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So you or a family member is thinking of getting a hamster? Good idea – Hamsters make great pets. But let’s answer the most important question on everyone’s mind: Do hamsters smell? I’ve owned several hamsters in my life time and I can say that they are overall very clean animals. Their cages only start to smell when you don’t clean the cage out regularly. So cleanliness is a very important part of hamster care.
Hamsters are naturally very Clean Animals
If you didn’t already know, hamsters are meticulously clean creatures and they do not smell. Hamsters very quickly decide where to go to the toilet in their cage, and it’s far away from their bedding! You can then put their litter tray in that place and they will always use it. Also, Hamsters keep themselves very clean, licking themselves and so you won’t even need to give your hamster a bath. In fact it can be unpleasant and dangerous for hamsters to have a bath because it strips them of all their natural oils that protect them and their coat. They can also catch diseases as a result of this such as ‘wet tail’. So offer them a sand bath as an alternative and allow them to keep themselves clean.
Do their Cages Smell?
When people describe hamsters as ‘smelly’ it’s usually because their cages haven’t been cleaned out on a regular basis. Although hamsters don’t smell, if left unclean their cages do! It’s usually recommended that you clean out your hamsters cage at least once a week, and possibly more frequently if you have more than one hamster in the same cage. If you are unsure of how to do this you might like to read our article on how to clean out a hamster cage.
I would also recommend that you empty the litter tray part at least two or three times a week as well if possible, as this is the most smelly part of the cage. You can empty the litter tray into the bin and also scoop out any extra poops or wee around it. Replace with fresh sawdust and the clean litter tray with clean hamster litter.
You can actually train a hamster to use the Toilet!
Did you know that you can actually train hamsters to use a hamster toilet? This makes cleaning out much quicker and easier. And they are relatively easy to train!
So do hamsters smell? No, and their cages don’t either as long as you keep them clean!
You might also like to read ‘can hamsters swim?‘
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