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Old 01-06-2015, 07:04 AM   #1
Piebald
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Question Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

Hi
I am considering adopting a hammy--glad I found y'all first!
I have been reading with interest all about the best housing. I am interested in a Syrian having had one ("Piebald") many many years ago.
I would like to know how people in colder climes keep their hammy warm when they are working? I would be out most of the day and cannot heat the house for the hammy! It can get fairly cold during the day. I have kept reptiles before and with them you have temperature zones so they can self-regulate their body heat. The warmer zone was accomplished with a special lamp at one end of the enclosure.
Can something similar be used for a hammy? Should it?
Any suggestions or experiences are welcome!
Thank you
Pie
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Old 01-06-2015, 09:59 PM   #2
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

Will you be using a glass tank, plastic or a cage?
I leave my heating on in the living room where I keep my hams. I put it on a low setting so it keeps the room warm.
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Old 01-06-2015, 10:09 PM   #3
NiceCrocs
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Default Re: Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

It'd be useful to know exactly how low the temperatures get in the room. If there's no thermometer, you can buy a cheap one and use it to monitor the room for a few days. I have one that records the lowest and highest temp each day, for about $10.

If the room stays at or around 60F, there shouldn't be a need to take any steps, except adding lots of bedding and nesting material so your hams can curl up comfortably generally they'll sleep through the day, so a bit of cool weather shouldn't bother them as long as it's not dangerously cold.

If it gets much lower than 60F, then you may consider leaving the heating on at a low level during the day. If you have tank cages, a great option is to buy reptile tank heaters; the stick-on kind that go under the tanks, and placing them on the side of the tank where the hamsters sleep. These are self-regulating, and placing them on the side allows the hamster to move away if they become too warm.
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Old 01-07-2015, 12:19 AM   #4
Piebald
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Default Re: Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

Thanks for the replies.
Lizzy, I can get what ever cage will work best. From what I have read, would I be right in thinking a glass tank would be easiest to warm? Are those big Ikea things able to take the heaters like the reptile heater Crocs mentions? (One of the repeating lessons on this forum is start with the big cage! And I take my critters seriously lol).
Croc that's a great idea to get a thermometer and check the temp although I'll need one that perhaps marks the lowest temp of the day-- oh snap! . . . This would be useful for checking the night temps too when hammy will want to be up.
I'll have a look at the reptile heaters. Can they go under a tank if it is set up to accommodate it? ETA or is that not recommended because it interferes with the ability of hammy to self regulate?
There are also a lot of good suggestions on the forum for microwaving various commercial and home made "heater pads". Has anyone any good or bad experience with that? I use a microwave pad for my elderly cat but it's not something you can put in a chewing rodent house!
How warm is too warm? LOL I don't want to over do it.
Thanks again

Last edited by Piebald; 01-07-2015 at 12:29 AM.
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Old 01-07-2015, 01:08 AM   #5
Candra_Faulkner
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Default Re: Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

My long haired syrian , Toby, lives in a 36 inch long , by 18 inch wide, by 16 inch high All Living Things Reptile Terrarium, ( looks like a fish tank, but not meant for fish) it even came with a locking screen cover...
I keep my room between 73 and 85 degrees.. I hung a thermometer on the wall by his tank.
I put tons of carefresh bedding under his bend-a-bridges, etc... as well as lots of toilet tissue, he loves curling up with soft toilet tissue. He sleeps most of the day and has kept pretty warm with all of that.
If you want to keep him really warm you could get a bend-a-bridge or make a cardboard house (from thick cardboard with the bottom of the house cut out) and put it on top of a thick layer of bedding to raise it up off the bottom of the tank/cage and the hamster can still burrow down in under the bridge or house without touching the cold glass or plastic on the bottom , then stuff loads of bedding and tissue inside, and I insulate the outside of his bridges and house with bedding piled up around it. I never know what the temp gets to when I'm at work, it shouldn't go below 70 though, but we've got a big freeze and bad weather coming so better safe than sorry.
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Old 01-07-2015, 08:23 AM   #6
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

I've always used the cages but I know the tanks and heater pads are popular for rodents.
The bigger the better, when it comes to our little hammies. There's so much choice, probably more online.
My local petshop still buy in tiny hamster cages and whenever I'm in and see them I cringe.
Whatever you decide to go for, make sure there's plenty of substrate, bedding and places that give cover for the hamster to be able to dig and hide.

P.S. Welcome to HC
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Old 01-07-2015, 09:50 AM   #7
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Default Re: Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

I live in Northern Scotland and have my hamster in my bedroom which can get pretty cold in winter. Instead of using the gas central heating, which can get costly and a bit of a waste really if there is nobody else in the house, I purchased a small portable oil fin heater. These are good because they use a low amount of electricity and they come with good safety features such as an automatic shut off (which turns on again when the temp dips) and so on. I keep it on a low heat because the point is not really to make the room hot but to keep it at a reasonable temp for my hamster. I also make sure to close the windows and door of the room if we are out and won't be around to keep an eye on the room temp. I find this works well for me - probably would not be that effective if your hamster is in a very large room though.
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Old 01-07-2015, 01:54 PM   #8
Piebald
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Default Re: Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

Quote:
Originally Posted by Candra_Faulkner View Post
My long haired syrian , Toby, lives in a 36 inch long , by 18 inch wide, by 16 inch high All Living Things Reptile Terrarium, ( looks like a fish tank, but not meant for fish) it even came with a locking screen cover...
. . . .
I insulate the outside of his bridges and house with bedding piled up around it.
Thanks Candra, those terrarium's look interesting. The website mentions an "elevated base" but I can't figure out what that is-- it just looks normal from the pictures. Do you know what that means?

Great idea to insulate the outside of the house too!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thin Lizzy View Post
. . . .
Whatever you decide to go for, make sure there's plenty of substrate, bedding and places that give cover for the hamster to be able to dig and hide.

P.S. Welcome to HC
Thanks for the welcome
I will be sure to give my hammie plenty of substrate and bedding!

Quote:
Originally Posted by RubyDG View Post
I live in Northern Scotland and have my hamster in my bedroom which can get pretty cold in winter.
. . . I purchased a small portable oil fin heater. These are good because they use a low amount of electricity and they come with good safety features such as an automatic shut off (which turns on again when the temp dips) and so on. I keep it on a low heat because the point is not really to make the room hot but to keep it at a reasonable temp for my hamster.
Northern Scotland! Brrrrrrr
Do you mean an oil filled heater? They look like a little radiator on wheels?
I had a look at those they look interesting. Do you happen to know what the wattage of yours is? There is also a flat wall mounted kind which might be good with limited floor space.
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Old 01-07-2015, 03:30 PM   #9
POLAR WHITES
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Default Re: Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

could you place a heat mat like reptiles have under the cage when her nest is that would keep her warmer
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Old 01-07-2015, 04:36 PM   #10
Chonkers2
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Default Re: Keeping hammy warm while I'm at work

I'd love to know what decision you come to. About to move up to Newcastle where it is soo cold at the moment to a student house that's normally fairly cold. I've had a look and some people suggest heat lamps but I worry that these will get too hot?
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