hamsters...?

Question

i just bought hamsters and i have a few ?s. do they need baths? why are they trying to eat the shredded paper in their cage? do they bite a lot?

Answer 1

It sounds like you need to do some further research online or buy a hamster book. Never get a pet unless you know how to take care of them. First get keep the hamsters seperated or you'll get babies (if male & Female) or a dead hamster (same sexes). The larger breed hamsters are solitary and fight over territory. We have 21 hamsters in 15 cages. We raise both breeds of them (Syrian & Dwarf) and can mix the two breed together with rare fighting. We sometimes use the sand that you use for chinchillas for bathing. Ours love it. Never give a water bath, hamster can get very sick and die. Your hamster has pouches in his mouth and is most likely putting the paper their. I don't recomment the use of shredded paper unless its plain with no ink on it. The ink can be harmfull. Use only shredded aspen or a non-allergey litter. Both are available at Wal Mart or any pet store. All animals can bite. A dwarf is more apt to bitting. The larger hamsters - Teddy bear, Fancy, Black bear, etc. are less likely to bite. We have 11 large breed hamster and only one has bitten. All of our dwarf (10) have bitten and some still do. My son uses gloves to handle the bitters. Almost forgot, we give paper towel and toilet paper rolls to our hamsters with a litter parper left on them. They love it. The site below has useful information on hamsters. Please read up on them for your hamsters sake.

Answer 2

Hamsters do not need baths. They all eat the paper because they need to chew, so buy them some of those wood chews made especially for hamsters. Also be aware that cedar shavings can cause kidney failure in hamsters. So can pine shavings. The best litter to use is called Care Fresh and you can get it at your local pet store.

In regards to biting, I have had alot of hamsters and eventually all of them will bite. The best thing to do is to handle them daily so they get used to you and realize that you won't hurt them. They still may bite, but it's the best way to try and prevent it. One more thing, if they breed, make sure to put the male in a separate cage or he will eat the babies...I learned that the hard way.

Answer 3

You don't need to bathe your hamsters as they will clean themselves. They probably aren't eating the paper, but they will chew it up to make a comfortable little nest in the cage. Depending on the temperment, they might bite. You just need to get them used to being handled. They usually bite if they are afraid. Some breeds of hamster can be more agressive than others, but typically they don't bite unless provoked.

Answer 4

They don't need baths and probably wouldn't like one. All the hamster I have had eat their paper and I don't know why. Some hamsters bite others don't. It depends.

Answer 5

To make sure that your hamster does not bite you I would suggest handling it as much as possible within the first few days that you have it.
The hamsters like the gnaw on things because they are trying to grind their teeth down. Their teeth get long and that is why it is good to give them the little wood treats.
And hamsters will bathe themselves. Although it would be kinda cute to see the little furballs wet :P

Answer 6

No, I don't think they need baths. They typically bathe themselves. Eating the paper, eh? They'll chew on just about anything, I don't think they would do it if it was going to hurt them. And yeah, my experience with hamsters has been that they bite often...rarely hurts though.

Answer 7

They pack the newspaper in there jaws to move it and make sleeping nests. Depending on the temperment of the particular hamster depends on how often they bite. Baths...I don't think so. Maybe once a month for maintenance. They clean themselves.

Answer 8

they are eating the paper because they do that naturally to grind down their teeth; they don't need baths; depends on the hamster if it bites a lot

Answer 9

:)
Hampsters do not need baths,they should clean them selves and not smell as long as you keep the cage clean.
They're eating paper prob because they are putting it in their cheeks so that they can move it to their beds.
As for biting, it bepends on the hamster its self. people say that all dwarf hamsters bite, but i have one and hes never bitten me!
Good Luck!
~Jazzie

Answer 10

No you don't need to bathe them. I have no clue why they eat paper. Every hamster I have had does. So do gunea pigs. Biting? it depends I guess. I have had some that do, and others that don't.