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Old 05-24-2020, 02:17 AM   #1
ootchia
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: england
Posts: 23
Question new housing queries 🌙

hello, i’m back with more questions! a little has developed since my last threads, so i was curious to know the answers.

originally, i was going to make a diy cage, and made measurements for it, leading to 1,110sq inches of floorspace. however, it’s adds up to the cost of £42, but it would probably cost more seeing as we’d have to seal, support and make lots of adjustments, and the building of the cage would be tricky. i am up to the challenge, but my dad, who would probably have to help me, is unbothered and stressed to do so. his work is probably the main cause but he seems stubborn to help, and says we should make a cage out of a small chest of drawers, which would lead to roughly 450sq inches of floorspace. so my mum decided she would buy me an ikea detolf, which costs around £60 for 950sq inches. is this okay? i feel like i shouldn’t downsize it but i can see the diy cage never happening unless i go out and drive to b&q myself. opinions/tips on the detolf? is it okay for both a Syrian or a Dwarf?

pinecones? i would bake them and clean them of any sap. i picked up some really small ones from the forest yesterday and they had no visible sap or bugs on them, but i would definitely bake them first. i thought that i could stuff seeds in them and it could become a boredom breaker.

spineless succulent? i have a small, spineless and fairly plant-like leafy succulent that barely looks like a succulent at all because it doesn’t store water in its leaves. i can send a picture if necessary. it is also rather small and doesn’t need much water. i can’t see it as being physically hazardous, but don’t know if it’s toxic or not.

wood slices? i found some here so I could decorate/do some diy stuff: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NUOLUX-Slic...311459&sr=8-22 if anyone knows any websites that sell things for a natural cage that would be great.

good products at pets at home? just for reference when i go into the store next to buy something, which will probably be for hamsters.

harry hamster food mix? is it okay or should i opt for a different one?

thank you for reading!

Last edited by ootchia; 05-24-2020 at 02:25 AM.
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Old 05-24-2020, 04:09 AM   #2
Petite
Senior Hamster
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Scotland
Posts: 501
Default Re: new housing queries 🌙

I would also like to know about the wood slices. Are they safe, do they need baking, etc? Also, if one was going to stick them together, what kind of glue would be safe for hamsters?
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Old 05-24-2020, 09:44 PM   #3
cypher
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
Default Re: new housing queries 🌙

The detolf is fine for either a dwarf or syrian, you may need an area with less substrate for the larger wheel if you have a syrian in there though, I don't think it's that high but that should be the only issue really.
I have used bought pine cones in the past & my hams were fine with them but I have no idea how you can be sure to make ones you collect safe so it may be better to avoid them.
I wouldn't put any plant in the cage even if you're sure it's not toxic or unsafe, it won't really benefit your ham in any way & just takes up space that could be better used.
I'm not sure about rosewood, I'm pretty sure I've never seen it on any safe wood lists so maybe better to err on the side of caution there & not use it unless someone else knows it to be safe.
No idea about pets at home sorry!
Harry Hamster food is ok for a Syrian but not a dwarf.
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Old 05-25-2020, 02:03 AM   #4
Kyrkogrimr
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Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: London, UK
Posts: 163
Default Re: new housing queries 🌙

Hey ootchia

I've got a detolf and although I can't comment on its suitability for syrians, I can say that Cadmium was very happy in it and Carbon doesn't seem to have any complaints either. Glass sides mean that you can add plenty of substrate (for a dwarf at least) if your hamster is a digger, I've found it very easy to clean and the open top has provided easy access to all parts of the cage as well as giving you space to minimise the "death from above" issue you can have with top-opening cages.
As far as cons, you would need to build a lid to prevent ecapes, regardless of the species of hamster you get, and it is a long, narrow space that could theoretically limit some of the enrichment you could put in there, though neither of these were an issue for me - building the lid was a learning experience! As cypher said, you would need a shallow end to fit the wheel in (unless you did something really complicated with the lid to make it taller, I suppose?) and I initially had some issues with Cadmium chewing on the metal frame when she was a baby (we think an attempt to clear space to extend her burrow?) but that was stopped with a temporary cardboard shield where the chewing was happening and she stopped doing it as she got older. Carbon hasn't shown any interest in chewing the frame so far, so that could have been a Cadmium thing, rather than an issue with the cage.

As far as food goes, all three of my hamsters were really happy with their respective Rodipet seed mixes, so if that's an option I would recommend that. They also sell a millet trio which you could try for additional forage options.

In terms of Pets at Home, I don't know if there's anything that you can't get anywhere else, but if you're there, they sell bendy bridges, seagrass mats and tunnels (i think it's seagrass) and grass nests which have all been popular with mine, and you can sometimes get Rosewood's peck n fly or harvest festival ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) which offers some foraging options. Both of those have flax sprays which was my main reason for buying them as all 3 of my hamsters seem to like flax sprays, though Carbon seems more of a millet boy. I also get mealworms from pets at home.

Hope at least some of this is useful. I'm not claiming to be an expert and would happily accept correction from other members, but this has been my experience so far
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Old 05-25-2020, 06:50 AM   #5
ckristen
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 20
Default Re: new housing queries 🌙

Quote:
Originally Posted by ootchia View Post
hello, i’m back with more questions! a little has developed since my last threads, so i was curious to know the answers.

originally, i was going to make a diy cage, and made measurements for it, leading to 1,110sq inches of floorspace. however, it’s adds up to the cost of £42, but it would probably cost more seeing as we’d have to seal, support and make lots of adjustments, and the building of the cage would be tricky. i am up to the challenge, but my dad, who would probably have to help me, is unbothered and stressed to do so. his work is probably the main cause but he seems stubborn to help, and says we should make a cage out of a small chest of drawers, which would lead to roughly 450sq inches of floorspace. so my mum decided she would buy me an ikea detolf, which costs around £60 for 950sq inches. is this okay? i feel like i shouldn’t downsize it but i can see the diy cage never happening unless i go out and drive to b&q myself. opinions/tips on the detolf? is it okay for both a Syrian or a Dwarf?

pinecones? i would bake them and clean them of any sap. i picked up some really small ones from the forest yesterday and they had no visible sap or bugs on them, but i would definitely bake them first. i thought that i could stuff seeds in them and it could become a boredom breaker.

spineless succulent? i have a small, spineless and fairly plant-like leafy succulent that barely looks like a succulent at all because it doesn’t store water in its leaves. i can send a picture if necessary. it is also rather small and doesn’t need much water. i can’t see it as being physically hazardous, but don’t know if it’s toxic or not.

wood slices? i found some here so I could decorate/do some diy stuff: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NUOLUX-Slic...311459&sr=8-22 if anyone knows any websites that sell things for a natural cage that would be great.

good products at pets at home? just for reference when i go into the store next to buy something, which will probably be for hamsters.

harry hamster food mix? is it okay or should i opt for a different one?

thank you for reading!
I would also like to know about the wooden slices, they look fab!

I have a wooden and plexiglass cage that is about 1,035 sq inches if you would like another option too.

I found pets at home to be good for substrates and lil toys, I got some sand and aspen bedding from there on a deal which was good value. I bought a lil grass nest and some chews too that are great.

I did find that pets corner (i don't know if you have one near you, but they're online too) are great for forage and treats, with lots of options! They have floral and other forage for about £4 which I thought was good!
I also use flax sprays which are cora my syrians favourites! I got mealworms from tesco too in the bird food section.

I ordered some things from rodipet too which was great but a little expensive, I wish I could buy the whole shop though! I found that pets corner stocked similar things though for a cheaper price. I have heard that the rodipet food is the best though so maybe order a few things at once to make it worthwhile!
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Old 05-29-2020, 12:07 AM   #6
ootchia
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: england
Posts: 23
Default Re: new housing queries 🌙

Thank you to all your responses, I will look into Rodipet and the pine cones!
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