How long to leave a hamster after complete cage clean?

velliott · 02-10-2018, 09:50 AM

Hi,

I have just cleaned my Syrian hamsters cage out completely and rearranged the levels slightly to suit there function. we bought him from pets at home a week ago so today he was due a complete cage clean.

He explored straight away and began eating and drinking so seems fine. I am aware of wet tail and was just wondering how long to leave him before handling him?

I was also wondering if anyone has any examples if what a hunched back actually looks like? As he often hunches when eating and sitting.

thanks in advance.

cypher · 02-10-2018, 10:44 AM

It's perfectly normal for them to look hunched when sitting or eating as that's their natural posture, a hunch back due to ill health or old age is clearly seen when they're walking around not just when they sit, a bit difficult to describe really but you would notice the difference if you saw it.

In answer to your question, best not to do full cage cleans at all!
You really only need to spot clean pee for the first few weeks, if you have a litter tray (best with chinchilla sand not the pellets sold for litter trays which aren't always safe) your ham will very likely use that if you put it in a place where he pees already which makes life easier still.
You don't normally need to leave them after doing partial cleans but as you've already done a full clean it may take a day or two for your ham to settle in again, he may be fine but over cleaning can really stress them out so it's best to just clean small areas at any one time, don't clean toys or wheels when you clean any substrate away, always leave some of the nest material if you clean that area (unless it's been peed in best left alone as much as possible) & always leave some of the food hoard or replace it in the same place if you clean the area where that is.
Never clean all the substrate either, it's best to mix some of the old in with the new.
Once your ham has had a few weeks to settle in then you may want to do partial cleans, maybe a half or third of the cage every three weeks or so, they really are very clean animals & you don't need to worry about having poo around the cage, they need to eat some of that, it's really only pee & any wet food/veg etc that needs to be cleaned away.

velliott · 02-10-2018, 10:56 AM

thankyou cyper, it is good to know what to look out for.

I put back some of his old bedding in with some new substrate too when I cleaned him out. So his scent should still be there

does this change anything?

cypher · 02-10-2018, 11:08 AM

He will feel more settled if you've put some of the old substrate back in.
How is taming progressing? Id he's been interacting with you I wouldn't stop just because of the clean, if he seems to want to be left alone for an evening then that's fine but leaving them alone when they're not showing any signs of being unsettled by things can just mean taking a step back with taming/bonding so let him guide you.

velliott · 02-10-2018, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cypher

He will feel more settled if you've put some of the old substrate back in.
How is taming progressing? Id he's been interacting with you I wouldn't stop just because of the clean, if he seems to want to be left alone for an evening then that's fine but leaving them alone when they're not showing any signs of being unsettled by things can just mean taking a step back with taming/bonding so let him guide you.

thats good to know, i was worried because the levels were rearranged slightlt too.

it's been going really well, he takes food from my hand and will walk across it to get into his ball. I am planning in beginning bathtub bonding tomorrow. He let's me stroke him while in the cage however sometimes while sniffing my hand will go to nibble, however I give him a gentle blow/move my hand slowly away so he hasn't bitten me yet. I was my hands before stroking so I doubt it's because of food.

cypher · 02-10-2018, 10:58 PM

A little nibble like that is just his way of exploring, they soon grow out of it & it's not the same as biting, I wouldn't blow on him though, just gently move your hand away.

Pebbles82 · 02-11-2018, 04:12 AM

Glad it's going ok. Yes pet shops often tell you to do full clean weekly but it's not necessary and can cause stress. Hope it all goes well now! Which cage did you get? Some are too tall and have fall risks. Pets at home have been known to give a refund shortly after purchase,even if the cage has been used, if you say it's not suitable eg.

velliott · 02-11-2018, 04:52 AM

ok, I read on another forum a gentle blow was recommended as the smell distracts them but will stop now.

I currently have a rosewood pico xl as due to the name I thought it would be large enough. I've put a few levels together so he cannot fall far if he does (he's a champion climber) and he has lots of toys and nibbles to keep him busy. I'm planning on moving him to a bigger cage when he is more settled and I have the money.

thankyou for your help all