Hamsters may be small, but they need proper care and maintenance. Just like other pets, your hamsters need food, shelter, and basic safety to stay happy. Unfortunately, hamsters tend to get bored pretty fast.
As an owner, it is your responsibility to make sure that you enrich the life of your little one with the necessary mental and physical stimulation. To do this, one of the first things you need to know is how to make your hamsters cage more exciting.
Follow these simple tips to keep boredom at bay:
Add Different Chew Toy Varieties in the Cage
Hamster life will never be complete without chew toys. These are important for your pet’s enrichment. Human teeth and hamster teeth are different, and chew toys can keep your pet’s teeth well-shaped and healthy. Chew toys are also wonderful past times for hamsters that love chewing or nibbling on things.
It is also important that you always rotate the chew toys or add new varieties over time. Hamsters will lose interest and get bored if they always get the same thing over and over again.
The good news is that you don’t have to buy new chew toys from pet shops all the time. This is not a practical solution, anyway. There are many natural toys that you can use to fulfill the chewing needs of your hamsters. Some good options you can consider include wooden branches, cardboards, and willow.
Make It Thrilling with Wicker Baskets and Other Containers
Wicker baskets can make the cage of your hamster even more exciting. Hamsters love wickers, and these are totally safe for them. Since these are hard, your hamsters will surely spend long hours chewing or playing with them.
These baskets can also be used in many other ways. Simply line the basket with a blanket to give your hamster a great spot to hop in for a good nap. Just knock the basket upside down then hide some treats inside. It will keep your pet engaged for long hours.
Spruce It Up with Climbing and Exercise Toys
Hamsters love clinging to things. This behavior is natural among hamsters in the wild. They love climbing on the higher grounds so they can monitor their surroundings.
Giving your pet hamsters different sizes and shapes of climbing toys can keep them engaged for hours on end. You can even use some cards or wood to build climbing toys for your hamsters at home.
Aside from climbing toys, you can add some rocks or logs that can serve as obstacle courses for your little pets. Soon enough, you will see them jumping around and exploring them.
Again, continue to rotate or add new toys to the enclosure of your hamster. This way, your pets won’t get bored and satiate their thirst for adventure.
Put Some Large PVC Pipes
PVC pipes can also be added to the cage of your hamster to serve as excellent tunnels for them. You can use a 4-inch full PVC pipe. Unleash your creativity to form different tunnels and shapes that you can curve easily in various directions that your hamsters will definitely love.
Get a Playpen
A playpen is another great way to give your hamster a chance to run around. Playpens can also ensure that your hamsters don’t escape. You can also add some treats or toys to the pen so that your hamster will have a great time. Your little pets will love this change of scenery and get the exercise they need as they do so.
Make It Fun with Toilet Roll Tubes
Toilet roll tubes or kitchen towel tubes are no doubt some of the things that hamsters love to play with the most. You can think of them as the ultimate natural toys for these cute pets. Hamsters love rolling the empty tubes around in the cage, easily spending long hours as they do.
To make it more fun, you can also hide a few treats inside the tube to further stimulate your pets as they search for food.
Since hamsters are also notorious shredders, you can expect them to have a great time chewing and shredding these tubes into pieces. They love throwing the tube and listening to the paper’s ripping sound.
Hide Treats in the Cage
Try hiding the favorite foods of your hamster in the cage and watch them work hard to find them. This behavior of your hamsters can even be turned into a stimulating game. You can hide some fresh vegetables under the bedding but just make sure you don’t conceal them too deep. Since hamsters have a wonderful sense of smell, they will start working to search for those treats in no time.
Your hamsters will definitely cherish this activity a lot. They will also enjoy the treats more since they know that they earned them. But just make sure to carefully check the vegetables. Veggies can get moldy if they are not found and consumed in just a matter of hours. The rotten vegetable’s smell is not good for your hamsters.
Distract Your Hamsters with Mirrors
Mirrors are also great distractions for your hamsters. These animals don’t understand the concept of reflection or mirrors. Hamsters introduced to mirrors for the first time will react according to their personality.
Some hamsters may find mirrors fascinating because they will think that they got company. Other hamsters, on the other hand, may exhibit aggression, assuming that another hamster is intruding in their territory.
However, since hamsters are intelligent animals, they will realize the truth soon. Once they do, leave them alone for a few hours to offset the anxiety they feel.
The Bottom Line
The cage you prepare for your hamster can be an ultimate game-changer. This is why it is important to keep it safe and comfortable at the same time. Since hamsters are curious animals that tend to get bored easily, it is important to learn some tips on how to make your hamsters cage more exciting. Follow the above tips and watch your little ones have the best times of their lives.
