How Often to Clean Hamster Cage – Checked & Answered

Hamsters are sensitive pets. They can get sick very easily. To maintain the good health of the hamster, you need to perform various caring activities. And cage cleaning is a crucial one.

So, how often to clean hamster cage? Hamsters’ cages should be cleaned at least once a week. If your hamster is healthy and poops a lot, you should go twice a week. However, if you are very intolerant of dirt, you can clean the cage every other day.

But why clean the cage so frequently? And how do you clean the cage properly? These two questions also come along with the queries related to the frequency of hamster cage cleaning. Let’s answer every question you have in mind.

How Often to Clean Hamster Cage?

As mentioned before, you should clean the hamster cage once or twice a week. On the other hand, if it’s one of them who doesn’t like any sort of dirt in their cage, go for a daily clean. 

Hamsters indeed have self-grooming characteristics. Knowing this, you might think to ignore performing the weekly cleaning work. You shouldn’t! Many people opt for monthly cleaning, but this eventually introduces health risks to their tiny pets. 

Check the table below to find out how crucial it is to clean the hamster cage once a week.

Weekly Cleaning	Monthly Cleaning
Less threat to hamster health	Higher threat to hamster health
Zero or less odor	Smelly
Happy hamster	Disappointed hamster

Cleaning Hamster Cage Once a Week

The following is a list of answers of why you should clean your hamster cage once a week.

• To ensure a germ-free environment for your hamster
• To get rid of odors coming from the hamster’s body
• The cage inside becomes very messy due to the pet’s playing. Also, spilled water can make beds, exercise equipment, and toys wet. It is unhealthy for hamsters’ health
• Hamsters poop too much. It’s not good to see all those small decompositions scattered around the cage
• As you encounter your hamster closely, it is also a threat to your health if it gets infected. Frequent cage cleaning reduces such occurrences and ensures good health conditions for you and your four-legged friend
• To establish a strong relationship with your pet by showing you care for it

What Factors to Consider to Determine the Cleaning Frequency?

To determine the frequency of hamster cage cleaning (though we suggest once a week), below are factors you should consider as a parameter.

• The size of the cage and the amount of cage inside accessories
• Number of hamsters: the more hamsters you pet, the faster the cage gets dirty
• The size of your hamster: a large one poops more than the smaller one. And more poop equals dirtier
• Your tolerance level for foul odors
• How much time you can allocate

Materials Required For Cleaning A Hamster Cage

Before heading toward the cleaning operation, you should prepare the following items:

• Gloves
• Two buckets of warm water
• Cleaning substances (soap, shampoo, etc.)
• Temporary house for your hamster
• And your time

How To Clean A Hamster Cage?

By employing the below-mentioned steps, you can easily clean the hamster cage faster.

Step 1: Place Hamster in A Box

1. Do not keep the hamster inside the cage while the cleaning operation is going on. Doing so will complicate the cleaning task, and your hamster might get injured as well. 
2. Prepare a cardboard box in advance with soft flooring. 
3. The box height should be at least 12 inches to restrict the pet from coming out and getting lost in the house.

Step 2: Take Out Cage Interiors

As the hamster is now not in the cage, it will be easy for you to take out all the inside items. 

Take out the bed, toys, water bottle, food container, exercise equipment, etc. 

We would like to mention one thing here. Many hamster owners segregate the dirty ones from the cleaned ones and take out only the dirty ones to clean. You should not go for this approach.

For instance, with the naked eye, you may see that the bed is very clean. But the bed might be filled with dried urine, invisible substances from hamster poop, etc. So, take out everything.

Step 3: Cage Cleaning

1. Now, detach every part of the cage at first (if the cage has such a function). 
2. Take a bucket of warm water and rub a mild soap into the water. 
3. When there is foam, place the parts one by one inside the bucket. 
4. With the help of a sponge (hands should be gloved), clean every fold and corner of the cage parts. 
5. Dry the parts and set the cage with those.

Below are items you can use instead of soap.

• Anti-bacterial shampoo
• Vinegar
• Anti-bacterial shops for dishes
• Disinfectants

Please keep in mind that you should not use any material that contains a high level of smell.

Step 4: Clean the Bed, Toys, and Accessories

You should take this part of the cleaning process more seriously. These items are your hamster’s closest companions. And there is no way that the items can be in a dirt- or germ-free condition. 

1. You have to clean every hole, fold, and corner of the accessories.
2. Now, throw away the previously used water. 
3. Pour in a new batch of warm water and create foam with a mild soap. 
4. Do the cleaning of each accessory one by one.
5. Leave the accessories to get dry. 
6. Check carefully; if there are still some drops of water, wipe them with a dry cloth.

Final Step

1. Place your hamster inside the clean cage. 
2. Take a trash bag. Put the small cardboard box (the temporary one) and gloves in it. 
3. Throw the bag in the waste disposal container.

Check this video to have more understanding on cleaning a hamster cage: 

How to Avoid Weekly Cleaning?

Okay, if you are a busy person (with a job, family, or studies), you may find it difficult to clean the cage weekly and you do it monthly.

In this situation, you have to allocate at least 5 minutes a day to do some basic cleaning.

• Take out the visible poop particles
• Clean the food and water containers
• And, inspect all the accessories

However, you must arrange a sand bath weekly.

If you’re concerned about your hamster’s behavior and physiology, you may find our articles on whether hamsters have night vision and why your hamster is not coming out at night helpful. Our article on whether hamsters have night vision explores the unique adaptations of these nocturnal animals and how it affects their vision. Meanwhile, our article on why your hamster is not coming out at night discusses possible reasons for your pet’s behavior and how to create a comfortable and stimulating living environment.

FAQ

Here, we answer some of the most common questions regarding cleaning the hamster cage.

Q: How often should you clean a Syrian hamster cage?

Cleaning should be done once a week. However, you can go twice a month if there is time.

Q: What is the best time of day to clean a hamster cage?

There is no prescribed time. But don’t go for cleaning if the hamster is sleeping. Cleaning the hamster cage is easy but requires patience. So before starting the cleaning activities, make sure you have an ample amount of time. And all your must-complete tasks are done to restrict disturbances.

Q: How frequently should hamster bedding be cleaned?

You should clean the hamster’s bedding once a week or at least twice a month.

Bottom Line

We hope now you have a clear answer to how often to clean hamster cage. The bottom line is very straightforward: clean the hamster cage at least once a week. If you have a time shortage, you can go twice a month.

If you are planning to do cleaning twice a month, you must do some basic cleaning on a daily basis, spending only five minutes. Lastly, try to get a cage that is easy to clean. We suggest you avoid wire-top cages.