first time hamster owner [questions!]

[ootchia]

disclaimer: i don’t actually have a hamster yet so i’m just asking around and doing a lot of research. i can’t go a day without searching up hamsters to rewatch the same victoria raechel videos for the fourth time. i have a few questions to prepare myself more (if it is possible to!)

common, but what hamster should i get? i know it’s up to me — hamsters don’t always fit the stereotypes. all the species are really cute; from the person who i am interested in buying from they have syrians, winter whites and roborovskis. i have a younger sister (who probably won’t want to interact as much after the initial weeks the hamster has been with us) and a dog. i don’t know if having a dog is too much of an issue — erinsanimals on YouTube has one — but my dog does bark because she is quite paranoid. however, she is not allowed upstairs and even though she sometimes breaks that rule, she wouldn’t notice a tank on a chest of drawers so the hamster would be quite safe. would her barks affect them in any way? and i wanted to get a roborovski as a first time hamster but i’m not too sure now. i would prefer a dwarf but don’t mind a syrian (they are still really cute).

i wanted to make a natural themed cage. can i use moss? and is potting soil okay? also, i have some spineless, hairless succulents that don’t really pose any threat. would they be okay for a hamster, or are they toxic? i know spider plants are okay and i would add them.

any tips on making a diy cage? i decided to turn this into a kind of project and make loads of stuff out of wood and natural (sterile) things. like a wheel made out of wood, a homemade house, diy sand bath etc.

( i even made a floor plan for the future cage so maybe i can post that on a different forum and get people to review? )

thank you for reading — oot )

[sushi_78]

Syrians are usually considered easier for beginners because of the size, which makes taming easier, but if you feel more drawn to dwarfs there's no reason you can't start with them too (no point getting a hamster you aren't really interested in). Roborovskis can be challenging because they are very timid and fast, and can be very difficult to tame, but if you're prepared for that, a Robo can still be a good beginner hamster. Perhaps a winter white would be a good compromise? Still a dwarf, but a bit easier than a Robo.

I wouldn't use potting soil in a cage because it often has fertilisers added, but you could use coconut coir in a small section of the cage. Soil isn't a good option for use over the whole cage as it is very loose when dry and doesn't hold tunnels up well. When damp it can grow mould and also raises the humidity of the cage, which can contribute to health issues. I'm personally not a fan of live plants in cages - they need light, nutrients and water to survive which can be difficult to provide in a cage. Spider plants are technically not poisonous to a hamster, but a hamster still shouldn't have unrestricted access to any one plant or food. A hamster will be just as happy with some wooden hides or cardboard tunnels rather than plants.

You could make a thread in the Housing section with your cage plans. A DIY cage is a great option as they can be made so much bigger than bought cages.

[ootchia]

Originally Posted by sushi_78

Syrians are usually considered easier for beginners because of the size, which makes taming easier, but if you feel more drawn to dwarfs there's no reason you can't start with them too (no point getting a hamster you aren't really interested in). Roborovskis can be challenging because they are very timid and fast, and can be very difficult to tame, but if you're prepared for that, a Robo can still be a good beginner hamster. Perhaps a winter white would be a good compromise? Still a dwarf, but a bit easier than a Robo.

I wouldn't use potting soil in a cage because it often has fertilisers added, but you could use coconut coir in a small section of the cage. Soil isn't a good option for use over the whole cage as it is very loose when dry and doesn't hold tunnels up well. When damp it can grow mould and also raises the humidity of the cage, which can contribute to health issues. I'm personally not a fan of live plants in cages - they need light, nutrients and water to survive which can be difficult to provide in a cage. Spider plants are technically not poisonous to a hamster, but a hamster still shouldn't have unrestricted access to any one plant or food. A hamster will be just as happy with some wooden hides or cardboard tunnels rather than plants.

You could make a thread in the Housing section with your cage plans. A DIY cage is a great option as they can be made so much bigger than bought cages.

thank you so much for your response

i found some lovely winter whites so i’m aiming for one of them, or a slightly more tame/relaxed robo as i get to meet the hamsters in person. of course i won’t be handling them at all.

if i were to use soil, it would not be the whole surface area (around 30% soil, 50% bedding and 20% sand) and we would look for a potting soil with no fertilisers anyway. also, i had a feeling soil would not hold up well, but i thought i could add some premade tunnels/tubes so the hamster’s tunnels would not collapse. i would have dried the soil before, or let it sit a few days before adding the bordered-off bedding. i mainly got the idea from erinsanimals and her hammy seems to be fine with it. however, all i can seem to find is compost. does anyone have any uk potting soil brands or should i just scrap the idea entirely?

[Ria P]

I saw Erin's video but not everything youtubers do is safe. I looked for soil to put in a dig box but couldn't find any soil without some additive or fertilizer or another. Some bags even had small print warnings to keep away from children and animals which put me right off. I'd drop the idea and look for safe alternatives like coconut coir, hemp etc. Most dwarfs love sand and some Syrians do as well so sand is a must have.

I'd also drop the idea of plants because house plants can be poisonous for hamsters including spider plant's offspring. I'd go for safe and edible options like a variety of different millet sprays.
Have a look at the Rodipet website for ideas, they have millet sprays, snuggle moss, different sands and ground cover enrichments and keep in mind that cheaper alternatives made by Rosewood and Woodlands etc are readily available in the UK.
The moss from the reptile section is too damp and not suitable in my opinion.

I use Kaytee natural and camo substrate for natural set ups and a splash of Carefresh green sometimes. All my hamsters like the Kaytee mixed with a bit of hay or dried grass in places.

I can't recommend a certain hamster species because i have a Syrian, two dwarfs and a Robo. They all have different personalities and quirks and i'm fascinated by them all.

If you have the space and resources you could make two enclosures and get a Syrian and a dwarf.

I think that it is important to handle a hamster before you buy or adopt it. Sometimes hamsters chose you. I always thought that is a myth until i set eyes on my youngest dwarf in a pet shop. She sniffed me then climbed onto my hand and that was it. She came home with me.

You are so doing the right thing by researching before getting a hamster. I wished i had. People here will be happy and helpful to join you on your journey to become a knowledgeable companion to a lucky hamster.

[AmityvilleHams]

I wouldn't use any kind of soil. Coconut fiber, husk, coir, etc where it is actually 100% coconut fiber is actually safe and would be a much better choice. Even organic soil isn't a suitable choice - just go with coconut fiber, and even then I would never go as high as 30% of the enclosure. A small digging box of coconut fiber is a great idea!

It's also important to keep in mind that even when a popular Youtuber says something is fine that does not mean it is truly safe and suitable. Soil is definitely not safe and should be kept for plant use only.

The reason I mentioned keeping to small amounts of coconut fiber would be that if you went with a higher amount you could end up with serious humidity issues. Hamsters do not need high humidity and have delicate respiratory systems, so the humidity could end up causing serious health issues. I would also ditch the idea of moss for this reason and instead if possible go for some good quality oat or wheat sprays. Plants in hamster cages should not be live(added humidity and other issues) and should be kept to completely safe plant species without any soil, for example clipped off bits of wheat grass or oat grass.

[ootchia]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

I wouldn't use any kind of soil. Coconut fiber, husk, coir, etc where it is actually 100% coconut fiber is actually safe and would be a much better choice. Even organic soil isn't a suitable choice - just go with coconut fiber, and even then I would never go as high as 30% of the enclosure. A small digging box of coconut fiber is a great idea!

It's also important to keep in mind that even when a popular Youtuber says something is fine that does not mean it is truly safe and suitable. Soil is definitely not safe and should be kept for plant use only.

The reason I mentioned keeping to small amounts of coconut fiber would be that if you went with a higher amount you could end up with serious humidity issues. Hamsters do not need high humidity and have delicate respiratory systems, so the humidity could end up causing serious health issues. I would also ditch the idea of moss for this reason and instead if possible go for some good quality oat or wheat sprays. Plants in hamster cages should not be live(added humidity and other issues) and should be kept to completely safe plant species without any soil, for example clipped off bits of wheat grass or oat grass.

Thank you so much, I’ll definitely keep this in mind. My spider plants don’t flower any more but I have withheld the decision to keep them in. I shouldn’t be so quick to take a Youtuber’s word for something, but after watching Victoria Raechel, I thought that most ‘professional’ Hamster-Tubers would be safe.

[ootchia]

Originally Posted by Ria P

I saw Erin's video but not everything youtubers do is safe. I looked for soil to put in a dig box but couldn't find any soil without some additive or fertilizer or another. Some bags even had small print warnings to keep away from children and animals which put me right off. I'd drop the idea and look for safe alternatives like coconut coir, hemp etc. Most dwarfs love sand and some Syrians do as well so sand is a must have.

I'd also drop the idea of plants because house plants can be poisonous for hamsters including spider plant's offspring. I'd go for safe and edible options like a variety of different millet sprays.
Have a look at the Rodipet website for ideas, they have millet sprays, snuggle moss, different sands and ground cover enrichments and keep in mind that cheaper alternatives made by Rosewood and Woodlands etc are readily available in the UK.
The moss from the reptile section is too damp and not suitable in my opinion.

I use Kaytee natural and camo substrate for natural set ups and a splash of Carefresh green sometimes. All my hamsters like the Kaytee mixed with a bit of hay or dried grass in places.

I can't recommend a certain hamster species because i have a Syrian, two dwarfs and a Robo. They all have different personalities and quirks and i'm fascinated by them all.

If you have the space and resources you could make two enclosures and get a Syrian and a dwarf.

I think that it is important to handle a hamster before you buy or adopt it. Sometimes hamsters chose you. I always thought that is a myth until i set eyes on my youngest dwarf in a pet shop. She sniffed me then climbed onto my hand and that was it. She came home with me.

You are so doing the right thing by researching before getting a hamster. I wished i had. People here will be happy and helpful to join you on your journey to become a knowledgeable companion to a lucky hamster.

I will definitely take this advice — I couldn’t seem to find any safe potting soil online, let alone on in store websites. I heard Roborovskis like 1/3 of their cage to be sand so I tried to incorporate that, even if I didn’t end up getting one, as I am still indecisive.

Rodipet looks great, I will order some stuff from there. Is Tinyhamsterpaws a safe website? I would presume so but don’t want to take their word for it.

Also, that sounds lovely, having four hamsters. I might be able to get two but they’d probably both need to be the same species and I know winter whites can fight more easily as my friend had them (sadly they shared a rather small cage — maybe 350sq inches — but they got moved to separate ones after they fought. I guess it all depends if I can make two diy cages and two setups (I’m planning to do some diy stuff to keep my dad fairly interested but also let him know I actually want to get these).

Thank you for your advice, I will reconsider my setup

[daisythefuzzysyrian]

Originally Posted by ootchia

disclaimer: i don’t actually have a hamster yet so i’m just asking around and doing a lot of research. i can’t go a day without searching up hamsters to rewatch the same victoria raechel videos for the fourth time. i have a few questions to prepare myself more (if it is possible to!)

common, but what hamster should i get? i know it’s up to me — hamsters don’t always fit the stereotypes. all the species are really cute; from the person who i am interested in buying from they have syrians, winter whites and roborovskis. i have a younger sister (who probably won’t want to interact as much after the initial weeks the hamster has been with us) and a dog. i don’t know if having a dog is too much of an issue — erinsanimals on YouTube has one — but my dog does bark because she is quite paranoid. however, she is not allowed upstairs and even though she sometimes breaks that rule, she wouldn’t notice a tank on a chest of drawers so the hamster would be quite safe. would her barks affect them in any way? and i wanted to get a roborovski as a first time hamster but i’m not too sure now. i would prefer a dwarf but don’t mind a syrian (they are still really cute).

i wanted to make a natural themed cage. can i use moss? and is potting soil okay? also, i have some spineless, hairless succulents that don’t really pose any threat. would they be okay for a hamster, or are they toxic? i know spider plants are okay and i would add them.

any tips on making a diy cage? i decided to turn this into a kind of project and make loads of stuff out of wood and natural (sterile) things. like a wheel made out of wood, a homemade house, diy sand bath etc.

( i even made a floor plan for the future cage so maybe i can post that on a different forum and get people to review? )

thank you for reading — oot )

Syrian hamsters are generally easier to start with. I also have a dog who barks a lot and my hamster does not seem to be affected by it. Bin cages are great DIY starter cages. My first hamster cage was a 535sq inch bin cage that I drilled holes in the lid and put chicken wire over it. My tips for this is to make sure there is enough ventilation but the holes aren't big enough for the hamster to climb out (They can chew through plastic) so my suggestion is to DEFINITELY get some chicken wire and place it over the holes. Make sure the chicken wire is also too small for the hamster to get out. Hope this helps!! Enjoy

[ootchia]

Originally Posted by daisythefuzzysyrian

Syrian hamsters are generally easier to start with. I also have a dog who barks a lot and my hamster does not seem to be affected by it. Bin cages are great DIY starter cages. My first hamster cage was a 535sq inch bin cage that I drilled holes in the lid and put chicken wire over it. My tips for this is to make sure there is enough ventilation but the holes aren't big enough for the hamster to climb out (They can chew through plastic) so my suggestion is to DEFINITELY get some chicken wire and place it over the holes. Make sure the chicken wire is also too small for the hamster to get out. Hope this helps!! Enjoy

Thank you It is good to know about the dog, she chases and tries to eat spiders and flies a lot so I was slightly worried that she would go for it if she saw it moving. And if she ever came into my bedroom, the hamster would probably be asleep.

[AmityvilleHams]

Any sort of predatory pet should not be allowed in the same room as a hamster with no exceptions. It is a serious risk to their health and safety, but it also isn't fair to the other pets - regardless of if the hamster is asleep or not, don't do it.

With that being said, it is entirely possible to have a hamster and dogs or other predatory pets with adequate precautions being taken. Barking is pretty hard to avoid completely but the primary issue that you have to prevent at all times(again no exceptions) is them being in the same room. It would also be beneficial to avoid the scent of the dog, but it isn't always possible to remove 100% of the scent. You shouldn't ever let them be in the same room together supervised or not, but with a secure door preventing any and all access it can work very well!