Hamster Central - View Single Post - New Hamster Owner, Inherited 20g deep tank

Pebbles82 · 11-17-2021, 06:42 AM

That's great - just perfect - she will love a 40 gallon breeder tank. I'm with the others - although you have new things arriving, the most important thing right now is somewhere dark. A large hide that's dark inside. A shoebox house is ideal. You just cut the base out of the shoebox, keep the lid for a lift off roof (so you don't need to take the house out and disturb the nest) and cut a hole for a door. I find the best place for the door is at one end of one of the long sides - so the other end is darker (light doesn't go round corners and they always choose the darker end to nest in). And as it's a good size you can even put a corner litter tray inside the house - the end opposite the door at the back. Works every time. They seem to move their pee corner inside the house when it's large enough. I think they like having an ensuite! I use these corner plastic litter trays and put chinchilla bathing sand in it. You then just empty the litter tray once or twice a week (taking the roof off the house to do so). And the rest of the cage stays clean and dry, so you can then just spot clean for quite a long time and save on substrate.

Only thing is, avoid the temptation to keep taking the roof off the house and peeking - at least for the first two weeks - or it can freak them before they've settled and she might move out again.

If you have a bendy stick bridge to put over the house door it makes a tunnel entrance and a ramp onto the roof and makes it even darker inside. I can almost guarantee she would move straight in with the tunnel entrance. Although it helps to tempt them inside it with a tiny bit of smelly food in there (eg a small bit of cucumber or cheese). And putting a big pile of nesting material next to the house (but not actually inside it). Torn up strips of plain white toilet paper.

They do need somewhere dark to retreat to.

11-17-2021, 06:42 AM
Pebbles82 Hamster Antics Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 23,533	Re: New Hamster Owner, Inherited 20g deep tank That's great - just perfect - she will love a 40 gallon breeder tank. I'm with the others - although you have new things arriving, the most important thing right now is somewhere dark. A large hide that's dark inside. A shoebox house is ideal. You just cut the base out of the shoebox, keep the lid for a lift off roof (so you don't need to take the house out and disturb the nest) and cut a hole for a door. I find the best place for the door is at one end of one of the long sides - so the other end is darker (light doesn't go round corners and they always choose the darker end to nest in). And as it's a good size you can even put a corner litter tray inside the house - the end opposite the door at the back. Works every time. They seem to move their pee corner inside the house when it's large enough. I think they like having an ensuite! I use these corner plastic litter trays and put chinchilla bathing sand in it. You then just empty the litter tray once or twice a week (taking the roof off the house to do so). And the rest of the cage stays clean and dry, so you can then just spot clean for quite a long time and save on substrate. Only thing is, avoid the temptation to keep taking the roof off the house and peeking - at least for the first two weeks - or it can freak them before they've settled and she might move out again. If you have a bendy stick bridge to put over the house door it makes a tunnel entrance and a ramp onto the roof and makes it even darker inside. I can almost guarantee she would move straight in with the tunnel entrance. Although it helps to tempt them inside it with a tiny bit of smelly food in there (eg a small bit of cucumber or cheese). And putting a big pile of nesting material next to the house (but not actually inside it). Torn up strips of plain white toilet paper. They do need somewhere dark to retreat to.