Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Dwarf Hamster Toys - Make Them Yourself

Toys are a big part of any dwarf hamster's life. Not only are they fun for the hamsters, but it's always fun for anyone watching them play with the toys. There are a great number of toys available at the pet store, but you don't always have to buy them. Homemade dwarf hamster toys are an excellent way to provide your hamster with some fun and excitement. In fact, homemade toys can sometimes be better than store bought toys. Plus they're free!

Of course you still need your staple dwarf hamster toys. You will always need a dwarf hamster wheel and most likely you will be buying this one since it will be difficult (to say the least) to make one yourself. Another staple, the chew toy, is a bit different. You can use a small twig. Just make sure there are no chemicals on it. But I don't consider a twig you can find outside a homemade toy. What I mean by home made dwarf hamster toys are the toys that aren't necessary like a wheel or a chew toy, but toys that could be considered extras and provide great fun for your hamster.

What we're talking about are toys that will make your hamster's living area livelier. Yes, this includes toilet paper rolls, but there's much more you can do than that. We're talking about tunnels, rooms, mazes, swings, bridges, ladders, platforms, you name it! The great thing about all these is that you can construct them all fairly easily with cardboard. Take the maze for instance. With a few arts and crafts tools, you can easily make a fun maze for your hamster to tunnel through (just make sure the walls are tall enough so that he can't cheat by climbing over them). Another example is putting a piece of string through a toilet paper roll and hanging it from the top of the cage. You've just made a swinging tunnel.

But how do you get him to play with the maze, tunnel, or swing? The key to getting your dwarf hamster to play with the new toys are with treats. I'm sure you've all heard of a mouse maze with a piece of cheese at the end. Well, just put a few pumpkin seeds or other dwarf hamster food at the end of the maze and he will smell it and go for it. Put some on the swing and he will climb up and play on it. After he realizes how fun it is, he'll be coming back in no time.

No comments:

Post a Comment