Hamster's are not necessarily the cleanest creatures on the planet, but as long as you keep their habitat clean they'll never smell. Hamster's don't have a strong odor and if your habitat begins to smell it's a sign it needs to be cleaned as soon as possible. To avoid that happening, try and clean your hamster's habitat one to two times a month.
Photo credit to Hamster Haven Rescue.
Click their name to learn more about this awesome hamster rescue!
Photo credit to Hamster Haven Rescue.
Click their name to learn more about this awesome hamster rescue!
Remove Your Critter: Put your hamster in a 'hamster safe area'. A bucket that they can't climb out of or a second habitat works best. Keep them somewhere where you don't have to constantly supervise them while you wash their cage. You want them to stay safe while you're preoccupied.
Remove Your Food and Water Dishes: First up, take out your food and water dishes. Empty them and then set them in a bowl of very hot water. Let them soak and return to your cage.
Remove All Accessories: Remove all of the accessories from your hamsters cage. Put them in three piles. In one pile put plastic and metal items. In another pile put wooden, cloth, and natural material items. And in the last pile put cardboard items.
Soak Plastic & Metal Accessories: Take your plastic and metal accessories and soak them in a bowl of very hot water. Do not use the same bowl as you are using for your food and water dishes- as this can cause contamination from your other accessories.
Throw Away Chewed Toys: Look through your wooden, cloth, cardboard, and natural material toys. Throw away any that are very chewed. This means that they no longer represent the shape they did when they were new. For instance, if you bought your hamster a wooden carrot toy, and now that carrot looks more like a mangled stick- it's time to throw it out. You can keep ones that are still in fairly good condition.
Throw Away Old Tunnels (keeping one): Look through your hamsters tunnels. Keep one tunnel that is still in good condition and leave the nesting material inside. This will give your hamster a place of 'comfort' in it's new habitat even after it's other tunnels are changed out. Throw away the older tunnels. Any tunnels that are wet, chewed on, or have old or smelly nesting material should be thrown away.
Remove All Bedding: Remove all of the bedding from your terrarium. Discard of it. Do not reuse old bedding. You can take a dry cloth or even a small vacuum to get any bits of bedding that do not easily fall out of the terrarium.
Wipe Down Terrarium: Take a bowl of hot water and a wash cloth and wipe down the inside of your terrarium. Make sure to pay extra attention to the corners and bottom. Wipe away any messes, debris, and old material left in the tank. When you are finished take a dry towel and fully dry the terrarium. Make sure it is dry before moving onto the next step. There should be no puddles in the bottom or droplets on the side.
Add New Bedding: Fill up your terrarium to the proper height with brand new bedding. Like we said before, don't reuse old bedding (as it is not sanitary). As you fill the terrarium lightly press the bedding down and add a bit more to ensure your hamster has enough room to dig.
Wipe Down Wooden and Fabric Accessories: Take any wooden, fabric, and natural material toys and accessories and wipe them down with a wet cloth. Wipe away any bits of contaminant's that are stuck to them. Dry them when you are finished.
Clean Dishes: Remove your food and water dishes from the 'hot water soak' and clean then with a wash cloth. Do not use soap. Simply wipe away any hard bits of food that are stuck to the sides and clean then until they are looking shiny and new again. If you're finding it hard to get them clean, let them soak a bit longer and try again.
Clean Plastic and Metal Accessories: Just as you did with your dishes, remove your plastic and metal accessories and clean them with a wash cloth. Rub away any marks or spots of dirt. Make sure to pay close attention to cracks and crevices- as they tend to hold in unwanted dirt.
Add New Tunnel Areas: Now go back to your terrarium and add brand new tunnel areas! Remember to use one old tunnel that is still in good condition. Add some new bedding material for your hamster to use and fill up the new tunnels with. Make it exciting and different and give your hamster new places to explore.
Add New Hideaway Areas: Add a few new hideaway areas to your hamster's habitat. Get creative and make them in different places than they were before you cleaned the terrarium. You can fill them with new nesting material as well if you'd like.
Add Food and Water Area: Add your food and water area back to the original spot it had been before you cleaned your terrarium. You want your hamster to easily be able to access it's food and water, so by keeping it in the same place you can rest assured they will conveniently find it.
Add Lots of New Toys: Fill up the empty spaces with any cleaned toys. And then add a few new toys as well! Cleaning your hamster's habitat is the perfect time to reinvent your little critter's home. By changing things up and adding new feature's you will keep your hamster happy, stimulated, and active in its domestic home.