Hamster Housing & Handling

Evidence-based refinements for Hamsters.

A gloved professional holds a cardboard tube containing a golden-brown hamster in a clinical setting.

Key Natural Behaviors

  • Nocturnal
  • Burrow digging & nest building
  • Foraging & chewing (large cheek pouches)
  • Ancestors were primarily solitary; Potential aggression toward conspecifics at sexual maturity especially in females
  • Hibernation
  • Scent markers

Blood Sampling Videos

Recommendations

  • Low volume, well-enriched, stable littermate housing groups to help avoid aggression
  • Tubes or huts for shelter
  • Provide material for nesting & burrowing either through the bedding substrate (e.g., soft bedding) or nesting material (e.g., crinkle paper)
  • Transfer a portion of the old nest into clean cage during cage change
  • Feed/treats on cage floor or if using feed hopper ensure that it has large openings to accommodate hamsters larger muzzles
  • Transfer food cache when changing cages to prevent further hoarding
  • Roughae
  • Chewing/gnawing substrates
  • Wheels


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