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Old 04-17-2018, 02:44 PM   #1
Rob
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Default New Hamster HATES CAGE! HELP

Hey everyone,

we got a new hamster on Friday of last week and it is our first. She took her time getting used to the new environment but something I notice is she is waking me up around 3am everyday going NUTS on the cage. chewing the bars to the point the paint has come off... she has chew toys, food water and a wheel, somewhere to hide and everything she needs and all I can come up with is that the cage is to small... it is a starter cage from petland so I wouldn't disagree if it was, but it is to early to get another one? I've heard it can be stressful for her, but theres a fine line between more stress and being in a space thats to restricting... please let me know your input!!

attached 1 photo of the cage and the best shot I can get without waking her of the chewed bars

thanks!
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Old 04-18-2018, 02:05 AM   #2
souffle
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Default Re: New Hamster HATES CAGE! HELP

I'm not surprised she hates the cage. The pet shop has sold you something totally innapropriate for any living creature! It is far far too small and the hamster will be under terrible stress in here.
I would suggest you go out and buy a large plastic storage bin and go about making your own cage for her with plenty space for toys, deep substrate and a larger wheel. It can be done quite cheaply.
Sadly pet shops will advise anything to make a sale
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Old 04-18-2018, 02:40 AM   #3
IamKat
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Default Re: New Hamster HATES CAGE! HELP

Yeah this cage is far far too small, I would try and get her in something else as soon as possible. You could order an Alaska from Zooplus which is one of the most economically priced appropriate cages, but bin cages are a good alternative and you could probably move her in quicker. I'd try and get her out of that cage as soon as possible really, the stress of moving will be far outweighed by the benefits. Hamsters need a lot more space than people generally realise. Also bear in mind when buying a wheel that if the hamsters back is bent it is too small.
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Old 04-18-2018, 07:09 AM   #4
Pebbles82
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She needs a cage upgrade quickly. If you order from Zooplus it could be 2 or 3 days or it could be a week. If you have a pets at home nearby you could go in and bring home a Hamster Heaven or a Savic Ruffy both of which would be fine. That will be quicker than making a bin cage. I wouldn't get anything smaller than the Hamster Heaven. Pets at home also sell the Savic Hamster Plaza and that is an excellent size for a Syrian hamster and about the same price as the Hamster Heaven (the Hamster Heaven has lots of colourful tubes etc which are all pretty useless and most people end up removing them). You'd be looking for an 80cm by 50cm cage (floorspace area) or bigger. Not too tall though as they can fall and injure themselves in tall cages so nothing taller than 45cm or 50cm max.

I did the same thing when we got our Syrian and ended up buying an 80 x 50 cage pretty quickly and he was much happier. Meanwhile you could put the cage inside the bathtub (make sure it's dry and the plug is in) and leave the door open so she can get in and out and run around. And put a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper somewhere on the base of the cage so she can use it to build a big cosy nest in the cage. You'd need to leave it there until you have a new cage sorted and do without baths! Because moving her around will stress her even more.

As soon as you've got a new cage sorted and set up, take the old one back to Petland and ask for a refund and tell them it's not suitable. Is it for a Syrian or dwarf hamster? Dwarf hamsters need just as much space but something lower usually.

PS Assuming you're in the Uk. If you're in the US it's very hard to find good cages and they're expensive so you might need to make a bin cage.

Last edited by souffle; 04-18-2018 at 08:50 AM.
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:50 PM   #5
SimonandSyril
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Default Re: New Hamster HATES CAGE! HELP

Agreed, you have been given false information on the correct size for any hamster. 80 x 50 cm or equivalent (e.g 42x 5is the recommended size stick to that or go bigger when finding a new cage
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Old 04-19-2018, 12:58 PM   #6
CMB
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Default Re: New Hamster HATES CAGE! HELP

Moving her to a bigger cage as soon as possible will be better for her. What kind of hamster is she. All hamsters need a wheel where they can run without curving their back. If she is a Syrian, she should have a wheel about 11 inch diameter. Syrians may be better with cardboard tubes sold for rats/guinea pigs.

Whimzee chews are often chewed more than the hamster wood chews, so having one may be a nice thing for your hamster.
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Old 04-19-2018, 03:22 PM   #7
RodentLove
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Default Re: New Hamster HATES CAGE! HELP

Yup. Cage too small. Don't worry, I let petsmart talk me into a much smaller cage when I first got Herman. His cage rage got so bad that he damaged his teeth on his water bottle. So now he uses a bowl to drink out of.

Please transfer your hammy to a new cage ASAP before any damage happens.

If price is your concern, make a bin cage.

Also... once you get your hamster in a more suitable sized cage, taming should be easy. Before Herman would attack people.

Now he climbs up my arm to smell my arm pits xD LOL
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