Hamster Central - View Single Post - Spot cleaning

AmityvilleHams · 01-25-2021, 05:51 PM

Unfortunately holes just don't allow for proper airflow, nowhere near enough really. You need meshed surfaces - at the bare minimum the lid, but having meshed sections on at least one side would help massively!

Interestingly enough, full cage cleans are something that shouldn't be done often. In some circumstances such as with cages that are very large(particularly square meter continuous floor space and larger cages with very deep substrate 12+ inches) there may never be a requirement for full cage cleans except genuine medical necessity - for example mites. Bin cages unfortunately tend to suffer from the issue of sloping sides so the actual floor space can be significantly less than the outer dimensions.

For spot cleaning with nervous hamsters I would honestly do it every other week or if possible less often. Regardless of how often you spot clean, you should never spot clean everything possible all at the same time. For example with weekly spot cleaning - one week you could spot clean a wheel, the next you could spot clean a sand bath, etc. Cleaning too many things at once can remove far too much of a hamster's scent and that stresses them out quite a bit unfortunately.

I know it's hard to get past the frequent full cleans being required for health mentality, but with hamsters it is absolutely critical for their happiness and health. With some species this would be an accurate routine, but hamsters just like any other animal have their own very unique care requirements and we as responsible owners have to learn to work with them to provide for those needs!

01-25-2021, 05:51 PM
AmityvilleHams PM Fluffy for custom title Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 4,545	Re: Spot cleaning - with a very shy hamster Unfortunately holes just don't allow for proper airflow, nowhere near enough really. You need meshed surfaces - at the bare minimum the lid, but having meshed sections on at least one side would help massively! Interestingly enough, full cage cleans are something that shouldn't be done often. In some circumstances such as with cages that are very large(particularly square meter continuous floor space and larger cages with very deep substrate 12+ inches) there may never be a requirement for full cage cleans except genuine medical necessity - for example mites. Bin cages unfortunately tend to suffer from the issue of sloping sides so the actual floor space can be significantly less than the outer dimensions. For spot cleaning with nervous hamsters I would honestly do it every other week or if possible less often. Regardless of how often you spot clean, you should never spot clean everything possible all at the same time. For example with weekly spot cleaning - one week you could spot clean a wheel, the next you could spot clean a sand bath, etc. Cleaning too many things at once can remove far too much of a hamster's scent and that stresses them out quite a bit unfortunately. I know it's hard to get past the frequent full cleans being required for health mentality, but with hamsters it is absolutely critical for their happiness and health. With some species this would be an accurate routine, but hamsters just like any other animal have their own very unique care requirements and we as responsible owners have to learn to work with them to provide for those needs!