What Kind Of Hamster Toys Are Best For Your Hamster?

When they live in their natural habitats in the wild, hamsters get plenty of exercise by foraging for food, sometimes covering several miles in one night. They also spend time and energy digging tunnels to live in and store food in. But hamsters that live in captivity as pets are usually confined to cages. So in order for it to stay healthy, it is important to provide toys for them to tunnel through and run around on.

Hamster wheels are popular equipment for pet hamster cages, and can give them the same mileage that they would get if they lived in the wild and were running around all night looking for food. The wheels are made wither with rungs or with a solid floor design. The solid wheel design is much better for dwarf hamsters because there is less danger of them getting their feet or legs caught in the spaces between the rungs and causing serious injury.

Hamster balls are also popular and fun to watch. But they should only be used when adults are around to supervise their proper use. They should only be used on the floor. Never use them on tables or allow them to roll down the stairs, since the hamsters could easily end up with broken legs or backs as a result of being tossed around in the falling ball. So use them with supervision and caution.

Hamsters enjoy running through tubes, since they simulate the tunnels that hamsters dig or appropriate from other animals in the wild. Elaborate clear tubing structures and mazes that are made especially for hamsters can be purchased at pet stores and constructed in the home. This way, the hamster can run around through the tubing, but still be safe from dogs and cats, and will not get lost in small spaces within the home.

Smaller versions of tubing mazes can be installed in their cages. It is also safe to use empty toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls in the cage as inexpensive alternatives to the clear hamster tubing.

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Small cardboard boxes in the cage also make great places for the hamsters to crawl into and hide or sleep. And many owners also place squares of toilet paper or paper towels in the cage so that the hamsters can shred them and turn them into nests.

Since the purpose of the toys is to simulate activities that they miss from their natural habitat, it is important to provide some kind of opportunity for them to gnaw. Their incisor teeth grow continually if they are not ground down from gnawing. In the wild they would be gnawing through things to get to food sources, but in captivity that is not safe or desirable. Instead, owners can provide hard dog or cat biscuits so their hamsters can safely grind their teeth to keep them short.

About the Author:

Emily Brock is a hamster enthusiast. For more great tips and advice on how to take care of a hamster visit http://HamsterLifeAnswers.com/

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