Exercise for small animals

Exercise for Small Animals

Rodents, being part of the mammal family, are curious and intelligent little creatures. Because of this they can get bored very quickly! When boredom sets in they can become destructive to their environment, gnawing and chewing on their enclosures. This is why it is important to give your little companion plenty of things to do, by providing him or her plenty of exercise. There are lots of ways to do this, all of which are fun and rewarding for both you and your pet!

Gnaw Toys

Rodents need to keep their teeth in check. Gnawing is a part of their daily routine and if they don’t have anything interesting to chew they will use bowls, water bottles and even their enclosures. Providing a gnaw toy will prevent this and give your little friend something to think about. There is a wide variety and it’s best if they type of chew you provide is changed regularly, to keep your pets interest. You should also replace the toy when it has become old or over chewed!

Kabob Mini Salad bites are perfect toys for all small animals, made from wood they come in a variety of interesting shapes. They are even better teamed with the Kabob for small animals, which you can slide multiple gnaw toys on as well as treats to provide hours of fun for your rabbit or guinea pig. If you prefer something more natural, willow rings or willow balls are interesting objects that won’t only keep your pet’s teeth in check but will also give somewhere to hide in or clamber through. Playstix are another good toy, which consists of bendable log strips, providing a gnaw-able refuge for your pet. You can also provide interest to your rodents diet, by adding small amounts of vegetables and other hard treats, such as dried fruit or rodent biscuits. Slat and mineral licks attached to the cage also provide interest and give your pet a good source of extra nourishment.

Out and About

On top of gnawing, rodents need to be able to travel. A hamster can run up to 10 miles per night, which goes to show how active our small pets can be! On top of handling items should be placed in the cage or given to your pet when being handled to allow your little friend to carry out this active lifestyle. There are a number of toys that can help you do this.

Hamster balls and wheels.

For smaller rodents, such as hamsters, you can buy hamster balls, allowing you to put your pet in a safe place while cleaning out the cage or changing water and food. It gives them the opportunity to roam freely and burn off some energy! Some hamster balls have changeable doors so you can stand the ball on a frame so it can act like a hamster wheel, or if you leave it in a pen, your pet can freely choose to go in and out of the toy. When using a play ball you should always secure the area, making sure no escapes down stairs or in potentially dangerous areas are able to happen.

Hamster wheels are also a great way of exercising your pet, either in its enclosure or in a run. Although they still have the name ‘hamster wheel’ many are sized appropriately for rats, guinea pigs and even ferrets! Placing one in your pets housing gives it the opportunity to exercise whenever it likes, keeping it happier and healthier. You should always aim to choose the plastic variety as they are safer and have no areas for feet or tails to be caught in.

Temporary pens and runs

If you like to let your pet roam free you can use runs and temporary pens to make sure it doesn’t get into trouble! Wooden runs are best suited for outdoors or larger rodents such as rabbits. If you want to section an area off in your home the foldaway hamster fort is perfect. It is a durable cardboard ‘castle’ with many partitions, effectively creating a maze for your small pet. This is a great way of letting him or her run free whilst you can sit and watch or join in the fun by placing tasty treats in the partitions. Another idea is to section an area off and provide tunnels and hides. These of course could also be placed in your pets enclosure. The ‘soft tunnel’ is a fabric tunnel that your hamster, gerbil or rat will love to tunnel through and play with.

Leads

If you like to let your pet roam free a lead and harness set could be perfect. Ferrets, rabbits and even guinea pigs can safely roam around whilst sporting a stylish harness and lead combo. This is a great way to know where your pet is going and whilst allowing it to explore a little. If you own a hamster, you can also use a ‘lead’ although this is to see where your little critter is going so you can keep it safe while exploring indoors.

Ladders, hides and other cage items

The fun doesn’t have to stop when your pet is back safely in it’s cage! There are a number of toys to keep you pet occupied when it’s relaxing at home. Changing these toys regularly to keep him or her occupied. The crazy climber is perfect for rats, mice and hamsters as you can attach it to the top of the cage and allow your pet to either climb around on top of the ladder like platform or play with the items hanging off of it. You can also purchase a number of hammocks for pets such as ferrets and rats, allowing them to go through suspended tunnels, giving them that extra exercise they need. If your pet isn’t much of a climber you might want to provide tunnels or plastic hides for him or her to explore. They might even decide to make a nest in there! The Bunny shake and chew is another great toy that you can put treats and gnaws toys on. It rattles as it is moved and is great for rabbits, who love the noise as well as guinea pigs and rats. You might even catch your pet throwing it and chasing it!

Whatever combination of toys you choose, remember to swap them round frequently. This will prevent boredom for your pet and will provide both of you with hours of fun and enjoyment.

Hamster care

Biology
Lifespan: 2-3 years
Earliest breeding age: Male - 6 weeks;
Female - from 4 weeks
Weaning: 21 days
Daily water amount: approx. 30ml
Daily food amount: approx. 10-15g
Hamsters are mainly nocturnal animals. There are different species of Hamster. The most common, the Golden or Syrian Hamster, should be kept singularly except for short periods when breeding. Other species of hamster (Russian and Chinese) are best kept as a ‘single sex pair’ (2 males or 2 females together) as long as they are together from a very early age.
Housing
There are a number of different types of hamster cage on the market. The most common being a wire cage with a plastic base, and sometimes having a second or third floor above. Woodshavings make ideal bedding/ flooring material for hamster cages and shredded paper is an excellent alternative. Hamsters are actually very house-proud creatures and can be very easy to toilet train. Place a jam jar containing some paper bedding in the area your hamster normally uses to wee. Most hamsters quickly get the idea and do all their wees in the “wee-jar” making the cage much easier to keep clean and smelling fresh. Hamsters are generally solitary creatures that in the wild live in constant fear of being preyed upon. Secure hiding places where they feel safe and get privacy are important. The cage should have some type of box or house for the hamster to retreat into, and a good idea is to have a deep layer of shredded paper in the base for the hamster to burrow into. The wee jar should be cleaned daily the rest of the cage can then be left about two weeks between cleaning.
Toys
Provide your hamster with a wheel for exercise. Hamsters can be destructive by nature and one of the best toys to give them is something they can chew. You will find chew sticks available in pet shops. A hamster ball is useful when cleaning out but they should not be left in it for too long or unsupervised.
Food and water
Hamsters are Omnivorous, which literally means they eat everything! Dry “Hamster mix” from the pet shop is a good basic diet but it should be supplemented with lots of other things. In small amounts fruits and vegetables are good, as are small amounts of meat and occasional chicken or lamb bones. Hamsters can become bored of their cages so anything that keeps them occupied is good. Scattering dry food items all around the cage (mixed in with the paper) provides lots of good activity and exercise. Fresh water should be available at all times, and should be changed daily.

The Care of Hamsters

The Care of Hamsters - A Choice of Standard Or Dwarf

Every species of hamster, whether it's a standard or a dwarf, requires pretty much the same level of care and maintenance. However, the biggest surprise has to be in the amount of food required by both, which is virtually the same, even though the physical size of the dwarf hamster is just a fraction of the Syrian hamster. The highly active metabolism found in the dwarf hamsters accounts for the relatively large volume of necessary nutrition. In fact, a typical hamster will generally eat the equivalent of one-tenth their body weight each day.

The bulk of the dwarf hamster diet will consist of a high quality blend of assorted seeds and grains, as well as, specialized food pellets, containing a well balanced mixture of nutrients, vitamins and proteins, all targeted to the primary requirements for maintaining your hammie's optimum health. Food pellets are important vitally important in the care of hamsters, since they contain all of the essentials, whereas seed and grain mixes too often facilitate the picking and choosing of the most liked components, which in the end, leaves the diet lacking in one or more vital ingredients. Fresh fruits and vegetables will also supplement a well-balanced diet. And, it's extremely important to ensure the availability of clean drinking water, by providing a plastic bottle with a metallic sipper nozzle will prove to be both convenient and sanitary.

Dwarf hamsters generally behave quite socially when kept in same sex pairings, however fights can break out and separation may be necessary, so you should certainly be prepared to accommodate the individuals. Males and females should definitely be kept apart, unless of course breeding and caring for the resulting larger family is planned. And, while this may be difficult to believe, dwarf hamsters will often mate once again within 24 hours of giving birth. So, as you can see, separation of sexes is a genuine necessity.

Your choice of cage will necessarily depend upon your choice of hamster. The Chinese hamsters and Russian dwarf hamsters will still need as much room for their active lifestyle as their larger Syrian cousins, but care must be given to a bit more security, as they do have the reputation for escaping from enclosures designed for larger inhabitants. The Roborovski dwarf hamster is aptly named "the escape artist" for good reason. At roughly two inches in length, this little rodent can squeeze through the bars of a standard "wire-barred" small mammal cage. So, if you intend to make the Robo hamster your choice of pet, the best advice is to utilize a 10 or 20-gallon aquarium for safety and peace of mind. You'll also want to secure the top with a locking cover or lid to prevent intrusion by small kids or other house pets.

Hamsters are by nature, burrowing animals who live in holes and tunnels in the shallow underground in their native habitats. Consequently, they love a thick layer of bedding material covering the bottom of their cages. A two to three inch layer provides a depth that facilitates tunneling around in any direction. The safest type of bedding and nesting material should consist of non-aromatic wood shavings such as Aspen (no cedar or pine), hay, cellulose or dust-free paper products that are void of any chemical dyes or inks, thereby avoiding issues with allergies or respiratory irritants.

Rounding out the essentials needed to maintain your dwarf hamster's optimum health is the hamster wheel or ball. In the wild, these little critters will travel up to an incredible eight miles per day in search of food. Consequently, lots of exercise is critical, as an important daily ingredient in the health maintenance program for all captive hamsters. It's also helpful to allow them time out of the cage, whenever possible. It's an opportunity for them to do what they do best, by investigating their surroundings. Such out of cage interacting will also strengthen the bond between you and your affectionate little pet.

Copyright 2010 Walter Tekman. All rights reserved. Please feel free to share the entire contents of this article with your friends or post it on your site as long as it is left intact with all links unchanged, including this notice.

Walter Tekman is a pet hamster enthusiast and author of The Best Ever Guide To Dwarf Hamsters, available at http://www.careofhamsters.com/bestever.html. He spends much of his time advising others on how to setup and maintain the perfect hamster habitat, while selecting the best possible hamster as a pet. Go to http://www.careofhamsters.com/ for his complimentary 10-day free email mini-course, which reveals lots of tips, techniques and secrets for creating the greatest possible experience with your pet hamster.

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