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Owner of Titch · 03-31-2019, 02:34 PM

Thank you so much for your responses, I can't tell you how helpful they've been.

I am going to try to attach a couple of photos here just for confirmation. Sorry I didn't before, I'm absolutely hopeless at this type of thing and I couldn't get my head round it but I think I figured it out, fingers crossed it works!

titch4hamstercentral1.pdf

titch4hamstercentral2.pdf

I had major concerns about the cage and you've definitely confirmed I need to get a new one. The dimensions of mine are 35cm width x 50cm length x 35 cm height with a 20cm x 35cm level! Can you believe the pet shop said this was suitable for 2 dwarfs! I can't imagine how bad it would have been if I'd had two! I have started saving for a new cage now and should have one within a month which should also give Titch time to settle hopefully. In the mean time I have a really cheap fabric kids 'ball pit' which serves as a little play pen for him which I've kitted out with loads of hides and toys. I put him in every once in a while (I don't like doing it every day just in case it stresses him out to keep being moved) and it gives him a bit more space to run around as well as letting him out every night/every other night to run around on my king size bed because he's actually quite easy to handle once he's out the cage, he does run but not fast enough to get away and he seems to like climbing on me anyway so he never strays far. I think he likes being out but the only thing that makes me worried is that he takes a lot of convincing to get onto my hand in the cage to come out. I make sure I'm coming in from the side, rubbing my hands on his bedding so I smell familiar and offering a flat palm without chasing him round but he still runs up into his tubes that go round the outside of the cage and seems nervous. He will eventually hop on my hand (especially if I have a treat), he's never bitten me and to me he seems quite content when he's out so I don't know why he gets so nervous about me putting my hand in initially?

In terms of the wheel, I have taken out the silent spinner now. He seemed ok with it and I was only keeping it up with string as a precaution because one amazon review said theirs had fallen over and trapped the hamster under and I definitely didn't want that to happen with Titch. But I think it's best I should follow your advice so I replaced it with a saucer (7 inch, my silent spinner was 6 inch) just because I heard there's a risk of splinters with wooden ones but I don't think he likes it as much? He was loosing control in the silent spinner and falling out sometimes but he's doing that in the saucer as well so I think he might just be clumsy? I don't know. I think I might have found a way to secure the silent spinner without string (I attach the stand to the place where the old wheel which I replaced was with a chew thats supposed to screw into the bars? It's hard to explain but it seems like it worked - I thought it best just to get the saucer anyway though. I did try to attach the wheel to the bars but they start too high up because the base is quite large and so he wouldn't be able to reach), if I notice he's not using the saucer as much should I consider putting the wheel back in? Sorry to be bombarding you with questions! I just want to make sure Titch is happiest hamster he can be!

I did ask a pet shop person if I should get him a sand bath but she said he was too young, is this a load of rubbish? Should I give him a sand bath to play in now? Honestly I can't believe how unhelpful pet shop people are sometimes.

Also a big thanks for the tip about cleaning, I will be spot cleaning from now on although I will probably have to be doing it a little more regularly until I get the bigger cage.

Thanks so much again for all your help! You've been wonderful!

03-31-2019, 02:34 PM
Owner of Titch Newborn Pup Join Date: Mar 2019 Posts: 4	Re: Russian Hamster actually a roborovski? Thank you so much for your responses, I can't tell you how helpful they've been. I am going to try to attach a couple of photos here just for confirmation. Sorry I didn't before, I'm absolutely hopeless at this type of thing and I couldn't get my head round it but I think I figured it out, fingers crossed it works! titch4hamstercentral1.pdf titch4hamstercentral2.pdf I had major concerns about the cage and you've definitely confirmed I need to get a new one. The dimensions of mine are 35cm width x 50cm length x 35 cm height with a 20cm x 35cm level! Can you believe the pet shop said this was suitable for 2 dwarfs! I can't imagine how bad it would have been if I'd had two! I have started saving for a new cage now and should have one within a month which should also give Titch time to settle hopefully. In the mean time I have a really cheap fabric kids 'ball pit' which serves as a little play pen for him which I've kitted out with loads of hides and toys. I put him in every once in a while (I don't like doing it every day just in case it stresses him out to keep being moved) and it gives him a bit more space to run around as well as letting him out every night/every other night to run around on my king size bed because he's actually quite easy to handle once he's out the cage, he does run but not fast enough to get away and he seems to like climbing on me anyway so he never strays far. I think he likes being out but the only thing that makes me worried is that he takes a lot of convincing to get onto my hand in the cage to come out. I make sure I'm coming in from the side, rubbing my hands on his bedding so I smell familiar and offering a flat palm without chasing him round but he still runs up into his tubes that go round the outside of the cage and seems nervous. He will eventually hop on my hand (especially if I have a treat), he's never bitten me and to me he seems quite content when he's out so I don't know why he gets so nervous about me putting my hand in initially? In terms of the wheel, I have taken out the silent spinner now. He seemed ok with it and I was only keeping it up with string as a precaution because one amazon review said theirs had fallen over and trapped the hamster under and I definitely didn't want that to happen with Titch. But I think it's best I should follow your advice so I replaced it with a saucer (7 inch, my silent spinner was 6 inch) just because I heard there's a risk of splinters with wooden ones but I don't think he likes it as much? He was loosing control in the silent spinner and falling out sometimes but he's doing that in the saucer as well so I think he might just be clumsy? I don't know. I think I might have found a way to secure the silent spinner without string (I attach the stand to the place where the old wheel which I replaced was with a chew thats supposed to screw into the bars? It's hard to explain but it seems like it worked - I thought it best just to get the saucer anyway though. I did try to attach the wheel to the bars but they start too high up because the base is quite large and so he wouldn't be able to reach), if I notice he's not using the saucer as much should I consider putting the wheel back in? Sorry to be bombarding you with questions! I just want to make sure Titch is happiest hamster he can be! I did ask a pet shop person if I should get him a sand bath but she said he was too young, is this a load of rubbish? Should I give him a sand bath to play in now? Honestly I can't believe how unhelpful pet shop people are sometimes. Also a big thanks for the tip about cleaning, I will be spot cleaning from now on although I will probably have to be doing it a little more regularly until I get the bigger cage. Thanks so much again for all your help! You've been wonderful!