When you get any pet you create your own routine and care schedule. It may not be written out, but it exists nonetheless. Scheduling is a part of pet owning I personally really enjoy, and some people just do things as needed, which is totally fine. You want to have a routine that works for you. Today I’m going to be sharing Beanie’s schedule, which you can draw inspiration from.
As I stack up the routines, keep in mind each separate thing is in addition to the previous ones. In addition to my daily routine I do the bi-daily, and so on.
I’m going to tell you about Beanie’s care/cleaning schedule as well as her purchasing schedule (when I buy food, substrate, chews etc…).
As usual I will have any related posts linked at the end of this post!
Daily
Every morning after my breakfast I go to attend to Beanie. First I straighten any tipped or moved toys and sweep off things and clean out her wheel. Next I spin her wheel to ensure it’s working, and check her water. If it has substrate in it or is not quite full I rinse out the bowl and refill it.
- Tidy
- Check wheel
- Clean water if needed
Bi-Daily
Every other day I do my morning Beanie-chores as usual, and I also feed her. Since I scatter feed Beanie I prefer to give her twice as much every other day, so I know she has time to collect everything. If I didn’t feed her yesterday, I feed 4 teaspoons of seed mix today.
- Feed 4 tsp
Weekly
On the weekend I spot clean. Hamsters like to keep their environment as clean as possible, so they usually only do their business in one or two places. Beanie pees in her nest, and to prevent mold or foul odor I clean it out weekly.
I wait until Beanie’s awake at night, then dig up her nest and throw out all the shredded tissue, old food, and soiled substrate. I add fresh shredded tissue and replace the hut. I then feed her, since her stash is in her nest and should be replaced for her peace of mind.
Beanie usually has a chew toy in her nest as well, and I determine whether or not it needs replacing.
I usually do this on Saturday night, but will do it on Friday or Sunday if I’m not home. Sometimes her feeding day is spot cleaning day; in those instances I feed her only a teaspoon in the morning so she’s not hungry till I feed her at night after the cleaning, and then I don’t waste as much food.
- Removed soiled substrate and bedding from nest
- Feed 4 tsp after spot cleaning
- Make sure chew toys are still good
Monthly
If you’ve followed me for a while you know the first post of the month is a Monthly Makeover! I blog Beanie’s cage deep clean and new setup for you, so you can get inspiration for your own small pet’s cage.
In order to get that post out on time I do Beanie’s monthly deep clean the weekend before the Makeover is due (the last weekend of the month).
First I remove all the substrate, sorting the soiled stuff into the trash and the clean stuff into a new bag. I then sanitize her cage with a vinegar/water solution, dry it, and replenish the cage with the clean substrate and some new substrate.
I then do a totally new, DIY based cage setup for Beanie, and release her back into her clean cage!
I do this so Beanie’s cage can be fresh, rejuvenated, and enriching for her. I also remove substrate doing the weekly spot cleans, and need to add more so she can burrow.
- Trash soiled substrate
- Clean cage
- Add in clean/new substrate
- Create epic new setup
- Release Beanie into her fresh cage!
When I Give/Buy Treats
I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and whenever I have some that I’m eating that’s Beanie-safe I just share a bit with her. Usually 1-3 times a week.
I don’t actually buy hamster treats for Beanie, since they’re usually really unhealthy and fresh fruits and vegetables make a much better treat (especially her favorite, banana).
When I Buy Beanie’s Seed Mix
Beanie’s my only hamster, so she’s the only one eating a hamster seed mix, and a full bag lasts quite a while. Four months to be exact. Next food shopping trip will be in December, around her 2nd Birthday.
When I Buy Substrate
I purchase Beanie’s pet-safe substrate in a huge 4 cubic foot bag a few times a year. When I get it depends on how much I need for the next deep clean.
When I Buy Chew Toys
When I buy chew toys totally depends on Beanie. Sometimes she doesn’t really chew anything for a week or two, and sometimes she’s chewing through a chew a week. Usually I just buy nice chews I find that are safe and interesting, or make DIYs that stimulate chewing behaviors.
I finally found Whimzee Dog Chews in a bulk bin at a pet shop, and Beanie absolutely loves them! I definitely recommend them if you’re looking for chew toys. They are hamster-safe, and the alligator-shape gives hamsters lots of little knobs and things to chew off. I would, however, only recommend 1-2 a month, since it is still a treat.
I wonder how many times I said, ‘chew,’ in those two paragraphs.
Conclusion
As previously stated, this is just Beanie’s schedule. You don’t have to use this exact schedule for your hamster. Every hamster is also different, some eat more or less, so you might have to buy food more or less often. You don’t want to be cleaning your hamster’s cage excessively, because if their environment is too clean they will have a very weak immune system and are more likely to get sick, but you do need to spot clean at least once a week.
Thank you so much for reading this post! If you’re interested in more hamster-related content be sure to like this post and follow the blog, and I’ll be back on Tuesday with more small pet care, DIYs, recipes, cage setups, stories and more, have a ham-tastic day!