Midsommar is gone aaand

Plumcore · 06-23-2015, 12:13 AM

Can hamsters grow withing 3 days?

Me and my guy went to his parents lodge for Misommar, and we were gone about 2-3 days. Pip was checked on by a friend during this time, and when we came back, she seemed bigger.

I didn't say anything to my guy, but minutes later he goes "Does she seem bigger to you?"

It's kinda nice to see how big she got within a month.

Also, since she now has a gigantic cage the maxi multy duna, anyone got any idea how much carefresh you need for a decent digging substrate? Apparently 10L isn't enough O_O.

Also, im worried with the substrate is too deep, her wheel either won't fit or won't spin. Can she have more substrate on one side of the cage?

cypher · 06-23-2015, 12:26 AM

I'm sure a ham can grow quite a bit in three days1 When we see them everyday we don't realise just how quick or how much they grow!
I've no idea how much carefresh you'll need, it's a long time since I used it but I know a 10l bag isn't much at all.
You could try using something like a bendy bridge, piece of wood or something to block off an area for the wheel with less substrate & then keep it nice & deep in the rest of the cage.

Plumcore · 06-23-2015, 12:37 AM

I'll try that. Might as well get another bendy. The one i have im using as a stand thing, for her to get to the water.

Pebbles82 · 06-23-2015, 01:06 AM

I have to do that because my wheel is almost as tall as the cage. I think sectioning it off with a piece of wood or two or a bendy stick bridge is a great idea and some people fill that area round the wheel with sand as well to make a sand bath area. Then the rest of the substrate can be much higher. I've just sloped my substrate up away from the wheel for now because there's a big tree branch in front of it so can't section that part off. It does make a big of a steep hill for Charlie to go up and down to get to his wheel though

Sectioning it off would be better.

I love the way this one is set up! but it's a bit beyond my creative skills

But it gives you an idea

Obi's natural set up is complete!

Carefresh does come in bigger bags, or you could maybe get a bag of aspen locally and mix it with the Carefresh to make it go further.

It actually works out more economical to have deep substrate because you don't need to do a full cage clean as often - the bottom 2/3 tends to stay dry and you can just spot clean the top (take the odd handfull out and replace it) or when you do a full cage clean just remove the top 1/3 and mix the bottom 2/3 in with the new bedding. This also means it doesn't smell too strange and new to the Hamster as the bottom 2/3 will still have some of their scent.

Plumcore · 06-23-2015, 01:15 AM

Ooooh, that looks nice, and it's actually the same cage. Might actually do the bendy bridge ideea. She has a sand bath, which is kind of small, but she also uses it as a potty, so i don't think a large area works here. Since she also digs, it makes it hard to pinpoint the wee spots in a large sandbath.

Also, the pet store next to my work also sells these awesome natural looking branches for the aquarium and reptiles, think theya re safe for hams too?

Pebbles82 · 06-23-2015, 01:28 AM

If they are sandblasted vine branches they are ok - I have one. But I put mine in the deep freeze for 48 hours first just in case there were any microscopic bugs in it! They can be quite big though! I guess you could saw bits off if it's too big. Mine is 30cm and fits in propped up - there's a picture of Charlie standing on his on Charlie's thread.

As for hamsters growing in 3 days - yes they can get bigger! Ours grew a lot in the first 3 weeks and is now very big lol!

cypher · 06-23-2015, 01:47 AM

I don't think I've seen that natural set up before, it looks really nice & I like the idea of having the wheel in the sand, thanks for the link.

Pebbles82 · 06-24-2015, 01:12 AM

I found it when googling the Maxi Duna to find out more about it - it's rather inspiring isn't it?! I would really like a Maxi Duna but it's not quite tall enough for the Wobust wheel - and I couldn't hang it from the top either.

Plumcore · 06-25-2015, 12:19 AM

I have the Trixie 28cm wheel, and it just barely fits, like less than a cm between the wheel and the top. Pip is kind funny, she wants to use the wheel to climb out, so she clings to the front openings but..ooops...it spins!

Pebbles82 · 06-25-2015, 02:48 AM

Lol! Charlie has tried shimmying up the side of his wheel on his back, which is next to the cage bars - then he found the gap at the top wasn't big enough to get on top. He likes to dive into the second hole up from his branch and slide down inside