How to enrich the cage of a hamster who hates my guts..? - Page 2

Merle · 07-02-2019, 08:38 AM

The body of the rack is made out of metal and I have hemp fleece made for rodent cages that's going to be covering the dishrack so no feet can get cought anywhere and there is no dangerous fabric to be chewed

AmityvilleHams · 07-02-2019, 09:23 AM

There's not really a safe fabric unfortunately! I've thought about it, and even hemp when chewed would still have potential holes in it which with hamsters can lead to very serious injuries that just aren't worth it.

Just because something is made for rodent cages doesn't mean it'll work for all rodents, as every species is extremely different and something safe for one species may be incredibly dangerous to another. Even a very safe material like hemp can become unsafe in some forms, like fabric.

Pebbles82 · 07-02-2019, 09:40 AM

I think hemp mat is ok amity - I use it. Hammies will occasionally pull bits off it but mostly ignore it and don't actually chew it. The quality does vary though - some shed more than others. I use the Hugro and Rodipet ones. It's supposed to be safe to chew, but no guarantees as such.

Hmm - no he definitely won't like his house being cleaned out regularly. I would suggest a new house, large enough to fit a corner litter tray inside and still leave plenty of room for nest and hoard. I used a rabbit house once, but a large shoe box would be good too - with a lift-off lid. A lazy hamster will be very precious about his house and nest.

Bathtub sounds good. Or make a playpen? Some people use ballpits as a kind of playpen.

AmityvilleHams · 07-02-2019, 09:54 AM

Hemp mats would be fine, but hemp fleece(an actual fabric)isn't really a good idea and could be dangerous. Fabric is constructed differently than the mats, although a bit difficult to explain without potentially diving into more complicated technical terminology and such!

LunaTheHamster1 · 07-02-2019, 10:15 AM

Hi, you said your hammy doesn't dig but I saw you are using sawdust, have you tried different substrates. I used sawdust when I first had Luna and she didn't burrow/dig around in it. I switched to maegazorb and she burrowed/dug around straight away.

Also I could't tell from the photos but is the top mesh, if so, could you hang some toys from it, I mean something like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4POWE_e-CGc&t=3s

Merle · 07-02-2019, 12:51 PM

Soo, to clear that up: I have hemp mats similar to felt? No fabric. English isn't my native language, so sorry for that confusion.

As I'm living in Germany I'm pretty annoyed by all the Germans who proud themselves on the best hamster care possible because they must spend hundreds of Euros on stuff that's basic in other countries. Money that I sadly don't have.

I can't get any other substrates than wood based ones. I use "Allspan" as many German hamster forums suggest which is normally used for horses which are prone to allergies.
I've tried to get paper based bedding but that's way to expensive for the amount I need in my cage. If anyone knows of websites that have adequate pricing, please let me know! I'd love to have some variaty in bedding materials!

For hanging toys from the ceiling: Yes, the top is meshed but the cage is very tall. A few hammocks work (but again they are made of fabric which is debatable) but other than that I haven't found anything. So I'm open for any tips and recommendations!

I always liked these Sputnik houses but they would be flush to the top of the cage which would be too high for a hamster to reach or let alone jump out of

Thanks a lot for all of your tips so far!

AmityvilleHams · 07-02-2019, 03:01 PM

Thank you for replying! That sounds like the hemp mats which should be fine. Don't worry about not having perfect English, you do very well and even native speakers make mistakes.

Perhaps some hemp bedding mixed in, since that could be easier for you to find even if you go for something grown in Europe. Other members might have some other suggestions too.

hamster thorn · 07-03-2019, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merle

Next week we'll go to Ikea and I'll look around for one of those dishracks to put in as a small level for him to hide under.

I would really recommend you check out rodipet & getzoo, they sell amazing hamster products with great quality, including platforms. They are quite expensive, but you shouldn't really be putting any fabrics in the cage, as a hamster can get seriously hurt from them. If you speak German, I'd really recommend checking out the Hamsterhilfe NRW's ratgeber, because they really talk about keeping a hamster happy in a species appropriate environment

Hamster ABC – Hamsterhilfe NRW e.V.

They also have great cage examples you can take inspiration from

Gehegebeispiele fÃ¼r Gold- und Teddyhamster – Hamsterhilfe NRW e.V.

German hamster care is quite different from other countries, so I'd recommend you look into it too, and see what you think

Pebbles82 · 07-03-2019, 11:41 AM

Yup - Getzoo sell great platforms with two different lengths of leg! Home-made ones are fine too

If it isn't too expensive, I would look at the Rodipet labyrinth house (the big one) - our syrian absolutely loves that and has his toilet in one of the rooms, and uses it.

I got this version with the big hole in the roof/lid with the big terracotta dish. Because then I don't have to take off the whole roof to take the toilet out to clean it! Just the terracotta dish. However, our hammy has now moved his toilet to the far room, so I still have to take the lid off.

They also sell legs for this house, so it can be supported and sit higher up so they can burrow underneath (if they want) without being squashed. That would also make it into a kind of shelf or platform

https://www.rodipet.co.uk/houses/rod...erracotta.html

https://www.rodipet.co.uk/houses/rod...of-houses.html

My experience has always been - nice big house, dark inside - happy hammy

hamster thorn · 07-03-2019, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merle

As I'm living in Germany I'm pretty annoyed by all the Germans who proud themselves on the best hamster care possible because they must spend hundreds of Euros on stuff that's basic in other countries. Money that I sadly don't have.

I mean, I'd honestly disagree. They're just doing what they can for their pets, so yeah, if they really like the way their cage looks or something, they should feel proud. But it doesn't have to cost a lot. Sooo many people build things themselves, and it's not super expensive. I've done it, and I spent like 10 Euro on building a running platform, that I personally think looks really nice and is natural, all while being inexpensive. It also depends on prioritizing. Many hamsters don't enjoy things like sputniks because hamsters aren't climbing animals, can fall easily and prefer making nests close to ground - or in the ground

Besides, they're plastic. Instead, you can order a cork tunnel from zooplus that are really big, natural, and will make the cage look 100 times better. Sure, they cost a bit more than a sputnik, but it's a lot more natural & really nice. Plus, for the fact that it takes up so much space, it replaces the need for two houses (and it's not thatt much more expensive). I know a girl who saved 3 Euro every week, and after a few months, bought a ton of new, natural items, like cork, grape vine etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's the way you look at it and get inspired by it, rather than immediately look down on it. There are always cheep alternatives, you just need to look for them.

That being said, I do get where you come from