What to Know Before Adopting a Hamster

Posted by Reilly on May 22, 2025

Hamsters are active, curious animals who love to explore and burrow. 🐹 They can form bonds with patient, kind caretakers and recognize their names. They thrive on routines and enjoy enrichments like tunnels, wheels, and healthy treats. 🥰

Unfortunately, hamsters are sometimes called “starter pets,” a harmful phrase that ignores the unique needs and equal value these fragile rodents have to other animal companions. This misconception leads to parents buying hamsters as “lessons” in responsibility for their children, or humans buying hamsters on a whim without doing any research. 😔 Ignoring hamsters’ needs puts their health, safety, and happiness in danger. Also, treating some animals as more important than others because of their size or appearance is speciesism.

If you’re thinking of caring for a hamster or are already caring for one, here are some essential things to consider:

Buying Hamsters Supports the Cruel Pet Trade

Always adopt instead of buying animals from pet stores or breeders—hamsters included! Buying animals supports the cruel pet trade. A PETA investigation into then-Petco supplier Holmes Farm found that workers left small live mammals in bins with dead and rotting bodies, killed them in a freezer, or crudely gassed them in a feces-smeared cooler.

A 2021 federal inspection report revealed that Sun Pet Ltd., another Petco supplier, left partially eaten dead hamsters in enclosures and denied gerbils access to water. A previous PETA investigation even found that a Sun Pet worker had bashed live hamsters against a table.

Purchasing from pet stores supports suppliers like Sun Pet Ltd. and contributes to countless animals’ pain, suffering, and deaths.

Hamsters Need A LOT of Space

Many pet stores sell cages for children that are unsuited to meet your hamster’s needs. These cages typically have flimsy plastic tops that can easily pop off, risking your hamster escaping, and they are much too small for your hamster. If an enclosure is too small, a hamster can develop “cage rage,” a condition caused by mental distress. 💔 This can lead to various behavioral issues, including biting, excessive urinating, and incessant cage-bar biting that can cause serious harm to their teeth.

Large hamsters should have a minimum of 800 square inches of floor space, and dwarf hamsters should have at least 640. Because few commercially available cages meet these recommendations, consider building a hamster enclosure out of a large storage container with a ventilated cover (aka a “bin cage”). 👷 If you can’t create your own, another option is a 75-gallon (or larger) aquarium with a fitted mesh lid.

Hamsters are talented escape artists who can flatten their bodies and fit through tiny holes and crevices. They are easily lost and can be difficult to find, and they may be injured or killed while on the loose. Make sure any barred cage doesn’t have spaces larger than half an inch (for large hamsters) or a quarter-inch (for dwarf hamsters), as they could squeeze through or get their head stuck.

Hamsters Require Specialized Vet Care

Hamsters are considered “exotic” animals and must be seen by a vet specializing in treating our rodent friends. Before adopting a hamster, it’s crucial to ensure that you locate a nearby exotic vet for them and can afford potentially costly vet bills. 💸 Like all companion animals, hamsters should receive routine check-ups and timely care when they appear sick or injured. 🏥 As prey animals, they hide signs of injury or illness, so health conditions are often advanced when guardians notice something that seems wrong.

Hamster guardians must monitor the animal’s weight, appetite, appearance, and energy level to catch small changes that could indicate a larger issue. Hamsters are highly susceptible to “wet tail,” a bacterial infection of the intestines. It’s challenging to treat and frequently fatal within 48 hours after the onset of symptoms. Cancerous tumors, upper respiratory infections, bladder stones, parasitic infections, salmonellosis, abscesses, and overgrown teeth are also common.

Proper Enrichment Is Critical For Hamster Well-Being

Hamsters need enrichment to satisfy their natural curiosity and behaviors, including burrowing and foraging for food. Providing species-appropriate toys and accessories will make your hamster happier and healthier.

Most hamsters enjoy running on wheels, which provide great mental and physical stimulation, but these devices aren’t always designed with the animal’s well-being or safety in mind. A wheel that’s too small can cause hamsters to arch their backs unnaturally. Look for a wheel with a diameter of at least 11 inches (or 8 inches for a dwarf hamster). This may mean buying something marketed for rats, but it will be better for your hamster’s physical well-being.

Despite their popularity, exercise balls are not safe. They are disorienting, stressful environments for hamsters. Their legs and feet can easily get caught in the ball’s air holes, leading to sprains and broken bones. 😢 So stick to offering your hamster a suitable wheel to run in that’s safely installed inside their enclosure. You can also consider a safe playpen for your hamster, where they can explore while you can closely supervise.

Hamster teeth never stop growing, so it’s super important that you offer hamsters hard, digestible items that they can chew to keep their teeth from getting too long, such as the dog-chew brand Whimzees, which are popular for this purpose, and portions of nontoxic tree branches, like organic apple or pear branches.

Hamsters Are Solitary Animals

Many animals thrive with friends and companionship, but hamsters prefer solitude. Even though they can bond with their human guardians, they should not live with another hamster. They are highly territorial animals, and putting multiple hamsters together will likely lead to fighting, which can result in life-threatening injuries or even death.

Instead of adopting another hamster to keep your hamster company, be your hamster’s best friend! 💕 Spend time observing and talking to them and enriching their environment with stimulating activities. Since they don’t usually like to be handled, only hold them to bond or perform a physical assessment if they are awake, appear unafraid, and are comfortable with you.

Keeping Hamsters Cozy

Hamsters require clean, dry bedding to move around their enclosure, make their beds, and design their ideal homes. However, not all small animal bedding sold in stores is safe for hamsters. For example, pine or cedar shavings, often marketed for hamsters, can harm your little companion and lead to life-threatening ailments. Cat litter, newspaper, and “fluff” bedding should also be avoided.

Aspen shavings, fragrance-free paper bedding, and hemp are all acceptable choices and can be mixed in a hamster’s enclosure. Sand baths are another great option for hamsters, in addition to their regular bedding. Just make sure to replace the sand regularly!

Make sure the bedding is at least eight inches deep to allow your hamster room to burrow. Hamsters naturally go to the bathroom in a specific spot, which should be cleaned at least weekly. Fully replace bedding every few weeks, but include a handful of used bedding to help your hamster feel secure. 👍

Hamsters Are Night Owls 🦉

Hamsters are nocturnal animals. Those who live in captivity spend most of the day in their nests and are typically active from dusk to dawn. 🌙 While you may want to play with your hamster during daytime hours, waking a sleeping hamster not only keeps them from getting the rest they need, but it can also be stressful for them and cause them to act nervously or aggressively.

If you need to wake a sleeping hamster, such as to give them medicine, please do so with care and caution. Let them rest whenever possible and avoid playing loud music or TV around them.

Hamsters’ Dietary Needs

Feed your hamster high-quality store-bought pellets specifically designed for them. Avoid buying hamster food that includes seeds, dried fruit, and dyes. 🚫 Most nuts, fresh fruits, and vegetables can be offered as treats, but only in small portions—typically, no more than a quarter teaspoon, two or three times per week. Too many treats can cause your hamster to gain weight and develop health problems.

Remove any uneaten produce before it starts to rot or attract flies and other unwelcome guests in your hamster’s home. Another great idea is to scatter your hamster’s food to encourage their natural foraging behavior! ✅

Hamsters Need Dedicated Guardians

Hamsters may be small, but they’re a big commitment! Hamster guardians must be willing to provide for their unique (and sometimes expensive) needs and take them to the vet immediately when they show signs of illness or pain. 🩺

The best thing we can do for hamsters is see them as the sensitive individuals they are, with their own needs and wants, and never treat them as “starter pets.” By respecting their space and schedule, you will form a stronger bond and have a happier, healthier hamster.

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Never buy an animal from a pet store or breeder, and tell friends and family not to, either. Shelters and rescues are full of wonderful animals of all species who need devoted caregivers.

Spread the word about the importance of adopting and never buying animals by completing this peta2 Rewards mission. 🐹💖