Hamster Toys
Tissue box
This is the simplest toy of all! Take an empty tissue box or any other cardboard box with an opening in it, and place it in your hamster's cage.
Box tower
This is a step harder to prepare than the toy above, but it's worth it. Take two empty tissue boxes and tape them together at the sides, with the openings looking different directions, so the ladder won't block the opening to the bottom box.
The ladder
Variation 1: Take a strip of wood about 3 inches wide and 6 in. in length, and glue smaller strips of wood on it for footholds.
Variation 2: Take a lond wooden dowel adout 3/8 in. in diameter, and saw it into 3 1/2 in. pieces. Then take two strips of wood about 1 in. wide and 6 in. in length. In 1 1/2 in. intervals, drill holes exactly as wide as the dowel pieces. The two sides of the ladder should be exactly symmetrical. Now glue the dowel pieces into the holes, and wait until the glue dries.
Can
Another really simple toy! Just give your hammy an empty coffee- or cocoa can. Sleeping spot.
Tube swing
Fix a long bar on top of the hamster's cage. For ex. cut notches in a strip of wood. Take a can (one of cardboard and foil, not of metal), and cut off the bottom circle with a saw or a scissor. Poke two holes in the can with a scissor or a drill. Take a piece of rope through the holes, and attach it with knots inside the can. Make sure the can almost reaches the floor of the cage if you loop the swing over the bar above the cage.
See-saw
You can buy this toy in stores.
Ladder:A third type of ladder
Saw pieces of wooden dowel 3/8 in. thick, into 3 1/2 in. long pieces. You only need two pieces of this. Then saw a strip of wood 1 in. wide so you have two pieces. The pieces should be as long as you want your ladder to be-- these will be the sides of the ladder. About 3/4 in. from the ends, drill holes into these, with a drill head exactly as wide as the dowel pieces. You should have altogether four holes of this size. In the remaining space, drill holes in 1 1/2 in. intervals, with the biggest drill head you can find. (I made the mistake of drilling holes too small for the rope at first, and when I tried to widen them, the pieces of wood split in two.) Now the two wooden bars should be symmetrical. Glue the two wooden dowels into the four smaller holes and the ends of the flat wooden bars to make a frame. Wait for the glue to dry. Finally, take a length of rope and weave it back and forth inside the larger holes, and secure the ends with a knot. Ladder + box. Cut a few openings on a cardboard box, and lean the ladder on it. Place treats on top or inside the box.
Mini maze
Well, here's just an idea of what you can make. I'm not writing instructions, because with your imagination you can make paths much more complicated. I use this instead of those plastic hamster tubes. Also try PVC pipes which you can buy at hardware stores.
Food hanger
Fix a long bar on top of the hamster's cage. For ex. cut notches in a strip of wood. Tie a length of yarn onto a clothes hanger, and tie the other end to the bar. Great for hanging leafy veggies and for giving the hamster treats. Just make sure the clothes hanger isn't so strong as to hurt the hamster.
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