Probably a Stupid Question... Hamster Related!!

Sorry if this is a stupid question but i thought its best to ask

Do hamsters need baths?? When i had Chinchillas they had to have dust baths to keep clean, do hamsters need anything like that? I've noticed Esmarelda cleaning herself a lot and wondered if maybe i should be doing something...?

Again, sorry if thats a really stupid question

Jess

hamsters clean themselfes never seen a hamster having a bath but theres always a first mine

like BL has said, they do clean themselves which is why he/she is grooming itself all the time. It's best to check their fir for anything unusual and if you are able to, check that the front teeth aren't too long. If you feed the hamster on too many treats or sugary foods then they will get dental problems which they will start to drool (like chinchilla's). So keep an eye on their teeth too.

Last week at the academy, we had to bath 15 Guinea pigs and I know they have had to bath a hamster due to a mite infection. But again as a rule, no you don't need to bath them

No - they don't need baths - they are self-cleaning

I've bathed guinea pigs in the past and that really is fun - not they hate water and will do anything to get out of it

I have never come across anyone who baths their hamsters, but then again hamster clean themselves as the others have mentioned. If there is the need like a sticky matted fur or something then dabbed with some cotton wool and some warm water but bathing isnt nessacary , but it doesn't mean that there are people that don't do it im sure

No Hammies are fine to be not bathed. we bath the rats for shows and then groom thm. but they tolerate it better and have a thoroughly different fur

xx

Thanks for that guys! I'd hate for Esmarelda to be feeling all dirty and stuff. She's quite happy in her wheel now though

Oooh, shes getting SOOO big now! She probably half the size again from when i bought her! They obviously weren't feeding her enough in the shop!

Ooh, do raisins count as sugary food? As the only things i give her are the seed type stuff i bought for her (for hamsters!) fruit and veg and the occasional bit of chicken or something meaty! And then every day she has a couple of raisins before bed as she loves them! She's started to expect them now though Is that a problem? Should i stop giving them to her?

No that's fine. or it should be. try to vary the raisins with special rodent yoghurt drops, they are really cheap too - from Wilkinsons, little bits of human cereal (cheerios etc)etc etc... she will enjoythat. also, do you feed her veg? fresh fruit and veg are really good for hammies!

xx

LOL I can almost hear it *splash splash splash* WHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKKKK KKK *splash splash*

We used to have hamsters, and ours used to get baths - as they liked to swim!
We had a tiny weedy one, with only 3 legs, and he was the best swimmer! He loved it!
We put floats in, so he could climb out when he wanted, and he used to swim for ages, then sit on a float when he'd had enough