I have been bathing my hamsters since the age of 7. Yes hamsters wash themselves much like cats, but even cat owners bathe their cats, so it should come as no surprise that hamster owners bathe their hamsters.
I don’t know if it would make a difference in what type of hamster you have. I’ve never really done any research into dwarf hamsters. I’ve only owned the regular golden type.
Since hamsters sleep during the day, setting this up, is a lot easier then it is to bath an active animal such as a dog or a cat.
Bath time will take about 2 – 3 minutes.
Tip: I find it best to bathe my hamster when I just changed the cage. Other wise you are just putting a clean hamster into a dirty cage to get dirty all over again.
You could bathe your hamster in a large bowl or sink. I like to use my bathroom sink, as its small enough and at the right height for me that should my hamster by some miracle escape, it’s not that far of a drop.
You should have your towel and soap ready ahead of time, as hamsters become very active during bath time, even if they were asleep when you started.
I don’t like the idea of using shampoo on an animal this small. If that is all you have, you will have to be extremely careful when bathing, and bath time will take three times as long as it does for me, as you will have to make sure your hamster is well rinsed as well as that no soap got into its eyes. You would also need to find a shampoo that wouldn’t cause any dry skin, or contain any harsh smelling perfumes. I use any antibacterial bar soap, not liquid because liquid is a lot like shampoo, it will take longer to rinse off.
Tip: If you are using shampoo, do not use a bowl, use a sink, as you will have to refill your sink several times for rinsing.
Take your large bowl or ready your sink by filling it with lukewarm water. If you aren’t sure what lukewarm is, or means it’s basically room temperature, not to cold and not too hot. With your lukewarm bowl or sink with towel ready, go get your hamster.
Tip: Make sure your sink or bowl is filled up enough that is your hamster’s feet can not touch the bottom, thus the hamster will keep paddling when inserted.
Tip: Make sure when the water is turned off it’s the same temperature as the water in the bath in case you have to run more water.
Insert your hamster into your bowl or sink. The hamster will begin to paddle rather quickly in panic mode. If your bowl or sink isn’t large enough the hamster will escape moving quicker then you may have ever seen the hamster move before, but if you filled it with enough water the hamster shouldn’t be able to escape, and will not drown.
After your hamster has swam a bit and is totally wet, take your hand soap and rub it in your hands creating a rich lather, pick up your hamster with 2 fingers and one thumb, laying it back into the one hand. Use your other hand to gently rub the soap onto your hamster’s belly. Switch hands, and rub in the soap on your hamster’s back. Avoid the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Do not scratch your wet hamster!
With your hamster totally covered in soap, place it back into the sink or bowl. You may have to cup your hand and scoop water over it a few times. Check your hamster is rinsed by picking it up a few times.
Because I bathe mine in our sink, I allow the water to drain out once my hamster is rinsed, the reason for this is she usually potty’s at that point and it goes right down the drain.
Pick up your hamster and place it into the waiting towel. Gently rub dry your hamster and hold it for a bit in the towel, changing spots to a dry one. The hamster will potty in the towel a bit too, so be ready to shake it out.
If you plan on bathing your hamster often you might want to give it a treat when you have finished.
