If you have a hamster as your pet, you must have to ensure a healthy and comfortable living place for it. Generally, Hamster is a clean and neat creature. It barely makes the place nasty. It likes to live in a smooth place. It is very much conscious of its habitation.
So, a tidy space is needed for it. You must make sure that the residence of the hamster is very elegant. Often, you have to clean the cage of hamsters. Now the question is, do you know how to clean a hamster cage? Or, in other words, how often should you clean a hamster cage?
Here in this article, we are going to guide you throughout the stages of cleaning the hamster cage along with the proper timing of cleaning the cage. Let’s go ahead.
The Stages to Clean a Hamster Cage
Though a hamster is a decent animal in nature, its habitation can also be very dirty at times. Its urine is severely pungent. For this reason, the cage becomes mostly soiled. Moreover, the cage becomes dirty by its wasted foods. So, if you think the cage should be cleaned up, just do it.
A severe smell can irritate your nose and even the hamster may also suffer from the smell. You might find it tricky and difficult if you do not know how to clean the hamster cage. Understanding the steps and stages will keep you ahead. There are several requirements for cleaning a hamster cage. You must follow these steps one by one to clean the cage. Let’s go through them one by one.
Prepare the Materials:
When you are determined to clean your hamster cage, prepare the required materials. Cover your hands by the gloves. If there is an intense smell, you can have a mask on your face. Collect a disinfectant cloth to wash your hamster. Moreover, a piece of garment is needed to scrub the cage, bars, surface, and walls. You may have new bedding for it. Take an antibacterial soap, and have enough water to wash. You can use vinegar or bleach to ensure deep cleaning.
Shift Your Hamster From The Cage:
At first, you should remove your hamster from the cage when you decide to clean the cage. Make sure a safe place for it during your cleaning time. Release it in a spacious room as it can roam freely at that time. If it is not possible, you should have another alternative cage for it. Then keep it in the next one. At that time, you should keep in mind taking care of it. You can give them toys so that they can play.
Remove The Additions From The Cage:
After taking out your hamster, remove all the accessories, and additions from the cage including hideaways, water bottles, food pots, and toys. Take out its Bedding and sawdust. There may have uneaten foods scattered throughout the cage. By removing all of these, the cage will be empty. And it will help you to do your work.
Clean The Removed Accessories:
You can clean these removed accessories later, but cleaning at that time will be good for you. Because, when you keep your hamster in the cage after cleaning up the cage, these accessories would be dry by that time. Then you can put again these accessories into the cage with your hamster.
The bedding should be properly washed. Filthy bedding causes creating various diseases to the hamster. There may be germs in the water bottle. So, wash the water bottle, and food bowls adequately. Fill the bottle with new freshwater. Cleanse the toys properly. And keep them to be parched.
Clean The Whole Cage:
Cleaning the cage is certainly an irritating work. Wear gloves and use the mask. Now, start your cleaning mission. If you use a small brush, it will be easier for you to clean the whole area of the cage. If you don’t have, just use the piece of garment. But make sure that every corner of the cage is scrubbed.
Gradually, scrub the walls and surface. After washing, spray warm and soapy water. To get a satisfactory clean, you should use vinegar or bleach. There is a modernized cage made of bars. This kind of cages requires an extra wash that needs more time. You must scrub individually all the bars so that no germs can live there.
The tray under the cage should be taken out and washed. If you finish your cleaning stages, now wipe the whole cage with a dry cloth. And wait until the cage is dry and ready to get back the hamster and the accessories.
Return Your Hamster and the Accessories
If the cage becomes completely clean, get back your hamster in the cage. It will be better if you wash your hamster also.Then replace all the accessories, you have removed out. Refill the food bowls and water bottle, and place these at the previous position. Keep the toys in properly. Place new bedding if possible. Now, everything is nice, neat, and clean. This fresh environment will truly be likable for your hamster.
For Better, you can check this video.
How Often To Clean a Hamster Cage?
As a clean creature, the hamster deserves praise. But it has also personal activities and has to accomplish nature’s call. So, the cage may be messy. Moreover, because of passing a long period without cleaning the cage, germs can attack and make your hamster sick.
How often should you clean your hamster cage? This question waits for your answer on how many hamsters do you have in your cage. How large is your cage? How many times do they make the cage dirty? How much irritating is the smell to your nose?
If you have only a hamster, normally, you should clean the whole cage once or twice a week. If you check the cage regularly, you can ensure that the cage is tidy.
But, if you have many hamsters, you have to clean the cage more than twice in a week. Hamsters in a group make the place dirty quickly. They play, spread out the foods and urinate. So, they need extra attention from you. You should clean the cage many times in a month.
However,
The time of cleaning the hamster also depends on the bedding type. If you have good bedding and you clean the bedding frequently, you might not need to clean the cage very often. To know about how to make DIY bedding, you can go here.
Hamster’s urine is very pungent about which I said earlier. So, you have to notice this matter closely. Its urine makes a serious odor that causes unease to you and even to your hamster. So, whenever you notice that the cage is full of harsh smell, clean the cage immediately.
If your cage is larger, it needs less cleaning. Because sufficient wind can go and out. As a result, the smell withers quickly. After all, whenever the cage seems dirty to you, you can make it clean and fresh.
Final Thoughts
So, you can clean your hamster cage by following the steps given above. Now that you know the steps on how to clean a hamster cage and how often should you clean a hamster cage, get to work, and give your hamster a clean cage.
Do not leave your hamsters in a dirty cage unless you want them affected by various diseases. You certainly do not want that, do you? Clean the cage whenever it needs to be cleaned. Make sure a polished and elegant living place for your hamster.