In order to keep your hamster happy and healthy you must provide them with a suitable cage, toys and food. Hamsters need toys in their cage in order to keep occupied and not be bored, a simple wheel a wooden tube with "hidey holes" in would do great. For your hamster to get the right nutrients needed to keep healthy you must buy a fairly good quality food. Adding nuts, dried fruit, organic cereal to the food is also a good idea. Occasionally, as a treat you may wish to give your hamster some fruit, carrots, grapes, cucumber, apple and many more hard frut&veg are great for them. I give my hamsters sand, this helps to keep their coat in good condition, soft and silky. Keeping me cleanYour hamsters' cage should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a week using a pet safe disinfectant. If your hamsters use one area of their cage as a toilet this may need cleaning more often. Keeping me fit and healthyProviding a healthy diet and hygienic conditions are key to keeping healthy hamsters, but there are a number of potential problems that you should be aware of: Like all rodents your dwarf hamsters' teeth are constantly growing and it is important to provide them with wooden toys, mineral stones or treats to gnaw on. Hamsters can catch colds like humans, so keep the cage out of draughts to help keep them warm; if the weather becomes cold give them more bedding and perhaps move the cage into a slightly warmer room. If they get too cold hamsters can sometimes become inactive, a bit like hibernating, if this happens warm them up by holding them in your hands. All hamsters are susceptible to severe diarrhoea known as 'wet tail'. This condition may be caused by illness but also by inappropriate foods or even stress brought on by moving house, or rough handling. It is important that you consult a vet immediately if your hamster shows these symptoms or any others which may indicate they are unwell. Top tips for a healthy pet
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