Pet Hamster checklist

Here is a list of everything you will need for a pet hamster. We will cover Syrians and Dwarf hamsters needs in this article.
First off you need a cage.
This is a good cage for a Syrian Hamster:
We use this cage for our Syrian Hamster, and he seems pretty happy in it. Sure you could give them more room with levels, but I have found that most of what they do is just pee and poo on the extra space, they don't always utilize it, so this cage is a guideline, and always buy the cage that is best for your hamster's needs. Our hamster is a Teddy Bear Hamster and he is pretty docile. He likes his wheel and he chews on the little ball that hangs on the side of the cage. When he was younger he chewed a lot more on the bars than he does now. He's a little over a year old now. With our other hamsters such as our Honey Bear we had years ago, she liked to climb the bars and hang from them. It was very entertaining. :) She had an awesome cage that they no longer sale near me that only allowed the door at the top for bars, and she would hang from it like a monkey.
Dwarf hamsters need everything a little lower to the ground in their homes because they are smaller than Syrians. They can still climb, but it's better to have the essentials easy to get to. Here are some awesome Dwarf cages:
We have this last one, and it is affordable and everything comes with it, bedding, food, and bowl, water bottle, and running wheel. It even comes with chew treats! Ok, now how about bedding? The Dwarf hamster kit above comes with bedding which is a recycled paper type. A lot of rodents are sensitive to wood bedding. My Hamsters are fine with it, but my Guinea Pig is allergic to it. So to be on the safe side, we use a bedding now called Kaytee clean and cozy. It's not wood chips, but more like a tissue paper, but it lasts pretty well and is absorbant, and expands more than 3 times when taken out of the bag, so you get more than it looks. This would last probably 5 or more cage cleanings for a Syrian hamster, more for a Dwarf hamster if it's cage is smaller, all of this based on if you change the cage once a week.

They also have this bedding with Lavender in it and Rose, as well as other colors besides white. Be sure your little Hammy friend is not sensitive to smells before using the scented ones, usually it's fine, but we want the best for our pets and their homes.
Now let's get down to one of your Hamster's favorite things: FOOD! What kind of food is best for your hamster? Hamsters are omnivores, which means they eat meat and plant based foods. They enjoy seeds and nuts too, so a good food mix would be something like this:
Presently we're feeding our Syrian and Dwarf hamsters Ecotrition 8-in-1, but they can get a bit pricey, and hamsters usually aren't all that picky when it comes to food. Just make sure they're getting their basics, and supplement with fresh fruits and veggies and meat too. Hamsters will just about eat anything. When our hamsters are done with their Ecotrition bag, I might switch over to the food I listed here. They already have a treat mix from this company and they like it. Our Guinea Pig seems to too.
Food Bowls are next. Most cages come with food bowls, but if yours didn't, really anything big enough to hold food and yet shallow enough for the Hamsters to get into the bowl or lean over the bowl to eat is good. Something like this for a Syrian:

This would be good for a Dwarf hamster:

Water Bottles are next. Most cages come with water bottles too, but in the case that yours didn't, here are some good options.
To me this first one is the best option, because the base you put the water bottle into screws onto the cage. for those of you who like the clip on kind, take a look at this:
Now for your Hamster's fun time and exercise time, you will need a ball for your hamster to run in around your house, or you can get one on a stand to give your hamster a change of scenery from his wheel in his cage.

Dwarf Hamsters:
This one I think could be for both Syrian and Dwarf hamsters:

I will probably continue to add to this page as I think of more cool things to make your hamsters life the best! Just so you know I do get paid a small percentage from sales from these links from Amazon. It can be just a little thanks for pre-shopping for you. :)