Factors to Consider

Before you go out to shop for a hamster bin cage, you need to create a shortlist first of what basic factors to look for. This will save you time and money in the long run, while ensuring that you have chosen only the best for your pet.

Some of these factors can be quite obvious to consider but is often neglected, especially when impulse buying. Being aware of what to look for will help narrow down your search.

Preferred Style

This factor when choosing the best cage for hamster is more of a personal consideration. But there is also a function entailed with the style of cage you choose for your pet hamster. There are three basic types of styles to choose from, which include (1) wire cage that comes with a plastic base, (2) plastic modular cage that has several compartments and tubes inside it, and (3) an aquarium equipped with secure mesh lid.

Take time to conduct basic research on each style and determine what works best for your pet. Their convenience and safety should be on top of your mind when choosing.

Easy Maintenance and Cleaning

As a pet owner, you’d want to regularly clean and maintain your pet’s hamster bin cage to prevent them from acquiring illnesses. Thus, you’d want a cage that is easy to clean and maintain. Of all three styles of cages, the wire cage is the most convenient for maintenance since you can simply lift the bottom or floor of the cage to clean out the hamster bedding.

The black bear hamster cage with lots of compartments and tubes can be a challenge to clean, meanwhile the aquarium is not difficult to clean per se, but it is heavy such that cleaning it could prove to be just as difficult.

Proper Ventilation

If you are looking for something that provides enough ventilation for your pet hamster, then the wire cage is the best choice you have. For the cage that comes with multiple compartments, condensation and air quality could pose real problem. Even the aquarium type does not deliver enough ventilation system.

Safety Features

To secure your pet hamster in place, make sure that the bars in the cage should be no more than half an inch apart. Avoid cages with horizontal bars as it promotes climbing and might even pose your pet in danger of hamster injury. Also, check the doors of the cage to ensure that they are properly locked since hamsters have the natural gift at opening doors quite efficiently.

Size of Black Bear Hamster

This is the most important consideration you should keep in mind when buying cages for your pet black bear hamster. In fact, it should be one of the first few things you must consider. The space inside the cage should be able to naturally accommodate your pet without having to limit their activity inside the cage. The minimum size of cages available is around 24×12 inches. But if you are not sure about the size of your pet, then there is no harm in settling for bigger cages to allow more room for them to move around.

First is to look at your hamster’s appearance. If you want its colour to be the basis, you can name your pet Black or Midnight, or probably Shadow. What does your hamster look like? And does it remind you of anything? Think about these questions and you might just think of a unique name for your pet.

Next is the personality and remarkable traits of your pet hamster. Is your pet lazy, playful, or friendly? Does your pet love to eat and chew on almost everything? You can probably use Chewy or Nibbles or maybe Chubby. You can also give your pet sweet names such as Cuddles or Muffin, and maybe Spanky and Rascal for playful hamsters. This really depends on how your pet hamster behaves and what impression you have on them.

You can also think of a name based on your favourite things, activities that you love to do, and even names of your favourite TV and movie personalities and sports icons. You can name them Tiger, Tyson or Skyler. You can use famous Disney character names, such as Simba or Mufasa and Ariel or Aurora. Or even unique character names, such as Frodo and Arwen, from your favourite Tolkien books.

Sometimes names that contradict the appearance and personality of your pet may come quite funny and interesting. Use your favourite colours such as Violet and Brownie, despite black bear hamsters being black. You can also name them Tiny despite its big size.

And if you still can’t decide on what name to give your pet hamster, you can try looking up online. Some online sites feature suggestions on how you can think of names that will perfectly match your hamsters. Some offers a long list of the most common names used for pets. You can also get suggestions from your friends and families. You can better create a cool and unique name for your hamster if you do some brainstorming with them. They may have great name suggestions that you may have never thought of. 

When naming your black bear hamster, there are some other things that you need to consider and be reminded of. Unique and cool names are not the only things that matter. Remember not to be overly creative and unique about their names that you would have a hard time remembering them.

Choose names that are short and easy to pronounce. If your hamster is named Tazmina, you can probably call him Taz or Tazi instead. It is also suggested that you use names with long vowel sounds as this can be very effective when you’re calling them from afar. You should also choose names that you really like and names that you would use for the rest of your hamster’s life. Deciding to change names a month after will only confuse your pet. It is also very important that you decide on a name that fits the gender of your hamster.

Some names are appropriate for both genders while some are not so you might want to think about this as well. But the most important of all reminders is not to get too excited about giving your black bear hamster a name. Spend some time with them and try to get to know them better. Observe how they really are and decide from there what name to give them.

There are a lot of signs that will tell you that black bear hamsters are healthy. Normal and healthy black bear hamsters have clean fur and clear eyes, with clear breathing. They also eat and drink regularly, and walk normally. Healthy hamsters are also active, alert and very responsive. And don’t be alarmed if you see their teeth are yellow. Yellow teeth are normal for hamsters, and cleaning them isn’t really necessary.  

Along with the signs of healthy black bear hamsters, you also need to be aware of the common health issues that hit them. Weight loss, abnormal hair loss, eye and nasal discharge, and skin lesions are just some of the warning signs that you need to be aware of. Below are the common health problems that strike black bear hamsters.  

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is the most common health problem that hits not just the black bear hamsters but all types of hamsters. Its symptoms include loose and watery stools. It is often caused by poor diet, internal parasites and even stress. The best thing that you should do once you notice such symptoms is to visit an exotic animal veterinarian so you can determine what caused the diarrhea and what kind of treatment to give them.

Malocclusion

Also known as overgrown teeth, malocclusion is caused by poor diet. Although this health problem is common to old hamsters, the young ones also suffer from overgrown teeth if they are not given materials that they can chew and gnaw on. To treat malocclusion, a visit to the pet clinic is required so their teeth can be properly trimmed. You need to address this issue immediately as sharp teeth can hurt them, making it harder for them to eat and chew on their food. To avoid malocclusion, always provide them with chew materials. There are even chew toys that you can buy for them to play with.

Mites

If you notice your pets scratching constantly, they may have gotten mites into their fur. They will start to lose patches of hair and develop scaly patches of skin if these mites continue to thrive in their fur. If taken to a clinic, the vet will use a magnifying glass to determine any minute movement and if positive, proper treatment will be given.

Heat Stroke

Black bear hamsters also suffer from heat stroke if they are directly exposed to the sun or heat. You know your hamsters are suffering from heat stroke if they always look damp and sweaty, and they’re finding it hard to move. As soon as you notice these symptoms, you don’t need to immediately go to the vet. You can do a home remedy by spraying them with cold water using a mist gun. But spray them slowly and in minimal amount as too much of it will saturate their fur.

To keep black bear hamsters from getting sick, you should keep them clean and properly-groomed. It’s not really hard to keep them clean as they don’t really need regular baths as with other animals. A damp washcloth is all you need to clean them up. Also, don’t forget to clean their houses and change their beddings weekly or as often as you need to.

It may seem that taking care of these types of hamsters may come expensive. But preventing the occurrence of illnesses will save you from the expenses of constantly bringing them to their vets. Remember that a well cared for black bear hamster will seldom get sick.

The idea of having a black bear hamster as your own pet seems exciting, for both children and adults alike.  However, every aspiring pet owner needs to try and learn more about this specie since your knowledge about them will increase your ability to properly care for them, understand their behavior, and foster a comfortable living situation depending on their needs.

 Basic Black Bear Hamster Info

 Before you decide to buy a hamster, it is important to learn about basic facts about its origin and specific qualities to make it easy to care for them. They belong to one of three Syrian hamsters that are naturally equipped with long furs for a fluffy appearance. As compared to the other breeds, they are highly favored as pet due to their unusual coat that makes them really cuddly to carry around and pet. In addition, they are quite tame despite being a large and fancy breed, thus making it easy to socialize.

 Black bear or angora hamsters originate in Middle East wherein they are often utilized for research studies. Shortly after 1930s, they were introduced in the United States and underwent selective breeding process. Hence, you can now find up to 50 unique varieties of the Syrian hamsters in the market, with each one possessing distinct length and color of coat.

 The average size of an adult black bear hamster averages around 4 to 5 inches. Meanwhile, the natural color of the coat is brown but you can now find hamsters with either dark or lighter tones of coat. You can also find dark markings starting from their jaw towards the ear. Typical maturity rate for these hamsters take place about 6 weeks and the average black bear hamster life span is between 2 to 3 years. You can therefore maximize that life span with proper care and treatment, which you can learn more of later on.

 Characteristics of This Pet

 Black bear hamsters are nocturnal, which means that they are awake at night while they spend the entire day sleeping. Thus, most pet owners like having to keep their pet inside their home to keep them safe while nobody else can look after them during night. Make sure you buy the right hamster bin cage to lessen the noise they create when eating, playing, or walking around.

 When it comes to their temperament, they are generally tame and are therefore easy to handle. In addition, they are good-natured but it might take some time before they can get accustomed to their pet owner. If you should decide to buy more than one hamster though, you might have to reconsider your decision since they prefer to be housed alone and dislike the company of fellow hamsters.

 Caring and Grooming

 If you previously avert the idea of keeping pets at home due to the possibility of incurring lots of cost in caring for them, then a pet hamster is ideal for you since they are generally low-maintenance. In addition, they are easy to care for since they have been naturally inclined to thrive on their own.

 Bathing is not required for a black bear hamster since they bathe their own bodies with the use of their tongue, just like cats do. You must also avoid bathing them since it could expose them illness when they become damp. For regular grooming, you can opt to brush its hair using soft toothbrush daily. In cases wherein they become really dirty and needs to be cleaned out, you can take a washcloth and dampen it with water to wipe all over its body or specific areas that need cleaning.

Wheels and Run-Abouts

Some hamster cages come with wheels inside them. But there are also those that you can buy separately. What you need to check on wheels is its safety. Choose those that are placed on the surface of the cage to avoid any types of accidents. Meanwhile, run-abouts are plastic balls where you can place your hamsters when they’re out of their cages. With run-abouts, your hamsters can just run and play around on your floor, and you won’t have to worry about them getting away from you.  Both wheels and run-abouts are great hamster toys that promote exercise. It is recommended that you get at least one of them for your black bear hamsters.

Climbing Toys

Climbing blocks and ladders are also great items for your black bear hamsters to play with. They are sure to enjoy climbing up and down the different elevations inside their cage. Along with this, you need to make sure that the elevated levels are not too high as these are sure to cause injury on your hamsters in case they fall. It is also important to note that if you are using wooden ladders, you will need to constantly replace them. Hamsters are very curious in nature and would love to chew on things just to see if they can be eaten, and that includes wooden ladders and toys. You can also make ramps and other climbing structures such as hanging toys and ropes, as well as walkways and bridges. When doing these, you need to be very careful since such can be very dangerous to your hamsters. Use ropes that are thick and make sure your mini-walkways and bridges are sturdy enough to carry your hamsters.

Chew Toys

Chew toys is one of the most important things that you need to provide your hamsters. They need to always have something to chew and gnaw on as these will keep their teeth in perfect condition. You can use wooden pet chew toys but make sure these woods are free from any chemicals or pesticide. Cardboards are also good chewing items. This may sound inappropriate but you won’t really have to worry about the dangers of cardboards since there hasn’t been any known significant sickness that hamsters have gotten from chewing them. But if you want to be on the safe side, you can always choose to buy chewing items that are specifically made for hamsters or commercial tubes that are proven safe and sturdy.

Plastic Toys

You can also provide your hamsters with plastic toys to play with, but you need to be cautious about it. Although hamsters love to play on plastic tubes and structures, this might create a problem for you since you will constantly need to replace them as hamsters love to chew on plastic items as well. And since they can chew on them, they can also swallow plastic items, and this isn’t good.

Sand and Digging Items

Almost all kinds of hamsters love to dig so you may want to include sand and digging items on your must-have black bear hamster items. You may opt to use the dust bath used by chinchillas or you can make your own. All you need to do is to place sterilized soil inside a deep box that is big and high enough for hamsters to burrow and dig in.

Choosing the proper playing items is one of the most important considerations in owning a black bear hamster. Apart from food and cages, you should never forget to include toys in your must-buy items for black bear hamsters.