Nothing sounds better than hitting the road with your best furry friend. Whether you’re traveling short or long distances, having your hamster tag along shouldn’t feel like a burden. Luckily, there are ways to have your fluffy buddy travel without traumatizing it.
Here are nine easy tips to make traveling with your hamster easy and enjoyable for you both:
- Put your hamster in a suitable travel carrier.
- Supply your hamster with motion-friendly food and water.
- Take out any hazardous cage accessories.
- Provide more bedding.
- Play soft music.
- Strap the cage to the seat.
- Ensure that your hamster has shade.
- Avoid opening the windows.
- Don’t leave your hamster in the car.
- Place a plastic bag or old sheet over your car seat.
By supplying your hamster with its basic needs, you can rest assured that he’ll enjoy the adventure outside of the home. In the rest of the article, I’ll discuss each tip in-depth and shed some extra light on why each one is important.
1. Put Your Hamster in a Suitable Travel Carrier
I can’t stress the importance of using a suitable travel carrier or cage to transport your hamster enough. Your hamster might feel a little stressed during the first part of the trip, which is why ventilation is essential!
Keeping your hamster in a familiar environment can help ease them into traveling, so transporting them in their original case can help reduce anxiety. Wired cages allow more airflow, thus preventing claustrophobia in your hamster.
There are large varieties of cages to choose from, but keeping in mind that your hamster will have specific needs while traveling can narrow down which is best.
Choosing the Ideal Travel Carrier
By choosing the right travel cage for your hamster, you can effectively take your hamster anywhere without worrying about the hamster being uncomfortable.
The perfect travel cage for your hamster should be big enough to move around but not too big. That way you can save on packing space. Water dispensers are essential for your hamster’s cage to help keep them hydrated and satisfied.
Here are the top three hamster carriers that are available on Amazon.com to consider for your hamster:
Living World Pet Carrier
The Living World pet carrier perfectly represents a good hamster cage. It’s about 11.8 inches in length, 9 inches in width, and 8.3 inches in height. This cage allows perfect airflow to ensure good ventilation for your hamster. With non-slip ribbed floors, your hamster can easily navigate the cage without slipping.
Kaytee CritterTrail Carry
The Kaytee Critter Trail Cage is the more prominent option of the three. Equipped with a water bottle and tons of playing space, this cage is a hamster’s travel dream.
Your hamster will never get bored with its surroundings with the cage’s creative design; plus, they have attachable tunnels to connect two or more cages! It allows tons of ventilation and has two carry handles attached for easy transportation.
Kathson Hamster Cage Travel Carrier
The Kathson hamster cage is known for its compact and light design and is ideal for low-space situations. Most of the cage consists of clear plastic, so you can always watch your hamster.
It comes with a water bottle and is easy to operate and move around. The durable plastic makes it safe for your hamster, and there are a few air holes to allow sufficient ventilation.
Read How Do You Give a Hamster a Bath?
2. Supply Your Hamster With Motion-Friendly Food and Water
If you plan on going on a long road trip rather than just a quick drive around New York, you might need to consider supplying your hamster with food. You can easily feed your hamster on the go by providing it with mess-friendly foods.
It’s vital to give your hamster food on long road trips to snack on if they get hungry. One thing to keep in mind is that hamsters eat more frequently during the day, but they also eat small amounts at a time.
Top Foods To Give Your Hamster While Traveling
There are a few travel-friendly foods you can give your hamster on the road. While driving, you would want to avoid giving your hamster messy foods such as sunflower seeds and dry food. This tip can help spare you the endless amounts of shells and crumbs on your car seat or floors.
Fruits and vegetables with a high water content are ideal for a long road trip like Arizona to North Dakota. These fruits and veggies will keep your travel buddy nourished and hydrated at the same time.
Here are some travel-friendly foods:
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Watermelon
- Papaya
- Nuts
- Pepper
Read Can Hamsters Eat Guinea Pig Food?
3. Take Out Any Hazardous Cage Accessories
It’s unpredictable what lies ahead during a road trip, especially if you plan to cut time on a dirt road. It’s essential to remove all hazardous accessories from your hamster’s cage before getting in the car. Hanging toys and stacked blocks is a big No!
Tunnels attached to the roof of the cage can become loose and fall on your hamster; the same goes for anything that could potentially fall due to the constant movement.
You can also prevent any accidents by fastening the cage accessories and food bowl with rope or cable ties. This strategy is ideal if you know that the road will be bumpy or rough.
Travel-Safe Cage Accessories
You can prevent any mishaps on the road by taking along accessories that won’t threaten your hamster’s safety. Luckily, a few travel-safe toys are bound to keep your hamster entertained and comfortable.
Here are the top three travel-friendly hamster toys:
- Light balls
- Ground tunnels
- Material chews
Read 450 Square Inch Hamster Cage
4. Provide More Bedding
With minimal bedding, a long road can get tiring and uncomfortable for a hamster. By providing more bedding for your furry friend, you can help them have a soft surface to crawl on while enduring a bumpy and long road.
Extra bedding can also help them have a grip on the surface; plus, the cozier your hamster is, the better. Suitable bedding options include white birch shavings and ink-free paper shavings. A little towel can work, but hamsters struggle to nest or burrow in them.
5. Play Soft Music
Have you ever been startled by thunder? Now imagine what your hamster might feel like when you are blasting heavy metal or loud electronic music throughout the state of California.
To prevent your hamster from having a total heart attack, stick to soft and relaxing music. It prevents your hamster from getting startled, but it can also soothe your furry friend. Some suitable genres to play in the car include classic, pop, indie, and soft rock.
Read How Often Should I Hold My Hamster?
6. Strap the Cage to the Seat
Bumpy roads and sharp curves can completely knock over your hamster’s cage. By strapping in your hamster’s cage, you’re protecting it from falling over, but you’re saving yourself a lot of cleaning work.
You can easily strap in your hamster’s cage by taking the seat belt and pulling it around the length of the cage. You can also use a chew-friendly rope to pull through the wires of the cage and then tie it around the back of the seat.
7. Ensure That Your Hamster Has Shade
Unfortunately, you don’t have the power to change the sun’s direction. It’s crucial to provide enough shade for your hamster, where they can go rest and keep out of the hot sunlight. Be sure not to completely cover the cage with a cloth because it can restrict ventilation.
Hamsters need shade to keep themselves cool, and staying in the sun too long can dehydrate them and burn their delicate skins. Small animals are very susceptible to sunburn, especially if they have light/white fur or shed during summer.
You can quickly provide your hamster with shade by only covering half or a small portion of the cage with a dark towel or cloth. An alternative method is to put up window shades in the car; they are cheap and can be used again in the future.
Read How To Keep a Hamster Cage From Smelling
8. Avoid Opening the Windows
It might be tempting to crank open a window on a beautifully sunny day and soak up the fresh air, but it might hurt your hamster. Harsh winds can make it difficult to breathe for your hamster or even startle them.
Hamsters weren’t always pets and still have a survival instinct, so keep in mind that their brains and harsh weather conditions often trigger a stress response.
9. Don’t Leave Your Hamster in the Car
This part might be a no-brainer, but leaving your hamster in the car is dangerous, especially on a sweltering day. Like dogs and any other animal, you cannot leave your hamster inside a locked vehicle.
Heat buildup inside the car can easily lead to heat exhaustion, dehydration, and strokes. Always make sure that your hamster has enough drinking water, for hamsters can get dehydrated very fast in the heat.
When you decide to stop at a restaurant or gas station, it is crucial to take the time and let your little buddy have some fresh air. There are loads of restaurants in the USA that are pet friendly, but this does require a bit of research.
Here are some of the top pet-friendly franchises in the USA:
- In-N-Out Burger
- Shake Shack
- Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
- Starbucks
- Sonic Drive-In
If you can’t find a pet-friendly restaurant, hit the drive-thru instead. You can always take your food to a nearby park and eat outside.
Read How Much Does a Hamster Cage Cost?
10. Place a Plastic Bag or Old Sheet Over Your Car Seat
This tip can make any hamster owner’s life a little easier. If you hate cleaning up hamster bedding and sunflower seeds, you might consider taking an extra step to ease the cleaning process.
Hamsters tend to be a little messy, and we all know that cleaning birch shavings from a car carpet is a huge mission. Luckily, there are ways to prevent or minimize this from happening.
You can easily pull a plastic bag over the car seat to prevent fallout and spills from penetrating your car seats, and cardboard boxes on the floors go a long way! This tip simplifies the cleaning process a lot! When it’s time to clean your car, you can easily remove the cardboard and plastic and shake them off.
Read How Big Should a Hamster Cage Be?
Is It Safe To Travel Long Distances With a Hamster?
Your first concern might be whether or not it’s safe for your hamster to travel long distances. As pet owners, we always put our fur babies first, and considering the length of your adventure, worries might arise.
It’s reasonably safe to travel long distances with a hamster. Hamsters tend to be good travel buddies if you keep the environment (its cage) as familiar as possible. This method will keep them calm and allow them to continue their day-to-day activities such as eating, sleeping, and playing.
Considering that hamsters are the ideal travel pets, you can feel at ease that your pet could also enjoy the journey.
How Long Can Hamsters Stay in a Travel Cage?
Now that we know that traveling is safe for our hamsters, the adventure can begin. You might be planning a long road trip across the USA, which means your hamster will be spending a lot of time in the car.
Your hamster can stay in a proper travel cage for up to seven hours at a time. It’s best to take short breaks every five hours to keep your hamster satisfied and happy. You can let your hamster roam a bit before hitting the road again.
This gives your hamster a slight change of scenery and a chance to grab some fresh air.
Conclusion
Traveling with your hamster can be an experience of a lifetime! Nothing is better than having your fur buddy by your side while traveling through the USA. Although there are some general guidelines to ensure your pet’s basic needs are met and safe. By following the above tips and tricks, you can easily take a road trip and enjoy your hamster’s company!
When planning your next adventure across the USA, always keep in mind the following:
- Provide your hamster with travel-friendly food.
- Provide your hamster with extra bedding.
- Don’t leave your hamster in the car.
- Remove any hazardous toys.
You may like the following hamster articles:
- Why Is My Hamster Biting the Cage
- How To Clean Hamster Cage
- How Long Does a Hamster Live
- Why Do Hamsters Eat Their Babies
- How Long Can a Hamster Go Without Water?
My name is Everly. I am a Milwaukee-based mom of 2 and have been a proud owner of many hamsters throughout my life. Like many of us, my introduction to hamsters happened when I was very young. My family saw several hamsters come and go through the years, and I enjoyed playing with them, but I never fully appreciated them until I grew up and my own children decided to jump on the hamster bandwagon. At that point, I was determined to learn all I could about caring for these adorable pets. Read more