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Old 07-03-2022, 02:45 PM   #1
Chesterspal
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Default Too much of a good thing?

Did a whole house cleaning today.

Removed everything, vacuumed it all to the bare walls and wiped the floor and tubing down with peroxide.

Got a chance to weigh my Syrian male hamster for the first time since he arrived. Then he was around 80 grams. Today he weighs in at 185 grams.

Should I be concerned? Is he on target or overweight?

Also did a complete remodeling of his enclosure. Some items that added nothing I tossed. Moved the position of his wheel and the location of his sand box. Re-configured the wrapping of his 3" PVC tubing.

Felt doing so would give him a chance to re-explore things.
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Old 07-03-2022, 02:52 PM   #2
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Too much of a good thing?

Hi. Had you had some kind of illness or infestation? A major clean like that is likely to stress a hamster quite a bit - removes all their familiar scent. Moving things around at the same time could stress him to. How long have you had him? 185g is a good weight.

It's usually recommended to do "partial" cleans though. Eg if replacing the substrate, don't clean anything else at the same time. You can do the wheel as and when and various toys and as when. So something always smells familar.

Even when changing the substrate I don't replace all of it - I keep back some of the clean old stuff and spread it on top so it still smells familiar.

I think of it as the hamsters's home - we wouldn't like to come home and find someone had painted all the walls, it smelled of paint, and they had moved all the furniture around - so it didn't feel like home and couldn't find anything!

They scent mark everything in the cage. Generally it's considered hamsters like everything left in exactly the same place - it's their familiar terrain. Sometimes adding something new can add interest.

How is he after the clean?
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Old 07-03-2022, 04:21 PM   #3
Ria P
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Default Re: Too much of a good thing?

Hmm, yes, i hope he's ok and not too upset.

Isn't peroxide bleach?
Hamsters are extremely sensitive to smell so i hope you rinsed everything really well to remove all traces of the peroxide.

Re: Too much of a good thing?

What do you mean by that? Are you asking if you've overdone it with your cleaning efforts?

If that's what you're asking then the answer is: yes, you have. Big time.
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Old 07-03-2022, 04:48 PM   #4
Ria P
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Default Re: Too much of a good thing?

I appreciate that my previous post was of no help at all.

If you haven't thrown out the old substrate yet, i'd add a layer of it so your hamster has some familiar scent around him.
Should your hamster display stress behaviours, you could move the wheel and sandbox back to where they were before.
I overcleaned when i got my first hamster because i didn't know any better. Never used harsh chemicals though.

Maybe you were referring to his 185g weight as the good thing. His weight is fine and he's by no means overweight.
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Old 07-03-2022, 05:10 PM   #5
sushi_78
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Default Re: Too much of a good thing?

It's not really necessary to use strong chemicals for routine cleaning. Just water to wipe away dust, soap to clean any plastic/ceramic things and white vinegar or lemon juice for urine stains.

Bedding usually doesn't need to replaced fully too often, but you do get dust etc building up at the bottom of a cage. What I do is, every few months (or more often, depending on the hamster), remove all the bedding, empty the cage base of all this dust, sand, seed husks and so on that have collected there. Then put back the cleaner bedding and top up with new.

185g is a normal weight for a Syrian hamster, and Syrians rarely get overweight, so I wouldn't worry about it.
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Old 07-04-2022, 06:25 AM   #6
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Too much of a good thing?

I think in the US people sometimes recommend bleach which generally people on here find is far too strong, unnecessary and can leave reside or odour. Peroxide is different I think. It isn't supposed to smell as much or leave residue - but probably still needs rinsing well. Harmful if ingested but probably not an issue if rinsed well. The main thing is - it isn't necessary really. If there's been no disease and no hamster died in that cage of unknown causes then just soapy water and rinsing is fine for cage cleaning.

It there has been illness or disease then a small pet disinfectant like Johnsons or Beaphar will kill anything. Vinegar won't (some people think Vinegar is a disinfectant but it's not 100% - it will kill some bugs but not all).

It's our human instinct to want to clean everything thoroughly and have everything spanking clean. But for the hamster, it's better to have things done one at a time. And always have something smelling familiar with their scent on.

I think also some US sites talk about moving cage items around regularly to prevent boredom. I think most research shows hamsters prefer stability. And things to stay where they are. They can get bored yes, but can be perked up by adding a new toy (if it doesn't mean moving much to add it) or by adding a new treat stick eg. Or just by more out of cage time.

Anyway - I suspect he may be a bit skitty for a couple of weeks now, so after a full cage clean like that, it's usually a good idea to go back to the "new hamster" regime - ie leave them alone for 2 or 3 days without interaction - or possibly even a week or two. It can take two weeks for them to adjust, relax and feel at home again as it's like a whole new environment. It might take less time than that if the toys weren't cleaned and just in different places.

Let us know how he's getting on!
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Old 07-04-2022, 07:21 AM   #7
Chesterspal
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Default Re: Too much of a good thing?

Hydrogen peroxide vapor has no smell, and is imperceptible at concentrations below a few hundred ppm.
The hydrogen peroxide you purchase at the pharmacy is a solution, which means that a small amount — usually 3 to 7 percent — is dissolved in water. It kills bacteria on contact.


Yes, I meant was he getting too heavy. I noticed his activity on the wheel has declined from what it was prior. His eating is fine so assume he is well.

The change in his activity led me to believe there was something else going on. He was storing food in the PVC tubing, which he had not done prior. That give me the idea his burrowed habitat was deteriorating. It was never cleaned. So, I felt that had to happen. As it was, his poop was mixed with the stored food and there were urine stains in several areas.

I did the thorough cleaning for his benefit. The re-arrangement now requires he do a bit more moving around to get from the sand box to the wheel, etc. The new layout of the PVC tubing means there are now three "hills" to climb, one on each side and one with a sharp turn at the entrance/exit. Again, more exercise to burn off those calories.

I also added two curved steel screens to support the paper fill. One buried under the fill and one as a partial cover/tunnel over the entrance to his "condo" area.

While it may take him time to get used to it, I feel it is much improved over what I had and what I had was not bad.









Last edited by Chesterspal; 07-04-2022 at 08:23 AM.
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Old 07-04-2022, 08:22 AM   #8
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Too much of a good thing?

That is a lovely big enclosure. Where does he nest? Might I suggest adding some more floor toys. That gives them more variety as well and makes life a bit more interesting. I fine the large cork logs are popular (the ones that are open underneath). It’s something to run through but also to climb over with an interesting texture. Because they are large they are also a kind of overhead cover - so they have something to sit under without feeling exposed.

Do you know if he is actually using his wheel? It looks about 8-10”. Is that right? If they don’t use their wheel and don’t get enough activity this can lead to weight gain. It’s difficult to see the wheel size from the photo but sometimes they prefer a larger one and use it more if it’s easier to run in.

Understand that sometimes we need to clean the actual cage - it’s a good idea to not replace all of the substrate though - even if it’s just a sprinkling of clean old stuff on top so it smells familiar.

Also - are those pine shavings? It’s not a criticism and you maybe already know that wood shavings need to be kiln dried and dust extracted (and state what wood it is on the packet).

Hamsters do tend to hoard and even nest in tubes - even large ones. Because it’s an enclosed space and they like to feel secure. Our Syrian has a large rat tube along the back of his cage. He doesn’t exactly hoard on it (his hoard is under his nest which is usual) but he does put special things in it! Like a special chew or treat.

If you add anything to enrich his life, I would suggest a multi chamber hide. There is space for it and they love them as they’re dark inside. It also helps with normal behaviours - they will pee in a different room to the one they nest in and use a litter tray.

You maybe already have one - I can’t tell from the photo.

Please don’t take any of this as criticism - just suggestions . They more enrichment at floor level they have, the more active they are.

It is a worry if you think something is wrong with them and there may be something mouldy in there.
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Old 07-04-2022, 08:48 AM   #9
Chesterspal
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Default Re: Too much of a good thing?

If you check my prior postings you will see an article on the wheel and the digital counter. I know exactly how much he uses it each day/night. It is the largest one KayTee makes, modified with commercial bearings to rotate much easier..

The fill is undyed brown paper.

Here is a pic of the enclosure, unfilled. You can see the condo area he has to play in. This is under the fill. He also has a tube that leads down to the condo and the back is open to the air for circulation.

Without the cover...


Cover in place before adding fill,


I had other items in there but he did not use them at all so they are now gone. I can see him at play with the camera I have installed.
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Old 07-04-2022, 11:24 AM   #10
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Too much of a good thing?

Sorry Chesterspal - I remember now . Sometimes, even when they don’t use things - they like to know they are there - familiarity. Or maybe add some new bits?
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