Pet stores sell products that make hamsters miserable

Hamsters are popular pets for a reason. They’re fluffy, soft and adorable. You can easily obtain one for about £20 or less from your local pet store, as well as everything you need to care for it. But what if I told you that many of these products are harmful and will make your hamster miserable?

First let’s discuss cage size. Too often I see cages on the market that have been designed to look fun and playful, usually marketed towards children. These cages are everywhere, and are even sold by apparently reputable brands such as Pets at Home, a large chain that claims to put animals first. These cages negatively impact hamster welfare and don’t meet minimum welfare standards laid out by countless scientific studies and publicised by leading animal welfare charities, such as the RSPCA. This cage below is advertised as suitable for both Syrians and Dwarf Hamsters, but it isn’t even big enough to ethically house a small mouse.

The minimum size of cage for a Syrian hamster (but really all hamster species) must have an uninterrupted floorspace of 80cm x 50cm. It doesn’t matter how many levels it has, hamsters aren’t natural climbers, but the base needs to be as large as possible. A Syrian, especially a young female with lots of energy, may even need something closer to 100cm x 50cm or larger. Many ethical hamster owners will even adapt and IKEA Detolf glass cabinet into a hamster cage with great success. This bad boy comes in at 163cm x 43cm and has more than enough space for everything your hamster needs.

Next let’s talk about what should be in the cage. Hamsters require around 10 inches of bedding in at least part of their cage. You can see this in the example above on the right hand side. This is because hamsters love to burrow and build nests. Your hamster will also enjoy a sand bath in order to clean itself or do it’s business in. Most hamster will litter train themselves if you provide a Sandy area for them. They will need a fresh source of water, either in a bottle or bowl, or even both to provide them with choice and a backup in case one is compromised. Some natural forage such as millet, cress, specially bought small animal grass and hay will be an enjoyable addition. A scattering of other pelleted food, seeds and mealworms will also give a balanced diet and encourage natural foraging behaviour when hidden around the enclosure. Pieces of wood and cardboard will also provide your hamster with something to knaw on so that they can carry out their natural behaviour and wear down their teeth, which prevents them from growing too long and sharp, causing self-injury. Plenty of hideaways will also need to be provided so that your hamster can feel hidden, cosy and safe. Appropriate bedding and separate nesting material should be available at all times, and should be kept clean and fresh. There are many other toys on the market to add to your enclosure too, but you must be cautious of products made with glue and other materials that will be unsafe if chewed. Finally, you will need and appropriately sized wheel.

A Syrian hamster will require a wheel that is 28cm in diameter. This is quite a bit larger than the wheels that usually come with many pet store cages. Even if you buy a cage of an appropriate size that contains a wheel, there’s a strong possibility that you will need to replace it with something bigger. Whether you have mice, hamsters, hedgehogs, or any other small pet, your animal should be able to run on a wheel without having to curve its’ back. Wheels that are too small can result in back pain and spinal issues if not upgraded. The wheel, as well as all platforms in the enclosure, should also be made of solid plastic or wood instead of wire. Wire rungs can be painful to walk on and hamsters are at risk of injury from getting their toes stuck in the small gaps and injuring themselves. Hamster balls can also cause similar sorts of injuries and can be very stressful, making a hamster feel trapped. Some hamsters may prefer to free roam in a play pen or safe room instead of rolling around in a ball so that they can properly explore their environment through touch and smell.

Finally there’s the issue of what bedding to use. Often soft, fluffy bedding is marketed as being comfortable and safe, but on the contrary, this bedding can separate into fine strands that can wrap around toes and be ingested, which may result in intestinal impactions that can be life threatening. Other forms of bedding, such as wood shavings, can also cause respiratory issues. Bedding such as Carefresh, hemp, tea bag, or many other alternatives are safe for use and can be purchased easily online.

To conclude, many of the products sold by pet stores and both unsuitable and unsafe for your pet hamster. There’s a wealth of misinformation and shallow marketing ploys out there looking to trick you into buying products that may harm your little one and reduce its’ ability to perform its natural behaviour and stay well. Hamster welfare remains to be poorly understood by pet owners and retailers alike, and unfortunately our furry friends pay the price for it. But things are slowly changing and there is a growing number of supportive online communities where people gather to discuss small animal care and promote higher welfare standards. In time, I hope that retailers will be held accountable for misleading the public and selling unsuitable products to people that don’t know any better. I also hope that people will do better research for themselves before purchasing any animal, even if it seems small and “easy” to care for. The RSPCA has many fact sheets available that are easily accessible online, so there is no excuse for people to purchase a pet without educating themselves first. Clearly we cannot trust big businesses in the pet industry to always do right by our animals and give us good advice, so we must take on that responsibility for ourselves and advocate for better if we want small companion animals to live happy and healthy lives.