Where to buy toys

chloelclarke · 10-13-2018, 12:21 PM

Hi everyone!
I haven’t posted in a while! I’m just wondering if people from Northern Ireland can tell me where they order toys and accessories for their hams from? Everywhere I look they charge silly amounts of postage to here even though we’re in the uk! 🙄 I don’t live near any pet shops that don’t cost an arm and a leg unfortunately

TIA!
Chloe and Ron

chloelclarke · 10-13-2018, 12:22 PM

I want to buy him toys that have the natural wood/bark look. In particular I’m lookin for a wheel that isn’t like £20+, I’ve been able to find other things on eBay etc!

Sasha04 · 10-13-2018, 01:23 PM

I didn’t live in Irlenad so I can’t be much help. Amazon sells some cool nature toys and such. https://www.amazon.co.uk/
You can also try viovet.
https://www.viovet.co.uk/small-pets
Hope this helps!

Pebbles82 · 10-14-2018, 09:56 AM

Hello. Yes I think Viovet post worldwide. Zooplus should deliver to Northern Ireland too I think. They have a reasonable selection. Maybe go for 2 or 3 basic toys and then make some? To be honest a lot of toys sold for hamsters are rubbish - some are unsafe and have nails or fall apart. Some are far too small for hamsters. Rat sized toys are better for syrians really - orjust cardboard toys! Kitchen roll inner tubes slit down one side (so they expand) a cardboard tissue box as a hidey place or a shoebox as a house (hole cut for door).

Zooplus also sell a good basic wheel for about £10 - I'll link some of the things I think are good that they sell. Postage can add up but if you buy things all at the same time you should only pay one lot of postage.

28cm Trixie wheel - choice of colour is pot luck (Im assuming it's for a syrian?)
https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small..._wheels/174195

28cm Trixie wood/cork wheel (needs painting with plasti kote to waterproof)

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small..._wheels/609617

Bark bendy bridge (always popular)
https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...tunnels/227525

Rat Sputnik (hangs fromthe roof of the cage - put some bedding in it)

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...ls/dens/209851

Sandblasted vine branch - natural look - good for a ramp/climbing/sitting under

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small.../stairs/300214

These steps are quite large but can make a shelf/platform as well

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...s/stairs/13365

Leif labyrinth house - good for a dwarf - should be ok for an average sized syrian if you pop out the centre panel inside

Not for a large syrian as the door holes are only 5cm

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...n_houses/36374

Grass hammock (unless you're allergic - this really set me off!)

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...rategyid=51572

Rat tunnel - this is a lovely big tunnel - I have one tied to the roof leading from a shelf to a sputnik. The chains aren't safe but they detach and you can use cable ties or sisal string to tie it to the bars. It also has some studs to help attach it to the bars.

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small...at_toys/132219

chloelclarke · 10-15-2018, 06:50 AM

Thanks everyone! Zooplus shipping is £8 which is a bit steep I think considering it’s cheaper for the rest of the UK! Thanks for the suggestions on what to get though! He’s a roborovski btw!
I’ll check out viovet too, but I think amazon may be my best bet!

Ponymad2104 · 10-15-2018, 09:34 AM

Try eBay as well

Pebbles82 · 10-15-2018, 10:51 AM

Much easier for a robo as they're so little and aren't that bothered about toys

The labyrinth house would go down well (our robo has a labyrinth house). They mainly like tubes and tunnels and hidey places and a shelf. And a wheel and flying saucer. Our robo has a 9" wheel and a 7" flying saucer and uses both. He also likes the little hay and carrot cottage and spends ages in it scraping the hay off.

If postage is cheaper from Amazon then you can get most things there. Either of those Trixie wheels in the 8" size would be good. Here are a few of my favourites from amazon!

This is soft and chewable and has lots of holes in

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Bo...h+tunnel+small

Cheese cube - this is popular with robos - check for any sharp bits and sand if necessry

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Bo...er+cheese+cube

This is the carrot cottage

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-Na...carrot+cottage

Our robo ignored all the little houses and just burrowed under the substrate - but when I gave him a labyrinth house he moved into it (nice and dark inside and mimics a burrow with rooms).

This is the wheel

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-Wood...s=trixie+wheel

And flying saucer

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Small-n-Fur...g+saucer+wheel

The other trixie wheel has quite large holes so I decided against in case they got hurt when jumping out and missing the hole! But the 8" wodent wheel has smaller holes and that's good too if you want a plastic one. You can hang those upside down from cage bars (attached with a couple of cable ties) which keeps them stable.

The picture is of the larger wodent wheel but the link is for the dwarf sized one (called the robowheel in Germany)

https://www.petplanet.co.uk/product....27&pf_id=52720

This is what the 8" one looks like. Wodent wheels are hard to find in the Uk

https://www.amazon.co.uk/20-Wodent-W.../dp/B014N5U26Y

Other than that toys like a cardboard egg box with a hole cut out or toilet roll inner tubes etc go down well

They do like a shelf or platform though.

I also use the rat sputnik for our robo as well - hung it next to his shelf so he can climb in - I put the odd treat in it so he goes in there and sits in the bedding sometimes.

chloelclarke · 10-24-2018, 10:23 AM

Thanks serendipity! I’ll have a look at all of these! He isn’t too fussed about toys really, just toilet paper rolls! But I like to have things to keep him busy and climb on for this evening moments of energy! Thanks for the tips on the house - so far he just burrows and ignores his house too!