Hot but avoiding anything I do to try and help

Vespertine · 05-24-2017, 05:34 PM

I need advice about my dwarf hamster and keeping her cool. Today was 25c and she has struggled doing things that my other hams have only done when it's been super hot i.e. laying outside of her bed in either her sand bath with legs/feet splayed out behind her or laying on her back to try and cool down.

I'm really worried about how she's going to cope when it gets hotter in the coming months.

She seems to deliberately avoid the things I've put in the cage to help her
Ceramic pot - won't sit in it
Cool tile - walks around it
Cold water in bottle - refused to drink it when offered then avoided it until it had warmed up
Cold straight from the fridge veggies - sniffed and still there untouched 3 hrs later

Suggestions?

Drago · 05-24-2017, 06:01 PM

If I converted that correctly, it's about 77° Fahrenheit which isn't all that bad to be honest. It's not ideal, but it's just a few degrees over what's considered "room temperature". Does she appear to be hot? If she really was hot, she'd utilize her resources. I wouldn't really worry over it unless she seems really bothered by the heat. You can't really force her to use it, only offer it and hope she will. Hamsters are tough little animals so I wouldn't stress yourself out over it. Best wishes

cypher · 05-24-2017, 10:08 PM

25C is hot for a ham but my dwarf hams mostly stay underground if it's hot & just go in the sand bath if they want to cool off.
The main thing is to keep the room as cool as possible, windows & curtains closed & fan on but not directed at the cage.
The idea of cool tiles etc is to help keep the overall temp down in the cage not for your ham to sit or lie on them, the sudden change in temp if she was hot would probably be too much for her.

FelicityAnn · 05-25-2017, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vespertine

Cold water in bottle - refused to drink it when offered then avoided it until it had warmed up
Cold straight from the fridge veggies - sniffed and still there untouched 3 hrs later

Just a couple of suggestions:-

Here in Spain we almost never drink ice-cold water in the summer. It's because the body has to work even harder to bring the cold water up to body temperature, so in the long run you feel hotter.

As hamsters use their sense of smell and taste rather than sight, perhaps they can't smell or taste the veggies until they warm up. It's like us with tomatoes - straight from the fridge they taste of nothing, but warmed up to room temperature, they regain their taste.

Just my opinion...

FluffyHamsterButts · 05-25-2017, 01:26 PM

SUGGESTIONS!

- Ice cubes in their waterbottle - do this when they are awake
- A frozen water bottle in their cage, unless your hammy is a wild chewer. Even if they don't go near it, it keeps the atmosphere cool.
- A cool sand bath ready 24/7
- Keep your cage out of direct sunlight.

cypher · 05-25-2017, 10:14 PM

I wouldn't put ice in a water bottle or give a frozen bottle.
Just try to keep the room & cage cool but not too cold!

FelicityAnn · 05-26-2017, 08:35 AM

You could put the frozen water bottle OUTSIDE the cage. That would make that area a bit cooler. If a hamster 'snuggled up' to a frozen bottle, the paws could get stuck on it and frostbite could follow

FluffyHamsterButts · 05-26-2017, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FelicityAnn

You could put the frozen water bottle OUTSIDE the cage. That would make that area a bit cooler. If a hamster 'snuggled up' to a frozen bottle, the paws could get stuck on it and frostbite could follow

I just took it from erinsanimals. I forgot to mention that you need to always watch with it in the cage

AmityvilleHams · 05-26-2017, 10:24 AM

At the end of the day,nobody is perfect,including those who are very popular within certain communities.We can certainly take this as something to learn from though,so in a way it's actually good that you mentioned it(although it shouldn't be used at all inside the cage,supervised or not).

FluffyHamsterButts · 05-26-2017, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

At the end of the day,nobody is perfect,including those who are very popular within certain communities.We can certainly take this as something to learn from though,so in a way it's actually good that you mentioned it(although it shouldn't be used at all inside the cage,supervised or not).

Thanks! Im really glad It was pointed out as now I know not to. I was about to put it in, but two warnings means its probably unsafe. Again, thanks so much, you potentially saved my hamster