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Old 06-15-2017, 01:55 AM   #1
AprilPearl
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Wink Quigley

Ok. So, something really unexpected happened. I wanted to tell you all about it yesterday, but for some reason I couldn't get the HC website to load due to server problems. As I said in my last thread, I had contacted a number of breeders to ask if they had any pups available. After talking with Tuftyfluff Hamsters, and seeing the photos of her lovely honey boys, I decided to visit them on Friday.

But then. Oh then... I fell in love. You know when you see the hamster who is "the one" and you just know? A breeder called Palmer-Stephenson sent me a photo of this little guy, and suddenly I couldn't even contemplate any other hamsters. My heart was gone. I'm not sure if you will have heard off her, but she frequently attends shows and her name pops up all over the results. I believe she won best in show at Ferndown and earlier this year at Bath, too.

These are the photos that she sent me. Tell me you would have been strong enough to resist?! Or maybe I am just weak.





Yesterday, he was 6 weeks and 2 days old and was ready to go (coincidentally, his birthday is the 1st of May - the day after mine!). In fact, Palmer-Stephenson was going to rehome him at Andover this Saturday. But, I just couldn't wait. Fortunately, I had just finished setting up the cage. Maybe that was a sign? Anyway, we drove the 2 hours to Weston-Super-Mare yesterday afternoon and brought him home.

I went with the same name beginning with a Q that I mentioned in my last thread. My new little man ham is Quigley. It's a name I came across in 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' and I thought it would suit a hamster really well. He can be 'Wig' for short or even 'Quiggles' or 'Wigley' as a nickname! My little Wigley Quigley.

Quigley is a handsome long haired golden. Not too long haired, though. Just fluffy - like a female long haired ham, though trust me I have seen the evidence of his manhood, which he was proudly grooming yesterday! I think he has my ideal hamster fur length, because he shouldn't get awful tangles and I can keep him on fitch, but he still looks super cute. Mushu's fur required a ridiculous amount of upkeep and I really regret not being able to keep him on fitch, as Quigley seems to enjoy burrowing into it so much. I weighed him when we got home, and he is 99g! That's pretty good for 6 weeks, considering Mushu was 101g at 11 weeks old.

Words cannot describe how gorgeous he is. I love him more than I would have thought possible already.

I was also so worried he would freak out in the car as all our previous hamsters have hated car journeys. Mushu went hysterical during the 15 minute journey from Pets at home to home, and I remember being afraid that my first hamster had died during a 30 minute car journey which had him frozen with fear. But, this little guy slept happily in his ferplast travel case for most of the trip. He didn't even flinch at the sound of the sat nav and let me stroke him throughout.





I feel really guilty because I had been going to visit Tuftyfluff's boys, who are absolutely lovely, with the intention of selecting one. And Sue herself was also so very kind and helpful. But, I honestly couldn't leave Palmer-Stephenson's boy, having seen his picture. Did I do a bad thing? Actually, don't answer that, because the answer is 'yes' and don't I know it. Am I a bad person? Honestly, I do feel that I am. If I were Tuftyfluff, I'd hate me, though she was far too understanding about it. If I were you, I'd think me fickle. Please don't be angry I think the French would call this 'a crime of passion'.

Here's his new cage. You like it? He seems to! Having said that, he was gnawing the bars last night despite the many many chew toys I've provided so I hope he doesn't need more space as I don't have room for a bigger cage than the plaza (100cm X 50cm X 50cm). The space at the back is for his wheel, which he will get once he's 8-9 weeks old, as per the breeder's instructions. Thankfully, she told me that Quigley will be fine to be upgraded to the Savic plaza now as it is just a little bigger than the Alaska (84cm X 48.5cm X 44cm), which is what he has been living in with her. Phew.



Quigley in his carry case having just got home:


Direct link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lpv8XM8g7YY

After his long journey, I had to wake him up to put him in his new 'Palace'.

Direct link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OyOaKT0cBkU


I was all prepared to leave him to settle in for at least a day, what the breeder told me that I should take him out starting yesterday evening, an hour after getting home, because that's what he is used to. I put him in a plastic bin for the purpose. He was quite skittish and didn't act at all as he had at the Palmer-Stephensons' house, where he was quite happy to be unceremoniously picked up and turned upside down! He didn't want any strokes or to be picked up. Is that normal with breeder hams when they first get home? It might take a while, but hopefully he will get used to me. I am probably just remembering Mushu, who was completely tame already when I got him from p@h at 10 weeks old. But, my other hams weren't at all tame when I first got them, so I have experience with taming. I can be patient.

Quigley did seem to enjoy the banana chip that I gave him, though!



Quigley still didn't want to be picked up this morning, but he was prepared to sit on my hand and eat his first broccoli. Apparently, though he is used to veg, he's never had broccoli before.




Direct link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XurbOtt8gGI

I also filled his bowl with and set it on my hand. He climbed into the bowl to eat breakfast - which I guess is sort of sitting on my hand! It was nice that he just let me stroke him while he ate.



Quigley also got brave and took a couple of pumpkin seeds from me, and tried to use my arm as a stairway to freedom!

He's a lovely boy and I'm smitten already as you can probably tell. I did have a dreadful dream last night that he died in the same way that Mushu did. But, thankfully when I woke up and switched on my red light I could see him sitting on a platform looking at me because he is living in my room.

Last edited by AprilPearl; 06-15-2017 at 02:10 AM.
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Old 06-15-2017, 02:13 AM   #2
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Default Re: Quigley

Oh he is utterly adorable. I know exactly what you mean about knowing when a hamster is the one. I felt like that about my little fluffy cream puff, Arun.

What a lovely set up you have for him. He is so tame already!!! He is so fluffy and so pretty and ... omg. What a delight.

I couldnt get onto the forum yesterday either. Only just managed now. What a great first post to see!
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Old 06-15-2017, 02:50 AM   #3
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He is gorgeous! I'd never have guessed that name, but it's a nice one He is probably chewing the bars a bit because of the change and no wheel. Newtie did that a little bit on the first night or two which is why I put the wheel in the playpen and let him use it in out of cage time and he stopped then.

It is confusing isn't it. The idea of handling them straight away rather than leaving them to settle in for a couple of days, when they are skittish. The idea is to keep up the tameness and handling, but he will still be settling in and skittish after the change, so maybe it's a bit of a balance, of leaving him alone to settle in mostly, but handling him a little bit each day. I set up the playpen so I could get in and handle Newtie in there without him escaping as he was so fast when skittish!

The cage is lovely, although I do think there are a few fall risks at the moment. Not too bad but if he climbed up to the roof and dropped he could land awkwardly on the rainbow bridge, food bowl or ladder. It's why I find the rat sputniks helpful - if hung over the ladder he couldn't fall on that. Moving the bendy bridge and food bowl under one of the shelves might help. But just see how he goes. You don't want to freak him out by changing things around too much, but moving those two little things and adding something might be fine if you don't do much adjustment for a while after that.

The cage doesn't look nearly as tall as I expected though - it looks similar to the Barney height-wise. Have you measured the internal height? I want one!
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Old 06-15-2017, 03:28 AM   #4
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Default Re: Quigley

Congrats April I'm so pleased you found him, when you know you just know & it was obviously meant to be for you two to be together
He really is adorable.

The cage does look nice, I agree with Serendipity that it doesn't look as tall as I imagined! (And I want one too lol!)
It does look as though you could maybe put the shelves higher up & add more substrate in the base.
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Old 06-15-2017, 03:28 AM   #5
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Default Re: Quigley

Congrats on Quigley AP, what a handsome little boy he his and he loks so so tiny when he was sitting on your hand to eat his brocoli I'm sure you'll both have a lovely time getting to know each other
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Old 06-15-2017, 03:46 AM   #6
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Congrats on Quigley! I like the name too. It makes total sense why you couldn't resist, absolutely no need to feel guilty about it- sometimes you just know when you've found the one. I wouldn't worry over the bar chewing, he's still new and settling in. The behavior should stop after a couple of weeks. Looking forward to watching this little guy grow

I couldn't get on the forum either yesterday, I think the site was down. I logged on around 6:00 am and then when I tried again around 8:00 (this is US Eastern time) it didn't work. I thought it was just me
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Old 06-15-2017, 03:53 AM   #7
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Serendipity I went to measure my plaza and it's 46cm from the top of the curve to the roof (if that's what you were looking for).

The forum seems to have lost all the posts from the 13th too or is that just me?

Sorry Quigley for hijacking your thread, by the way I love his name too and don't think I would have guessed it despite racking my brains trying to think of names beginning with Q lol.
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Old 06-15-2017, 04:16 AM   #8
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I meant if you measure from the inside of the base at the very base/bottom - to the inside of the roof bars ie the space between the roof and the bottom of the base inside the cage rather than outside. Is that what you meant too lol! Anyway if it is 46cm that is really good news! It means it is a similar height to the Barney and Alexander.
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Old 06-15-2017, 04:21 AM   #9
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While you're at it! Could you measure the space between the bars please The Alexander is quoted as having 1cm bar spacing but the spacing is actually 7mm. If it is 7mm I'm getting one ha ha. Sometimes bar spacing is quoted as including the thickness of the bar and the actual space between the bars is less. It does look less than 1cm. (I think it's quoted as 9mm or 9.5mm). It wouldn't matter to most Syrian owners, but I have a thing about it being mouseproof and a mouse can get through anything bigger than 7mm. Although we don't actually have mice any more (but did have some in the loft when we arrived).

I think, as Cypher says, you could raise everything up a bit by putting deeper substrate in and raising the right hand shelf a bit more (also makes it easier to see them underneath the shelf) which would effectly make everything a bit higher up and reduce the drop. If it's about 1cm below the top of the cage base it shouldn't fall out and you can mound it up a bit in the middle.

I think with these large cages with a flat roof, the roof can actually bow down a bit (mine does) which is quite useful in reducing the height

Last edited by Pebbles82; 06-15-2017 at 04:27 AM.
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Old 06-15-2017, 04:22 AM   #10
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48cm then Serendipity
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