Hamsters are extremely active animals, and love to run around playing and exploring. Unfortunately, like with adventurous humans, they can injure themselves, and sometimes even break bones. If your hamster is suffering from a broken limb, you can use these tips to ensure they are comfortable and able to heal quickly.
1. Prepare Your Hamster's Cage
Begin by removing anything that might tempt your hamster to be more active than he should be - after all, he's meant to be resting! This includes removing his running wheel, ladders, ropes, and so on. If his cage is a multi-level or multi-room cage, try to remove some of these as well, so that your hamster cannot go scampering about too much. Don't make it too small though or he might get bored!
2. Make Him Comfortable
As with humans, it's important that your hamster is comfortable as he recovers from his injury. To help with this, make sure he has plenty of thick, soft bedding. This will help to take the pressure off his injury, allowing him to sleep more easily.
3. Feed Him Well
Nutrition plays a vital role in recovery, and you can help your hamster's bones heal more quickly by giving him bread soaked in milk. This contains calcium, which is used to build strong bones. Alternatively, you can feed your hamster calcium-rich dog biscuits as a crunchy alternative.
4. Give Him Plenty of Attention
While his mobility is restricted, your hamster might feel a little down in the dumps. To make up for the fact that he can't move around as much as usual, give him plenty of attention. Take him out of his cage regularly to hold, stroke and pet him. You can even give him some tasty treats to brighten his mood!
A broken bone is a minor setback in hamster's life, and will generally heal in about 6 weeks. The best you can do is set up your pet's cage and treat him in a way that will speed his recovery along.
