Hamster Central - View Single Post - Tips on making life easier for an older hamster?

Pebbles82 · 07-29-2021, 03:45 PM

Onion, spices, tomato mainly. If you get the age 4 months ones most of them are free from those. I used to get a couple of main ones that were safe. Cow and Gate Chicken Sunday lunch and Hipp Pumpkin and Chicken. Our hamsters loved both. Also Ella's kitchen peas peas peas. Most of the rest of the Ella's kitchen ones have lemon juice in though so I avoided those.

You can also make normal porridge in a mug with a bit of water and give it on a teaspoon. Or (a bit easier to make and hamsters go bonkers for it). Ella's kitchen strawberry baby porridge

You just add boiled water to a bit in a mug - no cooking. A bit of tasty fun doesn't do them any harm at that age.

Buy Organic Strawberry Porridge | Ella's Kitchen

What cage is she in? What I did when our hamsters were older, was not just remove levels but add a lot more enrichment at floor level. So they can still be active "on the flat" without climbing.

I didn't actually remove the shelf, I moved it to the very top of the cage - so no space between the shelf and the cage and not possible to get up there. So they can still sit "under" the shelf

Overhead cover.

I then moved some of the things from the shelf and roof to floor level - a rat tunnel tied across one end of the cage at substrate level and a cork log to climb over and run through. Plus a special pot for the baby food (an egg cup actually). Pushed into the substrate. Also maybe adjust the wheel so it's completely level with the substrate so easy to get in and out of without them tripping or getting a leg caught.

This was my first "bungalow" adjusted set up

Older Syrian Hamster cage set up - YouTube

This was a later version. So he couldn't even do "low" climbing then (eg onto house roof) and food and water at floor level. I just removed the ramp to the house roof.

Attachment 52479

07-29-2021, 03:45 PM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: Tips on making life easier for an older hamster? Onion, spices, tomato mainly. If you get the age 4 months ones most of them are free from those. I used to get a couple of main ones that were safe. Cow and Gate Chicken Sunday lunch and Hipp Pumpkin and Chicken. Our hamsters loved both. Also Ella's kitchen peas peas peas. Most of the rest of the Ella's kitchen ones have lemon juice in though so I avoided those. You can also make normal porridge in a mug with a bit of water and give it on a teaspoon. Or (a bit easier to make and hamsters go bonkers for it). Ella's kitchen strawberry baby porridge You just add boiled water to a bit in a mug - no cooking. A bit of tasty fun doesn't do them any harm at that age. Buy Organic Strawberry Porridge \| Ella's Kitchen What cage is she in? What I did when our hamsters were older, was not just remove levels but add a lot more enrichment at floor level. So they can still be active "on the flat" without climbing. I didn't actually remove the shelf, I moved it to the very top of the cage - so no space between the shelf and the cage and not possible to get up there. So they can still sit "under" the shelf Overhead cover. I then moved some of the things from the shelf and roof to floor level - a rat tunnel tied across one end of the cage at substrate level and a cork log to climb over and run through. Plus a special pot for the baby food (an egg cup actually). Pushed into the substrate. Also maybe adjust the wheel so it's completely level with the substrate so easy to get in and out of without them tripping or getting a leg caught. This was my first "bungalow" adjusted set up Older Syrian Hamster cage set up - YouTube This was a later version. So he couldn't even do "low" climbing then (eg onto house roof) and food and water at floor level. I just removed the ramp to the house roof. Attachment 52479 Last edited by Pebbles82; 11-27-2022 at 06:58 PM.