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Old 04-23-2017, 09:22 AM   #1
PanLuna
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Default I feel like a newbie all over again!

Hello everyone! I used to be part of this forum, but I was more of a lurker than a participator. I last posted in March 2013! That seems like forever ago. I came on here to make a new profile and then remembered I already had one. It made me sad, because it reminded me of my past hamster (The reason I signed up in the first place)

So here I am, new all over again. On 4/21 we brought home a new hamster which is a black eyed cream Syrian. She did come from a pet shop. Normally, that is the last place we'd go for animals, but she and I clicked in the shop and I did not want to leave her in the small cage. She is approx 6 months to a year (according to them), but I have no real idea her age.

I named her Mogget. The name comes from a book series I like called The Old Kingdom trilogy by Garth Nix. (The first book is called Sabriel). In the book Mogget is a mischievous white cat.(Not truly a cat, but you'd have to read the books...)

This is day 2 since we've had her, so I have handled her a little. She's not scared, per say. I use the wheel to pick her up. Once with me, she's fine. She is easily spooked still by sudden movements. She is so alert, listening for any new sounds.

Her food right now is Oxbow (what she had at the store) but I am going to mix that with Higgens and possibly ween her off to another block type food. Any suggestions? I'm in the USA.

Top view of tank: (It is a WIP. The wheel is too small, but "works" We are replacing it tomorrow. The green house might be replaced with a wood house if we can find one big enough. She needs more toys if we can find some suitable. Our stores don't have much.)


Front view:


Mogget:


Thanks so much for reading,
Mogget & PanLuna

---

This was my last intro: [My how times change.]

Hello everyone,

Just found this website. I'm apart of forums for my other furry friends, so I figured I should find a hamster forum as well! I would still consider myself new to the hamster world, though I know the basics. I have owned a couple as a child and a couple years ago I had a Russian Dwarf that died of old age. After wanting another for a long time, my husband finally gave in.

I'm 28 years old. [Almost 33 now] I'm a stay at home wife. We've got 11 pets. 5 guinea pigs, 3 rats, 2 cats and 1 hamster. It's a zoo, but the animals keep me sane during the day while my husband is at work. [We only have 4 pets now. Still the 2 cats, plus 1 more and Mogget. Old age eventually got everyone else.]

I still want more pets. >.< [I still have this feeling, but I must resist.]

About me, I love to read and write and I'm fond of collecting dolls. I love TV and movies and reading on forums like this. I'm usually a lurker. [Same, but I'll try to post more.]

Nice to be here! I hope I can learn some stuff, so I can make my hamster's life better. [Same!]
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Old 04-23-2017, 09:45 AM   #2
Drago
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Default Re: I feel like a newbie all over again!

Hello and welcome back! Glad to see you've decided to get back into hamsters

What size cage is your little one in currently? The green house is okay, but wood is always preferable obviously! If you can't find anything in stores, try checking out online places like Amazon. Or you could even make your own wooden box out of untreated pine or poplar wood! If you can't get wood, cardboard shoeboxes with the bottom cut out works quite well as a hide. I notice you have some of the "potty litter" inside of your hamster's litter pan, this is unfortunately unsafe as it's clay/crystal based and could cause harm if ingested Luckily, this is easily fixable! Sterilized children's play sand or, even better, chinchilla bathing sand (not dust) can replace the litter and I think you'll find that your hamster will be more inclined to use it your hamster would definitely benefit from more bedding, for a Syrian, 8-10 inches should be the bare minimum, but 12+ inches is optimum. I'd recommend switching to a high variety, high protein mix like Hazel/Harry hamster, Higgins+Mazuri, or a proven homemade mix. You'll definitely notice your hamster's overall health improve when given better foods! All of these mixes are easily found in the US. As for your wheel, the best you can get is the 12 inch silent runner, but the wodent wheel, trixie wheel, and CSE wheel all come in close seconds. Good luck with your new hamster, and if you have any other questions, please ask

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01AF...cmL&ref=plSrch
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Old 04-23-2017, 10:03 AM   #3
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Default Re: I feel like a newbie all over again!

Definitely change the potty litter to high quality Chinchilla sand(Tiny Friends Farm ideally,ordered off Amazon,if you must use Chinchilla sand)or sterilized sifted children's play sand.Storebought potty litters are not safe,being made of clay and other things that just aren't safe for hamsters or the overwhelming majority of animals if we're being completely honest Clay based litters are even harmful to cats!

Oxbow is one of the least appropriate foods available for hamsters.They make appealing claims,but the ingredients just aren't species appropriate(they're loaded with hay for example which is awful).

For food,I personally use Higgins Sunburst with Carefresh hamster/gerbil(1 tablespoon Carefresh,1/2 tablespoon or roughly 1/2 and 1/4 of a teaspoon Higgins Sunburst)which is just barely not good enough on its own but only needs a bit of animal protein to be suitable(as any diet would regardless of protein level,as to be a truly natural and species appropriate diet for hamsters you'd need additional animal protein).I use freeze dried chicken(not cooked,as cooking reduces the nutritional value greatly and makes it less natural as well,whereas freeze drying only removes the moisture and keeps all the nutrients found in unaltered raw food for those who are squeamish or simply to make it easier to feed the most natural form of certain foods)but there are other animal proteins that would be safe,for example turkey or duck(you can't feed duck often though as it is a fattier protein source).Freeze dried meat based treats go over well with carnivorous pets too,so your obligate carnivore cats will most likely adore them(even my very picky cats fell in love,you might need to test out a few brands though).

On an extra note of food and treats,any product for any animal(including hamsters and cats)should never be made in China or irradiated.Tons of products are unfortunately,and even those which claim to be made in the USA are irradiated(which also puts their origin into question and therefore makes them unacceptable).

For a wheel it needs to be upright(not a flying saucer,which are unsuitable for many reasons including the side arching they cause and the unnatural position a hamster must run in to use them as well as the lack of a guaranteed appropriately sized running surface no matter how large the wheel is compared to an upright wheel).The best on the market is the Silent Runner(not Silent Spinner,those are a waste of money and rarely if ever work to begin with but if you get lucky and get a working one they might last a few months but never stay silent).The Silent Runner is completely safe unlike any other wheel(not even a Wodent Wheel is as safe,considering the lack of axle and solid stand).

I know it can be hard to find nice things in the US,but luckily there is the option of ordering things online!Chewy might not have completely perfect items(I won't lie,the majority of the cat and dog sections minus the food and treats which should never be purchased due to their awful quality as well as some other things that aren't good is extremely nice however the small animal,reptile,and bird sections aren't so great)but there are some good things to purchase there when you stick to natural and digestible materials(no plastic items with the exception of a Silent Runner which must be ordered elsewhere).
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Old 04-23-2017, 11:53 AM   #4
PanLuna
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Default Re: I feel like a newbie all over again!

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drago View Post
Took the litter out asap. I will replace it with sand.

Her tank is 36in length, 18in height & 17in width. It was the biggest we could get her, with our space and everything. We are keeping her out with me in the loft,(where my desk is) because the cats can't go out there and I felt it would be less stressful.

We were already going to get her more bedding. We underestimated the size of the tank.

We were already going to exchange the saucer wheel for an upright wheel. I think around here, we only have the silent spinner or the horrible grated wheels, but I'll have a look to double check.

Ordering online is an option, but do you think she'd be okay without a wheel for however long the shipping takes? It makes me feel bad, but I don't want her to get hurt! (She also likes to sleep on the saucer, even though she has the house and bendy bridge hideaway.)

We are going to use Higgins+Mazuri and ween her off the oxbow, but got a bag of it, because we didn't want to do a sudden diet change and shock her stomach.

I am learning all over again. A bunch of things seem to have changed since 2013.

Thanks for your suggestions! We appreciate it.

PanLuna
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Old 04-23-2017, 12:05 PM   #5
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: I feel like a newbie all over again!

She'll be fine without a wheel temporarily.You cannot get the Silent Runner in any pet store,they're only available online.

Just make sure you measure out gram amounts for Higgins and Mazuri.Transitioning foods isn't the best idea,since you'll end up causing a dietary imbalance without being very careful with the amounts of food and which food is fed Instead,just use plain pureed pumpkin(water is fine,but nothing else should be included in the ingredients,the cat food aisle is the best place to look for this in Petco!)with added high quality probiotics(several strains,no dextrose or other processed sugars,no artificial ingredients,no digest,etc).If you can't get a kitchen scale and measure precise gram amounts,Higgins and Carefresh would be a better idea as that is very simple to combine daily with basic measuring spoons!

Things have definitely changed with time,but that is a very good thing as the growth was most certainly necessary

Soulistic Puréed Pumpkin Adult Cat Food Supplement Pouches

That is the pureed pumpkin I personally have,it's very good.The company in general is wonderful for cat food by the way,and I would definitely suggest testing it out if you didn't already know of it(or if you need other cat food recommendations,I'm good at that side of pet care too!).
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Old 04-23-2017, 12:46 PM   #6
PanLuna
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Default Re: I feel like a newbie all over again!

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
She'll be fine without a wheel temporarily.You cannot get the Silent Runner in any pet store,they're only available online.
Thanks for your help! My husband said we can order the orange silent runner that Drago linked.

Thanks Drago!

I will look into that pumpkin puree when we go to Petco. Do you just give them a little while you feed them the new food? Are you saying I shouldn't ween her off Oxbow at all, and just go for the new food? I'm sorry, but I got a little confused.

I can get a scale and I also have measuring spoons. No problem. What ratio is recommended for Higgens/Mazuri?

If I have any cat questions, I will let you know!
We have 3 all from when they were babies from the animal shelter or rescued in other ways.
Apollo, had her since 8 weeks, turned 6 in March. A calico.

Phoebe, (stray cat had babies under someone's porch) had her since 3 months (animal shelter). Turns 6 in June. A tabby.

Hera,(someone did not want her and she was going to go to the shelter) had her since 5 weeks (Too young, but the person lied to us.) She turned out okay, though. She will be 5 in May. A Tortoise Shell. She still looks like an older kitten!

They get the Blue Buffalo brand of food and supplemented with high quality wet food.

We do grain free, filler free...etc for them. (Sorry the cat stuff is off topic, but you mentioned the cat food and cat advice, so as a proud mommy I had to talk about them a little.)

Honestly our 4 fur babies eat better than the adults do.
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Old 04-23-2017, 01:05 PM   #7
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Default Re: I feel like a newbie all over again!

Silent Runner Wheel 12" (Wide) For Sugar Gliders - Exotic Nutrition

Ordering the Silent Runner directly from Exotic Nutrition is much better than ordering it from Amazon

You don't necessarily need transitions.Probiotics and pureed pumpkin cover digestive upset,but also occasional changes are good for a healthy digestive system(hence the purpose of a rotational diet for cats and dogs,as an example).It doesn't hurt to give probiotics regularly(high quality ones at least),and you can't really overdose on them Probably around 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of pureed pumpkin and about 1/8 teaspoon(eyeballed as measuring devices lack this amount)probiotics I'd say,as long as the amount mixes thoroughly into the pumpkin.

The Higgins/Mazuri ratio is 60% Higgins to 40% Mazuri.For example if you feed 10 grams daily you feed 6 grams Higgins and 4 grams Mazuri.This can be adjusted to 10% of the body weight though if necessary,or amounts can be changed if you feed less often.

I definitely feel the same way about feeding my pets better than I eat!I use Solid Gold's high protein chicken dry food myself with various wet foods myself.A bit off topic,but the world can benefit from even a bit of cat love

Last edited by AmityvilleHams; 04-23-2017 at 01:16 PM.
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Old 04-23-2017, 01:23 PM   #8
PanLuna
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Default Re: I feel like a newbie all over again!

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
Ordering the Silent Runner directly from Exotic Nutrition is much better than ordering it from Amazon
Thanks for the link!

Is there a preference for the 12 inch regular or 12 inch wide wheel?

Sorry for all the questions!

PanLuna
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Old 04-23-2017, 01:32 PM   #9
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Default Re: I feel like a newbie all over again!

The wide is better in terms of offering more space to turn out,which does make it a bit better than the 3.5" width of the regular Silent Runner.It's only $1 more than the regular too,so it isn't a massive price difference.The color does fit in better with natural cages overall,so that is worth considering!
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Old 04-23-2017, 08:57 PM   #10
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: I feel like a newbie all over again!

Welcome back PanLuna to HC.
Congratulations on your new addition Moggett who's gorgeous! Drago and Amityville have given some great advice and ideas.
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