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Old 04-16-2017, 11:44 PM   #1
katiekay
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Unhappy Pickles the picky hamster

I had my syrian hamster in a 40g breeder tank for a few months and I could tell the cage was just too small for her so I built her a cage that is somewhere between 1,300-1,400 sq " which is the max size I can fit into my room. I even had to sell my dresser in order to do this for her. I thought the bigger cage would help her, but she is still really obsessed with getting out of the cage.

I have plenty of toys, chews, hiding places, tubes, bridges, a digging tower, a wheel, etc. The bedding is about 8-10" deep so good for burrowing. I usually let her roam around on my bed while I'm on it with her for 20 mins in segments when I can, as well as having her in her ball for an hour or so in segments a night. So she gets out of the cage a decent amount. For a few times now, I have blocked off my bed and other areas and let her roam around on the carpet where I can stand over her and watch her. She absolutely loves it but now that has made her uninterested in being on the bed and in her ball. All she wants to do is roam around on the floor and under the bed and desk but I don't want her under there because of dust or whatever else she may find and pick up and shouldn't be eating or losing her. I get too worried about taking my eyes off of her and letting her be completely free in my room so I only like to do it for 5 mins or so when I've done it. This gets her really frustrated when I just let her on the bed and in her ball instead of free roaming.

I'm at the point of being really frustrated because I'm not sure what else to do.
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Old 04-16-2017, 11:49 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Pickles the picky hamster

I'm not surprised really as neither the bed or ball would hold much interest for her, if you have blocked off an area she can't escape from or go where you don't want her too then make a play area for her with lots of things to explore toys, boxes, even scrunched up paper & change things around to keep her interested.
If you can't keep her from getting under things the way you've set it up now then just make a play pen for her.
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Old 04-16-2017, 11:55 PM   #3
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Default Re: Pickles the picky hamster

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I'm not surprised really as neither the bed or ball would hold much interest for her, if you have blocked off an area she can't escape from or go where you don't want her too then make a play area for her with lots of things to explore toys, boxes, even scrunched up paper & change things around to keep her interested.
If you can't keep her from getting under things the way you've set it up now then just make a play pen for her.
I have the areas blocked off with pillows and shirts and such, so not the best for a play pen. I have her old 40g breeder, would that be okay for a playpen?
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Old 04-16-2017, 11:59 PM   #4
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Default Re: Pickles the picky hamster

It would be worth a try if you put some substrate & lots of toys or fun things in there for her, maybe bury a few things for her to find, it might be a bit small to keep her busy for long but might do for now at least.
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Old 04-17-2017, 12:04 AM   #5
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Default Re: Pickles the picky hamster

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It would be worth a try if you put some substrate & lots of toys or fun things in there for her, maybe bury a few things for her to find, it might be a bit small to keep her busy for long but might do for now at least.
If it won't keep her busy for long I'd rather just put the money towards the play pen off the bat. How can I build an easy, cheap one?
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Old 04-17-2017, 12:58 AM   #6
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Default Re: Pickles the picky hamster

I don't know if you can get similar storage cubes in the US but there's a great idea for making a play pen here.
Stylish playpen
I've also made one out of sheets of correx, cut to the size I want then I just made a hole in each corner & fixed with a cable tie so it folds flat.
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Old 04-17-2017, 01:24 AM   #7
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Default Re: Pickles the picky hamster

With all the hamsters I have had, we have let them roam free around a water-tight hamster proofed room. They love sniffing around the corners and exploring different places! For some reason, I never liked the idea of putting them in an exercise ball, but I appreciate that it is the only option for some. One thing I would say is that I read in my hamster book that you should not keep a hamster in their ball for longer than 15 minutes at a time. Having never used a ball myself, I leave that to your discretion as you know your hamster best.
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Old 04-17-2017, 05:55 PM   #8
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Default Re: Pickles the picky hamster

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Originally Posted by cypher View Post
I don't know if you can get similar storage cubes in the US but there's a great idea for making a play pen here.
Stylish playpen
I've also made one out of sheets of correx, cut to the size I want then I just made a hole in each corner & fixed with a cable tie so it folds flat.
I'll definitely have to look and see if I can get that one here in the US! That looks like a cool play pen. Thank you for sharing that. (:
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Old 04-17-2017, 05:57 PM   #9
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Default Re: Pickles the picky hamster

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Originally Posted by AprilPearl View Post
With all the hamsters I have had, we have let them roam free around a water-tight hamster proofed room. They love sniffing around the corners and exploring different places! For some reason, I never liked the idea of putting them in an exercise ball, but I appreciate that it is the only option for some. One thing I would say is that I read in my hamster book that you should not keep a hamster in their ball for longer than 15 minutes at a time. Having never used a ball myself, I leave that to your discretion as you know your hamster best.
Did your hamsters ever go under beds and such that hadn't been cleaned in a while and if so were they fine? I'm worried about that or her trying to chew on something that isn't good for her. And yes I leave her in her ball for about 20 mins each time so she's never too long without food and water!
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