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| Simple Ideas |
| Here are very easy things to do that can make a big difference in your hamster's life. Don't use a food bowl! (and other food related ideas) A variety of food - Variety is the spice of life, even for a hamster. You will want to avoid feeding your hamster the same sort of food every day. Try different kinds of fresh food and other treats. If you want, you could also change your hamster's staple diet by adding one or two unsalted peanuts (shelled or not), split peas, popcorn (popped or not), dried beans, or flaked pea and corn every so often. Complete food list Don't use a food bowl! - One thing that you could do that may sound odd at first, is to do your hamster a favour and take its food bowl out of its cage!!! Not only does the food bowl take up valuable space in the cage, but it contributes to making a boring, monotonous life. With a food bowl, your hamster only has to walk to it to gather up its food for the day, which you have conveniently lumped in one spot. Without the food bowl, you can scatter the same amount of food around the cage (under the shavings, on a platform, under a toy...) and create a game for your hamster. Your hamster will enjoy the daily challenge of finding its food. A step up from this (also mentioned on the Hamster Arena page in this section) is to scatter your hamster's food around its play pen (arena). As your hamster is running around exploring during its play time, it will also be searching for its food, which it will store in its cheek pouches and empty out in its cage. There are many more places to hide the food in the arena then in the cage. Please view the Hamster Arena page for more information. Let your hamster work for its food - The above example of hiding the food around the cage is an example of letting your hamster work for its food. There are many other ways, such as hiding the food in small boxes which your hamster has to chew through to get at the food, or a tube food dispenser (explained in the homemade toys section). Be creative! Any other ideas are welcome (submit by email). Satisfy your hamster's curiosity Hamster's are naturally inquisitive creatures and love nothing more than exploring and finding new things. Add new things into your hamster cage at least every week: toys, rocks, pinecones, sticks, cuttlefish bones... Its handy to have a list with you, or a box with items that you rotate. Remember that organic things dry out and should be replaced: hamsters are much more intrigued by strong smelling, fresh things, especially fresh sticks to gnaw. To start you out, here is list of interesting items. |
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| An Interesting Life Visits to the Garden A Hamster Arena Hamster Wonderland Simple Tips |
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