the point where it soothes you!

A thought on exercise balls!

Before you read on, please note that I am NOT putting this here as a strong "anti-exercise ball" advocate, so please, don't go breaking down my e-mail door defending it!
An exercise ball has many plusses and minuses, however the petstore assosciate is not going to tell you that hamsters are easily injured while inside one. Among other things, hamsters in the past have been known, while in exercise balls to:
fall down the stairs (a fall of over just a foot or more may result in a broken back, for which there is no practical treatment!) be forgotten about by the owner and left in the ball for sometimes up to DAYS at a time without food and water get accidentaly kicked by people walking by who didn't notice at first.

Just so people don't think I am making this up, I want you all to know that I did get the exercise ball specifics from a local vet, who commonly has to treat such hamsters.

On the other hand, I myself, have always made use of exercise balls for my hamsters, and have found them to be extremely beneficial! It keeps them very well exercised, and they become quite accomstomed to the routine of coming to their tower to be picked up, cuddled, and then placed in their exercise ball for about 30 minutes. What makes their situation different from those listed above is that
1) They are NEVER forgotten!
2) They are kept on a first floor
3) They do not have access to the entire home! There are about 2 rooms that they can run through, none of which we ever go running through.
4) Whenever we see someone going into either room we tell them "hammy in the wheel," which I know, sounds really really stupid and ridiculous, but it does create an aire of caution, and it has caused people to watch their step!
Also, the exercise wheel is a phenominally wonderful place to put hammy while cleaning his/her cage!

Handling Your Hamster (Also, Children and Hamsters)

Hamsters are very sensitive and susceptable to trauma, and deserve to be treated with gentle hands. If you are a parent and purchasing a hamster for your child, please try to keep in mind the following guidlines:
-Hamsters are not meant to be live playthings, therefore, encourage your child to hold the hamster near, or right over the cage. (NEVER allow your son or daughter take the hammy into the bathtub, outside, or be put into other toys, etc. All of those things are cruel and inhumane!)
-The risks of a child (even many adults) holding the hammy away from it's cage, espescially when it is young and still getting to know everyone are enormous! For one thing, if it's scared, it will bite, and if it bites, the child will more than likely drop it and if it falls from that high up then the chances of injury are extremely high! (see above)
-Always monitor your child's caretaking of the hamster. When they are going to take him/her out to put in say, a wheel, make it a house-rule for them to always let you know.
-Always use both hands when picking up hammy!
-Never scare the hamster! (Even sweet hamster may bite when startled).
-Please be as responsible as possible (you are off to a good start if you are looking at a website on hamsters!). Even "wonderful and sweet" children can be abusive to animals, and animals can't defend themselves the way you can! Usually, it is not intentional harm and the behavior can be fixed, but it is up to YOU, as the parent to show them the correct, and gentle way of treating the hammy.
-Never ever squeeze the hamster! Hamsters have died this way!
-Most importantly, get involved yourself! It's not just your child's pet, it's your responsibility too, and hammy's grow fond of particular human scents and voices. (they can learn to love more than one person quite easily if both people attend to them and hold them!)

I want it to be understood that I totally support the purchase of a hamster for a child, however I strongly encourage parental supervision and guidance. A hamster can provide years of education and affection for your child, by teaching them how to care for and attend to another living thing, resposibility, and by allowing a child the opportunity to raise another living thing, this will be your child's first step (though it may be a small one!) towards becoming a potential parent when they are older, if they so choose. Most importantly however, they will learn to respect all living things, which is a priceless value for anyone.

Hamster's handled frequently from a very young age usually remain docile and rarely bite. Those with docile temperments and a history of not biting can simple be picked up using one or both hands, preferable both (definetely both if a small child, no matter how gentle they are!), and held close to the body. One reason a hamster may be a "biter," is because it was handled roughly or suddenly disturbed or awakened in the past/present.
A hamster you do not know should be approached cautiously. Usually, putting a small tube in the cage and getting them to crawl into it does the trick most of the time. If that doesn't work, you can usually pick it up with a small towel. If it is a hamster that is known to bite, you can use gloves, or you can grasp as much skin as possible between the thumb and index fingers (they have very loose skin!) In fact, a hamster can literally turn nearly all the way around and bite you if this caution is not heeded!!!!!

If there is anything I left out on Exercise or Handling, or something about this page upsets you, e-mail me, or try one of the other hamster websites, whose links I will include on The Hamster Tunnel homepage.

And Finally, always be wary of predators if you put hammy in a ball; they may look innocent, but your hammy may be a potential toy/snack for them!Happy Handling!

Links

The Hamster Tunnel

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