just a cute video of some of the boys eating greens <3 Left is my holdback Texas, right two are a pair going to a pet home next month!
I love using those loop d loop tunnels as colony hides , i usually only pht down half of it though (as shown, so the bottom is hollow) rather than the full loop, or flip them inside up and put forage and digging material in em
Pending temp/type eval, I'll place the dove boy in a pet or breeding home, since I'm wanting to remove self/black from my line, as my primary gene focus (dark gray) isn't visable on self)
The argente and blue fawn will be held back till at least 8-12 weeks to evaluate growth, temp, and type.
The main vote against keeping the blue fawn is he should not carry for dark gray, which his pretty adult half brother (Rocky) does. If he shows similar growth rates and similarly impressive type to Rocky, I'll consider holding him back to cross to the rexes, or to a breeder looking to start in campbells who wants argente combos specifically. If he isn't looking as nice as I'd like, and he passes his temp evals, he'll be placed in a pet home as well.
My main vote FOR keeping the argente doe is her color is SOO much nicer than her argente half sister Frankenfurter (Rocky's littermate). Obviously, We'll wait and see on type and temperament. She also doesn't likely carry dark gray though. If she passes everything and looks nice at 12 weeks, she'll hang back to see if she ends up being a good matchup for any of my males.
(for reference Frankie's color is most likely wack due to all the recessives she's probably got hiding in there. She AT LEAST carries gray, but has a 66% chance to also carry black and opal, and a non zero chancw to carry umbrous, moscow, black eyed argente, and recessive mottled - and im probably missing other possible recessives im forgetting atm)
I often hold back hams for months and then realize they won't end up being used in my program, so those will either be offered to breeding homes (if still meeting my standards for breeding quality, just i dont have a good pairing or time to breed another litter), or to a pet home.
sorry if ive posted about this topic before its A Time™️ rn and i wanna infodump
i dont show all available babies and adults when discussing animals with adopters. I show who i'd comfortably adopt to the person based on their specifications and enclosure.
(below cut imma yap about my selection process for placing animals)
A person reaches out looking for a campbells dwarf hamster
I ask if they have any starting questions, or start asking my own about who the hamster will belong to and make sure the person im speaking with is an adult, and then ask about their preferences for temperament, gender, and color.
Then, if i feel like i have some animals that match their preferences, i ask about their enclosure. If im SUPER lucky, they don't have something picked out yet, and in that case i show each ham that might fit their home and my recommendation for that animals housing.
If they have a cage picked out, i only show the animals that i believe will thrive in said cage, and may widen my pool to others in the hamstery that will also thrive in that cage. Owners often backtrack on color/gender preferences and fall for a different ham who meets the rest of their needs better.
obligatory i have a good amount of experience in both breeding and rescuing hamsters, and will be using my perspective in both to shape this view.
*note, this is absolutely smaller than any species of hamster should regularly be kept in modern times, this image is over 50 years old and you are currently viewing a partial nostalgia blog from a vintage cage collector who believes in modern animal welfare*
Hiii sorry for trying to make a heading that shocks people im hoping it convinces you to read to possibly see where this could go to understand my side
Max, Gwen, Needle, Corvid, Tonsilitis, Soyboy, Bruno, Harlequin, the list goes on. These were all hamsters rehomed to me through pet store adoption centers (surrendered or handicapped animals they cannot sell) or, more often, craigslist rehomes. These were my first, and several of my absolute favorite pets I've ever had the honor to own. Max who had an endless stomach and taught me that these little rodents were a gift. Gwen who was a medical anomaly that taught her vet so much about treating hamsters. Needle who hated everyone so much that the power went out the moment he died (which his vet and I say was his last evil deed, with fondness). Corvid who I only had long enough to give him the peaceful death he deserved. Tonsil who was too nervous for this world and for who (might be whom) I wish I had the confidence I have today to do better by him. Soyboy, another animal who simply wasn't designed for this world. The list goes so much farther.
Each of these animals I got the chance to learn from because they needed a new home. Not all of them needed a 'better' home. Several I harmed with my attempts to do better, before I learned that no mammals care is ever one-size-fits-all. I was an incredible owner for several of those animals, but nearly all of them would've benefited from an owner like the one I am today. Only Gwen and Needle were done well, I made extreme errors with every one of my first Syrians.
When I got into rescuing and adopting out hamsters I didn't have the worst time getting hamsters into homes. There weren't many consistently being rehomed near me, so the petfinder got quite a few hits from prospective owners. To the best of my knowledge none of the hamsters homed through my now defunct rescue were ever rehomed, but I would've helped the owner through it or taken back in the hamster if they had asked. I did repeatedly see dwarf hamsters struggle with upgrades, often becoming cage aggressive when the cage was larger than 24"x12".
As I got into the online hamster community more I saw a lot of disapproval towards the idea of rehoming if a pet doesn't fit your lifestyle/can't meet their needs. I watched this demeanor grow rapidly along with the 'minimum', from 450sq inches, to 600sq inches, to now 775sq inches (thats around 40" by 20" for the folks not wanting to google it), while hamster stress behaviors switched from bar climbing to ghosting. This is considered a 'win' by the community because they do not consider extreme reclusive behavior to be stress.
Which leads to where I am as a breeder. I'm unfortunately on hiatus, but my job as a breeder doesn't end when my babies find homes. I provide lifetime support to my homes. Many of my adopters don't need to check in or ask questions after the first few weeks, so for those owners I only get an occasional update. Other owners however, want a working relationship with their breeder, and I love the opportunities I get to make friends who share my interests. As far as how this relates to rehoming, I'm currently experiencing my first rehome of a hamster I sold from my breeding program. I have an adopter several states away (over 300 miles) who simply doesn't feel like she can provide the ideal home for her boy anymore. His needs differ wildly from her last (this boy needs a downgrade, vs her last thrived in a massive habitat), and her schedule doesn't line up with his enough, nor does she feel comfortable doing the process to adjust his sleep schedule to meet hers. We've been discussing this for weeks, and she's been incredible to support him as well as she can until we can find a way to meet to get him to me. Why would I give an adopter hell for knowing their hamster will thrive in a different home? Why would I ever have even a smidge of hostility towards someone prioritizing their beloved pet's welfare when they cannot meet their needs? Would you judge an elderly woman for rehoming a Malinois someone gave them? Would you judge a teenager for surrendering a sulcata tortoise or ackie monitor their parents bought without education to a rescue? Or a parent with young children when their inherited middle aged parrot decides to start attacking the family? Then why would we ever judge human beings for prioritizing their hamster's happiness, even at the cost of their own?
It was devastating for me to have to go from 40 hamsters across 3 species, to 4 cages total. I ended up with 1 dwarf, an elderly girl who wouldn't have done well transitioning to a new home, and 3 Syrians bred by people other than myself who I didn't feel comfortable rehoming because of age or temperament.
Rehoming is NEVER easy, and neither is selling hams. I do both with the most respect for the animal possible, and considering their needs is first priority. I think rehoming should always be considered extensively, but never will I have hard feelings towards someone genuinely wanting to do right by their pet. This is different than animal flipping, hoarding, and people genuinely not caring about their pet, but more often than not people rehome their hamsters for the right reasons.
gonna yap about my breeding plans and hopes for these litters under the cut :3
sorry if ive already used this pic im lazy and dont wanna check <3
Ivermectin (Ivy) got split into a solo rearing bin because she lost her first litter and, just in case it was a baby eating issue, I want to remove her sister as a factor. It's a hefty 113qt bin - my favorite dwarf bin after trying many, couldnt tell you the exact dimensions but i can fully put a 20 gallon long tank inside it, with some space on the sides. I may have lied and called it over 600sq inches bc i was going based on external by accident, sorry if thats the case.
Kieper is staying in with her mate as she's slightly less confident than my other does in their new larger bins, and I'm worried she'll stress trying to raise them alone. Some does will reimpregnate quickly while others wait several months, so regardless of if she does take again I'll remove Grenade and his sons when they wean, so her daughters can nanny or grow out with her.
Assuming both litters go well, here's what I need to hold back:
From Ivermectin/Sam O'nella:
I need to hold back at least one doe, who's a size improvement on her father with a temperament that at least desires to be held, preferably one who shows an enjoyment for being pet and who likes to lick/stash me. This is a sweetness I wish i had the numbers to inforce more strictly, but type is always needing balanced. Ivy's stashed me before, but she's never shown grooming behaviors towards me besides being comfy grooming herself in hand. In a perfect world I'd like to improve on muzzle width, and shoulders, but both parents were fairly middle ground for both traits, so it's an unlikely improvement. I'd also like to select for an improved coat density if I get lucky enough to throw that. Color is mostly unimportant for this litter, other than NO mottleds if I have non mottled options with equal type/temp. The whole litter will carry the color gene that matters to me in the long run, so I can totally ignore the goals for the colors I want to breed for until next gen. Self wouldn't be ideal because gray is nearly impossible to see on self animals (at least on black you could only tell because the silvering was more gray than brown), but they'll be crossed back to agouti based grays anyways so it can be a 'try again next gen' thing.
Kieper / Grenade's litter: Fur density and type are the big choices here, but i am needing to balance temperament because that isn't as perfect in this doe. She enjoys the handling but she doesnt beg for nightly petting and 'nap in dad's hoodie' time. Kieper has the best fur density, and I will only keep daughters nearly as good as her density wise, because I REALLY need a good density cross for the rex line. Poor fur density is often the trait that is hardest to break when its locked in in rex rodents. Her litter will be all self based, black with a chance of dove, red eyed lilac, and blue, but unsure of eithers recessives, so there is a small chance of BEA, moscow, or gray. I'm hoping for mostly, if not all, black so I can try to select against silvering.
anywhoo i yapped for too long, i have a rex agouti male, a moscow REL female, and her rex carrier daughter coming in a few months.. i am Preparing lol
Saucer Wheels: The Good, The Bad, and The Misinformation
Starting out another doozy, I don't imagine y'all on tumblr being crazy but when this hits FB it's gonna be a fight ;;;
One of ladyblobsandco's original lady-blob colony! They were a group of 6 from the same breeder who mentored me, and who were so lucky to be cared for by a friend of mine in Texas.
This is a loaded post, because saucer wheels absolutely CAN be harmful. But so can any upright wheel, because it's not the basic concept that's broken - just the way companies have monopolized them.
This is the original Flying Saucer wheel. It was designed for chinchillas, who weren't well represented for good wheels due to needing a larger diameter wheel than was commercially available at the time.
Notice the structure being more of a plate rather than a cone? This was less important for rock-hoppers, but this wheel trait requires running animals to run on the flatter surface, and not press up into a curve.
This is a laboratory mouse wheel. This wheel is designed to prevent running anywhere but the widest point, where the animal runs in a straight line. This prevents any spine curvature, even using a smaller saucer be restricting the running surface to that of an upright wheel.
This is the most common modern saucer wheel style in the USA, due to it being sold by both of our largest chain pet stores. It is conical, meaning there is no prevention from the animal running close to the center and forcing a curve to their spine.
This smallest size rarely works for any pet rodents, and due to how difficult it is for the animals to turn this size is pretty much useless. This is probably a 4-5" saucer.
A solo dwarf who primarily sticks to the outer edge when running can be safely offered a medium, if they pull in close to the center and curve though, you can literally just attach a wooden hemisphere that replicates the bump on the lab wheel.
this medium size (usually 7 inches) can be used by dwarf hamsters with or sometimes without modification (other than maybe Chinese hamsters, they tend to be too long, and I truly cannot conceptualized the size of one as I haven't seen an adult Chinese hamster irl since i was 8).
These are also unlikely to work well with syrians, I will offer one in a playpen with a syrian though.
I don't recommend this one modified with a colony of dwarfs as they usually like to run together, see if your colony will safely play with this wheel together. If they show little interest in running together, it'd be better to utilize the space for a more group oriented activity or upright wheel with a wide track.
and finally a large of the modern US saucers. These can be used with Campbells and winter whites without modification, but make sure they're on solid ground because they get hard to turn the moment they're leaning at all. Even running at the center they should not curve their spines. Smaller Robos (under 30g) really struggle to push these in my experience, but if you've seen otherwise let me know! I've met some Syrians who can use this without modification, but many do need the added hemisphere to make them use it correctly. These are otherwise fine for syrians when modified, and there is a brand called Exotic nutrition that sells an even larger size if the large is too small for a show line syrian.
(a photo from a friend of mine, this is Garf and he was a pet quality boy out of an outcross I did, he's wayyyyy too long in body and neck but he's a good little gremlin who loves his mom a lot)
There are other saucer style wheels though, here's my thoughts on these, some I don't have personal experience with though so I will note that.
I have a love/hate relationship with these. They are so ideal for a robo colony who like to run together, but that lip makes them collect pee SO badly with campbells, and if your hamster makes wheel maraccas? say goodbye to sleep. I wish they had a softer angle, since they're flay all the way across they have an odd running pattern, but their speed and direction is usually consistant without a curve, so it seems to be something they choose to do?
They usually use wheels less overall in colonies (if well enriched), but when they use saucers they'll sort of take turns being the main runner while the others run around on the upper half. It's very cute and a lot like watching the spinning cups ride at a fair
I'm adding a gif I took from the Hamster Rave account that shows a pair of robos 'playing' on the wheel, look at the top left saucer on the clip. You can see the teacup ride behavior a bit with the others as well.
(interestingly, also note that there's not a single negative interaction between any of these animals in this clip, I'd love to talk at some point about the sheer confidence robos display in groups and how a solo robo would never have been as active as any of these guys are? I'd also discuss what changes I'd make to make hamster rave a more ethical experience for the viewer and animals alike)
Yes, the Heureka wheel is technically a hybrid wheel, but technically by having a curved track it counts as a saucer. If you are aware of european hamster keepers, you probably know and love this wheel. I have no experience with this wheel so i will not give my untested opinions.
I couldn't add the pic of the oxbow saucer wheel, but I also have not tried it and therefore cannot give opinions. I know some keepers who love the oxbow ones, and others who don't. I have my own concerns about the angle of it, but if the ham uses it appropriately that is their decision.
i feel like i had more to say, so i may edit this at some point, but yeah!!! Saucer wheels aren't inherently bad, if your hamster prefers a saucer to an upright wheel and can use it appropriately, its fine to offer as their primary or secondary wheel. No two hams are alike, and thats the entire point of individualizing care.
