Meet Zack

[Syrian Hammy]

I got Zack a few days ago. Below are tge only 2 photos I've got so far.

http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a494/Martina_McIlwaine/9a8e1cef-3708-4163-8c95-5442b6a8c64a_zps16670f90.jpg~original (http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/Martina_McIlwaine/media/9a8e1cef-3708-4163-8c95-5442b6a8c64a_zps16670f90.jpg.html)

http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a494/Martina_McIlwaine/31d72399-8a25-4a22-8c42-1457063ee89b_zpsddf2b45c.jpg~original (http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/Martina_McIlwaine/media/31d72399-8a25-4a22-8c42-1457063ee89b_zpsddf2b45c.jpg.html)


What size of wheel would be best for this little fella?

[Scampi16]

He's a little beauty.
I have 6 & half inch Silent Spinners for my Chinese s.

[racinghamster]

How sweet is he?!! :) If he`s not liking the flying saucer, a 6.5" inch silent spinner or something similar that he can safely run in really. I hear the OVO and Habitrail wheels are quite good. ebay usually has some good bargains but just be careful someone isn`t trying to sell a naff wheel! :mad: If you find one, post it here first and get some feedback on it before buying. But the medium Silent Spinners are one of the best. x

How is Zach liking the Imac Fantasy cage? :)

[icklemunch]

He's really cute. Good choice of name :)

[HamsterCrazy2013]

He looks super cute! :)

[gellerbing]

aww bless too cute :)

[Gazmo]

oh hes just lovely :D

[Syrian Hammy]

Thanks so much guys. RH, he seems to be loving the imac fantasy but I'm not to be honest, I hate everything about it. I'm a big fan of the silent spinners so he'll get one of those.

I am a little concerned tho.....he's making strange noises not like a squeak, ahhh I can't really explain it. He doesn't seem unwell so I'm guessing it's because he's scared?

[Susie]

Awww he's gorgeous! I love dom spot chinese hamsters <3

[racinghamster]

Hi SH. Any noises could be related to a few things but if you listen closely, try and determine if the noises are related to his breathing pattern. As he breathes in and out quite fast anyway, you might hear a `peep, peep, peep, peep` or a tic, tic, tic with each breath or something similar to that.

If he was kept on wood shavings at the shop, this may have irritated him, but now that he is in a barred cage, it should improve. But if you still hear the noises in a weeks time, I would be inclined to get some Baytril and pop it in his drinking water. My friend did this with her Chinese male when she first adopted him from Pets At Home and she suspected that he had a wee respiratory issue. The Baytril cleared it up and she just dosed his water for a week.

As for the cage, which one were you thinking of switching to? I liked the idea of using a two-tiered Imac Fantasy for a single Chinese, but I also have a Kios and a Gabber Rex to choose from. The Kios and similar cage styles allow for deep digging, which Chinese hamsters tend to do. But the Kios also allows for some climbing as well with it`s narrow 7mm bars. It also have the hole adaptors for a pod or smaller cage to be added on, which I like. Although the Kios access is not great unless the whole lid is lifted off!

[Syrian Hammy]

RH, he doesn't seem to be making a noise when he's breathing, just the occasional squeak possibly and he's been teeth chattering at me which will be natural given I've only had him a few days. All I've been doing is sitting with him talking. I don't want to rush things especially since chinese are naturally shy. Someone told me they were not able to tame theirs. I hope I can!

I really like the zonezone 1 especially for its access. I'd do my best to give him climbing opportunities but I'd need ideas from you guys. I have a woodlands bridge, 4 bendable logs, 2 of the yellow cubes, a climbing frame wich hangs from a barred cage. Don't know how I'd attach it in the ZZ1. Tunnles, hideouts. Awk I don't know what to do now. Would the kios work out better in terms of enrichment? And of course I can add deep substrate. Its the shape that puts ne off but if he'd enjoy it more then I'd opt for it. Taking the wire part off for access would be easy enough. As long as it's not fiddly. I quite like the grey base. Means also I can attach trixie bridges to it.

[racinghamster]

If I`m honest SH, I bought two single Imac Fantasy cages for this exact purpose just recently and then managed to secure a Kios cage from a member on here who was selling hers on. So I sold one of my Imac Fantasy cages to a member on another forum and then regretted it. But now I`m actually thinking about just going with my Kios now even if I need to remove the lid to gain access because it`s not heavy at all and it just sits back on again when replacing. I don`t even feel the side clips are required as a Chinese hamster couldn`t lift the lid off anyway!

The base is 6" Inches (16cm) deep exactly. Now I wasn`t sure about this either, but then realised that Chinese hams do love to dig and sometimes make a nest deep under a sleeping box, so the Kios base would work well in that case.

The barred section is not high, it`s 14cm on it`s own, so if a Chinese hamster decided to go on a climbing spree, the drop would be minimal and of course, you can hang things from the roof like a sputnik or Trixie bendy log bridges for the hamster to rest on while climbing across. I plan to make a plywood shelf across mine at one end so that this creates a dark area underneath.

I have the grey base Kios and noticed that Zooplus have the grey and the blue based at the same price today and I know the grey base is usually pricier. But then they are always adjusting their prices! I actually like the blue base too though.

All I can say is, if your Zoozone 1 could work for you and for Zach, use it. But if you feel a barred cage would be better because of the options to bar climb and hang things, the Kios does seem to hold it`s value and could be used for all hamsters apart from large Syrians or very active Syrians! :mad:

The little noises Zach is omitting could just be him communicating how he feels if he is teeth chattering!

[Syrian Hammy]

Thank you RH for your input :). I've had ordered the Kios in grey. I feel he'll have the best of both worlds now and I don't have to worry about meshing the ZZ lid. As you say the top section isn't heavy so no problem gaining better access. Just hope he doesn't jump from the base and escape that way. Excited for it to arrive now. My imac will be gave to my cousin as she's getting a hybrid soon.

[racinghamster]

:) I`m sure you will like the Kios SH. I was the same when looking at it, but then rather than being negative about the cage, I looked more at the positives that it gave the hamster rather than me ranting about the one door access! It`s a good looking cage when it`s set up and I personally feel it`s better to have a cage that is (a) totally safe for the hamster and (b) is a decent size. I was very lucky to get mine second hand although the cage is like new, thanks to the member on here who only used it for a short time.

Just a wee tip for your cousine about using the Imac Fantasy for a Russian dwarf. The tube inside can prove tricky for Russians as they have furry feet, so don`t always mange the smooth tube inside this cage. But using a wide log ladder (you can even join two together to make it longer) as an alternative is a better option. Unscrew the larger floor cap and hook the log bridge over the edge. ;)

Now you can spend the evening looking at all your accessories and planning your Kios layout! :)