Toys

[Harry08]

Hi i know there are hundreds of toys out there for hamsters but i was just wondering if there are any "must have" type toys or ones which provide great stimulation for them. I know now thanks to people on here that wheels are a definate yes! I think those hammocks are really cute but not sure if they are suggested or not?? Id love to get one for schofield but only if they are good for him. Suggestions would be gratefully received as i get paid on Thursday and cant wait to spend!

[Hanlou]

I have to say I really like This Website - I recently bought some of these:

Puzzle Playground sets which I really like though they are fiddly to use!

Herbert **loves** his Two storey suspension bridge too - as demonstrated here :





You can buy those off ebay too. For wheels, I love the Wodent Wheel Junior for Syrians (wouldnt' use any other for a Syrian to be honest!) and have just bought a Regular Silent Spinner for a dwarf hamster too.

Hope this helps x

[Harry08]

Hi thanks a lot i'll check those out

[happysaz133]

There's SO many different toys out there, the trick is finding the right ones that Syrian's actually fit in. Most tubes aren't a great size for Syrian's these days, so I tend to avoid tubes. There was someone on here who created a thread of the best toys, she was making a website on the best toys on the market for Syrian's, I am going to have a hunt for that thread in just a minute. For the meantime, here's Jasper's 'must haves' or 'most loved' toys.

The suspension bridge/hammock:


Puzzle playground kits:


Suspension bridges:


(old cage)

Now these are 'old style' Crittertrail tubes, which are a great size for Syrians, unfortunately over the years they have gotten smaller and smaller and are only really suitable for dwarfs these days. Mine are close to 13 years old now, and Jasper fits perfectly. He's in the bed in this pic:


I also like the see-saw toys, which Jasper fits through fine...they are the purple and yellow things in this pic.


Of course he also likes cupasoup boxes and toilet roll tubes too! And his ball! Jasper also has the same double bridge as Hanlou's hammy does, but for some reason, he doesn't really like it that much.

[Harry08]

Great thanks. Am definately going to get a hammock type thing and a hanging wooden bridge.
I think im going to try and buy one of those gabber rex cages as they look really nice and a good size. I notice it seems quite hard to get them though??

[happysaz133]

Originally Posted by Harry08

Great thanks. Am definately going to get a hammock type thing and a hanging wooden bridge.
I think im going to try and buy one of those gabber rex cages as they look really nice and a good size. I notice it seems quite hard to get them though??

Yep, they are hard to get. Ebay is your best bet. They are totally worth it though, the space in them is amazing!

[Hanlou]

Lol happysaz it seems Herbert and Jasper are in agreement about which hamster toys are the best then as we've recommended the same things!

Harry08 - yes - the Gabber Rex's are really hard to get hold of now.

In fact I've just done a quick search on-line and haven't been able to locate any at all. The places I saw them before now seem to be out of them altogether. What a shame it is!

The Rody Cavia is a similar size to the 'Rex as is the Zoozone 1 but you would have to mesh the lid because the gaps are too wide in the lid provided and it doesn't come with the inserts the Gabber Rex has. A Rody Rabbit or Zoozone 2 are bigger versions of these cages - great cages but quite bulky. (Our girly Tinkerbell has a Zoozone 2 and you can see this cage in the cage reviews section on here) and again the bar spacing in the lid is too wide for any hamster and would need to be meshed to make it hamster-proof.

Another alternative is the humble 'glass tank' which can be bought quite cheaply as a basic tank to be honest and you'd never have to worry about bar gnawing! I'd say a 30" (2 1/2 ft) tank is the minimum size for a Syrian. Check the ad mags / freecycle etc as they often come up in these - sometimes fish keepers will advertise leaky tanks for rodent lovers as even if not water-tight they make a good home for a hamster! Herbert is a bar gnawer and so lives in a tank with a Duna Fun cage attached:





The only 'problem' with glass tanks is that they are heavy to move around and of course you would have to make your own lid - we made ours with a basic wooden frame and attached mesh to it ourselves.

I've waffled a bit - but it just gives you a few ideas of Gabber Rex alternatives.

[Harry08]

Hi thanks again. He's in an unused gerbil glass tank already as he was a surprise! Its only about 2 feet long by 1 foot wide but its only until i get him something better. It has a lid already from the gerbils so no more DIY yet! We moved the gerbils into bin cages for the reasons like you mentioned the glass tanks are a bit hard for moving etc and cleaning. Id prefer the plastic i think just for ease of getting it up and down etc and getting Schofield used to us. He's staring at me now. Hes very sweet. Hasnt nipped or even testbitten me. He seems very gentle
Will check out the rody and zoozone ones and see what we think is best. Hubby can make the roof bars secure so that wouldnt be a problem. All your ideas and help are appreciated

[arikata]

Originally Posted by happysaz133

There's SO many different toys out there, the trick is finding the right ones that Syrian's actually fit in. Most tubes aren't a great size for Syrian's these days, so I tend to avoid tubes. There was someone on here who created a thread of the best toys, she was making a website on the best toys on the market for Syrian's

I'm building a site about the best toys at the mo and how to make them yourself! Progress is a little slow at the minute as I'm unemployed until October. http://www.freewebs.com/diyhamster/ if you are interested! Much more to come though x

[Harry08]

Great! Thanks i'll check that out too