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How to clean a Hamster

Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. Updated: January 16, 2017
How to clean a Hamster

Many people have hamsters as pets at home. Although these furry and adorable rodents usually live most of their life in their cage, this does not exclude them from getting dirty from time to time. May it be because of a spilled water bowl or a bit of an accident with its stool, a hamster may need to be cleaned, but wait. You should never bathe your hamster! That's why OneHowto would like to tell you how to clean a Hamster properly, without the need to bath it.

You'll need:
  • Sand bath
You may also be interested in: How to Clean your Hamster's Teeth
Steps to follow:
1

As we have mentioned above, hamsters cannot be bathed with water. Like cats and other animals, hamsters have their own natural oils to keep their hair perfect. If you do bath a hamster, its hair look greasy, or your hamster may even get a lethal cold.

If you have an older hamster, you can bath it accordingly, as old hamsters find it hard to clean some of its body. If you want to clean an old hamster, you should fill a bowl with a very thin layer of water (lukewarm in the winter and cool in the summer), and only bathe the area you want to clean. Dry the area softly with a tissue immediately.

2

If you want to clean a hamster, you'll hardly have to do anything at all. All your hamster needs is a Sand Bath which you can include in its cage. Hamsters love rolling around in sand baths and they'll enjoy a shiny and grease-free fur.

How to clean a Hamster - Step 2
3

If you notice your hamster smells, the most probable cause is that you need to clean its cage. It is recommendable to clean its cage thoroughly at least once a week. To do so you'll have to wash the base with soap and water and dry it off. Also wash all of the hamster's accessories and toys. Do not use bleach or any kind of detergent, as it can be poisonous for hamsters.

Clean the corners of the cage every day to get rid of its feces and change the cage's substrate every 2 to 3 days.

Make sure your hamster eats its fresh food and doesn't leave any from one day to the next, as fungus can develop.

If you want to read similar articles to How to clean a Hamster, we recommend you visit our Pets category.

Tips
  • Bath your hamster only if it has some kind of toxic element on its fur you cannot cut off. If you do so, follow the steps in step 1.

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