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Old 09-08-2019, 02:20 PM   #11
Ria P
House of Hamsters
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
Default Re: Help... I’m new to this:)!

You are lucky that Freddie stands on his hind legs and listens to you. My Syrian Henry usually turns round and shows me his bum when i talk to him.

You can use any container for a sandbath and see if he likes it. Henry's is a small enamel pie dish and Robo Gordon has a glass pie dish from my kitchen.

My Syrian likes to be out of his cage once or at most twice a week and isn't keen on handling either. He tries to run off and explore when i try to pet him. He was also nervous at first and so was i!

Your experience with your hamster sounds very normal to me and it can take months for them to completely trust their human friends. It's a learning process for both of you and i'm glad you are on this forum to share.

I'd love to see a photo of Freddie. Hamsters are so cute.
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Old 09-09-2019, 01:52 AM   #12
Phoebe05
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 13
Default Re: Help... I’m new to this:)!

Quote:
Originally Posted by LunaTheHamster1 View Post
Hi, to try and save you some money, you may want to look at my playlist for run ideas for hamsters-
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...nMw9Ro6wJO-zmU
some of the shop bought ones are easy for hamsters to escape from and not worth the money. the simplest and cheapest thing is a big cardboard box, but it will most probably need replacing at some point when your hamster chews his way out! So, yes never leave your hamster alone, or you will have a fugitive on the loose.
Also hamsters can spend quite a bit of time grooming themselves, especially when they have first woken up or been upto mischief running around somewhere.
Hiya!
Thankyou so so much for replying and taking time out of your day to help me! I am going to check out the channel now☺️
Thankyou!x
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Old 09-09-2019, 01:56 AM   #13
Phoebe05
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 13
Default Re: Help... I’m new to this:)!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartzie View Post
Hi Phoebe, this journey is so exciting right?

I saw above that there was a mention of using 2 inches of bedding or more. This is according to German and American standards but I want to just give you some back round on the logistics of using so much bedding. Hamsters use burrowing in the wild to create a place to sleep, pee and stash their food. With the standards mentioned in Germany they also talk about massive cage sizes which imitates the wild as much as possible. Not all of us have the space, funds or most of the skills to build cages like this. I had a rabbit cage of 100cm x 50cm which I placed mesh over and then filled the base over 3 inches deep by blocking the sides. I did this before realizing that I had to tame my hamster first. What a I mean is that before looking into increasing the depth of bedding make sure that your hamster comes out for treats or is actively bonding with you before you do this. 2 inches and more is stated in research but make sure that you put practical things in place first. Serendipity7000 gave me amazing advice on how to keep bedding depth but make it easier to keep your cage clean and hygienic. It gets difficult if the majority of your cage is 2 inches deep because you cant pinpoint where food is being stashed etc for spot cleaning. The German sized cages are so big that you only have to clean them twice a year. It doesn’t matter about spot cleaning where cages that are smaller become tricky to maintain.

Ragna also hardly came up and I eventually found him deep in the bedding. This is what hamsters do but as pets we want to be able to check them etc and bond. I have a camera installed and made a personal...my own choice to build a huge area for him and allow him 50cm bedding knowing I would probably only see him on camera. That’s my choice and I just wanted to tell you what you can do before using that depth of bedding to ensure that you can still interact with your hamster.
Hiya!
Thankyou for replying! I would love to know other research you have found out! It’s so so helpful and you seen a lovely person too☺️ I will keep that in mind for the future. In his cage at the moment, he does have bedding that he loves to bury himself in. This is where he sleep most of the time, as well as in his food bowl😂
Thankyou again!x
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Old 09-09-2019, 02:03 AM   #14
Phoebe05
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 13
Default Re: Help... I’m new to this:)!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P View Post
You are lucky that Freddie stands on his hind legs and listens to you. My Syrian Henry usually turns round and shows me his bum when i talk to him.

You can use any container for a sandbath and see if he likes it. Henry's is a small enamel pie dish and Robo Gordon has a glass pie dish from my kitchen.

My Syrian likes to be out of his cage once or at most twice a week and isn't keen on handling either. He tries to run off and explore when i try to pet him. He was also nervous at first and so was i!

Your experience with your hamster sounds very normal to me and it can take months for them to completely trust their human friends. It's a learning process for both of you and i'm glad you are on this forum to share.

I'd love to see a photo of Freddie. Hamsters are so cute.
Hiya, thankyou for your reply! It means a lot!
Freddie sounds the same to me as your hamster! He wants to explore loads too rather than being held lol! Maybe I should stop worrying about getting him out everyday then, I worry and get stressed so much over him. I’ve cried over him many times!😅 I will post a picture when I can for you, he is adorable! I’d love to see your little darling too! I’m not sure how to post pictures on here, it keeps saying my picture is too big😂x
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Old 09-11-2019, 11:23 AM   #15
Schwartzie
Adult Hamster
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 385
Default Re: Help... I’m new to this:)!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phoebe05 View Post
Hiya!
Thankyou for replying! I would love to know other research you have found out! It’s so so helpful and you seen a lovely person too☺️ I will keep that in mind for the future. In his cage at the moment, he does have bedding that he loves to bury himself in. This is where he sleep most of the time, as well as in his food bowl😂
Thankyou again!x
It’s a pleasure, this forum is full of awesome threads containing good advice. I have not seen Shannonmcn for a while on the forum but I haven’t been on often. She is amazing where it comes to nutrition ratios...she helped me so much with getting the correct fibre, fats and proteins and what food combos to go for. We had so much fun chatting over it.

With me being back at work,I don’t have much time to relax but I do invest time in translating German articles and will pass any good info on. I’ve decided that I’m going to Syria to see the hamsters in their natural habitat. My hubby says he will wait for me on the border...I told him to stop being daft...they aren’t at war anymore. You can hire a guide in Syria so that’s what I’m going to do before I die one day - bucket list. Whose coming with me?
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Old 09-12-2019, 04:21 AM   #16
stan
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 52
Default Re: Help... I’m new to this:)!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartzie View Post
Hi Phoebe, this journey is so exciting right?

I saw above that there was a mention of using 2 inches of bedding or more. This is according to German and American standards but I want to just give you some back round on the logistics of using so much bedding. Hamsters use burrowing in the wild to create a place to sleep, pee and stash their food. With the standards mentioned in Germany they also talk about massive cage sizes which imitates the wild as much as possible. Not all of us have the space, funds or most of the skills to build cages like this. I had a rabbit cage of 100cm x 50cm which I placed mesh over and then filled the base over 3 inches deep by blocking the sides. I did this before realizing that I had to tame my hamster first. What a I mean is that before looking into increasing the depth of bedding make sure that your hamster comes out for treats or is actively bonding with you before you do this. 2 inches and more is stated in research but make sure that you put practical things in place first. Serendipity7000 gave me amazing advice on how to keep bedding depth but make it easier to keep your cage clean and hygienic. It gets difficult if the majority of your cage is 2 inches deep because you cant pinpoint where food is being stashed etc for spot cleaning. The German sized cages are so big that you only have to clean them twice a year. It doesn’t matter about spot cleaning where cages that are smaller become tricky to maintain.

Ragna also hardly came up and I eventually found him deep in the bedding. This is what hamsters do but as pets we want to be able to check them etc and bond. I have a camera installed and made a personal...my own choice to build a huge area for him and allow him 50cm bedding knowing I would probably only see him on camera. That’s my choice and I just wanted to tell you what you can do before using that depth of bedding to ensure that you can still interact with your hamster.
This is really good advice. Don't get too hung up on huge cage sizes and bedding depth at first. As long as the cage is big enough for a suitable wheel, good hide, some toys, and 10 to 15cm of bedding it is fine. Work with your hamster to tame him. My current hamster took 4 months to tame. He was a scared little one, but he is very used to us now. He didn't bite, just was very scared, and squeeked a lot.

Also keep in mind that cage size also depends a bit on your hamster. The generally accepted UK minimum is 80 x 50cm, the German 100 x 50 cm. If your hamster is showing any signs of stress (bar chewing, pacing, etc) then you can give them a bigger enclosure. My boy has been happy in a 77 x 47, and now in his 100 x 60 cage. He is a Syrian and burrows fine in 20cm of bedding. He is very happy.

Get to know your hamster, and know what you can offer space-wise in your house for a cage. Remember also that bigger cages need more toys and bedding, so factor that into your costing. 100 x 60 is a fine size for my hammy and me. I do have a lazy boy though.
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Old 09-21-2019, 08:10 PM   #17
RenK777
Hamster Pup
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: East Coast, NJ
Posts: 51
Default Re: Help... I’m new to this:)!

I'm so glad you wrote this! We have our first 2 hammies though throughout my life I've owned and rehabbed a lot of animals. When I was younger, I always bought the largest cage I could find anywhere so there was a time when some of my 'furniture' was really just large cages for tiny animals haha But now I'm married and that means there is a husband--with an opinion--in the mix. He happens to be of the frugal/budget sort so blowing money on a gargantuan cage we dont have room for is out of the question. Let alone 2 cages of epic proportions. At least until the kids move out and then I'll have 3 bedroom dressers screaming to be outfitted with 4 or 5 ft tanks For now, we have one hammie in a 29 gallon and my boy has the same footprint but it's a breeder so less height. Both tanks are 30" X 12". Our hammies have a sand bath, bend-a-bridge, wood/rope bridges, a wooden hut, a hammock, a wheel, lava rock chews and other chews. I did my best with what we had as the cage our Buttercup came in was miniscule and Buttercup seems much more content in her tank. She is an active little bug and is always up and nosy and checking out what we're doing. We're trying to ignore her during the day a bit so that she's able to sleep longer stretches as they do in the wild. It's not working so well but I'm hoping with the kids in school, that the quiet will fascilitate more sleep! My Yeti is lazy. All he does is sleep. In fact, it's almost 11 PM here and he's still sleeping. He does get up occasionally here and there to eat in the late afternoon/evening but not for very long and only briefly before going back to sleep. He is active during the night. We only got him at 5? months and he wasn't really handled much before having come from a PetSmart but he's a mellow boy and is coming around fast. I have 3 kids so when the hamsters are up, they do get taken out often. We are planning on building them a playbin but I'm thinking we should probably make 2 so that one doesn't get stressed by smelling the other in the space. So I'm going to check out the video posted by another member for some ideas. I would like something a little bit shallow so that it can slide under bed and so that hammies can still see us when we're lying next to bin guarding them. Maybe I'll rig three sides with a barrier that can fold down but keep one side low. I'd love for the play bins to be about 4 or 5 feet long so that they can really run. For now, we just throw an old blanket on the bed and let whichever hammie is out crawl all over the bed on his/her blanket. Also, on warm days, we take one out at a time into our yard. The kids and I form a loose circle around an area filled with sorrel which is sort of like clover. The hammies love running through it and nibbling on it. When they get too close to a border, we just turn them around to run in the opposite direction. Love that they're able to get a little late afternoon sun and contact with the Earth which is beneficial to all living organisms. But winter is approaching so not sure how long we'll be able to offer that area to run. So when I read the info above about the square footage--for a moment-- felt like the worst hamster mom ever. We just don't have the space for 5 ft tanks right now. But since our hammies do seem to enjoy being out and being handled, maybe a large playbin will suffice for now. I'd upload pics of my hammies but I'm new here and I don't see the option to do so...unless it's to a URL and all my photos are on my phone.

Last edited by souffle; 09-22-2019 at 12:41 AM.
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