How to Keep Your Hamster Cool in Summer + DIY | Hamster Care

In this video I'm giving a bunch of tips and a DIY on how to keep your hamster cool in the summer. Summer is coming and temperatures are rising so it's important to help hamsters cool down to avoid heatstroke. Transcript Today I'll share a bunch of tips and a DIY to help you keep your hamster cool in the summer. The comfortable temperature range for a hamster is 18 to 24 degrees Celsius and 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have an air conditioner to control the temperature in your house and if your cage is mobile you can move the cage to the coldest room in the house and you can put it on the floor. Keep the cage out of direct sunlight and close the blinds, curtains and shutters if you have them. This will keep your room cooler. If the room gets pretty dark turn on the light to simulate daylight. Next you want to keep the bedding deep because it acts as insulation from the outside heat. When your hamster burrows deep down they will be more protected from the heat. If possible you can also switch to safe wood shavings like aspen and spruce because they hold in less heat than paper bedding. You also want to change your hamster's water often to keep it cool throughout the day. You can also cool it down in the fridge or add an ice cube to it. For extra hydration you can feed high water content vegetables like cucumber and zucchini. Hideouts can also help a lot to keep your hamster cool. If you have plastic hideouts I suggest removing them because they get hot and humid. Instead use ceramic, terracotta, glass or steel because they are cool to the touch. A great thing you can do with hideouts is put them in a freezer or a fridge to cool them down and then use them in the cage. Replace the hideouts every few hours. You can also put a ceramic tile in the cage with a bottomless hideout or a bendy bridge over it. Sand is also a great way to cool down your hamster because it stays cooler than other substrates. Same as for the hideouts, you can put it in the fridge and then you're hamster can dig and roll in it and cool down that way. Remember to put a bottomless hideout in the sand or cover it with a bendy bridge so that your hamster feels more protected. When it comes to electronics you can turn a fan towards the side of the cage or if you have some money you can consider buying a portable AC. Now to the DIY. I'll show you how to make a cooling pad for your hamster and it's super easy! First, you need some sort of container. Preferably ceramic or terracotta. Get some ice cubes put them in a ziploc bag and then place them in the container. Then, you'll need some sort of cover like a small plate a shallow dish or a pot tray to put on top of the container. If you have a hideout that fits perfectly on the container you can do that too. For your hamster to feel safe using it you can put a bottomless hideout on it or a bendy bridge over it.