Barney or Alexander? +questions

capricorn30 · 08-18-2017, 01:53 AM

A couple of weeks ago I adopted a male Syrian, Apollo, from P@H - he had been sold as a perfectly happy young hamster, and then returned 24 hours later, because he 'wouldn't stop screaming'. He was vet checked and uninjured, but had seemingly undergone some kind of traumatic event which had completely terrified him - I was told he had drawn blood from 2 P@H staff.

The staff member I spoke with about him was very concerned about his well being and future, and we hung out with Apollo in the shop for a good half an hour as he relaxed and allowed us to handle him. It's clear he's not a naturally aggressive boy, but needs a lot of time and patience - being stuck in those tiny glass fish bowls at P@H wasn't helping either!

I set up my spare cage for him and left him well alone for a week to adjust to the new environment. The trouble is, the spare cage is a bit too small for when he gets fully grown, and being a tank-style cage I don't think it's helping our interaction as much as a barred cage would. He's got a really thick layer of carefresh, and has made a really elaborate tunnel structure under it, and so doesn't come up to the surface very often! It'd be nice to expand his floor space with extra levels etc.

SO, what I'm really asking is the pros and cons between the Barney and the Alexander? Do they both fit a 12" wheel ok? I know the wooden accessories would need coating. Any wheel recommendations? Free standing, or bar mounted?

I really don't want to mess this little one around, he seems to have had enough stress for a lifetime, and if it turns out that he won't tolerate being handled, then I want him to have as rich an environment as possible. Thanks!

AprilPearl · 08-18-2017, 03:45 AM

Congrats on Apollo

screeching/screaming is, I think, fairly common in young nervous hamsters, particularly when they have first come home and are disturbed. You should leave a new hamster alone for a few days to settle in and calm down before attempting to interact with them. If he was screaming at them within 24 hours, it sounds as though the people who first bought him tried to play with him pretty much straight away, when he was still new and scared. Given that he "kept screaming", they must have continued trying to handle him even after he started screaming. Of course he was going to keep up the screaming as long as the source of his distress continued!

It sounds as though you are being patient with him, which is what he needs and I am sure he will settle down and get used to you. Have you tried putting some toilet paper in your sleeves for a few hours and then putting it into his cage so that he can get used to your scent?

As for interaction, taming sessions generally work better outside of the cage. I tend to find what works best is a smallish storage box (about 40cm X 40cm). Just pop him into the box for about 10-15 minutes at a time and out your hands in there with him. You can try stroking him and letting him walk over your hands - eventually, he will get so used to you he will be scaling up your arms! Other people find that sitting in a bath tub with their hamster helps them to bond.

Both the Barney and the Alexander are great cages. They are roughly the same size and will both fit a 12 inch wheel. You will need to move round the platforms in the Alexander to put a wheel in, though. I think most people remove the wooden platform running along the back.

The Alexander comes with lots of lovely wooden platforms. If you get the Barney, you will probably want to buy or make some more platforms for it. Seeing as this is the main factor differentiating the two cages, I think this should be what your decision largely hinges on. Do you want to make or buy your own platforms, or do you want a cage which comes pre equipped with good platforms?

The Barney is cheaper, but you will probably end up spending money on equipping it with platforms so that will easily make up or exceed the price difference.

The 12 inch silent runner is a brilliant wheel. It is a tad pricey, but is worth it in my opinion. It's truly silent, very safe and also robust so should last a very long time. You can have it free standing, or attach it to the cage bars with the cage attachment (I prefer the latter as this means you can have it higher up and put more substrate under it).

Silent Runner: https://southwest-sugargliders.co.uk...-regular-wheel
Cage attachment: https://southwest-sugargliders.co.uk...age-attachment

SabreRose · 08-18-2017, 04:06 AM

Congratulations on adopting Apollo. It sounds like he really needed a home that would be patient and accept him how ever he is able to live and interact.

I have the Alexander and it is a great cage, but if I'm honest, knowing what I do now, I would have gone for the Barney.
The Alexander is great. Definitely one of my favourite cages I've ever used (if not even my favourite) but it seems to be a lot taller than the Barney but because of the sloped roof you don't get the benefit of all the height.
As well as that, I found all the top platforms make the bottom very dark and my Syrian who lived there (and now dwarf) didn't tendon to use the upper level much. It ended up being better to only use one side of the platform and the ramp.
The Barney is shorter but has the exact same usable space because it doesn't have any sloped roof. Yes it has fewer platforms, but as I said, my hamsters and I think I would have preferred that.
And given that the Barney is cheaper, I would say go with that.

good luck in choosing and I wish you and Apollo the best time together.

SabreRose · 08-18-2017, 04:10 AM

Oh sorry forgot to say. For wheel I 100% recommend the Silent Runner. It's pricey but worth every penny. So quiet and sturdy.
Here's a picture of it in my Alexander. What you can't see from this picture is there is still a good chunk of space between the wheel and the top of the cage.

flowerfairy · 08-18-2017, 10:44 AM

Alexander for me. I love the platforms. I have the silent runner wheel for Robin and it is just great.

Robin the golden syrian

capricorn30 · 08-20-2017, 01:51 AM

Lovely, thank you all!

I went for the Barney in the end, I think it will give us the most flexibility for layouts, and we didn't really need the full 2nd storey! I know Photobucket isn't working (boooo), is there another way to post pics once the cage and all arrives?

AprilPearl · 08-20-2017, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capricorn30

Lovely, thank you all!

I went for the Barney in the end, I think it will give us the most flexibility for layouts, and we didn't really need the full 2nd storey! I know Photobucket isn't working (boooo), is there another way to post pics once the cage and all arrives?

Here you go

How To Embed Photos