I had also added a paper towel and plan to add shreds of another if she doesn’t start shredding them herself in the next hour.
She has had 1.5 pecans and 3 small blueberries and 3 leaves of spinach, which had some water on them, so I’m holding off on figuring out another way to get her water for a little bit. She has peed and pooped.
I’m not sure what else to do for her? Should I put a towel in there for her? I’m worried she’ll be able to try harder at the lid with extra padding in the bottom, but I weighted it down already to be sure she couldn’t knock it off and to block more light as it has a glass panel in the center. I’m worried the shiny walls are bad for her, so she’s in a mostly dark corner where I can still watch to make sure the cats don’t knock the lid off trying to look at her closer. They weren’t really trying to get her, just trying to watch her and sniff her but I’m keeping them away so she doesn’t panic and have a hear attack.
We’re planning to knock on the neighbors’ door tomorrow morning to see if she’s their pet? If she is a pet, which seems likely, she’s not allowed under the lease terms of this building, so we’re trying to avoid involving the landlord until we’re sure she’s not a pet so she doesn’t get taken away. But I’m also curious how she got in and if we have a hole in our cabinets through the wall that needs patched. If there is one, it’s down behind a gap in the liner they stuck to the bottom of the cabinets, it was sagging on one side like a rodent had just squeezed over the top
Can any experienced hamster owners help me? I am the new owner a male siberian hamster and I need recommendations for bedding types/brands. At first I was using the free bedding that came with my cage but in the span of a few days the bedding was matted into the ends of his fur and I had to trim him. I bought another pack of bedding but I think it’s already getting stuck to his fur. Are there any brands that don’t cling onto longer fur as easily or that y’all recommend?
(Pictures of the bedding I’m using currently and the hamster in question)
Can I have some advice on how to get comfortable holding a hamster? Me and my daughter got one and have been using a hut to move her in and out for play
I wanna get really comfortable with them i’m just nervous!
I was super nervous at first too! There's a YouTuber called Victoria Rachel who has a series of videos with tips on socialising hamsters and getting used to holding them. I watched all her videos before getting my first hamster and it really helped.
I'll sum up what I did with both toast and wasabi:
Try putting a handful of food into the hamsters cage and leave the food in your open palm. Lay you palm flat on the ground and if you're worried the ham might nibble your fingers cover them with kibble. Do this a few times until the hamster is happy enough to sit by your hand and eat some food.
Then get a treat, I use sunflower seeds or yoghurt drops, and put it on the tip of a finger and offer it to the ham. Keep your hand in the same flat, open palm, fingers together position.
Each day move the treat further up your finger across your palm and to your wrist. Make sure you wash your hands beforehand so the hamster doesn't smell food on your fingers and tries to nibble one. If it does go to nibble try not to jerk away suddenly but move slightly and make a "hey!" noise. It'll let them know thats not food. Once you have the hamster sitting in your palm eating a treat you can practice slowly lifting your hand. The ham might jump out the first few times so lift slowly.
Eventually you can cup the hamster with two hands and bring it closer to your body. Then you can pet them to your hearts delight!
Once the hamster is more used to your scent and interacting with you, you can hold the treat out with one hand and scoop them up with the other. (Just make sure the hamster is aware of both your hands so it doesn't get a fright) Then you won't even need the treat!
I did all this over the course of about 2 weeks and now I basically pick my hamster up like a claw machine and he's totally fine with it.
I hope this helps! And I hope the YouTube link works but if you type in her name it should come up! :D
Domestic hamsters don’t hibernate; they go into “torpor”, which can be mistakenly identified as hibernation. Their organs start to shut down due to it being too cold, but they often will not be able to bring themselves out of it and can sadly die. You need to slowly warm them with a blanket and your body heat. Warming them too quickly, like with a radiator or too close to a hot water bottle, can do damage too - so gradually warm them and offer small bits of cucumber for hydration as they start to come out of it.
To reduce the chance of torpor:
• use a thermometer in their cage if it’s enclosed - like a tank/wooden enclosure with only the top meshed for ventilation - or next to their cage if it’s a barred one. Make sure the thermometer can’t be reached by your hamster(s) and won’t fall to where they can interact with it.
• regularly check that their cage stays above 16°c at all times and either increase the heating in your house or use a portable radiator in the room they’re in to raise the temperature to around 23°c. It just needs to be a safe, comfortable temperature for them - not too hot or too cold. (Be mindful that the heater/radiator isn’t too close to the cage, as they obviously can’t move away from it).
• add extra shredded, *unscented* tissue as nesting material and have their burrowing area at least 8 inches deep when compacted down - this is important all year round to allow them to display natural hamster behaviours, but it is especially vital when it’s colder.
It’s common for hamsters to come out of their burrows less during the winter, so it’s handy to have a cheap night cam to make sure they are still moving around okay, drinking, getting food, etc. If they don’t come out at all one night, check on them properly the next night to make sure they’re safe and well.
[Video Description: night camera footage showing a Syrian hamster collecting tissue from around his 8,330cm² tank and carrying it back to his burrow at 2:47am.]
i’ve been wanting to get a syrian hamster again for a while, brushed up on all my knowledge on the care needed for them (it’s been a while since i’ve had one, long before i started housing rats) and i’m prepared to gather what i need for the cage (one that i used to house my 2 rat pups in for a couple weeks before introducing them to the main cage and my older rat), but i wanted to know if my rats behaviour would change if i kept a hamster in my room? i wouldn’t keep their cages nearby each other, but i’m worried that maybe the hamsters scent might make my rats aggressive or less likely to trust me if they smell the hamster on me? especially because i know rats can straight up eat smaller animals. i wouldn’t able to keep the hamster in another room due to the cats and dogs who live in my house, so it’ll definitely have to stay in my room with me and my rats. i just wanna be sure on what the outcomes could be, so i can be 100% sure that i can get one without any negative consequences to my rats behaviour!
So I’ve had my hamster for about a week now and things aren’t going great.
He has a large cage with plenty of enrichment (a proper sized wheel, a seesaw, chew toys etc.) but he still displays stressful behaviour (climbing the walls, chewing the bars) he also won’t let me pick him up even though his previous owners had apparently made it so that he could be picked up since they made sure to pick him up every day (but I think maybe it’s just because he was used to them while he’s not used to me).
I cleaned part of his cage today but I couldn’t take him out of the cage because picking him up is so difficult, at one point he climbed out of the cage and in a moment of panic I quickly put him back in, which seemed to frighten him.
I’m feeling worried that I might never bond with him properly since we had such a rocky start, does anyone have advice on how to bond with him, even though he doesn’t seem to like me at this point in time? I’m feeling very lost but I really want to get along with him.
*DISCLAIMER* Most of the resources on this post are from HamsterHideout.com. Below the cut is where I talk about the importance of hamster care and throw in some of my opinions.
Hamster Hideout' collection of resources: http://www.hamsterhideout.com/links.html
Ailments,Injuries & Health:
Weekly Checkup, Importance Of Vet Care, Hamster Hideout's Health Resources Database (resources for US, UK, Europe, Canada, & Singapore), Hamster Hideout's Emergency First Aid Guide, Hamster Hideout's First Aid List, Hamster Hideout's Advice on Treating Hamster Diabetes (1) (2), Hamster Hideout's A-Z Guide on Hamster Illnesses
Behavior & Personality:
Hamster Hideout's Taming Guide
Pregnancy & Pups:
*Note: There are resources on the ethics of breeding, inbreeding, line breeding etc., however I am leaving it out as I strongly discourage the average person to NOT breed hamsters. Reputable breeding is fantastic in bettering the species and keeping it from disappearing, as well as giving people a chance to have a healthy pet—however it is not to be done lightly. I want to start a hamstery myself and become even more involved with the fancy, though even I strongly discourage against it. These resources are for accidental litters, and how to handle them.
Hamster Hideout's Reason Against Breeding, Hamster Hideout's Guide to Handling Pregnancies, Hamster Hideout's Guide on Handraising Pups
Hamster Supplies:
Links on Where To Buy Things, Choosing A Cage, Choosing Bedding, Importance of Cage Size, All About Bin Cages
Species:
Best Beginner Ham?, About The Species, On The Topic Of Pairs, How To Keep Pairs
Food & Nutrition:
What Your Hamster's Diet Should Be, How To Find The Perfect Diet, How To Mix Foods, Commercial Food Mix, Safe & Unsafe Foods, Debunked Food Myths, Safe Plants
Other:
Basic Care Guide, Evacuation Plan, Too Hot? Too Cold?, Responsible Pet Ownership, Debunked Hamster Myths, Singapore Hamster Resources, California Hamster Association (1) (2)
Medical Information Regarding Wound Care, Post-Op Care, and Identifying Illness/Injury. **WARNING: Graphic Images**
Cage size is incredibly important as hamsters needs a lot of space. If you cannot afford to give them the space they need, then the hard truth is that you should not have a hamster. Here are the minimums and recommendations of hamster cage sizes:
German Hamster Forum Minimum = 620 square inches / 3.9 square feet / 4000 square centimeters
German Hamster Forum Recommended = 1521 square inches / 10.5 square feet / 10,000 square centimeters
ASPCA Minimum = 200 square inches / 1.4 square feet / 1290 square centimeters (we disapprove of this minimum and consider it inhumane)
HSUS Minimum = 288 square inches / 2 square feet / 1858 square centimeters (we disapprove of this minimum and consider it inhumane)
@lil-hamilton's Minimum = 700 square inches
@lil-hamilton's Recommended = 900 square inches
Below are a collection of commercial cages that are inhumane to house hamsters in.
Pictured above: Crittertrail, OVO Habitrail Home, Prevue Hendryx 3-Story, WARE Chew-Proof Small Animal Cage, KritterKeeper, OVO Habitrail Loft
Small cages create stress, cause aggression, bar chewing, bar climbing, depression, and lethargy. These cages cannot hold adequate size wheels. The sizes are the equivalent of a human having a average bathroom sized house.
Below are cages that are suitable for hamsters. The 20 gallon below the 40 gallon is not suitable in size and is much to small for a hamster. I only included it in the photo to show the size difference of what a hamster should have.
Pictured Above: 40 Gallon Breeder Tank, 20 Gallon Long Tank, Acrylic Cage, Ikea Detolf, DIY Furniture Hack, Iris Christmas Tree Bin, Ikea Salma Bin, Marchioro For an 82, Kaytee Small Animal Habitat, Marchioro Kevin 82, Alexander Cage.
WHEELS
The photos below depict the issues that come along with using dangerous wheels, and wheels that are much too small.
Pictured Above: Hamster Ball Wheel, hamsters with arched spines, bumble foot vs. normal foot, Wire Mesh Wheel, foot caught in wheel.
These wheels can cause injuries and death, as well as painful deformities.
The wheels below are safe and come in appropriate sizes for hamsters. I have photos of my former Syrian and my dwarf hamster in the same wheel (silent runner) to show just how much room they have.
And on the topic of hamster balls—I don't think they're necessarily bad if used correctly. If the hamster wants to go in it and run, that's fine. Just check in every few minutes to see if they want out or not. I personally don't like them as they're messy and I'd rather have my hamster free-roaming under supervision, but they can be useful when cleaning the cage. I don't find them necessary.
Below are unsafe beddings that can cause hair loss, respiratory infections, breathing problems, rash, strangulation, limb loss, and death. The topic of kaypok bedding is heavily debated as some consider it safe as the fibers are short and can be broken down, but the risk is still there for limbs to get tangled, which is why I discourage it. Some people also think that klin-dried pine bedding is safe, but this process only removes the water and not the toxins and the dangers are still there.
Pictured Above: Kay-Kob Bedding, Pine Bedding, Scented Bedding, Cedar Bedding, Cotton Fluff, Kaypok Fluff.
Below are safe beddings.
Pictured Above: Carefresh Paper Bedding, Kaytee Clean & Cozy Paper Bedding, Granule Bedding, Aspen Bedding, Paper Crinkles, Hemp Bedding.
All of these are safe for use, though note that granule bedding does not allow for tunnel making. Other additions that shouldn't be used as the main bedding but are safe include are eco-earth, untreated organic soil, reptisand, disinfected play sand, and dried reptile moss that has been cleaned. Toilet paper is also a popular nesting material.
FOOD
Diet is important! Hamsters ideally should have 17%-19% protein, 4%-7% fat, and 6%-15% fiber. The problem? No commercial hamster food meets this requirement. So what do we do? We mix foods!
The links above explain how to mix foods and what to look for, but here are some common and healthy foods to consider as part of your hamster's diet:
Seed Mixes:
Brown's Tropical Carnival Natural Gourmet Food for Hamsters and Gerbils, Bunny Dwarf Hamster Dream, Bunny Hamster Dream, Burgess Supahamster Dwarf Hamster Harvest, Burgess Supahamster Hamster Harvest, Carefresh Complete Menu, Hamster Muesli by Pets at Home, Harry Hamster, Higgins Sunburst, Higgins Vita Garden, Mr. Johnson's Supreme Hamster & Gerbil, National Geographic Hamster Entree, Natural Balance Hamster Muesli by Pets at Home, Purina Little Wonders, Scarlett Hamster & Gerbil, Sunseed Sunsations Hamster & Gerbil, Versele Laga Hamster Nature Complete, Versele Laga Mini Hamster Nature Complete, VitaKraft VitaNature, VitaKraft VitaSmart
Lab blocks:
Cuisine Rodent Chunk, Harlan Teklad Envigo (2018, 8604, 8640), Kaytee Healthy Support Diet for Rat, Mouse, and Hamster (Forti-Diet Pro-Health) - Blocks, Living World Green Hamster, Mouse, and Gerbil Food, Martin Little Friends Hamster & Gerbil Food, Mazuri Rat & Mouse, Mr. Johnson’s Advance Hamster and Gerbil Food, Sunseed Critter Cubes, Supreme Science Selective (European Version), Supreme Science Selective (US Version), Versele Laga Hamster Complete
NOTE: None of these foods are suitable by themselves due to nutrition value and/or lack of variety. Not all foods mix well together so do your research and see what works. A popular and simple mix in the U.S. is a 2 pound bag of Mazuri Rat and Mouse food with a 2.5 pound bag of Higgins Sunburst, making the nutrition 18% protein, 6.78% fat, and 7.28% fiber.
ENRICHMENT
Toys! Toys! Toys! A happy hamster is a spoiled hamster. 🐹💕 Provide your hamster with a variety of different types of toys—different woods/twigs, hanging toys, climbing toys, sand baths, loofah toys, toilet paper tubes, cardboard boxes, etc. Not only do these chew toys increase happiness and are safe, they also promote chewing which is vital for an animal who's teeth are continuously growing. If left to grow without anything to wear it down, the teeth will keep the hamster from eating, or even puncture through the jaw/face. If the hamster isn't a big chewer, try hard treats that are safe for consumption like Whimzees, Wet Noses, Fruitables, and Apple Asses horse treats. If the hamster is elderly and has trouble eating hard foods, check-in with the vet regularly to examine the growth of teeth and see if trimming is needed.
BUT WHAT IF I'M ON A BUDGET?
Many hamster owners are and have started off very young with no job, so its understandable if you're limited by your parent's wallet. Be sure to lurk your local yard sales, craigslist/gumtree and mercari/ebay for cheap cages and hamster supplies. Be sure to choose suitable cages and use only plastic items so that they can be completely disinfected. Sign-up your email to your pet stores and stalk any sales, coupons, and price drops. DIYS are also an option for toys, cages, and bedding and they are all over the web. The big thing that shouldn't be bought secondhand is food and opened bedding. Food expires and bedding can carry other hamster scents/diseases. If you can't find a suitable cage within your budget, please wait to get a hamster until you can afford it or find one.
Also keep in mind once you have a hamster of what the monthly/bi-monthly cost of bedding and food should look like, and if you can afford a vet visit during an emergency.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions or need some advice!
At the beginning of last month I got a 8 week old syrian hamster, I was told it was a male by the staff and got to hold him for a while before bringing him home. A week later, it turned out she’s a female- she had 4 babies... I took her back to the shop because I wasn’t able to give them the right care and environment and I didn’t want my tiny floof getting stressed and harming he babies. She was very friendly and even though I had her a week she wasn’t scared of being held (even though I was still nervous and a bit shaky because I haven’t had a hamster for about 10yrs). She was a little nervous about climbing onto my hand herself or taking treats from my palm, which I understand, so I’d put her on my hand from the running ball and then into the cage. I tried scooping her up when she got away one time, but she just jumped over my hands and was very stressed.
I should be bringing her back home in about 2 weeks but she hasn’t been held since and I’m worried she might not be used to it anymore. What’s a good way of getting a syrian used to being handled without being stressed or without being bored and trying to run away? I’m also very cautious of my room because I have cables around and a gap under the door big enough for her to just sip through very easily, would taking her into a dry bath be ok?
