Care products for hamsters: food, water, sand and transport

The daily care of a hamster is not complicated, but it is important. Fresh water and a suitable portion of food every day, a clean sand bath for the coat and a safe way to transport your hamster when necessary. With the right care products you do this quickly and calmly, without waking your hamster from its sleep during the day and without turning the whole enclosure upside down.

In this category you will find food bowls, water bottles, transport boxes and sand and sand baths for Syrian hamsters and dwarf hamsters. From Zooply, our own brand, you will find Zooply Bathing Sand and the magnetic Zooply water bottle holder for glass enclosures. Products that we use every day ourselves for our own animals.

In short

• ✓ Refresh the drinking water every day and check that the water bottle works properly.
• ✓ Use a heavy food bowl and only top up once the food has been properly eaten.
• ✓ Offer a sand bath with bathing sand made for rodents, such as Zooply Bathing Sand.
• ✓ Keep a transport box at home, so that in an emergency you can go straight to the vet.
• ✓ Use fixed spots for food, water and sand bath, at a distance from the nest.

What will you find in the Care & Grooming category?

Food bowls

In Food bowls you will find sturdy ceramic and stone bowls that your hamster will not push over. Small bowls of ø 7 to 9 cm for dwarf hamsters, slightly larger bowls in a rainforest look and vegetable shapes, the ceramic bowls from Flamingo and decorative glass bowls on a wooden base. A fixed feeding spot shows you how much your hamster eats.

Water bottles

In Water bottles you will find glass and plastic drinking bottles, of which the small sizes from 75 to 250 ml are the most practical for hamsters. For glass enclosures there is the Zooply aluminium water bottle holder with magnets, suitable for glass up to 4 mm thick and for the Classic bottles of 75 and 150 ml. You will also find a bark wood water bottle holder, coolers for warm days and a cleaning brush.

Transport boxes

In Transport boxes you will find plastic transport boxes from Trixie in three sizes, with ventilation holes, and a larger carrier. The smallest box is handy for a dwarf hamster, the middle one for a Syrian hamster and the largest for longer journeys or as a temporary spot during a clean-out.

Sand & Sand baths

In Sand & Sand baths, Zooply Bathing Sand comes first: 100% natural, filtered sand from Europe, for dwarf hamsters, Syrian hamsters, gerbils, degus and chinchillas, in 1 kg and in a 3 kg tub. According to the packaging you offer it without limit. You will also find ceramic sand baths, covered wooden sand baths with Plexiglas and glass tanks on a wooden base, in sizes for dwarf hamsters and Syrian hamsters.

A fixed care routine

Every day

Refresh the drinking water and check that the ball in the spout moves freely. Give the daily portion of food, partly in the food bowl and partly scattered through the bedding to search for. Remove perishable fresh food that your hamster has left or stored in its food store. In the evening, take a quick look at how your hamster looks and whether it is active.

A few times a week

Remove clumps and droppings from the sand bath and replace wet litter. The label of Zooply Bathing Sand advises cleaning out the sand bath about twice a week. Rinse the food bowl with warm water and let it dry thoroughly.

Every week

Clean the water bottle thoroughly with warm water and a bottle brush, including the spout. Rinse well, so that no smell of cleaning product is left behind. Check that the food bowl and the sand bath are still intact and that the water bottle is still hanging securely.

Fixed spots in the enclosure

Hamsters live by routine and smell. So give food, water and the sand bath a fixed spot, on a firm surface so that nothing sinks into the bedding. Keep the sand bath away from the nest and food bowl, because many hamsters use the sand bath as a toilet. Hang the water bottle so that the spout does not touch the bedding, otherwise the litter draws the water out of the bottle. Do not put the food bowl under the water bottle, so that no drips fall into the food.

Syrian hamster or dwarf hamster

Choose care products to suit the size of your hamster. A dwarf hamster is fine with a small, low food bowl and a small water bottle of about 75 ml. A Syrian hamster can use a slightly larger bowl and a bottle of 125 to 150 ml. A sand bath must always be big enough to lie in fully and roll around; for a Syrian hamster you therefore choose a larger tray than for a dwarf hamster.

A new hamster at home

If you are bringing a new hamster home, set everything up before it arrives: the enclosure with a thick layer of bedding, a house, the running wheel, a filled water bottle, a food bowl with the food it is used to and a sand bath. Transport it home in a transport box with some bedding. For the first few days mainly leave it in peace, so that it can explore its new enclosure and build a nest. If you want to give different food, build it up gradually over 1 to 2 weeks by mixing it with the old food.

Hot and cold days

Hamsters cope badly with heat. Never put the enclosure in the sun and on warm days check more often that the water bottle works and is full enough. A cooler around the water bottle keeps the water more pleasant. A ceramic sand bath or food bowl feels cool and is sometimes used as a resting spot in hot weather. In winter, keep the enclosure out of draughts and not in a cold room, and give extra nesting material so your hamster can build a warm nest.

Prepared for the vet

A hamster often only shows late that it is ill. Signs such as a full food bowl that does not get emptied for days, a wet or dirty rear end, panting or a hamster that no longer gets up in the evening call for a quick visit to a vet with knowledge of rodents. With a transport box at home you can leave straight away. A thin layer of litter and a tuft of familiar nesting material inside, the box secured on the car floor and out of the sun: that is all you need. Care products support your hamster's health, but never replace a visit to the vet.

Cleaning without stress

For food bowls, water bottles and sand baths, use warm water and, if needed, a mild, unscented soap. Rinse everything thoroughly and let it dry completely. Hamsters have a keen sense of smell and may ignore a bowl or bottle that smells of cleaning product. Preferably do the care routine in the evening, when your hamster is awake, and leave the nest and the dry food store alone.

Useful combinations

• Hamster food: Zooply Syrian Hamster Food and Dwarf Hamster Food for the food bowl.
• Bedding: Zooply bedding that absorbs moisture well and also fits in the transport box.
• Accessories: houses, tunnels and running wheels to complete the enclosure.
• Cages: a roomy enclosure with space for a good feeding, drinking and sand bath zone.

Frequently asked questions about care products for hamsters

Does a hamster need a food bowl?

It is not strictly necessary, but it is very convenient. A food bowl gives a fixed, clean place for the food and shows how much your hamster eats. Also give part of the food scattered through the bedding, so your hamster can search for it. Choose a heavy ceramic or stone bowl that does not tip over.

Water bottle or water bowl?

A water bottle keeps the water clean and the floor dry, and is therefore often the most practical choice in a hamster enclosure. A heavy, shallow water bowl can be a good addition, on a platform or tile so that your hamster does not fill it with bedding while digging. In both cases, refresh the water every day.

Does every hamster need a sand bath?

Yes. Both Syrian hamsters and dwarf hamsters use sand to groom their coat. Many hamsters also use the sand bath as a toilet, which makes keeping things clean easier. Use bathing sand made for rodents, such as Zooply Bathing Sand, and not play sand or dusty sand.

Why a transport box if I am not going anywhere?

Because you need it at the moment you least expect it: in case of illness, a house move or during a big clean-out. Never transport a hamster loose in your hands or in an open box. With a transport box at home you are prepared.

My hamster hardly drinks anything. Is that normal?

Yes, hamsters naturally drink little, especially if they get some fresh food. The water level therefore drops slowly. Still refresh the water every day. If your hamster suddenly drinks much more or not at all, or is also eating less, contact a vet with knowledge of rodents.

How do I hang a water bottle in a glass enclosure?

Glass has no bars to hang a bracket on. The solution is the Zooply aluminium water bottle holder: two magnets clamp it to the wall on the inside and outside. The product information mentions glass up to 4 mm and the Classic bottles of 75 and 150 ml.

Care products at Knaagplaza

Knaagplaza, the webshop of 't Knaagplein, has everything for the daily care of your Syrian hamster or dwarf hamster: food bowls, water bottles, transport boxes and sand baths, with Zooply Bathing Sand and the Zooply water bottle holder. Zooply is our own premium brand; the animals in our shop and breeding facility get it every day. That way you turn care into a calm, fixed routine.