How to Clean a Hamster Cage?

Taking care of any pet requires a lot of attention, and one of the primary responsibilities is to maintain cleanliness. Just like every pet, cleaning a hamster’s cage needs a lot of care and dedication. Although the process of cleaning a hamster cage can seem quite tedious, it’s relatively simple.

After you gather equipment, there are some preliminary steps – examine the cage, shift the hamster, and get rid of the old bedding. Finally, you clean the cage using disinfectants, dry it out and, put everything, including your hamster, back in.

Without an exercise ball or transport cage to travel, a hamster spends most of the time in the cell. So, knowing how to clean a hamster cage is extremely important. With your loving attitude towards the animal, it can lead a healthy life inside its cage.

Steps to Clean Hamster Cage

There are two main steps when you want to clean a hamster cage.

1. Preparation Phase
2. Cleaning Phase

Preparation Phase

Before moving on to the main cleaning phase, there are some preliminary steps. These extra steps are only suggested to ease up further your job of cleaning the cage.

Gathering All the Equipment

The first and foremost step before getting started is to make sure you have all the equipment near you. This can make your process of cleaning a lot smoother and more manageable than expected.

• New Bedding – for placing in the cage after washing it. At least keep ⅓ of the bedding, so you don’t get nervous.
• Washcloth – for cleaning and scrubbing the cage.
• Disinfectant – for sanitizing the cage.You need the mild animal-friendly one.
• Toys – for keeping your little puff of joy happy and healthy.

Examining The Cage

Before cleaning, you need to understand what condition the cage is in. Here are some facts you need to ensure:

• Search for any wet areas in the bedding material. If there are many wet areas, you can change the bedding, If less, you can spot remove.
• Pick up any trash and leftovers.
• Change water daily. If the bedding is soaked, it’s time to replace it.
• If the cage smells and enclosure walls look dirty, it’s time for entirely changing.

Overdoing the cleaning process can cause harm to the hamsters. So make sure you don’t overdo it.

Shifting The Hamster

It’s pretty impossible to clean the cage while the hamster is in it. So you need to remove it temporarily from the cell and shift it to another safe place. Follow these pointers.

• Deal with the hamster preciously while removing it from the cage.
• Hold it in your hand so that the hamster’s body gets full support.
• Wash your hand before and after touching the hamster to protect both from germs.

Removing Objects

After shifting the hamster to another secure environment, it’s time for you to remove the objects from the cage.

If you keep any object inside the cage while cleaning, it will just hamper the process. You won’t even be able to clean the pen properly. All you need to do is –

• Take out the toys and exercise materials.
• Remove water bowls, food bowls, and dispensers.

Discarding Old Bedding

The last thing to do in this phase is to discard old bedding. All you need to do is seal the trash in waste bags. The bedding is the only place where the hamster leaves its waste. It can create a strong ammonia scent that can cause respiratory and other diseases.

But it would be best if you made sure that there is a little mix of the old bedding in the new one so that the hamster doesn’t stress out seeing entirely new surroundings.

Cleaning Phase

This is the phase where the actual cleaning process begins. Try to be as meticulous as possible when following through the steps. It’s relatively straightforward but be sure not to miss out on any crucial detail.

Cleaning Every Object

Some of the objects may appear clean, but actually, they are not. It would be best if you cleaned the hamster’s cage as thoroughly as you can.

• Using washcloths or wipes, you can reach all the spots in the cage and can clean thoroughly.
• Soak or spray the equipment and disinfect them properly.

Cleaning The Cage Itself

To ensure the hamster’s habitat is clean and hygienic, you need to focus on the cage cleaning process. The cage constructions may vary, but the cleaning process remains the same.

• Scrub the cage with disinfectant solutions to clean.
• Scrape or scrub away the stuck wastes in the cage because they can cause disease.
• Soak the area with waste crust to help speed up the cleaning process.
• Wash each bar in the cages with complex patterns.
• Clean each surface in the cages furnished with aquariums.
• Washing the cage with vinegar is also acceptable.

Drying

If the cage remains wet, it can cause the growth of germs, and you might need to wash the cage earlier than the expected period. Hamsters can also pass away from Hypothermia or Pneumonia due to cold. So, drying its enclosure is a must.

• Air-dry all the equipment before settling them inside the cage.
• Dry the cage with equipment under sunlight to kill germs.
• Use wipes or towels to dry under room temperature for an extended period.

Putting Everything Down

Finally, it is time for rearrangement. It’s the stage where you put all the elements back into the cage. Finally, you can put your hamster back inside too.

Scheduling The Next Cleaning Date

You need to schedule the next cleaning date and note it down. Cleaning the hamster cage at least once a week is advisable to avoid much waste. You can even set a reminder for it in your phone or digital planner.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Final Words

Hamsters are pretty easy to take care of, and they are playful little creatures. Properly maintaining the cleanliness of their cage can make them even more lively and bring them joy. In return, you’ll feel good about the health and hygiene of your furry little friend too.

Following these simple steps on how to clean a hamster cage is the easiest way by far. You can ensure that your little puff of joy is living in a healthy and happy environment even while inside its pen. Hope you had an informative read!