Hamsters are engaging, intelligent animals and make wonderful pets. As such, they require a significant amount of environmental stimulation to keep their small bodies and minds active and engaged.
Keeping your hamster busy doesn’t require a lot of work or expense, just some creativity. Hamster toys can help keep your hamster happy and busy.
Before selecting toys for your furry critters, get to know their tendencies. For example, do they like to chew on things? Do they like to burrow and hide? Select toys based on their preferences. Also, because hamsters primarily are nocturnal, consider quiet toys for pets living in or near bedrooms. Most importantly, make sure the hamster toys you provide are not only enjoyable for your pet but also safe.
Check out the different types of hamster toys below to keep your hammy in tip-top shape, both mentally and physically.
Chewing Toys
For hammies, chewing toys are a must. Chewing toys help keep growing teeth healthy and maintained. Find some chewing toy options below for your hammy.
Wooden Toys
Toys made of all-natural wood and safe vegetable food colors, like Kaytee’s Nut Knot Nibbler, help your hamster satisfy his need to chew. For even more fun, stuff his favorite treats between the Nibbler’s wood dowels.
Make sure to inspect these hamster toys from time to time to ensure this toy remains safe for your hammy. Over time, the wear and tear might result in broken pieces, which can be dangerous for your hamster.
Natural, Untreated Apple Branches
Apple branches can be pruned from trees in your yard, but be sure that the trees were not treated with any pesticides before feeding! If you’re not in an area with apple trees, consider Niteangel apple small animal chew sticks.
Exercise Toys
Let’s face it, when you’re in a cage, exercise can be limited. Check out the exercise toys below to help get your hammy active.
Hamster Wheel
Hamsters love to stay busy running, despite going nowhere! Wheels can be in the traditional vertical form or horizontal and shaped like flying saucers. Stick with a hamster wheel with a solid footing area—instead of bars or slats—to prevent your pet from breaking a leg after slipping through the turning wheel.
The Ware flying saucer small animal exercise wheel, is available in variety of colors including green, maroon and blue. It’s designed to be silent so no matter if you’re your hamster decided to be active in the middle of the day or the middle of the night.
Climbing Tubes and Ladders
Hamsters are very adept climbers, but they usually are only good in one direction—up … down can be a problem. Make sure your pet always has a safe way to climb down and can’t fall from the top of whatever they have climbed up.
Niteangel Natural Forest Hollow Tree Trunk toy, with its nine holes, is perfect for hamsters who like to hide and explore. Plus, it’s made of 100 percent wood, so it doubles as a chew toy. You can even hide hamster treats or hay in the log to provide your critter with additional entertainment.
Edible Accessories
Edible accessories are a fun, interactive way to bond with your hamster—and after all, who doesn’t like food? Entice and entertain your hamster with the following accessories below.
Stuffed Toilet Paper Rolls
Empty toilet paper rolls stuffed with hay and a treat in the middle are fun and simple for your hamster. Who doesn’t like finding a yummy snack in a most unexpected place?
Hamsters like to root around in hay, pull things out of tubes and generally search for food. You can accomplish all three tasks at once by filling an empty toilet paper roll with a handful of hay and tuck a tiny piece of apple in the middle, or a cheerio, or even a piece of dog or cat kibble!
Hidden Treats
Instead of feeding your pet his treats in a bowl, why not place them around your hamster’s cage for a delicious game of hide and seek? While you are at it, you can hide all of your hamsters’ food! I recommend feeding hamsters rodent blocks, such as Kaytee Forti-Diet food, and hiding these around the cage for extra enrichment.
Mental stimulation is very important for pets—particularly your intelligent hammies who tend to spend a lot of time in their hamster cages . There is no reason for him to have a boring lifestyle. With a little effort and creativity, enriching your critter’s life with hamster toys can be a fun project for both of you.
Get to know your hamster’s tendencies and make sure the hamster toys you provide are safe and enjoyable for your pet. Also, because hamsters primarily are nocturnal, quiet toys are particularly important for pets living in or near bedrooms.
Dr. Sandra Mitchell is a graduate of the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine. She enjoys working with all animals, whether they be cats, dogs, rats, ferrets, guinea pigs or an even wild creatures. She currently works as a relief veterinarian—meaning that she help out at other veterinary offices when a doctor needs to go on vacation—and teaches both veterinarians and veterinary students.
Featured Image: By Chewy Studios
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