Hamster Central - View Single Post

InkyPen · 05-19-2017, 05:44 PM

£30 is a big budget for a hamster toy - you can get a whole Alaska cage for that much if you use the right discount codes!

Lolly sticks are a popular building material for hamster enrichment, but if this is meant to be a commercially viable product then you'd be better off making something similar out of plywood (optionally, this can be painted with Plastikote for waterproofing). VanillaHamHam has some really good lolly stick tutorials youtube.com/vanillahamham

Alternatively, the DIY toys from household items thread might provide some inspiration Hamster toys and accessories from recycled household items thread

Something I've been toying with is the idea of pre-made tunnel systems for hamsters (especially those like my Syrian, who is too lazy to dig but likes a nice tunnel!), which can sit underneath the substrate and hence underneath any other toys. The idea came from when a colleague had a Dell monitor delivered to the office, and some of the packaging immediately made me think "hamster castle!". Much to the bemusement of my colleagues I then rescued it from the recycling and took it home with me on the train XD It's essentially formed cardboard with a series of chambers and entrances between them. It's hard to find a good picture, but it was one of these
http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/wp-c...ackaging-2.jpg
http://www.packagingdigest.com/sites...?itok=YZ7oJjO3

I haven't left it in my ham's cage as I'm not sure what all the materials are and don't want it to be chewed, but both hams (Syrian and dwarf hybrid) will happily wander in during playtime and sometimes just sit there and have a nap!

You can also link it back to the natural environment of hamsters, as they naturally create a series of chambers in their burrows, like this http://i.imgur.com/M68zuSA.jpg

Perhaps you could make something similar from plywood?

Let us know how you get on

05-19-2017, 05:44 PM
InkyPen Hamster Pup Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: London, UK Posts: 241	Re: DIY Toy ideas?? £30 is a big budget for a hamster toy - you can get a whole Alaska cage for that much if you use the right discount codes! Lolly sticks are a popular building material for hamster enrichment, but if this is meant to be a commercially viable product then you'd be better off making something similar out of plywood (optionally, this can be painted with Plastikote for waterproofing). VanillaHamHam has some really good lolly stick tutorials youtube.com/vanillahamham Alternatively, the DIY toys from household items thread might provide some inspiration Hamster toys and accessories from recycled household items thread Something I've been toying with is the idea of pre-made tunnel systems for hamsters (especially those like my Syrian, who is too lazy to dig but likes a nice tunnel!), which can sit underneath the substrate and hence underneath any other toys. The idea came from when a colleague had a Dell monitor delivered to the office, and some of the packaging immediately made me think "hamster castle!". Much to the bemusement of my colleagues I then rescued it from the recycling and took it home with me on the train XD It's essentially formed cardboard with a series of chambers and entrances between them. It's hard to find a good picture, but it was one of these http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/wp-c...ackaging-2.jpg http://www.packagingdigest.com/sites...?itok=YZ7oJjO3 I haven't left it in my ham's cage as I'm not sure what all the materials are and don't want it to be chewed, but both hams (Syrian and dwarf hybrid) will happily wander in during playtime and sometimes just sit there and have a nap! You can also link it back to the natural environment of hamsters, as they naturally create a series of chambers in their burrows, like this http://i.imgur.com/M68zuSA.jpg Perhaps you could make something similar from plywood? Let us know how you get on __________________ Inky the Hamster on Instagram (with guest appearances from Flora the Rescue Dwarf Hybrid)