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!