Good advice from Ria there
. I am fascinated by all thus clapping referred to lol - by you and Ria - assume its “napping “?
Yes keep a look out on eBay and gumtree for a used Hamster Heaven or Alaska cage. Although a used Hamster Heaven can be almost as much as a new Alaska.
With regards hamsters and toys. Hamsters are only really interested in things that are edible or things that are dark or cosy to hide in
. There are a lot of hamster toys that are a bit pointless or too small for a Syrian even but - although they may ignore them they like to know they are there - because it’s familiar and part of their set up. I had one hamster who would glare at you and have a real stress if I moved anything even a few millimetres! The toys are part of the furniture. So chew sticks with food stuck on go down well and so do tunnels (Pringles tubes are a good size for a Syrian).
They often ignore hides for nesting if they aren’t big enough or aren’t dark inside but they may like to sit in the smaller ones. What goes down really well
Is a largeish house that’s open underneath and sat on top of the substrate- and dark inside. It’s effectively a nesting box. A shoebox house is ideal. Cut the base out of the shoe box, cut a hole for a door in one of the long sides - at one end (means the other end is darker). The lid makes a lift off roof - so you can check inside if needed without having to take the house out - so the best stays in tact and doesn’t fall apart. They are quite precious about their nests.
If you have a bendy stick bridge, put that over the house entrance hole - it makes it nice and dark inside the house and also makes a ramp up onto the house roof so that’s another level too.
I can almost guarantee he would move in and build a nest in there! Especially if you put a bit of cucumber or cheese inside to tempt him in. It’s best to put the nesting material in the cage in a pile - but not actually inside a house. They like to forage for it and pouch it and take it to the nesting area. Keeps them busy as well!
Ria is right - no fluff bedding - plain white toilet paper torn into strips is best and they like pouching it as well and building a cosy nest with it.
If the house is big enough you can fit a litter tray inside as well )the back corner opposite the entrance) and they usually use it.
A litter tray is the best purchase you can make IMH. Corner plastic dish that you put chinchilla sand in. They use it to pee in and it means there is much less need to do clean outs. So you save on substrate and the hamster gets less stress.
The other reason the shoebox house (or similar) works well is they can bury hoards under their nest (and they tend to stay dry unless pee’d on sale better ventilation) and can burrow down a bit in the substrate as well. Some will even tunnel under the house in and out. You need at least 3 to 4” substrate - but with a litter tray it lasts longer so you use less.
Sorry if you already know half of that
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