About to take the plunge: Pre-hamster checks please

[MattHunt]

Hello,

I think we are going equipment shopping this weekend in preperation for my son's hamster and I'd like your opinions before I muck something up for the hamster's happiness.

So does the list below sound like a good plan?

• Hamster: Male Syrian (ideally not from PAH)
• Cage: Savic Hamster Heaven or similar footprint (bars <10mm apart)
• Bedding: Shredded paper
• 2x water bottles
• Cage cleaner spray
• Trixie excercise wheel 28cm diam
• Wooden enrichment toys such as ladders, tubes, houses.
• I've read about 'toilet houses'. Really?
• Food bowl: any views on plastic vs porcelain?
• Food?: Are there any recommended or conversly 'avoid' products.

Like my fish I also intend Hamster to have various supplements such as veg and fruit.

So, which of the above products are death traps and what have I missed please?

[BorisPasha]

Sounds like you have an exciting weekend planned

You can buy paper bedding here in the UK which is very economical, https://www.fitchrecycling.co.uk/fit...r/bedding.html. It's soft and not dusty.

You shouldn't need to use a cage cleaner spray. Ideally if you need to wipe any marks just use hot water (hamsters have sensitive noses and they use smell to navigate so it's important not to removed their smell entirely. You should only need a pet disinfectant spray if there is/has been illness

Hamsters can usually be toilet trained, so yes buying a corner toilet would be a good idea. You'd want to use chinchilla sand (not dust) in the toilet. This one is very popular http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pe...-sand-15-litre

I prefer a ceramic food bowl. I started with plastic but they used to tip them and the food would be everywhere

Harry hamster food tends to be the food most people use, http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pe...te-muesli-700g

You might want to also invest in a pet carrier, a little more sturdy to bring your hamster home in and always handy to have in case of vet trips. I have http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pe...ladino-carrier but I have dwarf hamsters so I don't know if there would be a better option for a Syrian

[Jeir]

For cage, try the hamster Plaza instead of the hamster Heaven. You can get it from P@H for about £10 more, and it gives a lot more space (and thus, more options for enrichment).

Bedding/substrate: another vote for Fitch. I do give shredded toilet paper (Cushelle - I just found it the least dusty when shredding) for nesting material, but it tends to get mixed in with the Fitch rather quickly.

Wheel: Quite a few people love the Silent Runner wheels. I hate the colours available (=P), so my choice is the Karlie Wonderland/Trixie wooden wheel. It does need to be waterproofed with Plasticote, and the edges sanded down a bit, but once hamsters are potty trained, 'accidents' in the wheel never really happen.

Toilet: The advertised 'hamster potties' are tiny and not very good. Most Syrians probably wouldn't even fit. The base of a plastic storage container, a small ceramic baking tray (I think Poundland still sell them?), or a corner potty as BorisPasha mentioned would be ideal. Try to get one with corners, as hamsters like to aim.

Bowl: I tend to go with ceramic ones. My current Syrian has a small baking tray (his old potty) as his food bowl, as he ended up being a very big hamster who likes sitting on his food. I've also used the container from a dessert (Pots and Co.) as a food bowl.

Food: Harry Hamster, yup. I've looked at others, and they tended to be rather low on things like protein and such. Hamsters also seem to prefer it to other brands as well.

Carrier: The Aladino is a good carrier. =) I had the small carrier before, but my hamster freaked out in it when I had to take him to the vets. He was fine in the bigger (medium) carrier.

[MattHunt]

Thanks.

For a food bowl I am presuming that low and broad/wide is best?

Truly stupid question: for the hamster toilet, a base about 3" on the long side is enough?

So by Monday we should everything except....oh yes....a hamster!

[Coco61]

Food bowl, low and broad is best. Not plastic as it will tip up. The Pots&co ones are great (saved from supermarket desserts) but a bit tall for a baby. P@H standard spotty one is fine. There is a nice one on zooplus with a sloped access but you would need to be ordering other stuff to make the postage worth it.
3" is too small for a Syrian potty. They do like a good dig around. Savic do a reasonable one with top if you buy one of their cages. I use them. A corner trixie is good, just check the size carefully. I didn't and ended up with one for a guineapig or rabbit! It is now in the playpen not the cage!
Fitch is terrific. Delivery is very fast, about 2 days. Just had one last week.
I also use Harry H but add a little of another to stop boredom. Either Nature's Touch from P@H or one from Rodipet for the appropriate age of Syrian.

[MattHunt]

Originally Posted by Coco61

Either Nature's Touch from P@H or one from Rodipet for the appropriate age of Syrian.

Good point, thanks for that. How should the food vary as my hamster ages. I presume it is related to diet needs as they grow older? Do I need to look for changing protein content?

[MattHunt]

Actually whilst I think about: in the world of tropical fish, PAH are seen generally as not having best practice, although that tends to be an unfair generalisation and the reputation is not deserved as an overall condemnation. Hamsters...I know nothing about the PAH supply chain for hamsters nor their quality although we did in 2012 buy a guinea pig from them and the chap in the guinea pig section seemed genuinely devoted to them and the one we selected seemed in very good condition.

I do not want to encourage an unethical supply chain so any thoughts please?

**edit for spelling**

[Coco61]

Younger hams need more protein in their diets and older hams much less. I am no expert but I know that it becomes much harder for them to digest with age.
Protein can be supplemented by a treat of a tiny piece of roast chicken or scrambled egg once week. It is surprising how family meals can take on a hamster's needs. My husband has fresh peas and brocolli pressed on him which he loves and I never eat but the hamsters love both!
Rodipet are a bit pricey but have Syrian foods for under a year and then senior. I use the right one with HH. My last boy loved Nature's Touch but I haven't tried it yet with my new baby as I was ordering from Rodipet so I added their food for a young Syrian. The one for a senior had gone down well with my last boy.

[Coco61]

It depends on where you are. Some people have no choice but to use P&H.
Best breeders will not have litters at this time of the year. More from Spring onwards.
Pets4homes website might be able to help locate a hobby breeder in your area.

[MattHunt]

Thanks.

It is odd how often our fridge aquires a pepper, courgette or sweet potato that we never get to eat, but slices of which are later seen being munched by my Pleco