Gwens Great Escape!

[SnuggleHam]

Gwen's Great Escape! The pictures really tell it all! But to start, I put a piece of cardboard on the inside of Gwen's tanks to stop her from chewing the inner plastic ridge of the aquarium. It can be quite noisy at night! But lately she taken an interest in escaping and managed to get her teeth around the cardboard...





The story ends with me placing her in her hamster ball while I found a sturdy piece of illustration bored and cut it to fit, thus repairing the barrier. She back home safe and sound!

[suga]

Go Gwen :D
they are so clever aren't they, if there's a way to do they find it. Very pleased she is safe and well......

[souffle]

That is a great photostory snuggleham. Gwen should be renamed Houdini! They are certainly very determnined little critters and they sure can climb!

[Hana]

wow shes a good climber isn't she! I really like her cage too, I thought those type of wheels were unsafe because hams can get their feet caught in the grids?

Anyway Gwen is gorgeous!

[SnuggleHam]

Originally Posted by Hana

wow shes a good climber isn't she! I really like her cage too, I thought those type of wheels were unsafe because hams can get their feet caught in the grids?

Some people say they are, but I use this kind of wheel for my syrian and my gerbils and have never experienced any trouble. I wouldn't recommend a wheel like this for a dwarf hamster.

Wheels with the larger spoked such as this, are the ones /I/ feel people need to watch out for.



Of course the other kind of mesh wire wheel should be inspected before purchase to make sure it is not bent in any manner and is working smoothly.

[Hana]

Ok I still wouldn't use it personly, but its your choice. I think its just I'm a bit paranoid and addicted to silent spinners!

[SnuggleHam]

Everyone has their preference. I use SS wheels for my robo's. I use to have one for my older syrian who passed away. I found them to be way to small for a grown syrian hamster. In fact the little yellow nob in the center of the wheel was taking fur off around his neck, and I found it made him arch his backs to unnaturally. I wish they had another size in between that one and the largest used for rats and chinchilla's.

I actually have two large comfort wheels, but Gwen seems to prefer the wire mesh wheel over it. Plus the wire one doesn't rattle like the plastic, and any squeakiness can easily be taken care of with some vegetable oil

[babyboos]

I must admit I had wire wheels as a kid - remember I have had hamsters for well over 20 years - and there was no alternative in the early days.
I used to customise them with wire mesh similiar to this as although I had never had a broken leg from a wire wheel even way back then it did happen and still does, but I was always paranoid aboutit happening.
Maybe one day they will no longer be made, but until then all we can do is ensure mesh is smaller than the hamsters foot and preferably use a solid running surface sich as plastic (comfort wheel) or thread cardboard through spokes. Corrugated cardboard is great as it gives the hamster some purchase for it's footing. The major drawbacks I found to cardboard, and why I used mesh, was securing the cardboard and, it needed to be replaced often as it tended to get soiled.

[souffle]

I find the medium sized silent spinner is OK for the smaller syrians and dwarfs. I am a great fan of the Savic Jumbo Rolly, a great wheel, solid and large with about an 8 inch diameter. I beleive you can get a stand separatly for them but they are readily available in the UK as just the wheel. They are surprisingly quiet too!

[Minicooper]

yes! one time I left hammis's cage open for a few minutes while I got her treats and she was on top of the cage and I wondered how did she do that!