This is a very often asked question: Can i bath my hamster ?

And the answer is: NO, do not bath your hamster !

Hamsters hates water - except to drink. A hamster will never walk/jump into water on his own. If you don´t want to lose your hamsters trust in you, don´t force him against his will into water.

Hamsters do not require bathing, cause they clean themselves much better than you could do with a bath. To bath a hamster will remove the natural oils from the coat and the risk the hamster will catch a cold or pneumonia is very high.

In the wild, Hamsters are living in deserts and prefer to roll in sand for fur-cleaning. They really appreciate having a dish of sand (chinchilla sand) in their cage. They also will use this as a toilet.

In rare occasions, if your hamster is cause of a disease not able to clean himself, the vet may advice you to clean and/or bath your hamster. This is the only case you´re permitted to bath your hamster.

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(c) Kay Michaelsen 2002