Your advice is vital...😫

[Phoebe05]

Hi everyone,
So I have had my Syrian for around a month, and since i got him, we have had a heat wave so he has had to be moved from each room many many times, as it has been around 30 degrees! He began living in my attic but it was way too hot, so he has been moved in his cage to my bathroom and mums rooms, etc etc. He is now down in my porch as he is making too much noise for my bedroom. He is quite nervous and not really used to me yet. I just need advice on what to do with him now. The porch is going to be his forever home and as I know they are not suppose to be moved around alot like he has as it can cause them stress, which is the last thing I want him to encounter😣 How do I let him settle in? Shall I not handle him for a while to let him settle in to his new surroundings? Do I not handle him for a week so he gets used to it? Or do I carry on like normal putting him in his ball everyday and holding him? He is not comfortable with he yet anyway, he won’t walk into my hand unless I have a treat he really wants (for example a mealworm) Any advice would help so so so much!!
Thankyou x

[GhostsInSnow]

Will the porch be warm enough for him in the colder weather? Just thinking that the last thing you want is for him to settle and then have to move him again in a few months. Ideally you want t put him somewhere that will be a decent temperature regardless of the time of year.
I would leave him for 24-48 hours to settle, just do food and water and then go back to basics with taming so sitting by the cage and just talking to him so he gets used to the sound of your voice, you could put some tissue up your sleeve for a few hours and then pop it in the cage so he gets used to your scent too.
Progress to popping your hand in the cage but not grabbing for him or moving it about, you could pop a treat on your hand to encourage him over but take things slow. If he becomes stressed at any point, go back to the previous step and take things at his pace

[Pebbles82]

When you say he is making too much noise for your bedroom, do you mean the wheel? Or other noises?

[AmityvilleHams]

A porch isn't really suitable for housing a hamster unfortunately, even if screened in. Even if he seems too loud, he really must be housed indoors exclusively which does not include any sort of porch or similar location no matter how loud he may be.

The 12 inch Silent Runner(not Spinner as Silent Spinners are very low quality wheels and rarely if ever work let alone stay silent and they have a safety hazard due to an inherent design flaw that makes them prone to splitting apart with usage which can lead to serious injuries) could help significantly in keeping the noise down especially if you've been using a Comfort Wheel which are notoriously noisy wheels!

As the advice from me will always be, do not use hamster balls. I've posted on the forum several times on the reasons why they're just not suitable including the blocking of hamster senses, along with the good alternatives that actually allow enrichment. The best thing to do with that hamster ball is instead of using it either throw it out or keep it for transferring your hamster out of their cage and into a playpen or something similar!

[Schwartzie]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

A porch isn't really suitable for housing a hamster unfortunately, even if screened in. Even if he seems too loud, he really must be housed indoors exclusively which does not include any sort of porch or similar location no matter how loud he may be.

The 12 inch Silent Runner(not Spinner as Silent Spinners are very low quality wheels and rarely if ever work let alone stay silent and they have a safety hazard due to an inherent design flaw that makes them prone to splitting apart with usage which can lead to serious injuries) could help significantly in keeping the noise down especially if you've been using a Comfort Wheel which are notoriously noisy wheels!

As the advice from me will always be, do not use hamster balls. I've posted on the forum several times on the reasons why they're just not suitable including the blocking of hamster senses, along with the good alternatives that actually allow enrichment. The best thing to do with that hamster ball is instead of using it either throw it out or keep it for transferring your hamster out of their cage and into a playpen or something similar!

Please can you explain why hamsters should be exclusively housed indoors. I’ve been doing extensive and when a I say extensive I mean hours and hours of research on the origins of the Syrian, housing, cages sizes, burrowing, food, roughage etc...the list goes on and on and I haven’t come across any literature that states that hamsters may not be housed outside...this is relevant if the conditions are suitable e.g. no extreme heat and cold etc.

Syrian hamsters come from the wild originally. Yes, you’re dealing with the domestic breed that has been bred in captivity for years but what is the difference between housing a hamster on a porch versus your living room. If you allow direct sunlight or gale force winds best against the cage or shine on it rightfullly so but please show me where there is credited evidence and research of not housing in suitable conditions?

I’ve seen your posts on the topic of cages and I want to be heard. I came onto this forum as a newbie...complete newbie. We live in a small villa and in the beginning I didn’t understand why the size of cages was so important. I’ve been investing time after gently and kindly being directed by members on this forum to educate myself and the outcome is the monstrosity of a cage we are building for Ragna which is taking up space I never thought I would allow for a small individual such as a hamster. My journey of knowledge and now delving into the German standards came from building up slowly from a smaller cage up. You have a wealth of knowledge but to be honest I was shocked when I popped into the forum this evening and saw that your comments are quite snappy. Not everyone has the means or funds or space to build cages that are 10 square feet. They are doing the best they can with what they can afford. Telling a new hamster owner that they have to invest in a 10 square foot cage when they just getting into learning all they can is overwhelming. Why don’t you encourage other members like members did for me and encourage with what they have...start there. It’s because of this forum that I am doing what I am doing for my hamster but no one made me feel inadequate.

I have been off the forum for a couple of weeks due to work etc and really...I was a little taken aback by your tone in the threads...it was one after another.

[AmityvilleHams]

There are so many reasons that housing hamsters outside is a very bad idea, even on porches. One big reason is that you have no real way to keep predators out of sight and even preventing a hamster from smelling them, which most can lead to very harmful chronic stress and could cause serious illness or even death. We've found that hamsters have extremely good senses of smell, so even if you get lucky and never have outdoor cats for example clawing through mesh on a screened in porch the smell alone is a factor for stress which should be avoided.

Perhaps the overall tone of my posting has gotten harsh, and that's not really the intent for me.

I would happily give some ideas for stepping stone cages of sorts towards that square meter size or even ideas for working with small space, small budgets, etc. Looking back I don't exactly clarify that big changes don't have to come overnight or even right away, but gradually increasing space as possible is absolutely an option. Making changes and working your way towards better care is sometimes how it unfortunately has to go for some people, and that's completely understandable.

I would like to say that even being on this forum is a big step in the right direction. The more people learning about hamsters from a reliable source the better!

[LunaTheHamster1]

I do wonder if the term porch is open to different interpretations. I used to live in a house that had a porch that was brick and part of the house, it stayed as warm as the house, and had secure doors. It wasn't just a screened in wooden porch. A good alternative to a hamster ball is if you have a space that is safe for your hamster to run around in you could use another wheel. I do this and my hamsters can just jump on and off as they please,when they are out of their cages.

Amytiville, whilst I totally agree that 1 metre squared space would be absolutely ideal for hamsters, it is what I aim for one day, but space and my health somewhat limit this at the moment. I also appreciate that this is not even on many hamster owner radars and baby steps are needed, especially if children are involved and their parents are not on board. I just think there are many things that could be done to enrich a hamsters life without having a metre squared cage.

[Phoebe05]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

There are so many reasons that housing hamsters outside is a very bad idea, even on porches. One big reason is that you have no real way to keep predators out of sight and even preventing a hamster from smelling them, which most can lead to very harmful chronic stress and could cause serious illness or even death. We've found that hamsters have extremely good senses of smell, so even if you get lucky and never have outdoor cats for example clawing through mesh on a screened in porch the smell alone is a factor for stress which should be avoided.

Perhaps the overall tone of my posting has gotten harsh, and that's not really the intent for me.

I would happily give some ideas for stepping stone cages of sorts towards that square meter size or even ideas for working with small space, small budgets, etc. Looking back I don't exactly clarify that big changes don't have to come overnight or even right away, but gradually increasing space as possible is absolutely an option. Making changes and working your way towards better care is sometimes how it unfortunately has to go for some people, and that's completely understandable.

I would like to say that even being on this forum is a big step in the right direction. The more people learning about hamsters from a reliable source the better!

Yes i meant porch as in it is attached to my house, secure, etc. Not a porch like you guys think, sorry I should have explained it😬

[Schwartzie]

Originally Posted by Phoebe05

Yes i meant porch as in it is attached to my house, secure, etc. Not a porch like you guys think, sorry I should have explained it😬

I wish I had a place like a porch to keep my cage. You could do so much in a space like that. If I had a porch attached to my house, I would check for direct sunlight and draughts. You have already said that it’s secure so that’s sorted. To be honest, hamsters can smell and sense predators from further than we think so having your hamster in the porch or on the opposite side in your home is the same as far as smelling predators is concerned. The wind carries the scent so it’s no different from coming under a door or through a window as it would be any other way. I make sure that Ragna has enough hideouts to successfully move around his cage.