If you have a small pet hamster and it is wintertime, then what do you do to keep your hamster warm?
Because in frost winter, if hamsters don’t get a proper habitat then it turns into a dangerous environment for them.
If you don’t know how to keep hamster warm in the winter, you should know.
Because It is important to maintain their enclosure temperature as like as their daily diet and water requirement.
Otherwise, these frigid months can negatively impact your hamster’s immune system, after that, your hamster will feel sick.
Sometimes, frost winter can cause the death of your little companion. So, be very careful to keep warm your hammy.
How to Keep Hamster Warm in Winter?
As a pet owner, “I used 11+ proven methods to keep the hamster warm in winter”, That’s are,
- Extra bedding
- Small blankets
- Hamster cage placement
- Room heater
- Heating pad
- Insulation for enclosure
- Diet and their food
- Increase physical activity
- Create a small nest
- Place a small soft bed
- Install hamster hammock
- Put warm water bags for warmth
- Put warm covers on the enclosure
Below I explained these methods in depth, You can follow these simple methods, and keep your little furball cozy and warm.
So, let’s dive in…
# 1. Extra Bedding
When you decide to keep your hamster warm in winter, extra bedding plays a most important role in it.
Often people use hay for making hamster bedding because every small rodent has a common habit of chewing and hay bedding gives them a natural comfort.
But on frigid days only hay bedding does not keep them warm, you need extra bedding to keep the hamster warm.
To keep the hamster warm you can put some extra bedding such as wooden shavings, and shredded paper, on top of the usual bedding in the hamster enclosure.
Hamsters can use this bedding to dig, make burrows, and nest in their hideouts.
This will be the simplest and cheapest option to keep your hamster warm.
#2. Put Small Blanket Layer
Before putting bedding in the hamster’s enclosure, you can use a small piece of blanket and make a layer at the bottom of the cage.
After that put bedding on how much you want.
This extra layer of a small blanket works as a hot air bag. It traps heat in it and keeps the enclosure warm.
Not even an extra layer of blanket, you can put some small pieces of cloth in the hamster cage, which your hamster can use as their bed and feel cozy on colder days.
#3. Hamster Cage placement
Cage placement is one of the most important factors to keep hamsters warm on colder days.
Even If you don’t want to sit in an open area mostly on frost days then why would you leave the cage in an open area like a garage, porch, or garden?
That’s not fair….
If you leave the cage in an open area or porch, then it can be deadly for your hammy.
So, if you want to take care of your hammy from colder air, place the hamster enclosure in a small room that is completely closed to its surroundings, with only adequate ventilation available.
A small room heats up faster than a large room mostly in cold weather.
If there is no small room then you can put the cage in a room corner or you can bring it into your bedroom if you sleep with its noises.
Sometimes, hamster squeaking noises will annoy you a lot.
With these, it is noticeable that never put the hamster enclosure near drafty windows or doors.
#4. Use a Room Heater
You can bring a small buddy to your home but you can’t buy a small heater to keep your pet warm in winter.
What type of pet owner, you are?
A pet owner is always anxious to take care of their pets as their child.
So, you need a small room heater for your little buddy to be safe from cold air. Not only your hammy, you can use this room heater for your as well.
Buy an affordable room heater place it in your room and switch it on. Put your little buddy enclosure in your room and enjoy both, warm room weather.
I recommend you purchase a space heater with a timer thermostat that can maintain constant room temperature.
Because on winter days maintaining temperature is very crucial to keep hamster warm.
#5. Heating pad
There are different types of heating pads available in the market, especially for small animals.
You can place a heating pad on one side of your hammys’ enclosure which they can use to heat their body.
It ensured that the heating pad fitted only one side of the cage, so whenever the hamster needed to cool down they could leave it and go to the other side to cool off.
I recommend using the Toozey Pet Heating Pad because it comes with a timer and 6 adjustable temperatures, and is also big enough to use for puppies and cats.
#6. Insulation for enclosure
In winter seasons, frost air enters from windows and under doors making the room temperature colder.
So, to keep the room and hamster warm, you should use insulation to stop the frost air.
However, you use a small blanket in the hamster enclosure, but to cover the drafty windows and doors also necessary.
For this, use plastic covers and rolled-up towels or draft stoppers for drafty windows and under doors.
If you want to buy it online there are many options available,
- For window insulation: Duck MAX Strength Window Insulation Kit
- For Door Insulation: Storystore Foam Insulation Tape
#7. Diet and Their Food
To stop your hamster from hibernating, it is important to give them a tasty and healthier diet. So, make their diet rich in fat and protein.
There are several options available such as sunflower seeds, homemade peanut butter treats, and avocado.
So, a high-fat and protein treat is necessary to give your hamster in these frost months to keep the hamster warm up.
Otherwise, if the temperature falls below 60 degrees, the hamster goes into hibernation and it changes into a deadly situation.
#8. Increase physical activity
If the hamster cage is large enough then you can install some extra equipment to increase their physical activity.
Although it is not a permanent solution to keep hamsters warm, even though it plays a good role in increasing their body temperature.
Just install a running wheel in the cage that the hamster can use to run, which helps to increase heart rate and raise body temperature.
Not only hamster wheels, you can attach two large cages with the help of tunnels, which can be a good option too.
Hamsters can get a big space to run from one cage to another through tunnelways.
#9. Create a small nest
It is not an important thing as usual but on the coolest days, it may be a perfect option to keep your hamster warm.
You can place some nesting material in their enclosure that your hammy will use to dig borrows in it to keep them warm.
Although extra bedding and cage placement are perfect options to keep Furball warm.
With these, creating a small nest for your buddy could be an intelligent option too.
To make a hamster cage interesting in winter, you can use forest moss.
It can be a good choice to give your little buddy an option to dig or make burrows in it.
You can check it on Amazon Store and read its reviews as well.
#10. Small Soft Bed
When the winter season comes, I will probably make a soft bed for my little Stephen.
It is, why not, If I arranged all the warm stuff for myself then why not make a small bed for my Stephen?
I request that you, buy a small bed for your hamster to keep them warm on frigid days.
When you place a small soft bed in the cage, you will find that your hammy loves it and spends most of their time sleeping in it.
I recommend you before going to purchase, take a look at it, these are cute and keep your hamster warm.
#11. Install Hamster Hammock
Not only soft beds, you can also install some fleece hammocks in their enclosure.
“If you have a small pocket friend and frosty months are coming, and never try to hang a small hammock in their cage, what have you been doing till now?”
You need to prepare a perfect warm environment to keep your hamster heated up.
Hang a small hammock in the cage which your hamster uses to feel cozy.
It is important to keep in mind, that when you install a hammock you need to hang it, never place it on the bottom area.
It is because, when you hang it, your hamster does extra activity to feel cozy, that’s why the hamster’s body is pre-warm and it keeps your hamster safe from chill days.
Your pocket friend can use a hammock for climbing, using it as a hideout, and as their small permanent house.
You can check these hammocks,
Check it out on the Amazon Online Store.
Cute and Banana Shaped Hamster Hammock at a very reasonable price.
You can check the price online on Amazon.
#12. Put warm Water bags for warmth
It can be a DIY idea to keep your hamster warm in winter. First, take a water bag fill it with hot water, and then put it on the top of the hamster enclosure.
The bag heat can make the hamster cage warm, and also you can put this bag inside the cage corner but to do this, the bag should be covered with cloth or a towel.
Otherwise, your hamster might be touched by this hot water bag and injured.
#13. Put Warm Covers on the Enclosure
If you want to keep away from hibernation then you can put a warm cover on the cage.
The cover insulates the enclosure and the hamster can be safe from the cold.
If it is shivering cold then you can use some extra covers or a heavy blanket to put on the cage but make sure to leave some openings to circulate the fresh air through the cage.
Final Words
I know that keeping an eye on the hamster constantly is not possible on the colder days. So, you can try all of the above-proven methods to keep your hamster warm in winter.
Hamsters are the same as people to catch a cold, they will have a runny nose and probably sneezing. Therefore, extra care is very important mostly in frost months.
Even now, if you have a query or suggestions for me, just comment below. I will try to do my best and improve it.
