"Blizzard" hamster

[Pompompoms]

I think Vinny looks like he's just woken up, he is gorgeous, and Camille is so pretty! i also couldn't decide, this is why I have so many hamsters . Good luck in your choice, I'm really looking forward to meeting your new addition

[RCalabraro]

The new ham is home! Camille was already taken. The only fella they had left was called Situation, so I don't know which pictures of whom were posted previously.

He spent about a half hour surveilling his new digs and then went to sleep. I will take some pics tonight when he wakes up. I still need to get a house for him to sleep in. Right now all he has is a paper bowl with a hole cut in the side :-/

Here is the web album of his new habitat:http://bit.ly/MSlStf

The wheel is very large. I had a hard time finding a wheel that I felt was the right size for an adult Syrian. I didn't like the way Tiberius had to arch his back in the old wheel so I found this wheel which seems big enough that he can have a natural running gait, but not too big for a ham to use. I lined it with cardboard and I'm curious to see how he manages. I'm a bit concerned that his little feet won't get enough traction. If so, I may have to put some kind of other surface down, like spray the cardboard with food-grade glue and apply a layer of rubber microbeads or something. Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful!

You can also see how I ran out of room for the wheel inside the habitat, so I had to cut a hole in the lid. I wanted to put it on the lower tier, but I overextended the "loft" so there was not enough room. I rather like the setup now. It gives him more space to move around inside the habitat, and watching the top of the wheel spin through that gap will be entertaining.

I assure everyone, there's no way he can escape through that gap. I'm going to watch him fastidiously for a few weeks to make sure he doesn't. When I'm not actually watching him with the big wheel (like when I go to bed) I have a smaller wheel that will fit in that gap to the left, on the lower tier. I am quite confident, though, that this setup will work fine.

So now... what to call him?!?!?

I have narrowed it down to "Clyde" or "Thor." For a long time I had the name Clyde picked out for a ham. It's a friendly sounding name for a very friendly little fellow. It is also the name of the tan colored ghost in the old arcade game "Pac-Man." It seems perfect for a ham.

On the other hand, this is the summer that "The Avengers" was released. I presume he was born this year, and since I also adopted him this summer, I thought "Thor" would be a nice way to remember when we were brought together. It would also be awesome when addressing him by his full name, "The Mighty Thor God Of Thunder." Evil trembles when in the presence of The Mighty Thor!

So there you go. Anybody care to vote? Clyde or Thor?


Ron and (insert name here)

[Hamtastic]

That link doesn't work

Unsure what wheel you're talking about, but you can get a Senior Wodent Wheel if he's a big ham or start with a Junior Wodent Wheel. Can't go wrong with those! Plus so many colors to choose from I have 5 Wodent Whels and love them

These have also been suggested by an experienced breeder who uses them for her syrians:
http://www.mortonjones.com/detail.php?product_code=239

Can't vote until I see the ham!

[RCalabraro]

ok I fixed the URL, try it again

[RCalabraro]

yes, that is a nice wheel...

I don't want to bug him. I would like him to wake up on his own tonight. Nobody likes to be bothered when they're sleeping, especially when it's your first "night" in your new place, after a stressful day. I promise I will post tonight.

[souffle]

He sounds very cute.
Without a doubt my hamsters could easily shimmy up the wheel or hop up and slip out the wheel space where it is open. Mine can jump quite far and honestly they can squeeze through the tiniest of spaces. I'd but the cage in the bath at night so if he gets out he will be contained or try and fix a mesh or something over it.
Looking forward to meeting him I like Clyde

[RCalabraro]

I covered the wheel hole with the box I took him home in. Here's the link again to the photo album. The bottom right hand corner, you can see the "before" and "after" adding the box.

http://bit.ly/MSlStf

Now I don't need to hang around to see if he will escape!! By the way, the wheel you see here is a simple wheel that I modified. I took the ball bearing axle from a smaller plastic wheel and attached it to this metal wheel. It spins way smoother than that Morton Jones wheel would. When I spin it, it keeps going and going and going and going and going... and it's almost perfectly silent. Next step will be to attach an electric generator to it, so he can turn some of those calories he burns into usable power, to charge my phone overnight or something...

Will post pics tonight of the li'l fellow, so you can judge whether he's a "Clyde" or a "Thor."


Ron and (insert name here)

[Hamtastic]

His house is neat. I'd think of more permanent wall solutions, as cardboard can be chewed through and moved easily. Maybe attaching an upside down small bin over the wheel area would help.

[Mikayla]

Hamtastic- I wouldn't use those wheels,I hate to disagree with any experienced breeders, but I have heard of way too many hams (I've had one) hurting themselves on crossbars. Those wheels just look like they are calling for disaster.

[Hamtastic]

Yeah, I had the same concern exactly, but apparently these are safe, as the crossbars are separated from the wheel track by the wide axel. I can recommend Wodent Wheels though - those are great and definitely safe.