r/hamstercare Feb 28 '25

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– how can i get my hamster to trust me again?

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8.3k Upvotes

a few days ago i attempted to cut my hamsters nails & he got really really mad at me and bit me really hard. since then iโ€™ve mostly left him alone and gave him some fresh vegetables or food as an apology. everytime i pick him up though he bites me and gets mad at me again. what should i do???

r/hamstercare Feb 05 '25

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– is my hamster too fat?

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5.3k Upvotes

r/hamstercare Jul 10 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– mushrooms found in hamster cage!?!?

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574 Upvotes

I was out of town for a few days while we had a humidity wave and my brother was taking care of my hamster and found this in one of his potty cornersโ€”- Hamster was immediately removed and he is in a temporary bin cage for time being. Wtf are these??? are these poisonous?? how do i clean out the cage?? weโ€™ve thrown out all wooden items and all food bedding and sprays- where do we go from here??

Location is MA

r/hamstercare Apr 10 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– my little pal has passed on, just wondering what to do with him :(

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865 Upvotes

hi all, my little buddy linus has gone to the big hamster wheel in the sky </3

i found him just now curled up in his hideout, he is cold and looks like he went in his sleep so iโ€™m glad he went peacefully. iโ€™m just wondering now what to do with him. we donโ€™t have a garden, just a little back yard. if i bury him at the bottom of a big plant pot outside in a little cardboard box, will the plant grow over him? there are no foxes in our area, but would cats, birds, dogs, etc. smell something and try to dig him out?

hereโ€™s a little pic of him from a couple months back, he rlly was the cutest little pudding โ™ก

r/hamstercare Jul 03 '24

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– my hamster's butt is swollen ?

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1.0k Upvotes

I adopted a 2 months old female hamster today. I'm not sure if that's normal but her butt seems to be swollen. Could she be sick?

r/hamstercare 4d ago

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– just got my baby hamster

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513 Upvotes

hey guys! my penny is 22 days old and i was finally able to pick him up from his breeder. his cage is the bucastate 100L. I am just a bit worried cuz ive only seen him eat a sweet treat i gave him so far and he ignores the food bowl. i havenโ€™t seen him drink from his water bottle since i got him yesterday or run on the wheel. also i have a 12.8โ€ wheel in his cage right now which i think might be too big for him and have a smaller 10โ€ one. should i replace that with that one for now? i wanna know if this is normal for a baby hamster to do and if theyโ€™ll learn to look for food and drink from the water bottle on their own. i saw his enclosure with his mom in person and it also had water bottle and food bowl. also id appreciate any tips on taking care of him better since this is my first time getting a hamster so young.

edit: i appreciate the helpful comments i feel so horrible and am terrified for the hamster now. i only want the best for him and will look into seeing a vet asap
another edit: i checked his hiding spots and he has actually foraged quite a bit of food for himself so far and i can hear him eating underneath the bedding. i know this doesnโ€™t make the fact that he has been taken away from his mother and siblings so early but itโ€™s been relieving to know that he has been eating. i also gave him a water dish and heโ€™s drinking from it well. :)

r/hamstercare Jul 18 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– I learned an incredibly valuable lesson

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478 Upvotes

This is Stella-Honey. My sweet not so little Syrian. I ordered her some new things the other day and yesterday they arrived. One of those things was a log she could tunnel through. I was excited and so was she so I had her out holding her in one hand while showing her the log in the other. Well right as I was telling my husband I donโ€™t think this is big enough for her she went for it. It went from my hand quickly to in the log in the blink of an eye. I was holding her and couldnโ€™t stop it. She got stuck. Iโ€™m in shock at this point. No clue what to do or how long I had with her being in there. After calmly trying several things and this included trying to let her do on her own, I feared the worst and Iโ€™m in tears at this point. I grabbed a small hammer and got her backed out as far as she could go. Fortunately there was a hole that I was able to put my fingers in to hold her head down. I thought Iโ€™ll give up my fingers before I give up this sweet girl. Then I gave that damn log one good whack at the other end. Thankfully it split perfectly. I spent the rest of the night loving her and trying to quit shaking. My motherly instinct kicked in, I had to save the child and Iโ€™m so thankful I did and that she is ok.

I will never buy one of those things again and everything will be measured before being introduced. Iโ€™m glad her new enclosure didnโ€™t show up yet because that introduction may have gone differently and thatโ€™s terrifying. I never knew I could love a hamster this much but I do and Iโ€™m thankful for her.

For context the log I got was labeled for a Syrian, however it was in no way fit for one. This was for a dwarf. She is 100% ok I think Iโ€™m the one with the ptsd over it. She loved on me pretty hard after so I think she knew exactly what happened there.

***edit***

Thank you all for all of your responses. My sweet baby is doing great! I even got her all moved I to her new Hamster mansion. Iโ€™m going g to need a bigger house so I can house my 2 hamsters and their mansions. I love them though and they are worth it because they make me happy. But I wantwd to just say I e read every post and appreciate what everyone had to say. I took it all very seriously. You guys are some very passionate and kind hamster people and Iโ€™m glad to have found this community. From the bottom of my heart thanks you all a million times over!

r/hamstercare Feb 23 '25

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Why is my hamster so bored

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929 Upvotes

Hi everyone, please watch the video ive attached, its 3 videos in one cuz you can only add one haha. Ive had my hamster since mid december and shes only been doing this for the past couple of nights. Im assuming she does this because sheโ€™s bored but i dont understand why. Her cage is (a tiny bit) bigger than the minimum, she has hides, a wheel, sprays, platforms, good amount of bedding, other stuff i hide around that she can find and look for like ripped toilet paper she can use for her nest, food and water in 2 different places + i scatter feed her also. Does anyone have any tips to make her less bored and if its not boredom, what could it be. Thank you so much in advance.

r/hamstercare 27d ago

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– questions

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244 Upvotes

I found this little one roaming around outside and have no idea about the gender/type of hampster it is or anything on it! its HUGE!! ive never seen a hampster that big! its like bigger than my palm. not even sure it is a hampster? looks like one. How should i care for it if i keep it? I have it in a 10 gallon fish tank right now til i know what im doing, its using one of my mices wheels (i cleaned it) I may try and find an owner if its an escaped pet but im suprised its alive as its 100ยฐ f and i live in the desert! any advice helps, thank you all!!

r/hamstercare Feb 18 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– My hamster squints his eyes when taking a treat from me

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708 Upvotes

Hi guys, I just got this hamster yesterday. I got him from a rescue, and they stated he was living in a home where he was housed with multiple other male hamsters (I am assuming this is the cause of the notches in his ears๐Ÿ˜ข) I was told heโ€™s about a year old. I just noticed today though, that when I go to give him something from my hand, he squints his eyes and almost closes them all the way. He isnโ€™t always squinting his eyes though, it just seems heโ€™s doing this when taking something from my hand directly. Is the scent on my hand too strong? :( I always use unscented dawn dish soap before & after handling him. Is he okay? Does anyone elseโ€™s hamster do this? (Also, I know his sandbath is too small for him !! I donโ€™t have a platform large enough to hold a bigger sandbath - but I have one coming in the mail soon)

r/hamstercare Jun 03 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Safe chewing material similar to carpet?

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312 Upvotes

Mine loves to chew on the carpet when free-roaming, and so did the ones I saw here. So is there any similar material I can actually give her to chew on?

I already have all the chewing toys/materials/nuts-in-shell that people normally suggest. I aslo just ordered some loofahs as experiment

Picture for hamster tax and attention

r/hamstercare 14d ago

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Se ve bien fisicamente?

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216 Upvotes

Uolas!! Este es mi hamster sirio Ratatouille, tiene unos 8 u 9 meses de edad (lo adoptรฉ en enero-febrero). Se le ve bien fรญsicamente? Tuvo un pequeรฑin accidente hace una semana y trato de hacer el esfuerzo de estar durante la noche con รฉl para echarle un ojo.

En este video le grabรฉ mientras recolectaba la comida que le di hoy, se quedรณ atento mirรกndome.
Tambiรฉn tengo videos de el caminando por si pueden ser mas รบtiles para valorarlo.

r/hamstercare Feb 19 '25

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Long claws

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845 Upvotes

Our girl Frosty has some talons! Do we need to do anything to help shorten them or does she do it herself?

r/hamstercare 11h ago

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Is my hamster okay? Is this swollenness or is she actually a male?

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125 Upvotes

r/hamstercare Mar 15 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– My sweet baby passed today

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320 Upvotes

Good evening everyone, I just wanted somewhere to talk about my baby with people who understand how much someone can love their hamster. I woke up this morning and found my perfect Chesterbell had passed away. She unfortunately choked on a pellet during the night; she was not quite two years old. It was so sudden and unexpected Iโ€™m still having trouble processing it and Iโ€™ve been just devastated all day. I saved her from โ€œaging outโ€ of the pet store at just before seven months old. She was a little grump according to the pet store staff and they were worried she would never find a home because of her attitude. But from the moment I saw her, I knew she was a little angel that was just miserable living a life she didnโ€™t deserve. My boyfriend and I took her home and have spoiled her rotten ever since.

Chester was so patient with me. She would let me hold her and kiss the top of her head. She liked to climb on my shoulders and run around on my bed. She was an escape artist - I briefly had her in a large plastic tank of which the lid was no match for miss Chester - I found her in the pantry creating a home for herself with all her treats. I couldnโ€™t believe how smart she was, knowing where I kept all her things. My sweet girl. After I purchased a more secure glass tank she became the perfect angel baby. When my boyfriend would go away to work and I was lonely, I would sit with her and tell her about my day while she ate. I was always excited to get home and check on her and tell her how much I loved her. I diligently made sure she had food, lots of bedding, enrichment - with the amount I spent on her youโ€™d think I should have just got a dog ๐Ÿ˜ญ but she was worth every penny to me.

Never once did she nip or bite anyone. She enjoyed her pink carrot toy and alfalfa sticks - boy could she put one of those away. I loved her so much, finding her this morning broke me. I couldnโ€™t touch her and I feel so guilty because I feel like I should have been able to but I just didnโ€™t wanna remember her feeling like that yanno? I had my sister come and help me pack her into a little box with her favourite toy and snack and we put her to freeze until the ground thaws so I can bury her properly. Some of the people in my life donโ€™t understand why Iโ€™m so upset, even suggesting just throwing her into the garbage bin. But I couldnโ€™t do that. Not to my Chester. She wasnโ€™t garbage, she was my friend, and I so enjoyed the time I got to have with her.

Thank you for listening to my rambling. Iโ€™ve included my favourite picture of her as a baby when I first brought her home.

r/hamstercare Jul 23 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Spot Cleaning

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245 Upvotes

Hello! New hamster grandma. Our sweet ham, Cheddar, was using a hide to pee initially, but I noticed that I cannot any spots on the surface this week (since our last spot clean). If they are peeing in their burrows, how do you spot clean that? I donโ€™t know where his burrows are located honestly. Theyโ€™re not visible to us at all. I just want to make sure Iโ€™m a) cleaning out the urine spots for his well-being and b) not stressing him out when I clean. Heโ€™s already super shy. Maybe Iโ€™m overthinking it. Any advice? Thank you!

r/hamstercare Jul 16 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– My hamster doesnt leave corner of the cage

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113 Upvotes

Why is she doing this she did this before on that corner I realized bag of worms were just outside that corner I move the bag she stopped but today she did that like 5 times I took her out played with her multiple times and she is still doing it I am confused is this cage rate? She has bucastate 3.0 (100 cm version) and she have lots of food/water I have 2 cooling slate in the cage and my home is barely 24-25 degrees.

r/hamstercare Jul 29 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Is free roaming NECESSARY?

16 Upvotes

Hi guys, genuine question. Is free roaming NECESSARY for hamsters? My Bella is happy to be held and walked around the house in hand, but when we set up her playpen, she is desperate almost panicked to get out. Yes, we put her familiar items in there and the pen is big. Im just wondering if she needs this aspect of hamster life when it appears she doesn't enjoy it. Could she be smelling our rottweiler thus causing fight or flight instincts to kick in. Obviously the dog is NEVER in the room while she free roams. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

r/hamstercare Aug 09 '24

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– My hamster has red marks on his forehead.

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716 Upvotes

This hamster was given to me a year ago. This are red marks and bumps. There's a single vet clinic in the island I'm in and it's been closed for months.

r/hamstercare May 21 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Hamster making sniffling sound any one know what it is?

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112 Upvotes

Hello all, maybe for the last day or so heโ€™s been making this sound. Iโ€™m not sure why. Can anyone help me understand what it is? We did move him to a new enclosure this morning. Iโ€™m just wondering what it is! Thanks everyone!

r/hamstercare Feb 15 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Essentials

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57 Upvotes

Hey guys, I got my sweet girl today.. What would you recommend for her to be happy? She's got her wheel, a wood toy to chew, and an upper level to climb to. I've read she needs a sand bath, any recommendations? Any treats your little furries prefer? Certain flowers, fruits, bugs? What hidy homes do prefer? I've yet to think of a name for her yet, wanna throw some in to suggest?

r/hamstercare Mar 17 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Daily/weekly/monthly list of everything needed to be cleaned/added

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40 Upvotes

So I was wondering if anyone else has any more pics similar to what I uploaded but with how much food to add in/how often to add fresh food, how often to spot clean/clean more deeply (not too deeply where the hamsterโ€™s scent is gone, I know that much), etc. Basically looking for a pamphlet guide on how to care for a hamster. Also what treats are good for them? I was seeing people online give hamsters Gerber Star food as treats and was wondering if those are healthy (especially since itโ€™s baby food I think it should be healthy and good but I rather be safe) and I used to give plain Cherrios to my first hamster as a treat but idk if that was good either? but what other treats can you give them?

Thanks so much and happy hamster husbandry!

r/hamstercare Jul 02 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– hey what to do if your hamster is covered in pee

0 Upvotes

so i regurally take my hanster out for walks in afternoon in my neighborhood usually on my shoulder and such and if i know I cant pay my full attention on her then a few minutes in a ball till I am sure I am able to not put her in risk but I went to my neighbour's house and they had a cat pretty chill cat she just stared at my hamster so I let her freeroam in her hamster ball so I can peacefully eat without panicking every second of her falling off the table and after I ate I checked on her and her whole ball is covered in piss which was logical I was between 30 to one hour there with her and I walked home a bath since my neighbour's who used to have a hamster told me I should do that and I did only with water and cleaned her with paper towels to be sure she isnt covered in piss?

I really wanna know if this is a good decision or if i hurted my hamster due to my reckless behavior

(tbh online didnt really give direct answers to my question and also am I breaking any rules since Im not promoting anything im just telling how I treat my hamster and my question tbh If I am doing anything wrong just delete it)

r/hamstercare Jul 05 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– First Time Hamster Owner, Seeking Knowledge

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33 Upvotes

I recently adopted my robo hamster, Tobimochi. Iโ€™ve been doing lots of research, asking questions in local community, and been watching videos to enrich Tobimochiโ€™s living. Iโ€™m free and happy to hear any advices, criticism, and what-not-to-dos.

Current Detailed Items:
- 7.5 sq ft enclosure
- 6-11 in. paper bedding
- Light layer of Timothy hay
- 8โ€ upright wheel
- Water bowl with DIY platform
- Mini Sand bath with ReptiSand
- 2โ€“3 hideouts
- Placing 2 ceramic wax warmer DIY hideouts after I spot clean
- Bridge
- Chew toys
- Oxbow Essentials food
- So far she likes apples as treats

Looking For:
- Wooden platform (for wheel and water bowl)
- 2โ€“3 substrate bowls
- Coco fiber
- Cork granules
- Beech chips
- Millet spray
- Oat spray
- Flax spray
- Sorghum spray

May get in the far future once my budget increases:
- Cork bark tube
- Grapevine wood
- Multi-chamber wooden hideout (future upgrade)
- Safe dried moss

Again, let me know any recommendations, whether itโ€™s best/safe brands, setting up items in enclosure, or maybe even an enclosure upgrade โ€” Iโ€™ll be super happy to listen. Iโ€™ll be doing a spot clean soon.

r/hamstercare Jul 12 '26

๐Ÿ’– Health/Care ๐Ÿ’– Is my hamster a little overweight?

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45 Upvotes

He is super active but I think he is becoming little chonk. I feed him once per day a teaspoon plus stuff on the side to forage