Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Navigation
Front Page
Forum
Gallery
Wiki

Ads by Google


Go Back   Hamster Central > Hamster Central Forum Topics > Housing

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-14-2020, 02:29 AM   #1
peculiarplanets
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 170
Question Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

Hiya! Not sure if this is the right part of the forum for this, but here goes.

So my Syrian hamster Jupiter has been with me for 3 weeks now. She's still shy so I'm working on getting her tamed and she's been showing slow progress. The only thing I've cleaned so far was this cardboard tube that she used as a nest when I first got her (she has since moved to another hiding place). I can't seem to find her "spot" so I'm thinking about getting her out of the cage once she's more comfortable around me so I can try and find her spot and clean some things.

But here's the thing: I've previously only had Russian dwarfs who were very tame from the beginning (RIP Chica and Melon). Thus I could easily get them out of their cages and do some cleaning. I used to put them in a hamster ball but as years passed I started to doubt the comfort of those things. My parents still have an old cage lying around that's not that big but might be suitable for Jupiter to stay in while I do the cleaning.

Now my question is: where do you guys leave your hammies while you clean their homes? And how would you go about getting a hamster out of a cage when she's not fully tamed yet?
peculiarplanets is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2020, 03:03 AM   #2
LunaTheHamster1
Cosmic Hamsters
 
LunaTheHamster1's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,593
Default Re: Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

I would try a mug/cup to transport your hamster from one place to another. When cleaning, you could put your hamster in a safe closed off place of your house, a big (ish) cardboard box (close by in case it chews it's way out!) playpen, a small cage or hamster carrier, even a bathtub. For all of these places you can put some toys/hides in, you can use boxes from the recycling etc. I tend to have my hamster's nearby when I'm cleaning their cage out so I can keep an eye on them.
__________________
Cosmic Hamsters YouTube Channel
LunaTheHamster1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2020, 03:42 AM   #3
peculiarplanets
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 170
Default Re: Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1 View Post
I would try a mug/cup to transport your hamster from one place to another. When cleaning, you could put your hamster in a safe closed off place of your house, a big (ish) cardboard box (close by in case it chews it's way out!) playpen, a small cage or hamster carrier, even a bathtub. For all of these places you can put some toys/hides in, you can use boxes from the recycling etc. I tend to have my hamster's nearby when I'm cleaning their cage out so I can keep an eye on them.
Thanks for the reply! I hope I can get her to go into the mug..
peculiarplanets is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2020, 04:20 AM   #4
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by peculiarplanets View Post
Thanks for the reply! I hope I can get her to go into the mug..
Put some seeds in the mug if she doesn't want to go in. Hamsters are very motivated by food and treats!
Ria P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2020, 04:33 AM   #5
LunaTheHamster1
Cosmic Hamsters
 
LunaTheHamster1's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,593
Default Re: Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

Quote:
Originally Posted by peculiarplanets View Post
Thanks for the reply! I hope I can get her to go into the mug..
Not had a hamster yet that wouldn't!
__________________
Cosmic Hamsters YouTube Channel
LunaTheHamster1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2020, 05:54 AM   #6
peculiarplanets
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 170
Default Re: Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

I'll give it a try!
peculiarplanets is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2020, 10:53 AM   #7
Pebbles82
Hamster Antics
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 23,533
Default Re: Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

It depends on the hamster. Our first syrian would happily go to sleep in his pet carrier with a blanket over the top when I wanted to sort his cage. Our last Syrian wouldn't and was desperate to get out. With him I set up the playpen and left him in there so I could easily pop in and check on him every few minutes. You need a secure playpen for that. Either way I find it better that they are in a different room from the cage as they know you're messing with their cage and it upsets them!

To get her out, try a tube with a bit of cheese or cucumber at the far end and put the other end over her house door. When she walks in the tube, put your hands over each end and lift the tube out. Have something next to the cage - eg hamster ball - and take one hand off and put that end in the hamster ball so she walks into the ball - then pop the lid on. You can then transport her where you want to put her while you sort the cage. But I wouldn't leave a hamster in a ball while doing it.

Also don't do a full cage clean Just the substrate. You can do any other items another time - it helps that something always smells familiar or they get quite stressed. I also keep back a bit of the old substrate that's clean and spread it on top of the new - it helps them settle a lot easier after the change.
Pebbles82 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2020, 11:25 AM   #8
Petite
Senior Hamster
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Scotland
Posts: 501
Default Re: Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

Be a bit wary of playpens and carriers. We use both at different times for cleaning, and the latter for transporting to the vet. When I bought the playpen, I didn't think Theo would ever be able to get out, but since then I've seen her scaling the top, even though she's a dwarf. We keep an eye on her all the time she's in it now. As for pet carriers - Theo is a chewer, found a small moulded hole in the side of the carrier, and chewed away at it over the weeks until it was big enough to get her head through! A bung in the form of a cork worked well.
Petite is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2020, 02:50 PM   #9
Engel
Hamster Addict
 
Engel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Shropshire, UK
Posts: 923
Default Re: Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

if im not touching the nest then I leave the hamster in the cage as they normally don't leave their nest. Unless its my robo then its a bit more difficult because hes super interested in what im doing so I put him in a carrier or a small bin cage with his wheel and house.
Engel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2020, 12:26 AM   #10
peculiarplanets
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 170
Default Re: Cleaning cage: where to leave the hammy?

Idk about leaving her in her nest, since she's warming up to me and I don't want her to be scared of hands messing around in her cage. Jupiter is quite a chewer as well so I think a second smaller cage would be a good option for her to stay in while I do the cleaning
peculiarplanets is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
shes, cage, cleaning, hamster, tamed, thing, spot, find, jupiter, things, leave, clean, tame, put, ball, beginning, easily, chica, cages, years, melon, rip, lying, guys, question

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.43 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Copyright © 2003-2022, Hobby Solutions
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:52 AM.