General Grooming Of Hamsters

Grooming plays a very important part in caring for your pet. The grooming requirements vary from pet to pet, some requiring daily brushing and combing others less often.

You should get your small animal accustomed to being handled and groomed from a very early age. Start grooming for a short period of time, gradually building up the amount of time you spend until your pet is quite happy to sit for you to brush it. You can also check the skin, by parting the hair, to see if your pet has any red, sore or inflamed areas that may require treatment. Also remember to check the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, feet and nails when handling your pet.

When checking the teeth and nails of your pet make sure they are not too long and making your pet uncomfortable. If the teeth are too long then the pet may go off its food and starve. They may even get abscesses where the teeth pierce through the skin, and ulcers in the mouth. If your pet doesn't exercise on a hard surface its nails may become overgrown. You should approach your veterinary surgeon to clip both the teeth and nails for you.

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These small animals wash themselves, much in the same way a cat does. They will lick their feet and paws and check through their coats. They do not need to be bathed at all. There are no real grooming requirements for hamsters. The long haired varieties will sometimes need to have the shavings from their bedding removed from the coat. This can be done easily using your fingers or by using an old soft toothbrush. Some varieties of hamsters prefer a sand bath. The sand used for this can be bought specially for these small animals. The hamster will roll in the sand to remove any impurities from the coat.

In all small animals if they are old or overweight grooming may become difficult for them to do themselves. They do like to be clean so try and set up a grooming routine and stick to it throughout your pet's life.

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Article courtesy of PetPlanet.co.uk

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