How Much Does It Cost to Have a Hamster?

In the event you’re considering of adopting a pet hamster, it’s essential to know what you’re getting your self into cost-wise.

Whereas hamsters aren’t costly pets in the long term, the preliminary setup prices aren’t as little as most individuals count on. The prices of a cage, bedding, toys, enrichment, meals and equipment shortly add up and may go away you questioning the way you’ll afford to purchase every part your new pet wants.

Let’s go over how a lot cash you’ll must cowl the preliminary prices, in addition to the prices you’ll be able to count on on a month-to-month foundation.

Value of a Hamster

In the case of getting a pet hamster, I extremely suggest checking the shelters first or seeing if anybody in your space is rehoming their pet hamster (Fb teams, Craigslist, and different on-line marketplaces are nice for this).

Sadly, shopping for a hamster from most pet shops promotes unethical “yard” breeding, the place hamsters are saved and bred in horrible situations only for cash. So, it’s worthwhile to examine different sources first.

You may also have luck to find ethical hamster breeders in your space. This is a little more costly however so value it as you received’t be selling unethical breeders, and your hamster is extra more likely to be wholesome and have a great temperament.

Value of a hamster: $0-$50

How A lot Does It Value to Have a Hamster

BTW you’ll be able to see some advisable merchandise in our “Idea List” on Amazon to get a way of how a lot it prices.

Begin-up Prices

Cage

The very first thing you’ll want in your hamster is a cage. The cage costs fluctuate rather a lot, however you’ll be able to count on to pay round a number of hundred {dollars}.

You may’ve seen hamster cages in pet shops for round $50 or much less, however these cages are means too small to accommodate a hamster! The minimal cage dimension advisable by animal welfare organizations is 775 sq. in. and people low cost cages aren’t even near this minimal.

Hamsters get extraordinarily burdened residing in a small cage, and it’s not uncommon for them to exhibit stress behaviors equivalent to cage biting, working in circles, or attempting to flee.

Prices of Completely different Applicable Hamster Cages

Applicable hamster cages embrace:

• Hamster cages with no less than 775 sq. inches of ground house – you’ll be able to see some advisable cages right here
• 75-gallon aquariums or bigger
• DIY cages or cupboards transformed into hamster cages – for instance, IKEA Detolf

The simplest resolution could be to purchase a spacious hamster cage, as all you must do is ready it up, and also you’re completed.

Niteangel makes among the finest hamster cages available on the market. In the event you resolve to go along with one in all their cages, you’ll be able to count on to spend round $250-$300. Be sure that to get dimension M or L, because the S dimension ones are underneath the minimal.

IKEA Detolf may work properly as a hamster cage. Since it’s lengthy however slender, it really works finest for smaller (dwarf) hamster species equivalent to Roborovski and Chinese language hamsters. I received my IKEA Detolf for $85, though it appears to be dearer these days. However it’s nonetheless cheaper than many precise hamster cages that present the identical ground house. Remember that you’ll must make a lid your self.

I like to recommend purchasing round and testing among the cages I listed right here earlier than making a purchase order. You don’t wish to make a rash resolution after which notice the cage you simply paid a number of hundred {dollars} for is not going to give you the results you want and your hamster!

Additionally, it’s a good suggestion to go searching for second-hand hamster cages or aquariums on Craigslist or Fb Market. Typically, you will discover high-quality used cages for a fraction of the worth.

Approx. price of a hamster cage: $80-$400

Bedding (Substrate) & Nesting Materials

Bedding is a necessary a part of your hamster cage setup. Digging and burrowing is a hamster’s pure conduct as they dwell in underground chambers within the wild.

Bedding is one thing you’ll want numerous. An appropriate-sized cage of 775 sq. in. requires round 150-250 liters of bedding quantity simply to fill it with 10 inches of bedding (relying on the kind of bedding).

You should use our helpful hamster bedding calculator to examine how a lot bedding you want precisely to fill your cage correctly.

Right here is what number of inches of bedding your hamster wants:

• 12 inches for Syrian hamsters (a minimum of 10 inches)
• 10 inches of bedding for Chinese language hamsters and dwarfs (a minimum of 6 inches)

Paper bedding normally prices $15-$30 for 50L of bedding and also you’ll must multiply it x4 to x6 to cowl the cage with sufficient bedding for burrowing. This ends in the price of $60-$180 for a minimal cage dimension of 775 sq.in.

Another varieties of bedding equivalent to aspen may be bought for much less, so that you may be capable to spend solely $30 to fill the cage with bedding.

A Sand Bathtub

A sand tub is a comparatively low cost addition to the cage, and also you don’t have to alter it fairly often except your hamster could be very messy and stinks it up. You may sift the sand each few days to get the dirty bits out and alter your entire sand if you’re doing a full cage clear.

To economize on sand, you should utilize massive luggage of kids’s play sand as an alternative of the pet retailer sand. The kids’s play sand must be heat-treated. If it’s not, you’ll must sterilize it by baking it within the oven for X minutes. However watch out – scorching sand is certainly extremely popular!

The sand will price you round $15-$35 for a 10-pound bag, and that ought to final for a very long time. Plus, you’ll pay extra $10-$20 for a container to maintain the sand in.

A Massive Wheel

When buying a wheel, it’s essential to get the correct dimension. Getting one that’s too small could cause damage to your hamster’s again.

The wheel must also be product of strong materials, so no mesh or barred wheels which may lure your pet’s physique elements and harm them. You may learn extra about the kind of wheels which might be protected for hamsters right here.

Right here’s how massive of a wheel you want:

• 8’’ (20 cm) for dwarf species
• 10’’ (25 cm) for Chinese language hamsters
• 11’’ (28 cm) for Syrian hamsters

Value: best suited wheels price $20-$35. I bought my 10-inch wheel for round $30.

Cage Equipment and Enrichment

Now that we now have coated essentially the most important provides, equivalent to a cage and bedding, it’s time to brighten the cage to make it extra attention-grabbing and interactive for the hamster. For this, you’ll want equipment equivalent to:

• Cork logs – $15
• Hidey homes – $20-$35
• Wood bridges and ladders – $10-$20
• Tunnels – $10-$25
• Platforms – $15
• Meals bowl – $5
• Water bowl/bottle – $5-$10

For all of this, you’ll most likely spend between $80-$125.

A Playpen

If you wish to let your hammy out of the cage for some bonding and interplay time, it’s finest to make use of a playpen to maintain them contained. Being so small, your hamster may in any other case crawl up in any gap or house over ½ inch in dimension.

Whereas many individuals use hamster balls as an alternative, these are not protected for a number of causes. Hamster balls don’t present satisfactory air flow; hamsters usually get their toes caught within the openings, and working inside a ball may be very disorienting for them. Additionally, hamsters can’t simply get out in the event that they don’t wish to be in there. So principally, they’re compelled to be inside a small plastic ball that begins spinning as quickly as they transfer, which could be very traumatic for them.

For these causes, hamsters mustn’t spend out-of-cage time in a ball however in a playpen as an alternative. A playpen may be enriched with a hiding place (for instance, a cardboard field), foraging vegetation, treats, and toys to make it extra attention-grabbing.

A playpen in your hamster will price you round $15-30. 

A Provider or a Small Journey Cage

Your hamster will possible must see a vet in some unspecified time in the future, so having a journey cage or a provider is a should.

You probably have an outdated small hamster cage (in any case, most of us began with these varieties of cages earlier than we knew any higher!), that can work nice as a journey cage. If not, you should buy a brand new provider for round $15-$30.

How A lot Does It Value to Take Care of a Hamster Per Month

Meals

There are such a lot of alternative ways (and opinions) to feed hamsters, from industrial pellets to species-specific meals mixes or making your individual meals combine. I’m within the ‘meals mixes’ staff as mixes present a wide range of flavors and textures for hamsters to take pleasure in.

Then again, plain pellets are a particularly boring option to feed a hamster. Having fun with meals and foraging is without doubt one of the few issues that preserve captive hamsters occupied, so I wouldn’t wish to take that away from them.

Are you able to think about consuming the identical precise meals day by day of your life? I don’t suppose any of us would take pleasure in that. A meals combine is an effective way to counterpoint the lifetime of your pet. You may add high-quality pellets to the combo, too, however don’t make it the only supply of meals.

Simply 1-2 tablespoons of dry meals each 2-3 days is sufficient for our tiny hamsters. So the hamster meals mustn’t find yourself costing you a lot as you solely want small quantities.

Along with the dry combine (and optionally available pellets), your hamster additionally wants some veggies and bugs for protein (if the dry combine doesn’t embrace it). These quantities are additionally minimal, contemplating how small the hamsters are.

Regardless of the meals you select in your hamster (or is obtainable to you), it’ll most likely be within the vary of $80-$200 per yr.

Bedding

Fortunately for us, hamsters aren’t soiled or smelly animals. They don’t pee rather a lot and normally do their enterprise in a single devoted place of their cage. This makes it simple to spot-clean the cage, and the bedding doesn’t must be modified out fairly often. As soon as a month is sufficient, and also you all the time must reuse no less than ¼ of the outdated bedding to maintain a few of their acquainted odor within the cage.

You may count on to spend $20-$135 per 30 days, relying on the kind of bedding you utilize and the way massive the cage is.

Enrichment & Treats

Chew toys assist your hamster preserve their ever-growing enamel at bay. Along with carrying down their enamel, these toys additionally work nice as enrichment and to present your pet one thing enjoyable to do.

Together with some free choices equivalent to cardboard and bathroom paper rolls, the next chews and treats are widespread with hamsters:

• Wood chew sticks and blocks
• Whimzees (give sometimes as these are edible)
• Willow balls
• Dandelion and nettle roots
• Hamster-safe tree branches and twigs
• Nuts
• Herb and flower sprays

You’ll most likely spend $5-$15 on treats and enrichment in a month.

Cleansing Provides

You don’t must spend a number of cash on cleaners. I counsel utilizing a home made 1:1 water vinegar resolution as an alternative. This can be a nice pure cleaner in your hamster’s cage, and it’s extremely efficient for eradicating urine marks and different stains.

In the event you’d like to purchase a ready-made cleaner, keep away from something that’s scented since hamsters have delicate respiratory programs, and scented merchandise would irritate them. F10 veterinary disinfectant is a protected and efficient selection.

Prices: $0-$10

Veterinary Prices

Vet prices for hamsters fluctuate rather a lot from one vet to a different. Treating an unique animal, equivalent to a hamster, can price greater than treating a cat in some locations. Be ready to pay a number of hundred {dollars} for a session and therapy in some circumstances. And if you find yourself with a sickly hamster, this expanse may creep up a number of instances a yr.

I counsel setting apart $10-20 a month within the emergency fund that you should utilize in case your pet must see a vet. Having pet insurance coverage may provide help to pay the payments.

Approx. prices of vet therapy: $0-$500 a yr

Closing Ideas on Hamster Prices

This listing just about covers all of the bills you’ll be able to count on as a hamster proprietor. There is perhaps a number of surprises alongside the way in which equivalent to when one thing breaks down, so be ready for these conditions as properly.

Total, hamsters aren’t extraordinarily costly, particularly in comparison with pets equivalent to canines, however they do require substantial preliminary prices.

Getting a big cage, loads of bedding for burrowing, and every part else to correctly home your hamster can add up and shortly get dearer than you hoped – particularly with the inflation and skyrocketing costs. Be sure that to calculate how a lot cash you must put money into a pet earlier than adopting one.