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Old 10-31-2019, 11:43 AM  
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: Are Harnesses and Leashes Okay/Safe for Hamsters?

Have a look at the thread "Let's see your cage" under Housing on the Forum for ideas.
It took me quite a while to set up my Syrian's cage so he'd like it because not all hamsters like the same things. He doesn't burrow but likes to sit on shelves which took a while to figure out.

They need their house to be bottomless and to sit on top of the substrate and not on a shelf because they like to build a big nest sunk into the substrate, well, most Syrians do anyway. Wood is preferable to plastic because it "breathes" whereas plastic can "sweat". Or use a cardboard box, shoe box is ideal. Cut the bottom out and a big enough entrance and use the lid as a roof that lifts off so you can check inside if needed. A plastic corner toilet is handy too once you locate your hamster's peeing corner for easy cleaning.

I like the big blue wheel by the way.

The cube thingy hanging off the roof i'd take out because a hamster can get tangled in it and if its fabric its not suitable in any case. You could replace it with a sputnik for overhead cover and create access to the sputnik via a shelf or the platform.
You could add a sand bath if you haven't got one already.
I like the long bendy Trixie ladders you can do lots of things with and with a barred cage you can add degu shelves for the hamster to sit on or under or a coconut hide is popular because hamsters seem to like round things. All on Amazon.

When i set up a hamster home i buy lots of staff from a pet shop (keep receipt) or Amazon but don't open it.
I sit down and look at the cage and stuff i've got then make a plan for a set up. I then keep what i want and return the things i don't want to the shop to get the money back.

What kind of cage do you have? I like the front doors which make life so much easier.

Sorry, if i mention anything you already know or have but i get carried away when writing and need to look at your photos again to refresh my fading memory.
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