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Old 05-14-2017, 06:05 AM   #1
tylerandloki
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 11
Question Moving Bernie around?

Hello, my name is Tyler, and I just got my second hamster, Bernie. I ask you not to judge me, the last thing I need to hear is more judgement. Please, say what you will say nicely, thank you
I live in two houses; an apartment and a house. My family and I travel from our apartment to our house on Fridays, and back to the apartment on Sundays or Mondays. It is not an option to stay at the apartment, because we have cats in our house (my parents work in the town the house is in, so they spend time with and feed the cats daily).
Anyway, my first hamster, Loki, recently passed away. He was an abnormal hamster. He was hand tame immediately, never startled or scared, he let anyone hold him, nothing really seemed to bother him. But eventually, he developed a tumour that became so bad that I had to euthanise him. He was a year and a half, so not very young. He traveled with me and my family every weekend, it was never an issue. He had a HUGE cage in the house, and he loved it. Car rides did not bother him, he showed no signs of stress, everything was always good with him. And after he passed, I knew that I wanted another hamster - I am in love with this species. So I got another Syrian, a female, and I still have the same living situation. Bernie (3 months old) adjusted to her new cage (after bringing her home from the pet store on Monday and her new cage today, on Friday) immediately. She didn't even hide away for a few hours like Loki did, she explored the whole night, then went to bed in the morning. Her ears are always up, shows no stress, perhaps a lot of grooming, but I don't remember how much they're supposed to groom. Loki's cancer was so bad that he rarely groomed in the last few weeks of his life. I do not think she grooms abnormally much. She eats perfectly, sleeps well, uses her wheel (I'm enjoying the sound of the 'silent' spinner at the moment ), is happy, climbs, runs around, seems generally healthy and happy, stretches and yawns a lot, but she is not yet hand tamed. On Friday, when I took her to our house (not a long car ride), it also went perfectly, she slept through the whole ride. When I brought her into the cage, she started exploring it, then went to bed after she was done. I keep the room dark as much as I possibly can, in both my apartment and the house, the lights are rarely on at all. My family and I are going to travel from apartment to house for 2 more weeks, then we are staying at our house (with the enormous cage) for the entire summer (2-3 months). After that, I am moving out with my best friend, and am obviously taking Bernie with me. The travelling arrangement will look the same, but it's not for a while (around August).
My worry is: will Bernie be okay? It worked perfectly with Loki, but I'm scared that it won't with Bernie, even though she shows zero signs of discomfort, especially as she adjusts to situations incredibly quickly. In fact, she is taking this much better than Loki, but being the crazy worrier I am, I am still so afraid of hurting my baby Bernie. Currently, she's doing great. Has a very good appetite, she's LOVING her bigger cage, she's climbing up and down in it, she is curious and likes to come say hello when I give her food, she's generally doing quite good at the moment. Changing cages has not at all been an issue so far, but I am still terrified that it will be. Can I do this to Bernie? Is it okay?
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Old 05-14-2017, 08:57 PM   #2
emojimom
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Default Re: Moving Bernie around?

Congrats on Bernie! Syrians are great, aren't they?

I think that we all have to do our best with the situations we have. It's probably not ideal to move her that often, but she might also adjust to it being her normal, you know?

What do you transport her in? I've seen people with bin cages or even tank cages just put the whole cage in the back of the car, so the hamster might be traveling, but they stay in their home. But I also understand that an enormous cage might not be the easiest thing to transport.

I am definitely not an expert. I'm a newbie hamster owner, but I've had pets my entire long life, and I think even a less-than-ideal situation is better than being a homeless pet or a pet in a shelter or pet store, so we have to just do our best to give our pets the best life possible in our situation.

If she doesn't seem stressed, then maybe she is already adjusting? Try to keep some of the same bedding, so she can have her same scent in all places--at home, in the travel container, and at the apartment--that might help her be less stressed. Maybe you can also try to bring some of the same toys, or have duplicates of some things?

Good luck!
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Old 05-14-2017, 10:10 PM   #3
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Moving Bernie around?

Hi Tyler and welcome to HC.
Here on the forum, we don't judge but will offer advice.
Congratulations on Bernie.
Whenever you do these travels always ensure she has substrate and bedding from her cage, familiar smells are important to hammies, extra comfort and placiing cucumber or piece of fruit in the carrier to ensure she's kept hydrated. Your last hammy Loki adapted well and even though all hammies are different, I would do what you did with Loki when travelling. I would suggest you do the tissue trick in her cage and travels. Stuff a load of unscented toilet paper up your sleeves and leave for a couple of hours and then place in her cage and also in the carrier when travelling, do this everyday for a week. You could continue to do when travelling. This gets her familiar with your scent and it's a great way of bonding.
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Old 05-15-2017, 08:30 AM   #4
tylerandloki
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Join Date: May 2017
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Smile Re: Moving Bernie around?

Quote:
Originally Posted by emojimom View Post
Congrats on Bernie! Syrians are great, aren't they?

I think that we all have to do our best with the situations we have. It's probably not ideal to move her that often, but she might also adjust to it being her normal, you know?

What do you transport her in? I've seen people with bin cages or even tank cages just put the whole cage in the back of the car, so the hamster might be traveling, but they stay in their home. But I also understand that an enormous cage might not be the easiest thing to transport.

I am definitely not an expert. I'm a newbie hamster owner, but I've had pets my entire long life, and I think even a less-than-ideal situation is better than being a homeless pet or a pet in a shelter or pet store, so we have to just do our best to give our pets the best life possible in our situation.

If she doesn't seem stressed, then maybe she is already adjusting? Try to keep some of the same bedding, so she can have her same scent in all places--at home, in the travel container, and at the apartment--that might help her be less stressed. Maybe you can also try to bring some of the same toys, or have duplicates of some things?

Good luck!
Hello, and thank you very much for your reply! I transport her in a travel cage (not one of those tiny ones, though, it's quite large). Her smaller cage has two separate parts/floors, though, and it could be possible to detach the smaller part and use that as a travel cage. She seems content in the travel cage, though. But I understand that her own cage may be more comfortable for her. The larger cage is actually as tall as the car I have, and it's wider than the doors, so I can't move that one in the cage, haha.

I do agree with that. Most things are better than those tiny, tiny tanks they have them in at the pet store. I will always do my best to make Bernie's life as comfortable as possible, even though the situation might not be ideal. It's the best I can do, you know? I can only hope that it's enough for her.

I hope that she's adjusting, it very much seems like it. I will keep more of the same bedding in the travel cage and other cage, thank you for the advice, it has been helpful!
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Old 05-15-2017, 08:32 AM   #5
tylerandloki
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Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 11
Smile Re: Moving Bernie around?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thin Lizzy View Post
Hi Tyler and welcome to HC.
Here on the forum, we don't judge but will offer advice.
Congratulations on Bernie.
Whenever you do these travels always ensure she has substrate and bedding from her cage, familiar smells are important to hammies, extra comfort and placiing cucumber or piece of fruit in the carrier to ensure she's kept hydrated. Your last hammy Loki adapted well and even though all hammies are different, I would do what you did with Loki when travelling. I would suggest you do the tissue trick in her cage and travels. Stuff a load of unscented toilet paper up your sleeves and leave for a couple of hours and then place in her cage and also in the carrier when travelling, do this everyday for a week. You could continue to do when travelling. This gets her familiar with your scent and it's a great way of bonding.

Hello, and thank you!
That is some very good advice, I appreciate it. I will most certainly do that, thank you again!
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Old 05-18-2017, 04:38 AM   #6
Hamsterita
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Default Re: Moving Bernie around?

I think that Lizzy gave you good advice.

Some hams don't take changes very good, others are completely fine with them, even some need them to don't be bored. It depends on their personalities.

However with all those travels I would spect her to be a little bit stressed, at least right after the travel. However you and only you will know if your ham is pleased or not. Once you see how is she taking the travels you can try to do something different or not to help her being more comfortable.
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