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Old 03-25-2019, 03:17 PM   #1
megzo
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Smile Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

I apologise if this is the incorrect place to post but I found this website whilst looking for places to ask advice and this one seemed the most active/accepting so here i am Two days ago i brought home my new Syrian hamster, Yuki. She's an 8 week old albino hammy and she is an angel, she already seems fairy comfortable and is cleaning outside of her bed/house infront of me which i've heard is a promising sign in terms of her feeling safe. I greatly worry I'm doing something wrong as I'm generally very paranoid and want Yuki to have the best little life possible. The first day we brought Yuki home I mainly just left her to explore whilst gently talking to her, as did my family who already hugely adore her, the next day (yesterday) I kept a similar routine but around 11pm hand fed her a few little treats to which she accepted and took from me, she didn't run away or avidly show fear and afterwards continued running on her wheel. Today I spot cleaned her cage and removed the box she came in for the car journey (she had made this her bed) and shes seemed to happily transfer old and new bedding into a wooden 'house' we bought her (it has 3 windows and a door and is rather spacious for a hamster). I've done similar and hand fed treats as well as putting them nearer to my palm which she once again happily accepted and then took to her bed. Yuki tends to run on her wheel a lot once shes fully awake and my main concern is that it may be out of boredom? I was informed whilst getting her not to put too many things in her cage at first as it may overwhelm her and stress her out but I'm not too sure what to do, she has 2 wood gnawing blocks, a cardboard tube, a saucer running wheel, a small woven ball and a second floor which she is yet to discover with a wheel that came with her cage. I've bought her other toys/entertainment like a see-saw tube and other gnawing items but she's yet to really interact with these gnawing types of toys. She has climbed up the bars of her cage a few times but not excessively, more like she's exploring or trying to see out as she is currently too small to peer over the side. Tomorrow I'm planning to try to hand feed treats as well as attempt to pet her as I want to build a bond with her, but at her own pace. I really worry I'm doing something wrong as I care for Yuki immensely and want her to have the most positive life possible. We had a slight problem with her water bottle not releasing water today which we very quickly replaced with a new working one, I often hear nibbling coming from her bed and she gets out to have drinks so I'm not necessarily concerned about her intake. Any tips/critiques/information would be amazing and hugely appreciated, thank you! <3
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Old 03-28-2019, 07:44 AM   #2
JennySTL
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Default Re: Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

Hi Megzo - not knowing the size of your cage, I don't have any recommendations other than changing out the saucer wheel for a 12 inch Silent Runner wheel. Also, you'll want to make sure the substrate is at least 6 inches or so deep for little Yuki to burrow and dig. One more thing - Syrians tend to do better with a one story than two. I don't know where you are located, but here in the US, a lof of us use aquariums. Mine is a 55 gallon long. (And it didn't start that big - I had a lot of learning to do!)

She sounds adorable and I can't wait to see pictures of her! Congrats and welcome to Hamster Central!
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Old 03-28-2019, 08:00 AM   #3
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

It sounds like you are doing really well You are right to leave things well alone for a couple of weeks - they need that two weeks without much disturbance, so they can adjust, scent mark their cage and feel at home and develop some habits.

I wouldn't worry about her running on the wheel a lot - they do get excited about a wheel when they first have one, then they start using it less or mainly at night after a while. Can she easily get up to the next level? If there isn't good/easy access to it then that might also be why she is climbing the bars. But yes they also climb to see if they can find a way out - so the main thing there is making sure that if she fell she can't hurt herself - so plenty of deep substrate helps - at least 4" deep if possible.

Adding the odd new thing tends to be accepted by hammies, providing it doesn't mean moving existing things in the cage. So if you needed to add a ramp to the second level that should be ok.

However fall risks can be an issue, so if you have a photo of your cage it would help imagine how high the second level and cage is.

I agree that if she has a flying saucer it needs to be a 12" diameter one - or they can run in an awkward bent way.

Her large house sounds nice and I am sure she appreciates that - room to build a nice big nest.

Main things to check are safety issues. Any holes or entrances need to be big enough or they can get stuck - 5cm diameter absolute minimum - 6cm for a large syrian. If they are too small you can block them off - sticking a small piece of wood over eg or some small wood dowels. Also ramps that can't fall over and wood items can have nails, plus height if they can fall more than 30cm or land on anything pointed.
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Old 03-28-2019, 04:17 PM   #4
megzo
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Smile Re: Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

thank you! i'm from the UK, before getting Yuki i heavily researched appropriate cage sizes, bedding etc and have gotten her a cage that fits the floor space and size requirements. she's really made herself at home and is showing good signs of feeling content and comfortable and i couldn't be more happy! i really appreciate this advice and as she gets older and i can afford it i will 100% look into aquariums as i've seen a lot of people recommend them, especially the detolf. she's began to explore more and has made herself an adorable little nest in the house we got her. i will look into the wheel you've suggested to introduce as she grows, right now she is still tiny i will try and get a photo when she's properly awake.

Last edited by souffle; 03-29-2019 at 07:26 AM.
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Old 03-28-2019, 04:27 PM   #5
megzo
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Smile Re: Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

Serendipity7000
thank you so much for the reassurance, i genuinely really needed it she's gradually started to explore and has made it to the second floor and confidently goes up though i do need to find some more 'entertainment' to add in up there. she doesn't excessively use her wheel as much anymore and has settled in nicely building herself a cozy little nest in her house <3 she has stopped climbing the bars as much and i do think she was mainly doing so as she hadn't worked out the ramp to the second floor platform which she now has and loves. i've made it routine to check the cage before i sleep (usually when shes becoming more active) for anything that could pose a risk and so far so good! she's created an area where she goes to the toilet and tends to go to clean, i've heard that if they clean/stretch/yawn infront of you it's a good sign and she is doing all of them which makes me super happy i apologise i dont currently have a photo of her cage but judging by the measurements i took before buying it doesn't pose a risk. i'm also considering saving for an aquarium when she is more settled and i am able to afford it, i hadn't heard much about them previously as i'm from the uk but they seem like a good idea! thank you so much for all the help and tips, i feel much more reassured now <3

Last edited by souffle; 03-29-2019 at 07:27 AM.
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Old 03-28-2019, 04:32 PM   #6
megzo
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Smile Re: Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

JennySTL
i responded to this previously but i'm not too sure if it posted so i'll write it out again. i'm from the uk and before getting Yuki i heavily researched appropriate cage measurements, safe bedding etc. as i wanted to ensure i had the safest and most appropriate enviroment for her. i am considering getting an aquarium once she is older and more settled and i can afford it (i spent most of my money on Yuki and am saving mainly for her as i'm still a student and doing my best ) i'm confident the current cage she's in is appropriate and complies with the ideal measurements so i'm happy with it until i can afford the aquarium, i've specifically heard good things about the detolf and it is fairly affordable! thank you so much for the tips on substrate depth and the wheel as i hadn't personally heard much about it previously. i'll definitely take these into account, thank you so much and ill definitely try to post some photos of my little Yuki soon

Last edited by souffle; 03-29-2019 at 07:27 AM.
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Old 03-28-2019, 05:10 PM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

Glad all is going well. If she has chosen a toilet place, then it can be a good idea to put a litter tray there. Is it a corner of the cage? They often choose a corner of the cage for a toilet. You can get corner litter trays that sit nicely in the corner of a cage. And put Chinchilla bathing sand in it (which soaks up the pee). If you put it in her chosen place with a tiny bit of pee'd on substrate on top of the sand, she will use the litter tray.

Then you can just empty that every few daysand add more sand and the rest of the cage stays clean and dry longer. Better for us and better for the hamster as less disturbance and less cleaning needed

This kind of thing. But if you can't get hold of them any dish will do. The corner toilets are raised at the back though, so it keeps the pee in well. I've always found they pee in the very back corner and sometimes sit in the front bit for a dig or a wash.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hamster-cor...gateway&sr=8-7

It needs to be Chinchilla bathing sand though (not "dust"). If you can't get the sand you can just put substrate in it although it might need emptying more often then.
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Old 03-29-2019, 07:36 AM   #8
JennySTL
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Default Re: Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

Quote:
Originally Posted by megzo View Post
JennySTL
i responded to this previously but i'm not too sure if it posted so i'll write it out again. i'm from the uk and before getting Yuki i heavily researched appropriate cage measurements, safe bedding etc. as i wanted to ensure i had the safest and most appropriate enviroment for her. i am considering getting an aquarium once she is older and more settled and i can afford it (i spent most of my money on Yuki and am saving mainly for her as i'm still a student and doing my best ) i'm confident the current cage she's in is appropriate and complies with the ideal measurements so i'm happy with it until i can afford the aquarium, i've specifically heard good things about the detolf and it is fairly affordable! thank you so much for the tips on substrate depth and the wheel as i hadn't personally heard much about it previously. i'll definitely take these into account, thank you so much and ill definitely try to post some photos of my little Yuki soon
That's fabulous! It sounds like you are doing everything really well. Yuki just sounds adorable and I love the name!
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Old 03-29-2019, 10:03 AM   #9
megzo
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Smile Re: Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Serendipity7000 View Post
Glad all is going well. If she has chosen a toilet place, then it can be a good idea to put a litter tray there. Is it a corner of the cage? They often choose a corner of the cage for a toilet. You can get corner litter trays that sit nicely in the corner of a cage. And put Chinchilla bathing sand in it (which soaks up the pee). If you put it in her chosen place with a tiny bit of pee'd on substrate on top of the sand, she will use the litter tray.

Then you can just empty that every few daysand add more sand and the rest of the cage stays clean and dry longer. Better for us and better for the hamster as less disturbance and less cleaning needed

This kind of thing. But if you can't get hold of them any dish will do. The corner toilets are raised at the back though, so it keeps the pee in well. I've always found they pee in the very back corner and sometimes sit in the front bit for a dig or a wash.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hamster-cor...gateway&sr=8-7

It needs to be Chinchilla bathing sand though (not "dust"). If you can't get the sand you can just put substrate in it although it might need emptying more often then.
it is a corner in the back ! she always goes into it to wash as well that sounds like a fab idea thank you so much x
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Old 03-29-2019, 10:04 AM   #10
megzo
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Smile Re: Advice on new Syrian hamster, am i doing ok?

Quote:
Originally Posted by JennySTL View Post
That's fabulous! It sounds like you are doing everything really well. Yuki just sounds adorable and I love the name!
thank you so much! i really appreciate the reassurance. it definitely suits her well as it means snow in japanese and shes an albino hammy <3
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