Mr. Carlisle's Thread

[virtualkeith]

Hello all,

I've had Mr. Carlisle since April 2015, and I should have started this thread then, but I was new to hamsters.
I was reading the Janet Evanovich series of books about a character named Stephanie Plum. She loses her job, her car gets repossessed, and begs her cousin for a job as a bounty hunter which she knows absolutely nothing about. The books are really funny in my opinion. She has a pet hamster named Rex who sleeps in a soup can in his cage.
I kept reading and every time she mentioned her hamster, it made me realize I've never had one and always wanted one, so off to the store I went to look at hamster cages and supplies. While I was there, they brought in some new hamsters. One of them was Mr. Carlisle. I had no intention of buying a hamster that day, but when I looked in the tank that he was in, he would look back at me and come up to the edge of the tank for a closer look. I thought he was so cute! I think he picked me that day.
Knowing nothing about hamster care, I fell for the "starter cage" speech. I didn't plan on bringing him home, but I didn't want anyone else to get him either, so I decided to wing it. He had only spent about 30 minutes in the tank with 2 other Syrians before he was in a box in my car on the way home. Here he is at the store, and here is the embarrassingly small cage and wheel that he started his life with me in.

[virtualkeith]

I quickly set the small cage up when I got home, and put him inside. He immediately began eating, and then went for a run on his all too small wheel. I put the cage on a table behind my sofa, so he would be close to me when I was watching tv. I started to read about hamsters on the internet that night, and quickly discovered that my cage was grossly too small. (I figured out it probably was even before reading) I searched feverishly that night on Amazon for a more suitable cage, and then I made mistake #2.
I bought a cage that looks like an end table. The reviews were all so positive! I thought I was doing the right thing. The cage looked attractive, and I thought it would go well in my living room. Well, it did in fact go well as far as furniture goes, but Mr. Carlisle absolutely hated it! I put him in the clear plastic bin in the bottom, figuring he would learn how to climb up the orange vertical tube. (see photo) He jumped around frantically trying to get out. I also think he didn't like it because he used to be up higher in his little cage, and in this new one, he was really close to the floor, which probably made us humans look even more giant to him. He went a day before discovering that he could climb the tube , then things got a little better, but not much.
I then read some more critical reviews of the new cage I had gotten. I soon realized that although the cage had 2 levels, neither level was tall enough for an appropriately sized wheel for a Syrian. The wheel that came with the cage was less than 7 inches in diameter. The cage also did not give him nearly enough floor space.

[virtualkeith]

So, then it was back to Amazon searching for yet another cage which actually met the requirements of a suitable amount of floor space. I kept doing searches on hamsters, and that's when I discovered this website. While reading, I also discovered that a fair amount of people here are from the UK. It seemed like the advise from people here were sensible, and very humane toward hamsters. I started seeing pictures of really nice large cages, and every time I searched a cage, I would find out that it was only sold in the UK. Then finally, I found a large enough cage on Amazon. One of the reviewers mentioned that they had bought the cage from Dr's. Foster and Smith. I checked their website, and I ordered the Marchioro Goran 82. I found out there was a stand for this cage, and I then ordered the Vekto 82 cage stand from Amazon.
I was so happy to have found something suitable for a Syrian, and then I went on a spending spree buying accessories for my new cage. My family and friends all thought I had gone over the deep end, but I felt it was the right thing to do. None of them owned hamsters, so I basically knew they didn't know about hamster care.
While waiting for the cage to arrive, I would sit next to Mr. Carlisle's cage on the floor and explain to him that I made yet another mistake and that things were going to be better soon. I opened up the door to his cage, and he came out and crawled on me, down my arm and on to the floor. I panicked!! I was not used to handling him by this point. I had only hand fed him some treats and lightly pet him. He headed under a chair and into a corner. I tried to pick him up (in a way that you're not supposed to). I got him and started moving him back to the cage and he wriggled out of my hands and fell on the hardwood floor from about my waist height. He was stunned for a moment, and I grabbed him again, and barely got him in the cage. I felt awful!! I thought Oh My God!! I wrecked my hamster!! I was shaking, and I sat and watched him and was planning in my mind how I would get him to the vet. He sat still for a few moments, then got on his wheel and started running like nothing ever happened. I watched him closely for the next few days, and he seemed fine. I however was a wreck. I figured that I ruined whatever trust he was beginning to have for me. I didn't try to pet or handle him for quite some time because I was too afraid. I had one of the 7 inch runaround balls, and I would let him go in that. One night, he was running around in his ball when all of a sudden he stopped, but the ball didn't! It rolled right off of him because the part that opens had come loose. Now I had a loose hamster again!! I stayed still this time, and he started walking around. I got the ball and the cover in my hands. I put the opening of the ball in front of him, and tapped his bottom with the lid, and he hopped back in the ball. I was so relieved!! I put him right back in the cage.

[virtualkeith]

A few days later, the Goran and my supplies all arrived! I set it all up, and was really excited to put him in his new home. I got him an 11" Wodent Wheel, so no more back bending. He went in the cage, sniffed around, had a bite to eat, then started running in the wheel. I was so relieved he seemed like he liked it!
The next morning, he was asleep in his house. I left him and made sure not to disturb him. The next night was fine again. He ate, and ran like he usually does. The next morning, I was surprised to find that he was not asleep in his house. I looked around and realized he had built a nest under the large shelf that came with the cage. I just let him be. I figured that he was making himself comfortable.
This was my first layout in the Goran. And this is Mr. Carlisle packing his cheeks to stock his cupboards in his new nest.

[virtualkeith]

I then decided the cage was too sparse, so I ordered more things.

[virtualkeith]

He walked through the orange tube ok, but as soon as his foot hit the hammock, he freaked and jumped all the way over the hanging ladder, hit the side of the cage, and fell on the floor. Out came the hammock. Then I read about people's hamsters getting their foot caught in some of the metal clasps that the ladder hangs from, so out went the ladder. (he never touched it anyway)
I decided the large shelf in the cage covered up too much of the floor. He slept under the shelf in the front corner, and peed in the back corner. It was really hard to get the shelf off to spot clean where he urinated, so I decided to order 3 smaller shelves. I also got him a 12" flying saucer, because he really liked the smaller one I had before. 2 of the 3 shelves arrived, and this was the next layout.

[virtualkeith]

The third shelf finally arrived. It was time for yet another remodel. After having the flying saucer, I realized that there was plenty of room behind the saucer, and since it took up a lot of floor space, I tried to maximize the usable space. I ended up putting the saucer in front of where he pees. He walks out of his house when he wakes up, goes around the back of the saucer, comes out the other side, and heads for one of the wheels. I had also switched to a Carolina Storm Wheel. Next I had a 12" Wodent wheel because I realized that I could fit a 12" wheel. Now I have a Raptor Wheel. I also put a medium sized sleep house under the front shelf on the left. The last picture is what I've settled on. (for now)

[Jen250]

Ooh, I really like that Sleephouse. Where did you get it?

[virtualkeith]

So now I feel like I have the basics for an adequate set up. Mr. Carlisle is such a little gentleman. So far, he never chews on his bars, and he never tries to escape. I feel like I've spent so much time getting his cage straight, that I've neglected my training with him, although not entirely. He will walk out of his cage in into my hands when I have treats in them. He sits there and eats, then turns around and walks back into the cage. I am trying to be better about bringing him into the bathtub. He will crawl all over me, but I think it is only to get up higher so he can potentially get out of the tub. He did let me pet him a little tonight. I still can't seem to scoop him up without him jumping. I've already had him for 4 months. I hope it is not too late to get him more used to me. I would like to be able to pick him up so I can do health checks at least, and if necessary, bring him to the vet. If he doesn't want to ever cuddle, I'm ok with that if it makes him calmer and more content. I am trying to let him come to me at his own pace. He does come to greet me sometimes when I come in. He even will stop his all important running on the wheel to look up at me.

[Pebbles82]

Aw it's a lovely story! Mad me laugh a couple of times and go eek a couple of times. And believe me many of us started out with an unsuitable cage! We started with a 3 storey rotostak and within 3 weeks Charlie had grown ginormous and was getting stuck in the tubes. Like you I started googling and had an 80 x 50 cage here within two days. It's quite a journey - you have a fantastic set up now. I also went through some of the stages on initial set up of the cage. A shelf he couldn't get up to but he amazed us by climbing the bars to get to it. A hanging ladder he very nearly got his foot caught in and had to come out, to be replaced by a corner hammock which he loved but chewed, and had to come out. This was the last straw for Charlie and he had a major strop over losing the hammock. It took a while for him to settle in and thankfully I've hardly had to change anything for months now.

In 2 or 3 months I think you'll find you have a confident happy hamster (more so than now) who really enjoys his environment once it is the same all the time. And then he'll want to come out and explore more! (Hence we now have the playpen around it but he doesn't want to come out in the playpen very often).

My family also think I'm mad and comments about doing too much for the hamster.

Mr Carlisle and you have had quite a journey and I am sure he appreciates what you have given him! I really love the Goran set up.