Grooming for Pets
Hamsters:
Hamsters clean themselves. So you should never put them in water. Hamsters are like cats and would you put a cat in water when they aren't dirty, No you shouldn't and hopefully you wouldn't. Okay think about this:
You let your hamster get out of his cage for a bit and he by accident got into your cats litter box or something else equally dirty. What do you do? You may not want to let him clean himself in this situation. Cat litter is a clay based solution this is not a good thing for you hamster to digest and he could very well get sick from this. This is a situation where you would have to bathe your hamsters. Only in specific case should you bathe hamster don't do it just for fun. If you must clean your hamster here's what you do,
Get a plastic tub (preferably with higher walls so your hamster can't run away from you)
Place only a very small amount of water in the tub. The water should only come to the belly of your hamster and should touch his head so very little, just enough to wet him down and wash him off.
You can use baby soap or a type or small pet specific shampoo
Dry him with a towel be sure he is dry before you place him back in his cage. NO HAIR DRYERS! Hamsters have sensitive skin and a hair dryer may easily burn your hamsters skin so I would not recommend trying a hair dryer.
Hamsters clean themselves. So you should never put them in water. Hamsters are like cats and would you put a cat in water when they aren't dirty, No you shouldn't and hopefully you wouldn't. Okay think about this:
You let your hamster get out of his cage for a bit and he by accident got into your cats litter box or something else equally dirty. What do you do? You may not want to let him clean himself in this situation. Cat litter is a clay based solution this is not a good thing for you hamster to digest and he could very well get sick from this. This is a situation where you would have to bathe your hamsters. Only in specific case should you bathe hamster don't do it just for fun. If you must clean your hamster here's what you do,
Get a plastic tub (preferably with higher walls so your hamster can't run away from you)
Place only a very small amount of water in the tub. The water should only come to the belly of your hamster and should touch his head so very little, just enough to wet him down and wash him off.
You can use baby soap or a type or small pet specific shampoo
Dry him with a towel be sure he is dry before you place him back in his cage. NO HAIR DRYERS! Hamsters have sensitive skin and a hair dryer may easily burn your hamsters skin so I would not recommend trying a hair dryer.