Some questions about playtime!

[Scarlett Empress]

I'm wondering if there are any ways I can make out-of-cage playtime more interesting for my Syrian, Smokey!

Her main playtime in the evening begins with a quick cuddle and a roam around the settee - she usually has a burrow under the scatter cushions then climbs on to the back of the settee. Then she climbs onto the armchair next to it, where she climbs all over my mum, and then climbs on to the back of the chair.

She then has about 15-20 minutes in her ball, which she seems to enjoy - she always climbs in on her own. We live in a bungalow so she can go in all the rooms.

We then have a play on my bed - I put an assortment of cardboard boxes and tubes on my bed, and hide treats in them - the first couple of times we did this, she enjoyed looking in the boxes. Now, it seems the novelty has worn off! She might have a quick trip in and out of a couple of boxes, but she heads for the top of my bed, where I put the pillows along the sides against my chests of drawers to make a sort of barrier, and drape a fleecy throw over the pillows and headboard to make a sort of semi enclosed space. If I put a couple fo cuddly toys here, she likes wriggling under them, but what she really likes is climbing up the fleece. Which is Ok, but from there, she wants to either climb down the back of the headboard, or onto my chests of drawers - which I don't want her to do as she could either fall and hurt herself, or disappear off somewhere that I can't catch her! So, I end up constantly picking her up and putting her back in the middle of the bed, trying to get her interested in the boxes and tubes - and she sets off at top speed back up the fleece.

The more I try and deter her, once she has a route in her head, the faster she seems to run!

It seems to me this must be frustrating for her, although she does seem to enjoy it as a game.

I do want to make her a playpen so she can play without me having to catch her all the time - my Mum bought her one of those cardboard forts, thinking it would be fun for her, but all she wants to do is scale the walls - same when we bought her a ball pit.

I think she just really likes climbing!

So, just wondering - if I make her a playpen with sides she can't climb, what sort of toys I could put in to engage her interest? Seems like tunnels and tubes and boxes and treats just isn't enough! I like making things, so was thinking of some kind of climbing frame, as climbing seems to be what she likes best.

Any ideas greatly appreciated!

[Artisans_uk]

I have just taken a very quick photo of the playpen that four of the five girls use. It's full of lots of things that they can climb in, over, under. Sewsaws, flying saucer, wheel, climbing frame, cardboard tubes etc When they are in for long times then I put in their litter tray and sand bath, and there is water available too. I also have a burrow box which I will put in and take out some of the other items, just to mix things up for them.

They all seem to love their playpen time, from Elynor who is just 7 weeks old and has just learnt to use the bigger wheel in the playpen to Bracken (who is in there as I type), who is approaching 1.5 yrs. All my girls are dwarf hamsters.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7675/17152464297_2f533ba12d.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/s8GS44)Playpen (https://flic.kr/p/s8GS44) by artisans_jw (https://www.flickr.com/people/95254677@N07/), on Flickr"][/URL]

I hope that gives you some ideas and I am sure other people will post their ideas. :)

[Scarlett Empress]

Thank you so much for the photo Artisans_uk! I love the climbing frame - I think Smokey would enjoy that but I'm not sure the ones I have seen for sale would be big enough for her, but I think I could make something. And I will try a seesaw for her! I hadn't thought about it, but perhaps I could get her a big flying saucer - she has a small one in the cage, my mum bought it for her and I did say it would be too small, but I've left it in because she still plays on it even though she's got a bog wheel, and she likes to use it for having a nap in too - but I could get her a big one for her playpen.

Last night she decided that my little folding step-stool made a good toy! It's in the back ground in this pic -
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8734/17358863505_01cfdcd482_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/srWHm6)

She also enjoyed wriggling through the clean laundry I had folded up on the ottoman at the end of my bed. I swear she is laughing at me here after I was worried that she'd got stuck in my clean jumper!
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7682/17171300780_4ce1779fab_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sanpu1)

I'd love to get one of those playpens but I know she'd be over the side in no time. I'm thinking I will get a box and make a playpen from that but I think I'll put some plastic panels in so she can see out, she doesn't seem to like nor being able to see out.

[PortalCat]

Ahahaha! Whisper is exactly the same way -- it was so frustrating at first, because play time was basically tag with no breaks and with me always being it. She's a Syrian too, surprise surprise. xD

I hamster-proofed my floor so that she can just run around in here. I don't mind her going under the bed or drawers, as I keep it clean under there and she never goes to the toilet outside of her cage. She's too big to squeeze under the door, either. It was the only real solution after I realized that she'd never be satisfied with a playpen; she's just too active and curious!

I have heard people on here discuss converting plastic bins into playpens? Y'know, the kind that you can buy to organize things? If letting Smokey run around free-range is inconvenient, maybe that would be an alternative. I also sometimes put Whisper into her hammy ball, which is crystal clear (she didn't like the coloured ones, I think it felt like being trapped because she couldn't see anything out of it). From what I've read, Syrians are safer in hammy balls than others because their paws are bigger, so they rarely get them trapped in any of the holes. Of course, not all hamsters like balls, and you probably should watch her to make sure she doesn't hate being in there, but it's a thought! :3

[Pebbles82]

My playtime sounds the same as yours lol. There's a thread on here about making a playpen out of sheets of correx (corrugated cardboard with a plasticised finish). You can fold them easily to make corners and clip them together with bulldog clips. When not in use the sheets slide under the sofa - which is where mine are after a tip on here and I still haven't put the playpen up yet - which I feel bad about but it's been a hectic few months. I thought I'd put it round the cage and leave the door open - as our cage is on the floor - but sometimes I can't get near it for family clutter lol.

[Scarlett Empress]

PortalCat I've been seriously thinking this afternoon about how I can hamsterproof my room! The rouble is I do have a lot of stuff associated with my main hobby, so there's a lot going on under my bed - and I have also been worried about her getting behind my chests of drawers as they are so big and heavy! I need to take all the drawers out to be able to move them, and even then they are heavy - but I think I've got that sorted now! I just ordered some new furniture that's on little legs, so if she was to go under the furniture, I could see her and she won't be able to get stuck behind.

And as this furniture comes flat-packed, there will be lots of cardboard to make a playpen!

I did think about a plastic storage box for her to play in but it's having somewhere to keep it - and a lot of the ones I saw were only about the size of her cage. The latest idea is that I have a run of built in wardrobes 7ft wide - she can't get under or behind those, and they end against a wall, so if I made some panels that could go in an L shape against the wardrobes and wall, she could have a long playpen - plenty of room for toys and just running.

I do want to watch her play and interact with her, but it would be nice for her to just get on with adventuring on her own without me interrupting for part of the time, I think.

I think it would be a good idea if I had a carpet runner under the pen though, I just unearthed a parquet floor and it might feel cold to her, and something soft would be good for safety.

She does enjoy her ball, she climbs in happily and sometimes isn't too keen to get out!