Blind hamster toy tips :)

KatiePillow · 12-08-2010, 10:18 AM

Basically, I recently adopted a little dwarf called Alphonse.. but I've realised he either has very limited eyesight or..none. He is a lovely little guy, and now he's tame, he loves coming out of his cage.
The thing is, I want to give him toys to play with, but he knows the layout of his cage, and liess to do circuits etc, to mae sure everything is there, I'm worried that he could hurt himself if I put something new in and he uses it wrong..
he has a sand bath, and a wheel (which he's on constantly) some tubes..but that's it..he seems happy with his little cage (well, a mini duna) but I was wondering if anybody had any tips on adding in new toys, should he be fine with the change, or will he be worried..?

Also, when it comes to cage cleaning, I'm a bit worried that that'll freak him out, since he's got everything in his cage sorted out..So should I do different things there?

He's a lovely little guy, (although he falls over...a lot..) and I just want to make sure I don't scare the little guy.

HamstersAreHardcore · 12-08-2010, 11:01 AM

I would leave it for just now , how long ago did you adopt him ? If it was recently i would leave it for a while as he may have just got used to the cage , and the loss of vision he may find something new and think that everything else has moved.

Im not great at stuff like that so please dont take my opinion until someone like suga souffle or Fluffy Munchkins or Wofunny saY :P

SnickersTheFirst · 12-08-2010, 12:13 PM

From what I've read before it's best to keep change to a minimum. This is because he will adapt to his surroundings and if you change them he could become confused or scared. It's okay to clean him out like a regular hamster but try to keep his stuff in the same place. You may think it's boring for him but once he's adapted to it, he won't like any changes.

fluffymunchkins · 12-08-2010, 01:50 PM

hamsters mainly use there smell and touch senses rather than sight.
Like you said he will learn the layout of his cage so change is best kept the a minimum and if you are adding a new toy, be sure to add only one thing at a time.

Aswell as avoiding toys her can fall off and toys with sharp edges.
Overall, i think you will find he copes very well, just be careful to make yourself heard to avoid startling him

brighthair · 12-08-2010, 01:55 PM

Just wondering about something like this? My hammy loves it, and stands for ages trying to get the food out. He also seems to like just sitting on it, but it's not very big, and if you stand it up, it's really stable. Might be good looking for sort of foodie treats as he can smell them to see where you are IYSWIM?
Woodlands Stuffed Woodroll Treat 100gm | Pets at Home

or these?
Small Animal Vegetable Core Chews by Pets At Home | Pets at Home

oh these sticks are good too, you can leave them flat for them to run over and chew on, or shape into a little bridge/hidey place
Woodlands Small Pet Play Sticks | Pets at Home

Smysha · 12-08-2010, 02:48 PM

I have that wooden roll toy and it's brilliant. The food went awfully quickly though. ¬_¬

I thought that hamsters don't rely on their eyesight but on their senses of smell and touch instead. If you're worried that cage cleaning will freak him out then keep some of the old floor covering and/or bedding so that familiar smell is still there. Just a thought!

brighthair · 12-08-2010, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smysha

I have that wooden roll toy and it's brilliant. The food went awfully quickly though. ¬_¬

I thought that hamsters don't rely on their eyesight but on their senses of smell and touch instead. If you're worried that cage cleaning will freak him out then keep some of the old floor covering and/or bedding so that familiar smell is still there. Just a thought!

After posting this, all I could hear was thud, thud, thud. Went to investigate to find Duke gnawing so hard he was ramming it against the cage

KatiePillow · 12-08-2010, 06:00 PM

lol..thanks for all the tips

I've kept it to a minimum for now,
and I pick him up from from the same place every time I go in his cage, I've taught him that once he smells me, he goes up onto his level, and he seems fine

He does seem to operate fine without his sight, just falls over if he hears something above, I think he is using his whiskers to check for things above him

That wood roll toy looks like a great idea

I think I'll try and get him something like that...he does like food

thanks for all the advice

Just wanna make sure he's ok