Enrichment

Hamsters, like humans, need mental, physical and emotional engagement on a regular basis. Would you like to be stuck in a small room all day with nothing to do but run in a wheel? Nope, me either!

I love this video from Victoria Raechel, it’s a great intro to thinking about Hamster Enrichment and how to ensure your hamster lives a full and happy life!

 There are a few major things I like to think about when I think about Hamster Enrichment:

Burrowing Room

Victoria Raechel mentions burrowing room in her video and I’ve seen and heard many hamster owners saying the same thing- they noticed a marked reduction in hamster stress signs when their hamster was given more burrowing depth.

The recommended minimum is 6” of burrowing room, but most hamster owners suggest giving at least 8” of depth for dwarves, 12” for Syrians (and more is always better!)

So, how do you ensure your hamster can make burrows?

1) Get an enclosure that allows for deep burrows

There are many enclosures out there and there is probably not one enclosure that works for all hamsters. Generally speaking, however, the more space and more depth you can give your hamster, the better off they will be. For this reason, I generally don’t recommend cage-style enclosures for hamsters - they only allow for 6” max of burrowing space. Personally, I think the best solution for most hamsters will be a large, solid walled enclosure, for example:

2) Use a bedding that holds burrows

Beddings vary from place to place so I can only personally speak to what’s available in the US.

In many European countries there are wood-type beddings that hold burrows well. Unfortunately, these are not available in the US. In the US your best bet is a paper based bedding, like Small Pet Select, Kaytee Clean & Cozy or Carefresh. Please stick with unscented bedding as hamsters have very sensitive noses.

Some hamsters owners mix their paper bedding with aspen or hemp. This is okay, but you still must ensure that enough of the bedding is paper based so that burrows can be maintained. Aspen and hemp on their own do not stay formed in tunnels and cannot provide this function for your hamsters. I personally use hemp bedding in an area of my hamster’s enclosure for variety of texture, but I don’t mix them together.

Bonus points for also providing your hamsters with a variety of textures and substrates to experience (like coconut fiber, sheet moss & sand!).

For more on substrate types, please see my substrate page.

3) Invest in some platforms, stilts and levels

It is hard to give your hamster burrowing depth and also find a spot to put a wheel, water bottle and sand bath. This is why you need to put everything on stilts! Ensuring that heavy items (like a sandbath or wheel) are supported will keep those items from topping over or crushing your hamster if they try to burrow under it (and guarenteed, they will try to burrow under everything!). Additional levels & stilts also give new places of interest for your hamster to hang, nap or nibble.

*PRO TIP: I recommend applying adhesive cork on top of platforms to help your hamster climb onto the platform (and keep their grip, the platforms on their own can be very slippery!)

4) Keep the Top Layer Crowded

A good hamster enclosure is fairly crowded with many nooks and crannies - this makes your hamster feel more safe and gives them more points of interest as they explore.

I love using lightweight, grass or cork hides & tunnels on the surface of the bedding because they are lightweight and pose no risk to your hamster getting stuck under them (like they might get injured under a ceramic hide, if it were placed on top of bedding instead of a platform or other secure surface).

Sand-blasted grapevine wood from Zoo Med is also a favorite! It’s a bit heavier so you would want to anchor it between platforms so your hamster does not get injured. Some of my hamsters enjoy climbing on the grapevine, others just enjoy the added cover it provides.

Happy Hamstery also has a great selection of grass hides and tunnels!

Foraging & Boredom Breakers

One of the major hobbies of most hamsters is hunting and gathering their food. Hamsters love a food-challenge and will enjoy a variety of food-related tasks.

It can be as simple as sprinkling their food around their enclosure for them to find (aka “scatter feeding”) or as complex as creating puzzles they have to solve to get their food ( aka “boredom breakers”).

This is your time to be creative! My hamsters enjoy new challenges and I’m constantly coming up with fun ways to get them to find their food.

I also suggest purchasing some seed sprays (some videos & links below 👇 for where to purchase). Seed sprays are very lovely to look at and great fun for your hamsters to forage from.

Favorite Shops Selling Boredom Breakers & Foraging Items:

Moony Paw: One of my FAV hamster shops! Based in the UK but they do world-wide shipping and have a wide array of unique and high-quality sprays, seed mixes, hides & foraging mixes! Highly recommend —> https://moonypaw.com/

Happy Hamstery: Another one of my personal favs! Happy Hamstery is an ethical breeder (of Winter White Dwarf Hamsters) in the US, but they also sell lots of hamster items on their website to help support their breeding program —> https://happyhamstery.com/collections/all

Oakwood Forest Shop - Oakwood Forest was one of the first shops selling hamster foraging items that shipped to the US. They are based in the Netherlands (but ship world wide!) and sells gorgeous, high quality flowers & sprays. You can’t go wrong with Oakwood Forest! https://www.oakwoodforestshop.com/

Priderock Blooms - A lovely brand with lots of chews, mixes & treats. UK based, ships everywhere except the US currently —> https://www.priderockblooms.co.uk/

Hope’s Healthy Treats - A brand many hamster owners rave about! They are based in the UK but currently do not ship to the US. Including here for my European friends! —> https://www.etsy.com/shop/HopesHealthyTreats

Playtime

Playtime or out-of-cage time is a great way to get to know your hamster and build trust. I heard the YouTuber HammyTime say that she likes to think of playtime as “bonding” with her hamster, not taming. Taming implies some hierarchy, where as bonding implies a more equal relationship where you are both building a trust.

Not all hamsters love out-of-cage time and it’s important that you watch and get to know your hamster’s body language to gauge when enough is enough.

If you don’t already have a playpen, I highly recommend the Omlet playpen (affiliate link). I have both sizes (S & L) and keep one set up at all times!

For more on playtime, please see my Playpen page!

Digging areas

Providing your hamster with a variety of smells, textures & experiences can help enrich their lives.

There are lots of great textures you can add to your hamster’s enclosure, either within a “digging box”, or loose, in a section of the enclosure.

I currently set up most of my enclosures with half of the enclosure as Eaton Hemp Bedding - this is a nice, soft, substrate that is great for digging and foraging in. I also often have bowls or acrylic containers with other materials like loose coconut fiber or cork granules.

Any of these substrates are great for sprinkling loose seed mix into. I particularly like breaking up some millet sprays into the bedding and watching my hamsters go wild! Bonus points if you add some hamster flowers to the mix!

Hamster Safe Plants:

My hamsters all LOVE wheat grass (aka- “cat grass”) and it’s so fun to watch them play in it and munch on it! I particularly like the brand, PetGreens - their wheat grass kits grow EVERY time, without fail! You can grow them directly in the bag, or grow in your own little pot and watch your hamsters go crazy!

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