Hamsters are cute, friendly, affectionate little creatures with a knack for self-grooming– making them even more lovable. To a pet owner, self-maintenance is the dream, which is why hamsters are often children’s pets. But how do hamsters actually clean themselves?
Hamsters clean themselves by using their paws. They will also often opt for sand baths as a form of cleaning. Grooming comes naturally to them, and they do it regularly during their waking hours, making them very low-maintenance pets.
These furry rodents have a particular style of cleaning themselves, which I’ll cover in this article. I’ll also go over how often hamsters clean themselves and how you can clean them when needed.
How Hamsters Self-Groom
Hamsters groom themselves in two ways: using their paws or bathing in the sand. The way that they groom themselves differs depending on the method they use:
- Hamsters clean themselves by using their paws. Like cats, hamsters wet their paws with their saliva and use the paws to clean their bodies, washing off dirt and extra debris. They’ll also lift their hind legs to allow access to their backs and rear area.
- Hamsters take sand baths. In the wild, hamsters use the sand to groom themselves. This innate behavior is also seen in our pets since it’s a familiar way of cleaning up. With a half-full container of sand, these chubby-cheeked hamsters wriggle in the sand, cleaning their fronts and backs.
Sand bathing may happen around once or twice a week, and while it might appear like the hamster is playing, doing this actually gets rid of any litter caught on its hair while it wiggles in the sand.
How Do Dwarf Hamsters Clean Themselves?
Dwarf hamsters, also known as Roborovski or Robo hamsters, are the smallest hamster species in the genus phodopus. These hamsters are known for their incredible speed and independence compared to other domesticated hamsters.
Dwarf hamsters clean themselves by taking sand baths. However, while dwarf hamsters love taking sand baths, they will also groom themselves using their paws. If you notice your dwarf hamsters overly self-grooming, it could be due to stress.
Since these fluffy pets don’t crave human interaction a lot, they prefer to groom themselves without the help of humans. You may be tempted to pet these hamsters, but once they feel uncomfortable, they can overly groom from stress, which is never a good habit for these pets.
How Often Do Hamsters Clean Themselves?
Hamsters clean themselves several times throughout the day. Hamsters are thorough with their hygiene, so much so that as soon as you pet them, they will wash off the odor you left on them. This routine is done several times during the day when they are not asleep, eating, or playing.
How To Give Your Hamster a Bath
Hygiene is essential in maintaining any pet’s health. Therefore, pet owners to be vigilant in ensuring correct execution. While hamsters will thoroughly clean themselves most of the time, there might be days when your hamster isn’t as thorough. If this is the case, you’ll need to do something to clean your hamster.
I’ll cover some different things you can do to clean your hamster the right and safe way.
Use a Brush To Clean Your Hamster
Depending on the type of hamster you have, it can have long or short fur. If you have a hamster with long fur, you probably notice things getting stuck in it.
In this case, you can use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently brush through the pet’s fur, covering all the body parts.
However, hamsters don’t always like to be bothered, so they might not want to be cleaned. Therefore, ensure your hamster is calm and happy when doing this so that it’s not stressed and running off as you try to clean it.
Use Scissors To Cut Overgrown Hairs on Your Hamster
Syrian hamsters have longer hairs than others, and you might need to use scissors to trim the hair to manage the amount of dirt that accumulates on their skin.
To do this, place the strands between your index and middle fingers and cut off the hairs that protrude. Again, ensure the hamster feels safe while you’re doing this, and don’t over-trim.
Clean Your Hamster With Water
It’s strongly advised not to use water to clean hamsters because it strips essential oils from the pet’s skin. However, if the veterinarian recommends it, you can wash your hamster with water once in a while. Here’s how to do it:
- Ensure to use lukewarm water for this cleaning process. You can test the temperature by dipping your elbow like you would with a baby. Ensure it isn’t cold, as your hamster could catch hyperthermia.
- Gently use a soft wet cloth to rub over its skin, and avoid getting water into its eyes. Don’t use ordinary soap–use hamster shampoo if you can access it. If you don’t, it’s safer only to use water as it will likely get the job done.
- Use a soft tissue or soft cloth to dry it. Make sure your room is at room temperature to prevent it from catching a cold.
How To Clean Your Hamster’s Cage
While this article is mainly about the self-hygiene of a hamster, it makes sense to cover the procedure of cleaning their cages. Notably, a clean hamster in a dirty home beats the purpose of self-grooming. Here are the steps you should take to clean your hamster’s cage:
- Take the hamster out of its cage and place it in a carrier where it feels safe.
- Remove the leftover food, toys, accessories, droppings, and unwanted material such as old wood shavings, tissue, or hay.
- Spray down the cage with a recommended animal spray, or even water and vinegar will do the trick.
- Scrub and wash through all the toys and accessories with lukewarm water.
- Let the cage dry for about 15-20 minutes, then place fresh paper bedding, toys, and accessories (adding some new ones where possible).
- Place the hamster back and ensure that the bedding is at least two to three inches (5.08 to 7.62 cm) high to allow them to dig in and create burrows.
Final Thoughts
When caring for a hamster, hygiene is not an issue you’ll encounter, as these pets are clean freaks. Grooming for them is innate, and they don’t need encouragement to partake in it.
However, it is important to notice when your hamster is overly cleaning itself, as this could be a sign of stress due to discomfort, illness, or anything else. The same applies when no cleaning is happening at all.
You should always check that the animal has no injuries that keep it from grooming itself. If the hamster is over or under-grooming, report it to a vet.