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Old 03-17-2017, 01:52 PM   #1
princessbear
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Smile Advice preparing for a new hammy!

Hi everyone,

Whilst I am not a new member here I do need some advice on a couple of things.
After the sad loss of Bear in January and a short break from the hamster world I took a visit to my garden centre last week where they had just got some new babies in! Of course I chose one and she'll be coming home in a week.
However I am a bit uncertain with some things even though this is my second Syrian ham. Firstly the cage I have is a maxi duna multy, I am thinking this may be a bit big and daunting for a 5 week old(ish) but wanted to know everyone else's opinion? I don't want to buy another cage really but I could easily section half of it off, the cage was bought after Bear was about 6 months old so I don't really know how a young one would be in it.
Also any taming tips would be wonderful. I am a bit nervous with this because Bear was the most lovely hamster out there, she was handled after about 1 minute after buying her (accidentally when she chewed out the box!!!) and never bit anyone in her life - to be honest I never really had to tame her. I know the place i'm getting new hammy from is very good and handle the babies everyday ( the same place I got Bear from), the one I chose was apparently the liveliest and very nice to handle so hopefully it goes well.
Thank you for reading if you got this far!!
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Old 03-17-2017, 10:38 PM   #2
cypher
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Default Re: Advice preparing for a new hammy!

I think the cage will be fine, as long as you put plenty of deep substrate to dig in & enough hideouts & a good sized house (with no base) your new ham should soon make itself at home & not be overwhelmed by the space. It's open space more than the amount of space that tends to unsettle them.

All hams are different in character, confidence & the amount of time taming takes so try to let your new ham guide you & go at her pace.
Begin with the tissue trick & give her a day or two to settle just talking to her quietly then begin interacting, if she seems ready sooner that's fine but if not don't worry, just be patient.
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Old 03-18-2017, 03:08 AM   #3
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Advice preparing for a new hammy!

I think it will be fine too! As Cypher says just make sure she has plenty of substrate to dig enough - fill the base to the top (if you get Fitch it works out cheap and lasts for ages and hammy's love it).

When setting it up maybe go for quite large toys like rat sized tunnels and a large-ish house then she will have plenty of hidey places and dark areas to go as well.

I would suggest - a big house at one end.
A platform like this, at the other end (it's a good size and quite tall so will easily sit above 17cm or more of substrate!)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Natu...living+shelter

That will give her something to sit under without feeling exposed from the top and also something to climb onto. A couple of bendy bridges are always good as hides or a ramp up to the platform.

I used to have this house in Charlie's old cage at one time It's not big enough for a rabbit by any means. Because it's quite tall it can sit on the base of the cage and have the substrate all piled up round the outside (plus some inside to lower the height), which keeps it stable and the right height for a hammy. Plus the roof lifts off so you can check inside.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ferplast-84...n+rabbit+house

Or you can make one out of a shoebox. Cut the bottom out of the shoe box and cut a hole for a door in one of the long sides and keep the lid as a lift-off roof.

You could also maybe have a rat sputnik hanging from the roof to break up the space in the centre of the cage. It means it would come out when you opened the lid (so would need to be near the back hinges so it didn't catch) but that's ok as long as your hammy isn't in it at the time! Fill that with some bedding as well. It will hang quite low over deep substrate so be easy to climb into and give some extra "cover" so it doesn't feel too exposed.

And then a wheel obviously! Assume you already have a wheel.

But no I don't think it will feel too big if you fill it up well lol! You have loads of space to play with and these big cork tunnels are great. Best to put them in the freezer for a week first in case anything microscopic is alive in the cork.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-7640...ds=Cork+tunnel

As these things can add up a bit costwise, I would get the platform and cork log and a couple of bendy bridges and make the shoebox house and have other cardboard boxes or kitchen roll tubes in there too (slit the kitchen roll tubes down the side so they expand).
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Old 03-18-2017, 06:07 AM   #4
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Advice preparing for a new hammy!

So good to hear you'll be bringing your new ham home soon, totally agree with Cypher & Serendipity. The tissue trick is great and I recommend it.
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Old 03-18-2017, 06:55 AM   #5
princessbear
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Default Re: Advice preparing for a new hammy!

Thank you for the great advice - will make sure I have plenty of toys and things for her! Tissue trick is definitely something i'll try
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Old 03-18-2017, 07:01 AM   #6
princessbear
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Default Re: Advice preparing for a new hammy!

serendipity - thank you for those amazing suggestions - will definitely be giving a few of those. Yes I do already have a wodent wheel but I do feel a bit of a hamster spending spree coming on! What size sputnik do you recommend?
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Old 03-18-2017, 08:02 AM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Advice preparing for a new hammy!

Well a rat sputnik would be very big for a dwarf hammy but it would hang down low so easy to get in and out of and you could fill it with bedding. A hamster sized one next to a shelf might be ok so your hammy could get in from the shelf. It would hang higher so they might jump out of it - but that would be ok as long as there was nothing hard or sharp to land on nearby
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