Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Protecting your hamster from overheating
• Part 2 of 2: Using the Freezer to Cool Various Items
• Warnings
• What do you need

Hamsters are most comfortable at temperatures between 18-24 ° C. If the ambient temperature exceeds these values, care must be taken to keep the room cool. Hamsters do not know how to sweat like humans do, so it falls on your shoulders to take care of their comfort and well-being in the heat.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Protecting your hamster from overheating

1. 1 Watch for signs of overheating. Hamsters are very sensitive to heat and can easily overheat. Be sure to pay attention to the following symptoms of possible heatstroke in your pet:
   • shortness of breath;
   • redness of the tongue;
   • drooling;
   • depressed state;
   • weakness;
   • inactivity;
   • convulsions.
2. 2 Move your hamster's cage to a cooler place in your home. Walk around the house and try to find the coolest place for your hamster's cage. Move the cage there.
   • If you have more than one floor at home, place the cage on the lowest floor. Heat rises, so the coolest place might be the basement or first floor of the house.
   • Another cool place might be the bathroom or kitchen. Ceramic tiles are often cool, so they can provide a comfortable coolness for your hamster.
3. 3 Use a fan. It is not necessary to aim the fan directly at the hamster, as this can cause stress and even hypothermia. Instead, just make sure there is good ventilation and a good fan in the room where the hamster cage is. This will promote air circulation and keep the room cool.
4. 4 Avoid direct sunlight. Do not place your hamster cage in direct sunlight. On hot days, make sure that the cage is not exposed to the sun's rays entering the room. This can easily provoke heatstroke in your hamster and other small animals.
   • Also, avoid other heat sources such as fireplaces, stoves and heaters.
5. 5 Provide good ventilation in the cage. Make sure there is adequate air circulation in the hamster's cage. It is for this reason that experts recommend keeping hamsters in cages rather than in aquariums.
   • If your hamster lives in an aquarium, then it is especially important to place it in a room with good air ventilation!
6. 6 Provide your hamster with cool water. An easy way to cool your hamster is to provide it with cool water. Hamsters can become dehydrated very quickly, so it is very important that they always have access to fresh, clean water.
7. 7 Limit pet play. Hamsters do not know how to sweat to cool the body, so in hot weather they risk dehydration more quickly than other mammals. Therefore, it is important to limit play with your hamster in hot weather to prevent overheating.
   • If you still want to keep picking up your pet, try doing it in the early morning or late in the night when the temperature gets cooler.
8. 8 Never leave your hamster in a hot car. Never leave your hamster or any other animal in the car in the heat! Temperatures inside the machine can rise to lethal levels. Whether you are taking your hamster to the vet or just traveling with it, take care to protect it from dangerous temperatures.

Part 2 of 2: Using the Freezer to Cool Various Items

1. 1 Give your hamster some frozen treats. A frozen version of your hamster's favorite treat is a great way to keep your pet chilled on a hot day. Be careful, though, and only use treats that are safe for your hamster. Consider freezing the following foods:
   • barley;
   • cashew;
   • Flaxseed;
   • millet;
   • oats;
   • peanuts;
   • pumpkin seeds;
   • sesame;
   • boiled potatoes.
2. 2 Place a bottle of frozen water in your hamster's cage. Fill an empty plastic bottle about halfway with water and place in the freezer. Wait for the water to freeze completely. Then wrap the bottle in a towel or napkin and place it in the cage.
   • Be sure to wrap the bottle. Direct contact with a frozen bottle can cause the hamster to injure its skin.
   • It is a good idea to freeze the bottle while lying down. This will give your hamster more room to sit next to her when you place her in the cage.
   • You can use an ice pack in the same way.
3. 3 Freeze sand for sand baths. Hamsters love to dig in the sand. Therefore, you can pamper your pet with a bath with pre-chilled sand. Try taking a glass of sand and dumping it into a zip-lock bag. Put it in the freezer for a few hours, then take it out and put sand in the hamster's cage.
4. 4 Freeze your hamster's ceramic house. If your hamster has a ceramic house, it can be kept in the freezer for several hours to keep it cool. Ceramics hold the temperature well and can create a cool paradise for overheated animals.
   • Alternatively, you can freeze a regular ceramic tile or glass cube and place your pet in the cage.
5. 5 Place a frozen towel over the cage. Moisten the towel and place it in the freezer for a few hours. Then, throw a towel over the top of the hamster's cage and wrap it under the bottom. This will create a kind of cold barrier to the outside atmosphere that the hamster can even snuggle against.
   • Make sure that the towel does not completely block air circulation in the cage.

Warnings

• Overcooling your hamster is just as dangerous as overheating! Supervise your pet closely to make sure it behaves appropriately.

What do you need

• Freezer access
• Fan
• Towels
• Treats
• Ceramic or metal house or bowl
• Water
• Plastic bottle