Hamster monkey barring - please help

[Pepperpotssyrianlover]

Hello everyone,

I am a new hamster owner but my family have had hamsters and so I have grown up around them. I got my hamster 5 days ago and she is amazing but I am worried that she is stressed and need some help.
Last night when I returned her to her cage she started climbing her bars and monkey barring. I was worried and returned to check on her in the night and when she saw me she started to do it again. She comes out of her cage every night for at least 2 hours and has a large pen. We got the biggest cage the pet shop sold W59, H25, D38 and she has loads of toys and chews. She seems otherwise really happy (grooming in our hands, falling asleep and stretching when held etc) but I am worried that she is stressed and also worried she may hurt herself.

Please help! I want her to be so happy.

[LunaTheHamster1]

Hi and welcome, I am guessing by your name your hamster is a syrian? I'm also guessing as the cage was from a pet shop that those measurements are in cm's and not inches?. If so, the cage is probably not big enough for a syrian, especially a girl syrian. The height worries me, because if it is 25cm, you might not have a correct sized wheel for a syrian.

Are you able to post a pic of the cage and her set up and maybe we can help with some ideas to help., but you may need to get a bigger cage, but if that is not an option at the moment I am sure we can suggest other things that may help.

[Pepperpotssyrianlover]

Hello,
Thanks for your reply.
Yes it’s in cm.

She has a larger wheel arriving tomorrow (21cm) and has a saucer that she uses in her play pen.

I have attached a picture.

[AmityvilleHams]

21 cm is nowhere near large enough for Syrians unfortunately. You'd need a 12 inch wheel - around 30.5 cm I believe.

[Pebbles82]

Hi there. Similar thoughts here. In the past smaller cages were the norm but in recent years the general view is that Syrians need a cage of at least 80 cm by 50 can floor space and an 11” diameter wheel. Female Syrians can be particularly active and need a lot of space. The cage isn’t too bad a size but it is bound to have a small wheel and that can be one reason they start bar chewing an monkey barring to get out. Because they have over you energy. They can’t run that well in a small wheel and it can cause them back pain. And then they won’t use it and get pent up energy. The smallest wheel for a Syrian is about 8” diameter. Most cages only come with a 6” wheel which is only big enough for dwarf hamsters.

They also need a couple of weeks settling in time with a new cage, to scent mark etc - without any major changes and it’s usually recommended not to clean them out during that two weeks to avoid stress. You can just spit clean the pee area after a week or so though.

Timing is tricky. Ideally you wouldn’t want to change the cage again too soon and give her three weeks or so to settle. But it depends on the behaviour. If she gets really stressed in the smaller cage it’s less of a stress to upgrade sooner.

You could get an 8” wheel for this cage (it should fit) but then you’d need to fork out for another 11”‘wheel after upgrading the cage. Some females can be quite large as well abd need bigger houses and tunnels etc.

Which country are you in? I can’t think of a Uk cage that is 25cm tall. It can be very difficult finding good sized cages but we’re lucky in Europe that there are a few good choices and there is one good choice in the US that is a reasonable price.

Something like the hamster heaven is about the minimum size for a Syrian but for a female I would go a bit larger than that if upgrading.

For now just keep giving her plenty of out of cage time, lots of substrate and plenty of paper nesting material. It’ll need some decisions about a wheel though.

[LunaTheHamster1]

Sadly, that cage is too small, so whatever you do may not resolve the monkey barring.

Are you able to get a larger cage and return that one and get your money back?

Also. even a 21 cm wheel is too small for most syrians, you need to be looking at the 28cm+ ones, eg. 28cm Trixie Wheel.

To be honest there doesn't look like there is a lot to keep her occupied in her cage. This doesn't necessarily need to cost you more money. You can look through your recycling and see what boxes/tubes you can use. Egg boxes can make bridges/tunnels or cut up to make boredom breakers.

This is a video I have on boredom breakers that may help:

Making 6 Of My Favourite Hamster Boredom Breakers | Cosmic Hamsters - YouTube

You could add more bedding, go as high as you can go, especially if she is monkey barring so if she suddenly drops she doesn't have a big drop.

Does she have a hide to sleep in, I can't see one in the photo, it may be under the shelf?

I hope this isn't overwhelming you, many people find themselves in the same boat as you.

[Pepperpotssyrianlover]

Apologies - the cage is actually 30cm high (not that much better b a little).
Ok thanks for all your advice that’s really helpful.
I’ll see how she goes with her new wheel over there next few weeks and then upgrade my cage. Of course if I become more worried in the meantime I will do it sooner.
Thank you!

[Pepperpotssyrianlover]

I’ve just measured the cage - I looked at the one I thought I brought online but had the wrong size.
It is actually 69W, 42H, 49D in cm

[Pebbles82]

Ah I thought looking at the picture that it might be the Pets at Home “large” cage. It is not that bad. And would be fine as a starter cage abd I also think the 21cm wheel will be fine for now as well. You can think about upgrading later. Longer term a 28cm wheel would be better as they run much better in a bigger wheel. It is the most common choice but the main thing is that they run with a straight back.

Luna has a good point though. If you got it from Pets at Home they should take it back and allow you to exchange it for another cage which would save some money. People have done this before. The way to do it is contact then and say the cage isn’t suitable/big enough for a large Syrian abd you would like to exchange it for xyz cage. And to get your hamster moved into the new cage and then return the other one. This has happened before abd it depends on the store how helpful they are. Pets at home do sell the Hamster Heaven and the Savic Plaza and both are good Syrian cages. Both also have a big front opening door which can make a big difference when taming and interacting with your hamster. Much easier than top access.

If they will do this then you might want to return the 21cm wheel and get the 28cm one. But the trixie 28cm is only about £9 and it can be good to have a spare wheel.

The other alternative, if you can afford it is to leave her in this cage for now as a starter cage, and then keep it as a spare play cage eg for when you’re doing a cleanout - when you upgrade the cage. It could also be good as a travel cage if you ever take the hamster with you on holiday. And it’s a good cage for a dwarf hamster if you ever think of getting one.

Oh and by the way - welcome to the forum! Looking forward to meeting your hamster - it’s a friendly forum with many experienced owners - don’t be put off by our enthusiasm about cages etc!

[Ria P]

That's the pets at home xl which is the largest cage of their own make. The very cage i bought for my first Syrian hamster and later upgraded to the Alaska.

Some hamsters monkeybar simply because they like to. One of mine monkeybars across her cage at speed and does one paw turns. I put a sputnik up thinking it would put her off but no, she monkeybars through it.

Just make sure there's plenty of substrate and no sharp edges should she fall.

I have a Syrian who climbs when he sees me to get my attentiont and like yours, he gets plenty of out of cage time. When he realizes that i won't let him out again he goes on his wheel, especially when i turn the light off.

If you want to upgrade her cage later, you could have a look on Gumtree for a good second hand cage. The going rate for a Hamster Heaven or Alaska is £25/£30.