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Old 12-12-2018, 01:47 AM   #1
AxisOkami
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Smile Meet little Pepper

Hi everybody.

I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my little hamham.
I went through to the town my boyfriend lives in (about 1h 20mins away from where I live) on 10 August, 2018. The trip had been planned a few weeks in advance, and the entire reason for the trip was to get my very first furbaby. But a few days prior to me coming through, my boyfriend ended up tearing ligaments in his ankle, putting him out of commission for 6 weeks.
I still went through with the trip, but upon arriving at his home I felt nervous about going to the pet store, as I had no idea what to get for the little hammy I was going to get. Luckily, my boyfriend's mother (who I will call J) took his place in the trip to the petstore. She had helped her two sons raise many a hamster in her day, so having a veteran accompany me put me at ease.

On the drive to the pet store, J told me some facts about hamsters and also made sure I was aware of their not-so-long lifespan, as I was used to dogs who live quite long. I assured her I was aware of the usual 2-3 year life span of the tiny mammals as I had done some research before.

When we got to the pet store, we went to the rodent and small mammal section (which is just as you entire the massive store), and were greeted by an array of rabbits, guinea pigs, skinny pigs, hedgehogs, chinchillas and hamsters.

There were two shop assistants who were assigned to the section, both of whom were currently busy with customers, both of which were buying adorable little rabbits.

I took a walk around the display, noticing a cute little Djungarian hamster roaming around her tank. She noticed me and came closer to the glass, pushed her nose up against it for a few seconds before continuing on with her roaming. I walked around the displays some more, saw two other containments for Djungarians (who were hiding) and another tank filled with the cutest pile of sleeping baby Syrians. I almost took one right there and then, but I was looking for a dwarf hamster specifically.

After perusing the stock J and I picked up a cage and bedding so long, as the assistants were still busy. I noticed the male assistant free up and come over, asking if we needed help. I told him I was looking for a hamster and had my eyes on a Djungarian, and wanted a rather small one. He led me over to the display which said there was a Djungarian in it. He opened it and took the hamster out of his den, handing him to me to inspect.

J and I was quite shocked by the size of the furbaby. He was quite the podgy little baby, seeming to be fully grown and in some dire need of some excercise. I asked if they had any others and he took me to another tank which also had a hiding hamster, just as podgy and a bit bigger than the previous one.

I piped up that I had seen another Djungarian in another tank. The assistant asked which tank and I walked to it. The assistant looked at me as if I was insane, telling me they only had 2 hamsters (beside the syrians.) And that's how a shop assistant and I got into an argument over if a tank had a hamster in or not.

To prove me wrong, he opened the tank and felt in the little house for the alleged animal... and promptly took out the little girl I had seen when coming into the shop. He was quite surprised and handed me the hamster, not uttering a word.

Holding that baby girl was love at first sight, and even though he asked if I wanted to take a look at the previous two, my heart was set on the little one I was holding. In a few minutes the little one had gained the name Pepper, for her fiery but friendly demeanor. As we didn't have the carrier, the assistant helped us put some of the bedding we were buying in the cage and put Pepper in there to explore.

We picked up the other things we needed for the little girl - food, chews, a house, water bottle, toys - and went back home. Giddy like a little schoolgirl I showed my boyfriend the little person and he coached me through setting up her cage properly, being the designated babysitter.

He told me to try and not disturb her for awhile and let her settle in, so I did that and set her in the room to settle in to her new house. A few hours later, she was going insane on her wheel, running into the wee hours of the morning.

The video below is of Pepper in my room at home, playing on my Mushroom chair which is now one of her favorite spots.

https://i.imgur.com/4Djl2xk.mp4


Pepper, on the second night of bringing her home. Tame enough to handle already! https://imgur.com/a/HPrw9gH
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Old 12-12-2018, 02:22 AM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Meet little Pepper

Pepper looks adorable & she was clearly the one for you just waiting for you to find her!
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Old 12-13-2018, 09:57 AM   #3
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Default Re: Meet little Pepper

Aww congrats on Pepper, she's a beautiful little girl
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Old 12-13-2018, 11:00 AM   #4
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Default Re: Meet little Pepper

Congrats on Pepper, she looks so sweet! I can’t wait to hear all about her tiny adventures!

What cage did you buy? I’m asking because most pet shops don’t sell big enough cages for adult hamsters so she might need an upgrade in the future.
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Old 12-13-2018, 09:33 PM   #5
AxisOkami
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Default Re: Meet little Pepper

I know petshops usually don't sell the cages that aren't big enough.
https://familypetcentre.co.za/collec...tform-mar-4291 this is her current cage. I am looking around for a larger cage for her, but here in South Africa there isn't a big variety on items for small mammals and we don't have ikea here so using them to diy a cage isn't possible here.
I'm saving up money to hopefully buy a cage from overseas and import it, or to to buy the items to make a cage myself.
Any reccomendations on cages are welcome!
So far she doesn't seem nervous in the cage she has, no bar biting, no aggression or anything. She seems content but I would like to give her some larger space in the future.

Right now pepper has an obsession of hoarding pumpkin seeds.
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Old 12-14-2018, 12:27 AM   #6
cypher
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Default Re: Meet little Pepper

That cage really is very small, looking at the website you linked to there don't seem to be any suitable barred cages but they do have the Zoozone which would be a much more appropriate size, if it's the one I think it is as dimensions don't seem to be given, it is a bit low though so would need an area fencing off with bendy bridges or something for the wheel (needs to be at least 20cm") then you could put a good depth of substrate (ideally at least 15cm) in the rest. I can't remember what the bar spacing is on the top of that though or if it may need meshing.
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Last edited by cypher; 12-14-2018 at 12:49 AM.
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Old 12-14-2018, 03:49 AM   #7
AxisOkami
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Default Re: Meet little Pepper

I was wondering if this cage would also be suitable: https://pethabitat.co.za/Product/114
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Old 12-14-2018, 04:26 AM   #8
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Default Re: Meet little Pepper

Aww, congrats on giving gorgeous Pepper the perfect, loving home with you! She is absolutely lovely, and I love her adorable, sweet face. I'm so thrilled for the two of you that you found one another. She was apparently waiting for the perfect person to walk by before make her presence known, lol. I am so pleased that she pressed her nose against the cage glass at exactly the right moment, and she got your attention and love instantly. As the saying goes, "the rest is history", lol. I totally understand falling head over heals in love with her; she is a real charmer. Great video and pic of your precious beauty. I look forward to seeing more of her and hearing about all of her grand adventures with you. Have fun with your cutie pie.
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Old 12-14-2018, 05:36 AM   #9
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Default Re: Meet little Pepper

Unfortunately that second cage is still very small but it’s a better size than her current cage if you can’t afford a larger cage yet. You can also use a plastic storage bin to make a bin cage (look for something around 70x40cm or bigger).

I looked on the sites you linked and found some suitable cages.

ZooZone1 (Needs the lid meshing) https://familypetcentre.co.za/collec...=7232485195829

Aqua Szut Terrarium 80 https://pethabitat.co.za/Product/221

Pet Inn Vetro Plus 80 https://pethabitat.co.za/Product/266

Pet Inn Vetro Plus 100 https://pethabitat.co.za/Product/267

VioVet also ship internationally and sell the Hamster Heaven cage.

You’ll need atleast a 17cm wheel or Flying Saucer for a Russian Dwarf, but larger hammies will need a 20cm wheel so that they can run with their backs straight. Look for a wheel that’s made of solid plastic or wood (no bars or mesh)
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Old 12-14-2018, 10:04 AM   #10
mzwiwy
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Default Re: Meet little Pepper

Pepper is so very cute! Congrats to you both!
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