Playpen's and Exercise balls 

  • Sometimes your hamster may appreciate coming out of their cage of a little play time every now and then. You can purchase a Play Pen on Amazon or find one at your local Pet Store. 
  • Your hamsters play time consists of placing his or her's toys and wheel in the play pen and letting them have some fun.
  • Your hamster may not be interested in coming out of their cage into the play pen, in this case let them be. Some hamsters would rather just be left alone to get on with their hamster things. 
  • You shouldn't leave your hamster in the play pen for long if they don't have food or water in there. 
  • If your hamsters cage/ enclosure is big enough there may not be much need for a play pen as they've already got enough room. But it's entirely up to you! 
  • Hamster exercise balls aren't a very popular choice because of the potential injury of a hamsters foot getting stuck in the air ventilation gaps, and because hamsters have very poor eyesight and bang into a lot of things. 
  • I own both a play pen and exercise ball. I use the exercise ball to put my hamster in if I'm doing any spot cleans as he can get nervous when i'm rummaging around in his cage. 
  • If you use an exercise ball you will need to supervise your hamster all the time, the same with a playpen. You shouldn't keep your hamster in there for more than half an hour at a time as they can get thirsty quickly as they're running around. 
  • You need to provide your hamster with as big a wheel as possible. Any wheel that comes with a Pet Store cage or a cage that you have ordered online is not going to be big enough. 
  • Places like Amazon, E-bay or any second hand market places and some Pet Stores do sell suitable wheels like the one pictured. 
  • A Syrian needs a minimum of a 10 inch wheel, but a 12 inch wheel would also be better for them. 
  • Other species of hamster may need a 10 inch wheel as they may find it more difficult to push because they're so small. 
  • Bare in mind that these wheels are going to be really big, so you're cage has to be the right size otherwise you may not be able to close the lid or fit it in there at all. 
  • If you notice your hamsters back is curving when they're running on their wheel, then you need to upgrade their wheel as soon as possible. Not upgrading your wheel can cause your hamster spinal problems which could lead to balance and walking problems, as well as pain. 

 

*picture credit to vectishams.com* 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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