More hamster toys and play areas for your Critter Trail habitat.

To expand your hamster cage with more hamster toys and play areas Critter Trail offers Kits 1, 2 and 3 with various combinations of the Loop-d-loop runaround, Lazy Lookout with removable lid for petting, Out House with litter sample, and Snap on Running Wheel. The kits include different combinations of tubing and connectors. You can also buy the different hamster toy pieces individually. Click on an item to get more information and return here by closing that view box.



In addition to the Snap on Running Wheel, Critter Trail also makes and Exercise Top which comes in four colors. This can be connected to the hamster cage or can be used freestanding where it will spin more or less in one place. This is a great idea because your hamster is less likely to get lost in the far corner of some room as is very likely with the spherical hamster ball toy. With the Treat Zone Dispenser you load the top with treats and click a button to dispense one and watch it spiral down the tube to the cage. This is probably more fun for you than the hamster. It will probably also lead to over-treating the hamster, but it is cute.


The Burrowing Maze comes with a sample of Burrowing Material that you stuff inside. You will probably want more than the sample that is included. The maze has ramps inside and can attach with tubes to provide more hamster living space to your existing setup. The Off to School Bus can also attach to you existing setup, but can detach and act as a carrier or temporary hamster cage on weekend outings.


The basic Hamster Potty with litter sample and hamster Water Bottle are pretty standard accessories. The Hamster Playpen is a little more unusual with it’s twelve nine inch high fencing units that can be configured how you like. It comes with a 24 x 28 protective mat. The fenced area does have a means to connect to your other habitat areas with tubing.


The tubing for the system is called Fun-nels and is available in four Fun-nel Value Paks. You can also buy the tubing elements individually, including quarter and half bends, tees, plugs and extra connector rings. Happy building!

Hamster cages that have built in hamster toys can be very entertaining--Critter Trail

Hamster cages that have a lot of built in hamster toys can be a real advantage, especially if they are designed well to let you see your hamster in action. Super Pet Critter Trail has pioneered a lot of unique features in the realm of built-in hamster toys, and they seem to get more interesting every year.

Several of the most popular items this year have some wonderful hamster toy inclusions. My favorite is the X Habitat which has a rotating pet powered activity wheel on top with a spiral slide to exit down into the main cage. This also has a removable petting compartment on top which can serve as temporary housing during cleaning. At 13 x 21 x 18 high the price on this one is excellent. The Two Habitat, which is the same size, has the same petting/cleaning compartment on top but has an interior exercise wheel and two mid-level platforms inside the hamster cage. The Three Habitat has a slightly smaller footprint but is 4 inches higher. It also has the interior hamster wheel, removable petting/cleaning zone but has more interior levels. Click on an item to get more information and return here by closing that view box.


In the Dazzle Habitat you can use the observatory tower top as a temporary home when cleaning this 10 x 16 x 22 high hamster cage. The huge pet powered rotating hamster toy wheel on the top can be accessed from the cage and is bound to be very entertaining for both you and your hamster. The Y Home has the same footprint but is 4 inches shorter with a removable wild and wavy workout wheel on the top and 6 add on ports. The Z Habitat is the same size but has a removable hamster exercise ball on the top. When I have actually looked at this model it seems like the mounting for the ball on this one might be a little too easy for the escape artist to use, but we haven’t actually seen this happen.


For ease of cleaning without taking the hamster cage apart you have the Discovery Habitat at 15 x 20 x 11 high with an oversize front access door. It features an exterior hamster toy wheel, and interior platform level and an upper level which can be removed and used as a carrier. The Discovery Deluxe Habitat has the same features but is slightly larger at 16 x 23 x 13. Speaking of carriers there is the Off to School Bus which is considered a temporary living environment but can also be added on to any other cage as expansion space when not in use as hamster transport.


If you want to start with a basic hamster cage and add on your own wild and wacky hamster toy devices you can begin with the One Habitat at 10 x 16 x 11. The same sized Primary Habitat has a wire roof and a hanging nest for naps. With a similar footprint but 17 inches high the Double Decker has a whole second level for you hamster’s exploring pleasure.


Especially for the dwarf hamster, although many of the other cages will work, are the Mini One at 8 x 13 x 8 high and the Mini Two which is the same size. Both are portable and can be added on to with the usual hamster accessories. Speaking of accessories don’t forget the Hamster Potty.

Zhu Zhu pet hamster toy—Accessories for more fun

The Zhu Zhu pet hamster toy can be purchased individually, in groups, or prepackaged with accessories, or accessories can be added on later to create a hamster toy city. In addition to the four main hamster toy characters named NUM NUMS, PIPSQUEAK, CHUNK, and MR. SQUIGGLES, there is a fifth hamster toy character named PATCHES which is only available with the Zhu Zhu pet hamster house starter set as part of that package. You can purchase a fun house which has kitchen, bedroom and bathroom areas in a dual module concept that easily accepts add on components later. Various areas and bumps in the floor activate the artificial intelligence that triggers the hamster toy to make their individual sounds related to where they are. There is a hamster toy garage add-on and car into which the hamster runs and can drive around the room through automatic opening garage doors.  Click on an item to get more information and return here by closing that view box.   My apologies if any of these images are flashing, but it generally means that some items are temporarily unavailable.


You can also get a surfboard for your hamster toy pet to ride on, or you can choose a skate board that the hamster toy pet will aim into a u-turn track element and come careening out of. There is also a hamster toy ramp and slide add-on which the hamster toy will climb and then spiral down the slide, making special noises of course.


There are a number of hamster toy bed and blanket sets that are available in green, orange, and pink. There are also several hamster toy carrier and blanket sets that come in blue, purple, green and pink.




The add-on hamster toy pet wheel will attract the hamster to go running like the real ones do. This one adds on to the houses with a special included ramp. There is a separate freestanding hamster pet wheel th that you need to place the hamster in for it to run about. If this is all too much there is a somewhat simpler non-related item made by Hamsuta called the Happy Hamster in a Ball that is just a hamster that runs around in a ball on your carpet or solid flooring, or you can take it out and it will run about by itself on hard surface flooring. Perhaps this Hamsuta hamster toy, with a still very nice price and  less hype than the Zhu Zhu, will still be available come the holidays.

Zhu Zhu pet hamster toy—Why you want one NOW

The latest craze is this hamster toy that runs on batteries and is interactive and intelligent. You want one of these hamster toys now because they are selling out in stores the day they come in. These are furry, cuddly, lifelike hamster toys for your child to play with, and they have variety and personality. There is also a large variety of accessories like houses, beds, blankets, cars, garages, running balls, running tracks and carrying cases for travel . This means this hamster toy is a fairly good mimic of the real hamster setup but without the feeding and the messes to clean up. It is not a replacement, but if you are unsure if you child is ready for the responsibility of the real thing, this hamster toy can provide enough interaction, diversity, variety and expandability to keep your child occupied and interested for a good long time. These are intended for children 3 years old and above because of small parts warnings according to the manufacturer.

These were test marketed as the GO GO pet hamster toy which may become collectible due to quantity. The ZHU ZHU pet hamster toy is now in full blown production and the original price of around $8 is rising due to incredible demand. The commercials are captivating, and children who see this want the hamster toy for their own. They do come in at least four models, personalities, and colors. So if you have several children, each one can have an identifiably different hamster toy. NUM NUMS is the friend you can depend on. PIPSQUEAK is full of curiosity and adventure. CHUNK is the surfer dude, and MR. SQUIGGLES has a finicky, been there done that personality. Each hamster toy makes about forty unique sounds that change when they are in different parts of their house environment. They also each have an active and sleep mode which your child can activate with a button depending on whether they want their hamster toy to be cuddly or active. All in all this is a pretty great toy and may help you decide if your child is eventually ready for the real thing.  Click on an item to get more information and return here by closing that view box.  My apologies if any of the displays below are flashing, but that generally means an item is temporarily not available

Hamster's First Cage

Hamster cages come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and colors. The bare essentials in equipment are a drinking water tube, a hamster exercise wheel, and maybe a food dish. Some people like to put food in different areas so it is more like foraging in the wild. Hamsters use different corners of their cages for different purposes like eating, excreting, napping, and also as points of reference. For this reason round cages are less suitable. If you are just starting out you can buy a starter hamster cage kit which will usually include a small equipped hamster cage, bedding, food and some treats as in the following examples.   Click on an item to get more information and return here by closing that view box.  My apologies if any of the displays below are flashing, but that generally means an item is temporarily not available

Hamsters are generally kept one per cage, although dwarf hamsters can sometimes share a hamster cage if bought together and raised together. Generally if you are going to keep a hamster for a long time, you will want a larger or more complex hamster cage to more fully enjoy the antics of your hamster. Good ventilation is an issue, which makes aquariums and entirely plastic enclosures less suitable for permanent homes, although these can sometimes be used for other occasional play activities. Hamster cages that are part plastic and part wire seem to work the best. A deep bottom tray is helpful in keeping the bedding shavings contained as these are used both for nesting and bathroom purposes.

Keep in mind that you will be cleaning the hamster cage once or twice a week so the ease of taking the cage apart to fully access the plastic bottom tray is important. You will probably want an exercise ball to house your hamster while you are cleaning the hamster cage so you don’t have an escape artist on your hands. If you did buy a small hamster cage to begin with you can use it when cleaning the larger hamster cage and also to take ‘hammy’ to visit grandma.

Hamster Food for a Healthy Hamster Life

Given the right foods your hamster will generally remain healthy and happy. Given the wrong foods the hamster will get sick. Since you hamster will eat almost anything you are in charge of his diet.

A hamster can survive well on a good bulk hamster food mix that is about 16 to 18% protein with a combination of nuts, seed, grains and pellets. This mixture mimics the kinds of things your hamster would nibble on in the natural environment, and your hamster should have this available at all times. The hamster food mixes generally contain corn, sunflower seeds, peanuts, barley, dried peas and millet. The pellets are often made from alfalfa. In the beginning you might want to start with smaller packages from several different manufacturers to see which ones you and your hamster prefer. Click on an item to get more information and return here by closing that view box.



Some of the more premium mixes will contain dried fruits and vegetables.



Later you can buy larger sizes when you know what works best, or you can rotate between several kinds to give your hamster variety.


Treats for hamsters come in a wide range of colorful and enticing designs, but these should never become the steady diet for your hamster.

DO NOT feed your hamster lettuce, raw beans, onion, garlic, raw potato or chocolate as this will tend to make your hamster sick.

Fresh foods can be offered to your hamster once or twice a week in very small quantities only. Things that would be good are a small slice of banana, strawberry, apple or carrot. For protein a small piece of cheese or cooked chicken. Remove any of this if it has not been eaten in a couple of hours to avoid spoilage.

Hamster Toy Variety is Important

For a good hamster life it is important to have a wide variety of hamster toys.  When you keep an animal in an artificial environment it is important to provide some compensations to correct for what would normally be found in its natural environment.  Hamsters are used to running about endlessly, so the most important hamster toy is a running wheel selected to match the size of your hamster.

Hamsters also need hamster toys that allow them to climb, chew, burrow, nest and sleep.  They also need new or different toys from time to time so they do not get bored.  Keeping some hamster toys outside the cage and putting different ones in every week (maybe in a different place) gives your hamster a sense of adventure and discovery like it would have in the wild.

For climbing you can make wooden or cardboard hamster toys using untreated wood or cardboard that does not have printing on it.  Some printing inks can be toxic.  Hamsters like to chew, so these toys may have a short life depending upon your hamster.  You might also find wooden or plastic ladders by looking in bird cage supplies.  Keep an eye on your hamster toys when you use plastic items that are easy to chew.  A hamster full of plastic is not a healthy hamster.  If plastic hamster toys are getting chewed too much remove them and replace them with wooden toys.   
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For burrowing, fill a medium sized plastic, wood  or cardboard box with fine sand.  Now you have a hamster toy sandbox.  Your hamster will use this to roll around in to clean his coat.  If it is deep enough he will dig in it for a fun pastime and this will also help to keep his nails from getting too long.

The best hamster chew toys are made form the wood of fruit trees.  You can buy chew sticks of apple wood for instance.  Other natural hamster chew toys are made of vegetable parchment to make tubes or little huts that you can fill with food or hay for variety.  See if you can find natural or organic chews since the hamster will be gnawing on these a lot. A hamsters teeth never stop growing-so chew toys are important to keep his teeth properly worn down.

Some people like to use toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls for hamster toy running tubes as well as old tissue boxes or gift boxes to make cozy rooms or hideouts.  If your paper products are organic then your cardboard tubes are likely to be organic and safe.  If they are not then you don't really know what binders and glues have been used in their making.  Better safe than sick!

If you are industrious then you can fold heavy paper into tubes or boxes, securing it with non toxic, edible glue.  Dead end boxes or tubes can make good places to nest or sleep.  Have a variety of things and shapes.  An old coffee mug or a tall glass on its side with some wood shavings can make a cozy burrow.  A small fish bowl on its side filled with shavings may make the perfect hamster bathroom.  Just don't be surprised if what you thought was the bathroom becomes the bedroom!