Hamster Central - View Single Post - First time syrian owner

AmityvilleHams · 02-11-2020, 03:19 AM

Hamster balls are best not used at all. They don't really provide any stimulation and in reality shouldn't be considered truly ethical, as they inhibit the senses(yes, even the clear ones and even if they're the largest possible sizes).

A playpen is an excellent choice, or for the less confident hamster who wants to be in a smaller space at least at first a play bin works too. I know others also use the bathtub when clean and dry for a good play space so that might work for you too.

Wheel size is critical. Pet store employees really don't tend to know what they're talking about even with the most basic of care as they rely on such outdated information, hence selling hamster balls and severely undersized cages(and wheels). You need a 12 inch/30.48 cm(not just 30 cm and certainly not 28 cm) wheel - Syrians come in all sizes even from pet stores but it is never impossible for them to be six inches long in which case they must have at least a 12 inch wheel, so better safe than sorry. The 12 inch Silent Runner would be the perfect wheel, since it would work for any Syrian hamster and actually stays silent(unlike Silent Spinners which really aren't worth buying - and have safety issues).

If we want to put things into perspective on how misinformed pet store employees can be, a pet store employee once tried to sell me one of the smallest Silent Spinners for a Syrian hamster. I can't remember if it was a 4.5 inch or 6.5 inch, but that was for a species that could easily grow to 6 inches in length! It isn't their fault though - they're there to sell pet supplies, not to know the proper care for every species they sell which is our responsibility as pet owners when we're buying a pet(or adopting etc).

02-11-2020, 03:19 AM
AmityvilleHams PM Fluffy for custom title Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 4,545	Re: First time syrian owner - wheel problem? Hamster balls are best not used at all. They don't really provide any stimulation and in reality shouldn't be considered truly ethical, as they inhibit the senses(yes, even the clear ones and even if they're the largest possible sizes). A playpen is an excellent choice, or for the less confident hamster who wants to be in a smaller space at least at first a play bin works too. I know others also use the bathtub when clean and dry for a good play space so that might work for you too. Wheel size is critical. Pet store employees really don't tend to know what they're talking about even with the most basic of care as they rely on such outdated information, hence selling hamster balls and severely undersized cages(and wheels). You need a 12 inch/30.48 cm(not just 30 cm and certainly not 28 cm) wheel - Syrians come in all sizes even from pet stores but it is never impossible for them to be six inches long in which case they must have at least a 12 inch wheel, so better safe than sorry. The 12 inch Silent Runner would be the perfect wheel, since it would work for any Syrian hamster and actually stays silent(unlike Silent Spinners which really aren't worth buying - and have safety issues). If we want to put things into perspective on how misinformed pet store employees can be, a pet store employee once tried to sell me one of the smallest Silent Spinners for a Syrian hamster. I can't remember if it was a 4.5 inch or 6.5 inch, but that was for a species that could easily grow to 6 inches in length! It isn't their fault though - they're there to sell pet supplies, not to know the proper care for every species they sell which is our responsibility as pet owners when we're buying a pet(or adopting etc).