Cleaning hamster cages: a guide to help out your fusty friend

If it was really easy to clean a loved one’s entire home, you’d do it all the time. And that’s the case for your fusty hamster friend. Sure, a hamster’s home can be pretty gross, especially if it’s not cleaned regularly. But cleaning hamster cage interiors, exteriors and bedding is so mega simple (when you know how) that you can up the love with ease.  

Whether you’re a first-time hamster owner or you just want to make your fuzzy little ball of stink’s home less ‘pit’ and more ‘palace’, here’s how and when to clean hamster cage homes. 

How often should you clean a hamster cage? 

Hamster cages can get messy. After all, they poop a lot. They can’t help it. And you really do love them. So, when it comes to figuring out how often to clean hamster cage parts, regularly is a good first answer. Very regularly.  

The last thing you want is for those tiny little pellets of poo to become their bed. Stinky sheets for hamster? Urrgggghh. The exact timeframe is different depending on whether we’re talking bedding or cages, so let’s deal with each in turn… 

How often to change hamster bedding

First up, how often do you clean a hamster cage’s soiled bedding? Every day. It’s a small home, so can quickly become a poop pile (and stinkfest) if you don’t. In terms of how often to change hamster bedding completely, that should be done on a weekly basis.  

Along with any pee or poop, get rid of any food they’ve squirrelled away, too. And just let them know not to worry – there’ll be plenty more food coming their way. 

How often should you clean a hamster cage – as in, the actual cage itself?  

On a weekly basis. Unless it’s gotten really gross and you need to do it sooner. You’ll know if that’s the case. Sniff test, anyone? In the meantime, you’ve been carefully picking out the poop pellets and pee-soaked bedding. Now it’s time to clean the rest of the hamster home. 

How to clean a hamster cage – your equipment list 

Here’s what to use to clean hamster cage frames: 

• Soapy warm water 
• Gloves – we don’t fancy rooting around in hamster poop with our bare hands! 
• Kitchen towel 
• Sponge/soft brush 

Now you’re good to go. 

How to clean a hamster cage step by step 

Follow these steps to take your hamster’s home from grubby gaff to pristine pet palace (sort of): 

1. Secure your hamster. Just make sure it’s safe and comfortable. A rental, if you will (no charge necessary), while its pad is being prepared. 

1. Remove everything. Toys, bedding, bottles, wheel, etc. Think of it like a home someone is moving out of – easier to deep clean when empty. 

1. Wipe. Start off by wiping down all of the bars and surfaces. Always best to start from the top and work your way down. 

1. Next up the bottle. How often do you clean a hamster cage bottle? A good rule of thumb is weekly, so it can be part of the big clean. Give all parts of the bottle a good wash and then thoroughly rinse before refilling. 

1. Clean toys and accessories. Use warm soapy water and then rinse before drying.  

1. Rinse and dry. Give the interior surfaces and bars a really good rinse with clean water and a final wipe down with fresh kitchen towel. Job’s a good ‘un. 

Tip: Plenty kitchen towel is super strong, even when wet. That makes it ideal for cleaning hamster cage surfaces. And no matter how gunky the poopy mess might get, the kitchen paper won’t break down as you go through the process, so no poop on your hands. Result.     

Once you’ve done the cleaning you can put in the fresh bedding, return the bottle, toys and accessories, and welcome your hamster back into its newly freshened pad. Time for Hammy Hamster to live it up, courtesy of your quick work. 

From how often to clean hamster cage bedding to what to use to clean hamster cage frames, that’s everything you need to know. Yep, it might be a bit icky at times, but you love your pets, even with all the mess they make. First time owner or seasoned pet lover, it’s time to show your love to your hamster by welcoming it into their fresh home