Bathing Syrian Hamsters
February 28th 2009 20:37
Hamsters can be great pets, but at times they may become a little dirty or smelly. I mean, so would you if you lived in a small cage. Well, if you notice that your hamster is getting a little dirty, you want to be careful of how you groom him. You don't want to throw him in the sink with warm water and shampoo; that really is the last thing that you want to do, because for the most part a hamster will groom and clean himself as needed, although there are a few things that you can do to help him.
When grooming a hamster, you want to first check out the hamster's skin and fur for mats and skin abrasions. If you have a long hair hamster, you can use a fine toothed comb to brush out and bedding or wood shavings. Regular combing will keep mats out of your hamsters fur, which can potentially become painful as he mats begin to pull on the skin.
You can use a soft, damp washcloth to go over any dirty areas such as around the butt. You want to make sure that he washcloth is warm but not too hot. You don't want to scrub or soak the hamster because you will remove the essential oils in the hamster's skin and coat, so it's best to just stick with the warm washcloth.
It's good to keep the hamster's cage cleaned on a regular basis. You also want to make sure that you regularly check out your hamster's skin and coat so that you can watch for any signs of illness or potential concern.
You may want to add a small bowl of sand or chinchilla dust to your hamster's cage so that your hamster can roll in the sand in order to remove any excess oils from the fur. A small sand dish is actually great for dwarf hamsters.
If you notice that your hamster constantly has a dirty tail or butt, you'll want to consult a vet so that you can have the hamster properly examined to make sure that the hamster doesn't have wet-tail, which can be fatal.
When grooming a hamster, you want to first check out the hamster's skin and fur for mats and skin abrasions. If you have a long hair hamster, you can use a fine toothed comb to brush out and bedding or wood shavings. Regular combing will keep mats out of your hamsters fur, which can potentially become painful as he mats begin to pull on the skin.
You can use a soft, damp washcloth to go over any dirty areas such as around the butt. You want to make sure that he washcloth is warm but not too hot. You don't want to scrub or soak the hamster because you will remove the essential oils in the hamster's skin and coat, so it's best to just stick with the warm washcloth.
It's good to keep the hamster's cage cleaned on a regular basis. You also want to make sure that you regularly check out your hamster's skin and coat so that you can watch for any signs of illness or potential concern.
You may want to add a small bowl of sand or chinchilla dust to your hamster's cage so that your hamster can roll in the sand in order to remove any excess oils from the fur. A small sand dish is actually great for dwarf hamsters.
If you notice that your hamster constantly has a dirty tail or butt, you'll want to consult a vet so that you can have the hamster properly examined to make sure that the hamster doesn't have wet-tail, which can be fatal.
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