Enrichment 

Hamsters cannot live a happy life if they are in an empty or bare cage. Remember- surviving isn't thriving. Hamsters need lots of stimuli to keep themselves occupied and to avoid boredom behaviours. This can include adding more substrates, natural items, forage and sprays, boredom breakers and toys. 

Adding more substrates 

Adding multiple substrates is very beneficial for your hamster as it provides a different texture for them to explore and dig in. Examples include: Beech chips, Aspen, Cork granules, Coconut soil and Coconut husk. Substrates such as coconut soil and cork granules are best to be contained within a digging area. This could be a glass dish, a deep baking tray, or a jar. Make sure to put these on platforms as they will be heavy. You can add substrates like coconut husk on the surface of the bedding as it won't fall through the bedding.

Natural items

Hamsters thrive when given natural items. Not only do they provide a new texture, and something for them explore, but they look amazing in a natural cage setup. Examples include: Grapevine wood, Cork logs and Bamboo root. 

Forage and Sprays 

Providing sprays and forage mixes are an excellent way to provide enriching for your hamster. They should be included in every hamster's cage. Sprinkling safe dried herbs, flowers and leaves around the enclosure gives your hamster the opportunity to use their natural instinct to find their own food. Sprays (the dried seed part of a plant) are also a necessity for hamsters as they can pick the seed directly from the plant, as they would do in the wild. Safe sprays include: oat, wheat, millet, sorghum, Sudan grass, amaranth, flax and many more.

Boredom breakers + Toys

Providing boredom breakers and toys are very useful for keeping your hamster occupied. It's very easy to make them yourself for free!

Check out these videos for some ideas: