Foraging

[Rolobro]

Hi there,
I'm new to the forum, adopted my hamster Sonny a month or two ago. Had a ham as a child but wasn't as good a owner as I'd have liked to have been. Now I'm an adult and obsessed with getting it right and trying to be a good parent to my fur baby so....
Wondered if anyone might know whether some hamsters are more into foraging than others? I have a Syrian ham (Sonny) and have made a few forage type toys for him- digging box, nesting box, treats tucked in loo rolls but he hasn't seemed to be very interested in them. Could just be a personality thing? Sonny has a cage which has his bed, litter area, food bowl and drink and some climbing and chew pieces. His cage has an extension into a bin cage we made which has play area in it, wheel, sand bath, pipes etc. I'm considering whether to re-design the bin cage or add another one on which is based around forage/digging activities as he likes his sand bath and he loves pipes, I'm just wondering if there's anything else I need to put in place to enhance natural behaviour really. Maybe some people have experience of putting dry treats or hamster's meals throughout some hay(? Can hamsters have hay? ) or nice shredded paper substrate so that they keep busy exploring and looking for dinner? There are some very attractive looking natural type forage products (dried flowers herbs fruits etc) but I'm hesitant to buy stuff without doing a bit of research first (I love spoiling Sonny but im a student and money isn't exactly growing on trees) The downside of trying this I suppose is that its messy, potentially expensive and unfound food could go manky. If putting food in other parts of his living space is just going to confuse him or stress him out I'll just come up with another idea to entertain him. Has anyone with a syrian ham had success with the above? What are the best snacks to trial with? I also want to put more hammock/suspension bridge type pieces in the cage if anyone can recommend good products? I made Sonny's current hammock but he's started chewing into it so that's on its way out!
Also has anyone had experience of putting live cress in a hams cage? Do they just gorge on it and get poorly tummies?
Thanks

[Drago]

Hello and welcome aboard!

All hamsters, like humans, are different in their likes and dislikes. Some do seem to enjoy foraging more than others, but all do enjoy it. It's their instincts to like it, so offering as many opportunities to forage as you can is a great idea Hay is debated, but it's perfectly safe to use in your hamster cages. I always use hay in my cages- I could never imagine a cage without it! Just make sure it's not too sharp. Honestly though, I've never experienced, nor heard of a hamster who has gotten severely poked by hay. Dried flowers and herbs are a great addition to the cage, and won't usually distract them from their mix. Go crazy with the herb mixes, just make sure the herbs are safe, and don't offer strong smelling herbs too often. The food is unlikely to spoil in the cage as herbs are often used to naturally preserve foods, so I really wouldn't worry over that in all honesty. Live plants in hamster cages are fine. One member on here in particular has a lot of knowledge regarding plants and hamsters. They're known as Cypher.

For toys and bridges, bendy bridges are your best friend. They're extremely versatile and aesthetically pleasing. They can also be bought just about anywhere which is useful. Good luck with Sonny. If you ever have any other questions, please ask

[flowerfairy]

With live plants i would worry about damp soil ...

[cypher]

As Drago said all hams are different & some will enjoy foraging more than others you also have to find out what your ham likes to forage for, which seeds, flowers & dried plants which is always a bit of trial & error as they don't all enjoy the same things.
Some can be a bit lazy too so if he has a food bowl he may not bother with foraging much, you could try putting just a small portion of his food in the bowl & hide or scatter the rest around the cage for him to forage for.
You can buy dried flowers & plants for small rodents, if you're not sure about a product then just ask here before buying it.
I use some hay, not a lot & have found some hams aren't interested in it at all while others enjoy it. I always freeze hay for a week (minimum 48 hrs but I don't think that's enough) in case of mites or other small bugs/eggs, as well as removing any sharp bits which could damage pouches.
Dried food or plants won't go off so no problem there, you may waste a bit until you find out how much & what your ham likes so just begin with small amounts & remember some things can have a very strong scent so go easy on those, only a tiny amount.
You can offer live cress but only supervised, I wouldn't leave it in the cage, over night would be ok but no longer, they don't usually eat too much of things like that but you need to watch at first just to be sure.
I don't recommend putting live plants or soil in the cage but there are plenty of things you can grow for your ham is you want to have a go, have a look at this thread for ideas.
Sprouts three ways!

[Rolobro]

Brilliant! Thanks for your replies!
Looking forward to trying Sonny with some of these ideas and figuring out what his preferences are

[Thin Lizzy]

Hi Rolobro and welcome to the forum.
Congratulations on adopting Sonny, he sounds lovely and look forward to pics once he's settled.