Hello. I have never heard of a case where any human has caught something from a hamster - so you don't need to worry. They don't carry diseases - it is much more likely that a hamster gets sick catching something from a human. They can catch colds and flu from us and have very sensitive respiratory tracts, so if you ever have anything like that is best to leave them alone until you're better and either let someone else put their food and water out or wash your hands well first and try not to breathe on the cage!
I had the same worries when we got our first hamster and my stepson was only 6. But they really are very safe pets.
When you say clean them with a wipe, do you mean the hamster or the cage? You should never clean the hamster! And wipes aren't really recommended either especially if they're scented.
When it comes to cage cleaning there are some good tips
Firstly you have done the right thing leaving your hamster three weeks - they need that time to settle in and adjust to their cage and clean outs can really stress them.
Second thing is - it is only their pee that is smelly/needs cleaning. They are actually very clean little things otherwise and regularly groom themselves. Even their poos aren't dirty really and sometimes they actually eat those! Which is normal - they have two stomachs and eating a poop is an instinctive thing to be able to redigest nutrients. It's because they're hard wired to prepare for food shortages which is why they forage, pouch and hoard food - and may even have a little hoard of poops as well. In case there is ever a shortage of food. The poops aren't dirty or smelly - they are mostly like little hard seeds. They do actually have two different types of poops - some are softer some are like little hard seeds. I can't remember which type they eat/hoard - probably the hard ones which you see most of.
So unless the poops start taking over the cage, don't worry about them - you can just "spot clean" if there are a few.
Generally it is best to do the following - to reduce cage clean stress for the hamster:
1) Have a good depth of substrate - at least 4" but ideally fill the cage base to just below the edge - eg 5 to 6". This means the bottom half stays clean and dry, particularly if you use
2) A hamster potty litter tray. With Chinchilla bathing sand in it (must be sand, not dust). Syrian hamsters will use this to pee in and then the job becomes very easy - you just empty the litter tray maybe twice a week and the substrate/litter stays clean and dry for a long time - and you can "spot clean" as and when necessary. However they only use the litter tray if you put it in the right place! Which is the place they have chosen to pee - often a corner of the cage. You just take out the pee'd on substrate in that corner - add a couple more handfuls of clean substrate in that corner, mix it in a bit (so it still smells familiar) and pop the litter tray in that corner with the sand in. Put a tiny bit of the pee soaked substrate on top of the sand the first time so they know it is still their pee corner. Dwarf hamsters are a bit different and can pee in a few places but if you give them a sand bath they often use that as a toilet.
3) With this method you can go many weeks without needing to change all the substrate/litter - by using a litter tray, having a good depth of substrate and spot cleaning as and when necessary but I find I don't have to do that much if the litter tray is used. Spot cleaning is basically taking out a handful of substrate and adding a new handful of clean and mixing it in a bit.
4) You can clean other items as and when needed - but best not to do them all at the same time as this means something always smells familiar to the hamster - they actually scent mark their cage (with their scent glands) to "mark" it as their territory and also to help find their way around - they don't see that well and use their noses more! So if all their familiar scent is removed in one go they get very stressed as it's no longer their territory exactly and often try to escape or start bar chewing. So for example you could clean the wheel as and when needed - they often pee in the wheel sometimes as well. But not too often - sometimes just a wipe with a damp cloth on the running track is enough. Any toys etc as and when necessary - toys often don't need cleaning that often as they stay clean.
5) When you do get to the point of a change of substrate/litter then just do the substrate/litter and don't clean any other items at the same time. Even then it is best to keep back a bit of the old litter that is clean and dry (often the bottom part) and spread that on top of the new so it still smells familiar - that layer will get spot cleaned out over time.
6) Nest and hoards - it is best to leave those alone - they are very precious about their nest and hoards and can start seeing you as a thief! Unless they are pee'd in. New or young hamsters sometimes do pee in the nest at first until they settle a bit. If they are pee'd in then you do need to remove the nest but try and leave a bit behind that is dry (even if slightly whiffy) - then put a pile of new nesting material out in the cage (but not inside their house). They like to forage for nesting material - so they will take some and might pouch some of it - to take back to the nest and rebuild it. Over time they don't pee in their nests and they can stay clean and dry for a very long time and just be left - they keep refurbishing it all the time if you keep topping up the pile of nesting material. Plain white toilet paper is the safest for nesting material - a few sheets torn into strips and left out in a pile. They also like it.
If the hoard is pee'd on, again that needs removing but try and leave a little bit behind that is dry and then add new food in the same place. It's important to replace the hoard or they can get a bit frantic and develop strange behaviours (like peeing on the hoard more to deter anyone from stealing it!).
7) When you do replace the substrate/litter you need to put the hamster somewhere safe - a pet carrier possibly - while they're out of the cage. And then when cleaning the cage base don't use anything scented as this can really affect them (hence wipes are not good). It is best just to use a warm damp cloth or soapy dishwashing water - but then rinse well if you use soapy water. There is no need to use pet disinfectant unless they have had illness or disease.
So if you're starting to think about the first cage clean - the above should help. If you don't have very deep litter at the moment and no litter tray then the cage base may well need wiping out with dishwashing soapy water, rinsing and drying, but from then on it should stay clean and dry - with enough litter and a litter tray -you actually end up using less substrate, the more you put in.
It is our human instinct to want to clean absolutely everything at the same time but that isn't good for the hamster who can get very stressed and stress can lead to them getting sick.
If you already have a good depth of substrate I would add a litter tray now and just spot clean the pee and wait a bit.
Can hamsters spread diseases?
Re: Can hamsters spread diseases?
Linear Mode
