Our Adoption Story... [Archive]

ScoobyWoo

05-15-2016, 02:03 AM

I thought it would be nice to keep a record of the adoption process of our new hamster and what better place to do that than Hamster Central!

Bit of background before we start... my hubby and I have kept hamsters before and had guinea pigs too but not for quite a few years, we have recently been feeling like it was time to introduce a new small fury into our lives and as it has been soooooooooo long since we last had a hamster, we thought we had better do some serious research into housing, diet and care so we have been doing this for a few months. We also started buying supplies and making the lonnnnngggg and much debated decision about which cage to go for.

We decided quite early on that we would like to adopt if possible and give a lovely hammy a loving forever home :) We are quite lucky in that there is a small pet rescue centre not too far from where we live so I have been following them on facebook for some time.

On 7th May, I contacted the rescue to ask about the adoption process and enquire about one of 2 beautiful female Syrian's I had seen on their facebook page. We were sent a fairly in depth adoption questionnaire to complete which we did and then we had to wait to see if we would be accepted.
Fortunately we didn't have to wait for too long and 2 days later we were approved to adopt one of the girls!

Unfortunately- the timing wasn't great as the lady who oversees the adoptions at the rescue was going on holiday from Saturday until 24th May so we have to wait until after that before we can go and meet the little ladies and decide who we want to bring home. (Not looking forward to that decision!)

Although, a bit disappointed at having to wait a little longer than we wanted to, it is probably a blessing as it has given us more time to get the cage all set up and organised ready for our little girl.

Yesterday, we went out and bought the last few bits we needed and then spent the evening setting up the cage.

In the end, we went for the Barney cage which we hope will give our new hamster enough space to be happy and we have tried to keep the setup quite natural and provide lots of places to climb and chew and hopefully keep her entertained. We used the cages photo's thread on Hamster Central a lot for reference and really found it useful. Any recommendations for changes or things to add to the cage will be gratefully received if anybody has any?

So that's it really, that's where we're at now- the cage is ready, we have the pet carrier and we're just playing the waiting game now....roll on 25th May when we can go and bring our girlie home! :)

Here are some pictures of our girl's new setup:

Piebald

05-15-2016, 02:09 AM

Wow that looks great I want to live in it :)
One thing I can't tell is how deep is the substrate?

Pebbles82

05-15-2016, 02:22 AM

ScoobyWoo

05-15-2016, 02:23 AM

Wow that looks great I want to live in it :)
One thing I can't tell is how deep is the substrate?

Thank you, the substrate is about 5inches deep. We're using Finacard, never tried it before with any of our previous animals but the rescue are using it so thought it would be a good idea to use the same as them to keep things familiar(ish) for the hammie.

Pebbles82

05-15-2016, 02:24 AM

That's a good idea using the same substrate. I bought a small bag of Finacard recently but haven't tried it yet. Would be good to hear how you find it at some point :-) I was thinking of adding a bit to our paper substrate.

ScoobyWoo

05-15-2016, 02:41 AM

That must be hard having to wait! Shame you can't get her now, but then the 25th May will be an exciting day :-)

I posted on the let's see your cages thread already - but having another thought about the access to the two left shelves. Just a suggestion, but I think it might work better if:

1) You put the smaller bendy ladder next to the left bars, going from the lower shelf to the upper one.

2) You move the bendy stick tunnel further back to the edge of the cage, giving access up to the lower shelf but underneath the other ladder and the upper shelf. Plus it would be easier to climb up without the other ladder attached.

3) That means if your hammy jumps off the top shelf she can't land on the bendy bridge and will just land on soft substrate.

Just a thought :-) Kind of climbing up the shelves in shorter stages. They can fall off things sometimes.

Thanks for this Serendipity- I have just been reading your reply on the other thread- much appreciated. I don't really understand point 2)....think I'm being a bit dumb! Haha I'll have play about in a while though.
We're loving setting it up all- I just keep looking at it! Haha!

With regard to the finacard...first impressions is that it is sooooooooooooooooooo NOT dusty! Not a scrap of dust at all, we were both amazed!
Will let you know how we get on once hammie moves in with regard to odours etc.

freyashamsters

05-15-2016, 02:45 AM

ScoobyWoo

05-15-2016, 03:39 AM

It must be difficult having to wait - it makes May 25th so much more exciting though!
Fantastic idea about the substrate, I've never thought of that :)
Serendipidity has some great ideas about shelving etc... Although the cage is great already I can understand where she's coming from about height risks :)
I very much hope that when you do get your hamster they settle in well with you and live a long and happy life :)

The other thing about using the same substrate as the rescue is that they obviously deem it safe and practical aswell as economical so it just makes sense all round really.

We're currently having a re-jiggle in the cage after Serendipity's comments and advice. However, we're a bit confused at the moment between blocking up gaps where hamster could potentially fall and leaving gaps so if hamster does fall, she lands on substrate....a bit confused as the two things obviously contradict each other! Gahhh! Oh well....we'll come up with something and I suppose we aren't going to know what works for our hammy in particular until she comes home and we find out what her personality is like and how active and adventurous she is :D

Thank you Freyashamsters- we hope she does too :)

Thin Lizzy

05-15-2016, 03:48 AM

cypher

05-15-2016, 04:26 AM

Your cage does look nice, I'm sure your new ham is going to be very happy in there when she arrives.
Look forward to hearing all about her, not too long now but it must seem it!

CMB

05-15-2016, 06:10 AM

Nice setup. The sand bath may be better on the base rather than the platform, as a lot of the sand will be scattered outside the cage if left on the shelf. With it on the floor the sand should stay inside the cage more.

ScoobyWoo

05-15-2016, 06:22 AM

You're very organised, I'd be climbing the walls if I had to wait 10 more days.
Once you get your ham, you'll be able to watch her and see how she reacts to the cage and then you can make little changes to suit her. I really like the cage and you can't perfect it till you see how she settles.

Thanks Think Lizzy, I think that is the plan- wait and see how she gets on.

Your cage does look nice, I'm sure your new ham is going to be very happy in there when she arrives.
Look forward to hearing all about her, not too long now but it must seem it!

Thank you Cypher- it does feel like a long time away but I'm sure what with work and everything else, the time will fly by....hopefully!

Nice setup. The sand bath may be better on the base rather than the platform, as a lot of the sand will be scattered outside the cage if left on the shelf. With it on the floor the sand should stay inside the cage more.

Yes, I agree! We couldn't find anywhere to put it on the base at first but we've had a bit of a jiggle about now and managed to put it on the base.

Thank you all. :)

ScoobyWoo

05-15-2016, 06:36 AM

So we've had a little bit of a jiggle around with the ladders and platforms and added more substrate.
We have put the sand bath underneath the big ramp so still leaving the corner free which is what I was keen to do which left the platform on the right a little bare so....cue shopping trip! Haha- like I need any encouragement!

We popped for a walk around town, one of our local pet shops had some hemp mat circles so we picked a few of those up and put one on the shelf and one under the food bowl and we got one of those coconut huts to go on the shelf too. We bought a natural nibble pot thing from Wilko's too...not sure if they're ok or not..they look ok from the ingredients list.

Some updated photo's...

Coco61

05-15-2016, 08:19 AM

Pebbles82

05-15-2016, 09:53 AM

That's looking great! I think I prefer your set up to mine lol. I'd like to know where you got the coconut house from actually - whenever I've seen them advertised like that the holes are too low down but yours looks just right.

As for the wee corner and sand bath - that sounds like a good plan - that corner could well be chosen as it's nearest to the house. Or she might just decide the sand bath is a potty :-)

ScoobyWoo

05-15-2016, 10:29 AM

That is a great looking set up. I have a barney cage too so I can tell how creative you have been! The nibble pot you bought looks like aRosewood Naturals grainless nibble pot? From the photo the filling looks like either the dried parsnip or the dried marigold flowers. There are 6 flavoured fillings in all, 3 veg and 3 flowers but the pots are not labelled individually. They are certainly safe, a great treat in my opinion and liked by the Syrians I know of who have happily gnawed them to dust!

Thank you Coco and thank you for the info on the nibble pot- it was that one so good to know it's safe and that the Syrians enjoy them. I noticed there were lots of different ones- I wasn't sure about the ones with the flowers in so I steered clear of those, this one looks like parsnips actually now you've said it! Thank you! :D

That's looking great! I think I prefer your set up to mine lol. I'd like to know where you got the coconut house from actually - whenever I've seen them advertised like that the holes are too low down but yours looks just right.

As for the wee corner and sand bath - that sounds like a good plan - that corner could well be chosen as it's nearest to the house. Or she might just decide the sand bath is a potty :-)

Aww thank you Serendipity, I'm pleased you think it's looking nice as you always seem to be pretty clued up on safety so that you think it's ok makes me feel better.
The coconut hut is from Wilko's...just looked for it on the website...I can see this one:
Wilko Coconut Paradise for Small Animals at wilko.com (http://www.wilko.com/small-pet-toys/wilko-coconut-paradise-for-small-animals/invt/0303651)
but I'm not sure if that's the same one as ours didn't come in a box... anyway, we made a couple of small holes in the top and used natural string to attach a metal clip to hang it on the roof bars.

That's why I left that particular corner as I thought as it's close to bed...she might well use it...we'll see , as you said- she might prefer to wee in the bath! lol

I can't wait to see what she thinks to it all!

Coco61

05-15-2016, 11:04 AM

Great Scooby Woo, hope the treat goes down well. If you want to repeat it the other two veg ones are carrot and courgette. Flowers are marigold, cornflower and rose petals. The colours should make each one easy to identify. Being able to buy them individually is good.

ScoobyWoo

05-15-2016, 11:47 AM

Pebbles82

05-15-2016, 02:19 PM

I have an idea to make the time go quicker while you're waiting :-) You could design the ideal playpen on paper lol. Or bake some hammy cookies :-)

CMB

05-15-2016, 02:24 PM

Or more hamster supplies shopping online to pass the days until you get your hamster. :)

Pebbles82

05-16-2016, 01:02 AM

Ooh that sounds fatal! But could combine with designing a playpen :-) This is our playpen by the way - which has room for improvement - I got the ideas from this forum. It is set up round the cage on the video as I was leaving the door open on the cage at that time (under supervision of course as no playpen is totally escapeproof really) - but it can also be set up on its own, bigger or smaller or in a long run.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvXJ-Jbo0CM

Thin Lizzy

05-16-2016, 03:59 AM

I love the changes you made, your little girl is so going to love it!

ScoobyWoo

05-16-2016, 11:23 AM

Thank you Thin Lizzy :)

Serendipity and CMB- don't encourage me! I don't need it, I'm bad enough as it is! Lol! I must not do any more hamster shopping- must not do it! I keep needing to say this mantra to myself! Haha

Love your playpen Serendipity. We have actually saved the HUGE box that the barney came in to turn it into a playpen- probably not a long term one as I'm sure it will get chewed but short term it should be ok. We have said we'll try and go for more homemade toys in the playpen for now- cardboard boxes, pringle tubes, paper bags etc. For a couple of reasons really: to give the ham a bit more variety and also because we have spent an absolute fortune getting all set up and whilst this is fine- we wouldn't have said we'll have a hamster if it wasn't- it's a lot all in one go so we'll cool it for a bit and just pick up odd bits as and when we see them now.

Hubby's home now so I'd better go get on to dinner.

ScoobyWoo

05-21-2016, 11:21 AM

So much for cooling it on the spending for a bit! Haha! Hubby and I are both as bad as each other!

We popped to Next last night to get him some tshirts for our holiday in July (hamster sitters (our friends) already booked :) ) Anyway....there just happens to be a pets at home opposite Next so we popped in and came our having bought some treats, a tunnel thing and some extra bedding (the paper flake stuff). Then today...we went to meet friends at a local garden centre and they had a pet bit...that was lethal! Haha! We bought a huge grassy tunnel, some more bendy bridges- you can never have enough right?! and the biggest bag of sunflower seeds you've ever seen....some of those will be going to the birds as there are far too many for a hamster to eat in a lifetime! Haha

It looks like we may have to pick her up on Thursday now instead of Wednesday because of work commitments but we've waited this long so one more day isn't going to make a huge amount of difference! Can't wait to get her home now :)

Thin Lizzy

05-21-2016, 09:30 PM

Once you start shopping for hamster stuff it's hard to stop. Not long now!

pinkneon

05-22-2016, 03:02 AM

Looks lovely! Can I be your hamster?!
I like Finacard! Had it with a previous hammy, and plan to switch my current hammy to it seeing as I use an entire BIG bag of Carfesh for his cage at the moment! I found it not dusty at all too. It is quite cheap too which is another bonus!

pinkneon

05-22-2016, 03:07 AM

P.S. Serendipity, I got this (https://www.amazon.co.uk/happypet-Coconut-Animals-Activity-701029310216/dp/B00A39MSEY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463911514&sr=8-2&keywords=hamster+coconut) cocnut for Sweep - not sure I got it from Aamzon or not, but it was this brand! Hole is pretty big (or Sweep is pretty smalll?!)

Pebbles82

05-22-2016, 04:07 AM

Yes that's the one I had before :-) It's a good sized hole for a Syrian - even for the large Charlie lol.

ScoobyWoo

05-26-2016, 02:44 AM

TODAY'S THE DAY!!!! :D:D:D

We're so excited!

We're going over to the rescue this evening when hubby comes home from work, I'm working from home today which is lethal as I just keep looking at the cage and fiddling with the carrier instead of actually working! Haha

I've just got the carrier all sorted with some substrate, bedding and food. I've put a small bendy bridge in there so hammy has somewhere to hide and put a dog biscuit and a couple of scattered treats too. I just need to add some fresh veg for a water source later, not sure what to put in as I'm not sure what she has had before so I've sent the rescue a message to ask if she's tried cucumber before or if not, what has she had.

Will need to put some food in the cage and fill the water bottle later this afternoon too and then we're all set!

Can't wait! Eeeek!

Thanks to everybody for all the tips and advice so far....I'm sure I'll be needing them more than ever now!

:D

cypher

05-26-2016, 02:46 AM

Thin Lizzy

05-26-2016, 03:25 AM

I'm so happy for you, the day has finally arrived!

ScoobyWoo

05-26-2016, 03:56 AM

Great news!
I would just put cucumber in the carrier, a small piece will be fine even if she never had it before, it is what's generally used for hydration when travelling or in a carrier for any length of time.

Look forward to hearing all about her.

Thanks Cypher, cucumber was my first choice so I'll go with that unless I hear back from the rescue- thank you :)

I'm so happy for you, the day has finally arrived!

Thank you Thin Lizzy :)

I've just been thinking actually, should I put a few little treats dotted around the cage for when she goes in for the first time or just leave it as it is with the food in the bowl. Wasn't sure if having treats hidden around the place might encourage her to explore the space or just be a bit overwhelming and unnecessary. What would you guys do?

cypher

05-26-2016, 04:03 AM

She'll probably just explore anyway & find her way around in her own time, you could hide some of the food around the cage & some in the bowl.
She won't need too many new things to begin with.
Maybe save the treats for when you're ready to interact with her.

ScoobyWoo

05-26-2016, 04:17 AM

She won't need too many new things to begin with.
Maybe save the treats for when you're ready to interact with her.

Yes, this sounds sensible. Thanks Cypher. Seriously over thinking this today- if I actually got myself off HC and got some work done, I'd stop thinking about it! Haha!

Cujo

05-26-2016, 04:49 AM

Soo awesome! Keep updated, I wanna know how things go!!!

pinkneon

05-26-2016, 05:09 AM

Eeek is it today?! I can't wait! So excited to meet her! Have you thouht of a name or will you wait to see what she looks like / what sort of personality she has?

ScoobyWoo

05-26-2016, 07:07 AM

Soo awesome! Keep updated, I wanna know how things go!!!

Thank you, oh I will do! :)

Eeek is it today?! I can't wait! So excited to meet her! Have you thouht of a name or will you wait to see what she looks like / what sort of personality she has?

Yep- about 4 hours to go! Can't wait now! As she is coming from a rescue, she will already have a name...not sure what yet as there are the 2 lovely girlies we like the look of- we have to make the decision tonight of who will actually be coming home with us. Whether or not we keep the name or think of something new, I'm not sure...we'll see. :)

flowerfairy

05-26-2016, 07:46 AM

Wonderfully exciting. I love the way you have done out the barney cage. Where did you get that lovely wooden corner shelf from?

ScoobyWoo

05-26-2016, 08:14 AM

Wonderfully exciting. I love the way you have done out the barney cage. Where did you get that lovely wooden corner shelf from?

Thank you flowerfairy, the cage is down to all the tips from here on HC really- my one stop for all things hamster related these past few weeks! :D

The corner shelf was from B&Q, it was just a cheap plain pine shelf that we gave a very light sanding and then painted in plastikote:

Value Pine Unfinished Shelfboard (L)300mm (D)300mm | Rooms | DIY at B&Q (http://www.diy.com/rooms/value-pine-unfinished-shelfboard-l300mm-d300mm/207613_BQ.prd)

ScoobyWoo

05-26-2016, 01:22 PM

Well...she is home!

When we arrived at the rescue, the lady told us that one of the girls we had been considering had developed a bald patch on her chin and that she would prefer to keep her in rescue for a bit whilst she monitors/treats this so the decision was made for us really about which girly we were to bring home with us.

We both had a little "cuddle" at the centre, she is very tame and so far seems quite laid back about everything.
I popped her in the carrier; she had a little mooch about and then sat munching on the cucumber! Haha! After finding out about her history, signing the adoption contract and making our donation, we set off home.

During the trip, she was quite relaxed. Had the odd potter about the carrier and crunched on the dog biscuit. She then set about building a nest, pushing loads of substrate and bedding into the corner and sticking her head through the bendy bridge leaving her rather voluptuous bottom sticking out the other end- so cute!

Since we've got home, she hasn't stopped really! She's been exploring all over her new pad, running on her wheel and has also done some rather impressive burrowing! She's made a tunnel basically around the whole perimeter of her cage leading to and from her house!

We've seen her eating but not seen her go for a wee or poo yet (that doesn't mean she hasn't of course) and she hasn't used her bottle yet- we've seen her sniff around it but not drink so fingers crossed she will do those things soon.

I'm thrilled to bits with how it's gone tonight- really chuffed.

Anyway...I'm waffling but this thread I'm sort of using as a diary for myself too so feel free to ignore all my ramblings!

We've tried to get a picture of her but the camera is lagging terribly and keeps missing her, I do have a little video but it's taking ages to upload so for now, here's a really dodgy photo taken through the carrier lid. It doesn't show on this photo but she is a really big girl- enormous in fact, once she's settled in we will weigh her as I think she may well be a little overweight- we'll see.

Introducing Hattie (meaning "home ruler" and she definitely rules the roost already here!)

:)

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/undercover_angel1986/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160526_193723.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/undercover_angel1986/media/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160526_193723.jpg.html)

Coco61

05-26-2016, 01:36 PM

Congratulations Scooby Woo! Hi Hattie and welcome to HC. You have landed on your paws lucky girl. Looking forward to more pics of Hattie- sounds like either end will do!

CMB

05-26-2016, 01:50 PM

All the best with your new hamster.

Lala Noma

05-26-2016, 02:00 PM

She's lovely! What a beautiful pink nose, hehe. I bet she's happy with her new home. Congrats! :)

pinkneon

05-26-2016, 04:02 PM

Oh wow! Hi Hattie! She is gorgeous :D

cypher

05-26-2016, 09:23 PM

Awww the cuteness of that nose! Hello Hattie & congrats ScoobyWoo :)
Even in that photo she does look like a big girl!
Really look forward to hearing more about her as she settles in, she is a lucky girl & I'm sure she's going to be one very happy ham :)

ScoobyWoo

05-27-2016, 01:12 AM

Thank you all :)

It seems like she has had a fun night, causing chaos! Haha

She has rearranged some of her "furniture" a bit, done some more burrowing by the looks of the substrate and gone to town gnawing the bark on the trixie platform, she's made a right mess! Haha

I think the water level has gone down a tiny bit so hopefully she has had a drink through the night.

I haven't seen her this morning so I'm assuming she's sleeping...where....I have absolutely no idea! Haha!

I can't see where she's been for a wee as yet- I hope she doesn't choose somewhere difficult to clear out as with all this burrowing she's doing- it could be anywhere! :D

Here's a couple of little clips of her from last night, the first is about 2 minutes long and the second is 10 seconds ish.

https://youtu.be/D4ix3KHzG9Y

https://youtu.be/FJr5UMDg9_c

Lala Noma

05-27-2016, 01:36 AM

Ohhhh she's a beauty! She looks so happy, investigating everything...

SKB_Hamsters

05-27-2016, 01:53 AM

Congratulations on Hattie, she is adorable. She is definitely one lucky hamster. Can't wait to her more about her. I especially liked watching those video clips it was really cute watching her explore her cage for the very first time and watching the clip of her enjoying her wheel.
It's nice to see how they rearrange their cage especially after we spent ages deciding on where everything would go but it sounds likes she is really happy with her new cage!

pinkneon

05-27-2016, 04:29 AM

Awww she looks like she is having a lot of fun!
How old is she? She looks big lol. My Sweep says he loves his coconut too!

Pebbles82

05-27-2016, 05:07 AM

Ooh how did I miss this! Eek that little face in the pet carrier - she's adorable. She is a big girl! Did they tell you her weight? I love the videos - especially the first one exploring the cage. You can see them sussing things out - Charlie did the same thing exploring his Barney for the first time - checking everything out and finding the "boundaries" (ie the bars).

She sounds like she is enjoying it if she has dug tunnels and made a mess lol! I think they prefer it with a bit of a lived-in look ;)

cypher

05-27-2016, 06:33 AM

Love the vids, she really did have a good nose around bless her, sounds like she's really made herself at home already!

ScoobyWoo

05-27-2016, 06:38 AM

Ohhhh she's a beauty! She looks so happy, investigating everything...

Thank you, I think she's a beauty too- obviously! Haha :)

Congratulations on Hattie, she is adorable. She is definitely one lucky hamster. Can't wait to her more about her. I especially liked watching those video clips it was really cute watching her explore her cage for the very first time and watching the clip of her enjoying her wheel.
It's nice to see how they rearrange their cage especially after we spent ages deciding on where everything would go but it sounds likes she is really happy with her new cage!

Thank you SKB, fingers crossed she'll settle in well- so far so good! :)

Awww she looks like she is having a lot of fun!
How old is she? She looks big lol. My Sweep says he loves his coconut too!

I know! She's enormous!!! She's around 12 months, give or take a month or two. Hubby took a photo late last night- I'll see if I can find it- she looks like a bowling ball! Haha! I didn't think she would fit in the coconut but obviously she had other ideas :D

Ooh how did I miss this! Eek that little face in the pet carrier - she's adorable. She is a big girl! Did they tell you her weight? I love the videos - especially the first one exploring the cage. You can see them sussing things out - Charlie did the same thing exploring his Barney for the first time - checking everything out and finding the "boundaries" (ie the bars).

She sounds like she is enjoying it if she has dug tunnels and made a mess lol! I think they prefer it with a bit of a lived-in look ;)

Thanks Serendipity :) No, they didn't tell us her weight and to be honest, I didn't think to ask at the time, I was busy asking about her history and making sure she didn't dive bomb for the floor as we were holding her "out in the open". We'll give her a week or so to settle in and then we'll weigh her and see, she doesn't feel particularly heavy to hold but she certainly looks it!

She definitely has made herself right at home, it's doing nothing for my OCD! Lol! She's got the bark from the top of the Trixie platform all over my carpet and I daren't vacuum as I don't want to startle her whilst she's asleep on her first day! She has me under her paw already!

So she's been in bed all day today, I still can't work out whether she is in her house or under one of the mounds of substrate she has made, I heard her shuffling about for a few seconds earlier but she never surfaced, I'm sure she's shattered after the big move yesterday- hopefully she'll be up and about later so we can see her :)

ScoobyWoo

05-27-2016, 06:53 AM

Love the vids, she really did have a good nose around bless her, sounds like she's really made herself at home already!

Thank you Cypher- she seems to have done yes which is brill :)

Hubby took these photo's last night which really show her ginormous size, obviously right now we just want her to settle in and be happy but down the line a bit- if she is overweight (which I'm assuming she is) is there anything we should be doing for her does anyone know?

Here's our little bowling ball:

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/undercover_angel1986/Hamster%20Shenanigans/DSCN5024.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/undercover_angel1986/media/Hamster%20Shenanigans/DSCN5024.jpg.html)

And on this one you can just see the little rip in her right ear which she got from her previous home :(

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/undercover_angel1986/Hamster%20Shenanigans/DSCN5033.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/undercover_angel1986/media/Hamster%20Shenanigans/DSCN5033.jpg.html)

pinkneon

05-27-2016, 07:11 AM

Wow she is massive!
Did she have a wheel before? Cos once she starts using that she might loose a little weight

ScoobyWoo

05-27-2016, 07:29 AM

She really is! She's long too when she stretches out!

She had a wheel in the rescue centre where she has been for around 8 weeks, before that in her previous home, I'm not sure...doubtful though and if she did- it was probably too small.

She came into rescue with a group of 9 other hamsters, all from the same lady owner who was struggling to cope with them, they were all housed in small cages.
The other female who came in had a baby so the woman had obviously been letting the hamsters be together at some point- that's how the rescue lady thinks Hattie's ear was damaged- in a fight with another hamster.

cypher

05-27-2016, 08:01 AM

lol! @ your little bowling ball :)

It's hard to see from a photo if she's actually overweight or just a big ham, it's better to go by how they feel rather than actual weight as syrians vary so much.
As long as she continues to enjoy her wheel & generally make use of her cage her weight should go down a bit if she is overweight, go easy on the treats if she is, you can always pick some of the nicer bits out of her mix for hand feeding, the best thing is probably scatter feeding, I'm sure she'll be used to just picking her food out of a bowl but if you begin gradually, some in the bowl & some scattered or hidden around the cage she'll have to work a bit harder to get it & enjoy foraging for it.

Coco61

05-27-2016, 10:55 AM

Wonderful photos of your furry bowling ball!

Pebbles82

05-27-2016, 05:19 PM

I think she's amazing and gorgeous! She probably isn't overweight - just big all over if she is long as well. And they all look round sat like that lol! I should just feed as normal and keep to healthy treats rather than sugary ones. she looks happy and contented in that second photo.

Cinnamon Bear

05-27-2016, 08:28 PM

I have 5lb bad of sunflower seeds all in freezer bad stored in the freezer so they shouldn't run out of treats anytime soo.

They are the white striped sunflower seeds for birds as well.

You new fluff is cute being a little chubby. I didn't see this thread until just tonight so I didn't have to wait during the process of waiting until you adopted your hammy.

When I adopted Izzy she also has a tear in her ear from a fight at some point in their life. Not noticeable but it gives them character:)

Thin Lizzy

05-27-2016, 09:42 PM

Finally, she's home! Hattie's very big but bold and beautiful too!
So nice to see her checking out her new home.

ScoobyWoo

05-27-2016, 11:29 PM

Thank you all for your lovely comments and advice about her weight too, she's very active so I won't worry too much.

So last night we had a mini drama where she was out exploring and she tried to get through the tiny hole in the side of the coconut (rather than the big one at the front), she got her head and body through but then got stuck trying to pull her bum through! She tried to back up and go backwards but couldn't so she was wedged! Hubby, put his hand in and Hattie put her back paws on his hand to push off- like a leg up! She managed to get out then and we swiftly removed the coconut- the shelves are looking very bare now as Hattie is moving the treats like the whimzee and the nibble pot to her house so there is not much on the shelves at all now.

In other news, we have seen her use her water bottle a few times now so that's reassured me but we still can't see where she is weeing. I've got a horrible feeling like she is going in her house which is going to make cleaning a nightmare without disturbing her hoard and nest. I'll have to leave it a few days before I check though, I don't want to stress her out.

Last night, I put my hand in the cage with a bit of brocolli and she hopped onto my hand and sat there munching. She really is incredibly tame, I don't think we need to worry about that. We might offer the ball or a big mug tonight to see if she'll venture into one of those, ready to start transporting her.

She was asleep when I came down this morning but she has just got up, pottered about a bit, had a wash and a drink and then gone back to bed, bless her :)

Have a good Saturday everybody :)

cypher

05-28-2016, 01:16 AM

Pebbles82

05-28-2016, 01:47 AM

I was thinking the same about it maybe being a few days before she's decided on a spot :-) It's lovely that she is so tame but I'd still give her at least 2 or 3 days on her own in the cage to adjust to her new environment. The coconut situation sounds like a nightmare. Maybe you could make the hole bigger? Generally 6cm diameter holes and up are best for Syrians, but a large Syrian might even need 7cm diameter. Rat sized holes and tubes are best really (they tend to be 10cm diameter). But a coconut isn't a tube so a 6 or 7cm hole should be fine.

We had something similar when we first got Charlie and he grew big quickly and got stuck in the tube in his cage - it was awful.

You'll need a couple of weeks to just go with the flow - by then you'll know where she is weeing and can adjust accordingly. She may have some old habits she has brought with her, being a year old already. She might never have seen a sand bath or potty before. If it turns out she has made a toilet in the house it might not be wee-stained. If it is then I went with putting a bigger house in with the potty inside :-) A shoe box would do - but just go with the flow for now - she might discover the potty!

ScoobyWoo

05-28-2016, 11:53 AM

How lovely that she's so tame already, that must have been a bit help when she got herself stuck in the coconut! It seems a shame but it might be an idea to remove that now if you didn't already.
She's obviously making herself a nice hoard & keeping all her treats safe in her house now :)
Fingers crossed for you she doesn't decide to pee in her house, not long term anyway, it might take her a few days to choose the perfect spot!

I was thinking the same about it maybe being a few days before she's decided on a spot :-) It's lovely that she is so tame but I'd still give her at least 2 or 3 days on her own in the cage to adjust to her new environment. The coconut situation sounds like a nightmare. Maybe you could make the hole bigger? Generally 6cm diameter holes and up are best for Syrians, but a large Syrian might even need 7cm diameter. Rat sized holes and tubes are best really (they tend to be 10cm diameter). But a coconut isn't a tube so a 6 or 7cm hole should be fine.

We had something similar when we first got Charlie and he grew big quickly and got stuck in the tube in his cage - it was awful.

You'll need a couple of weeks to just go with the flow - by then you'll know where she is weeing and can adjust accordingly. She may have some old habits she has brought with her, being a year old already. She might never have seen a sand bath or potty before. If it turns out she has made a toilet in the house it might not be wee-stained. If it is then I went with putting a bigger house in with the potty inside :-) A shoe box would do - but just go with the flow for now - she might discover the potty!

Thanks both :)

We removed the coconut straight away! There was no way we were leaving that in there! It does have a big hole in the front which she can easily fit in and out of but she decided to try and get through the tiny one at the side! Silly girl! Hubby says he's going have a go at enlarging the hole. I've been thinking we might get a sputnik for up there instead over the shelf...not yet but maybe in time- we'll see.

Fingers crossed you are both right about her taking a few days to choose where to have a wee, if not- I've been eyeing up the house you have for Charlie! Again, we'll just have to wait and see :)

Serendipity, I wasn't planning on actually taking her out of the cage tonight, I just thought we'd put either the ball or the mug that we'll be using to transport her into the cage when we're giving her her veg so that she can get used to them. We'll see how she is when she eventually gets up- sleepyhead today! She was up about 7ish last night for an hour last night then went back to bed for an hour before getting up properly- tonight, she's still fast asleep, bless her!

Anyway, I'm rambling- again! Shhhhhh ScoobyWoo shhhhhh! :D

Pebbles82

05-28-2016, 12:58 PM

I actually emailed Rodipet to ask them which was the best house for a large Syrian. They suggested the labyrinth house I have, plus this one.

https://www.rodipet.de/shop/haeuser/rodipet-granit-nagerbau-talalin.html

The only issue with the labyrinth house is I think some rooms could do to be a bit bigger and some a bit smaller. As she is such a big girl I think the nesting room could do to be a bit bigger than the room in the labyrinth house maybe.

I reckon the long one in the link above might work in your current set up. It's designed to kind of be a substerranean house - so could sit on just a bit of substrate and be mostly below the substrate. That way it could go along the right side of the cage and still be under the shelf at one end, where you have it now, but you could lift one of the other roof lids off to spot clean inside and access inside it easily without having to take the house out. Both rooms are good sizes and the centre bit could be for hoards as well. Charlie has used a small room for his hoard, but has buried it :-) I've noticed a tendency to "dump" any foraged food just inside the entrance to the house, in each house he has had, so that centre room would probably do the same thing.

They're not cheap though - that one works out at about £19 and postage is £7 on top. I guess one room would be the nest, the other for the litter tray and the centre one for hoards and access.

I was just imagining something like that would fit well in your current house corner and potty corner - it would go the whole depth of the cage and would probably rest on the cage base where it slopes in, at either end, which would support it a bit.

The bit of rough granite on top is good for helping keep nails short. There's a little video on that page further down. Or you could make one :-)

ScoobyWoo

05-28-2016, 01:29 PM

Thank you Serendipity, we love that one- especially the granite tile on the top, that looks brill.

I think a subterranean house would be perfect for her to be honest as she has pretty much made the house she has now into one- she's tipped it backwards a bit and piled mounds of substrate on top of it and all around the entrance! She is super keen on digging, foraging and burrowing- she spends more time underneath the substrate than she does on top!

In other news, she has just pretty much come out of the cage by herself! I opened the small front door, and popped my hand in to offer her a bit of carrot- she sat munching on that for a bit and then she followed my hand back as I drew it back to bring it out of the cage, so I lingered my hand by the door so she didn't fall and she stepped out onto it! Bless her, I just kept my hand really still whislt she had a good sniff and then she backed up and plopped back into the cage! Haha

I'd forgotten just how funny they are- loving this! :D

Pebbles82

05-28-2016, 02:48 PM

Great that she is so interactive and tame :-) I love the sound of her mountain building and house-keeping :-) She sounds quite happy with the current one for now - it'll be interesting to find out where she pees in the coming week or two though.

Thin Lizzy

05-29-2016, 04:37 AM

So happy the bonding is going well. I love how she's making her cage suit her. Shame about the coconut, did you manage to enlarge the hole?

ScoobyWoo

05-29-2016, 12:09 PM

We haven't sorted the coconut yet no, I've had hubby doing DIY for our house today- makes a change from Hattie's! Haha! We will have a look at it though at some point. We've put the bendy bridge that was in her carrier on the way home from the rescue in it's place for now, she was loving that last night and using it as a sort of perch to sit on and look over her mansion! Haha:D
She seems to like to just sit and watch, she was sitting on her trixie platform for a while last night too, just washing and looking around, bless her.

Taming is continuing to go well, we introduced the mug last night- popped a bit of carrot in it and she went straight in and sat happily munching away and then came out again. We've just done the same again tonight with some brocolli, and this time we tipped the mug slightly more upright and lifted it away a little- she just poked her head up, looked around and then went back to her brocolli. Then we put it back down and she sat in it a bit longer having a wash (she washes A LOT!) and then scampered out and off to have a mooch about.

She doesn't seem to be using her wheel a lot. She does use it, I know she does- we've seen her and I've done the substrate on top thing but she doesn't seem to run for very long.

She is definitely weeing and pooing in her house- she has to be as I can't see any signs anywhere else in the cage. The lid on the Barney house (which she seems to LOVE) doesn't easily come off and because it's under the shelf, it isn't easy to lift the whole house without removing the cage top which I don't want to do yet and stress her out. How long do you think I can leave it (hygienically) without clearing out the poo/wee from the nest?

ScoobyWoo

05-30-2016, 01:33 PM

Just more details for our little diary :)

Last night, Hattie came and had her first "cuddle", we just followed her lead really, when she woke up she came to the door...I'm wondering if she is remembering that that's where the veggies come from- haha!

Anyway, after a little broccoli from my hand, we offered her the mug and she clambered in so my hubby sat down and she crawled out of the pot and went exploring his chest and she was happy to be stroked a little and crawl around over him and then onto my hands and arms. We only kept her out for a few minutes and we kept the mug resting nearby so she could crawl back in if she wanted. When she did crawl back in then we put her back in her cage and she had a quick mooch around and then had a drink and sat on her platform having a wash :)

Tonight, we set the play pen up on the floor and Hattie came out voluntarily as she did last night in the mug. I sat in the play pen and put the mug down in there and she came out and explored crawling over me and around the pen. She was quite happy for a bit until she found a corner and then she decided to try and chew her way out- little monkey. We only stayed in there for 5 minutes or so- we don't want to push it with her or stress her out.

However, having her out of the cage meant that hubby could have a really good look around to see if he could find a toilet area...he couldn't though](*,) He even lifted the house up and had a look in her nest- he didn't prod around much because we don't want to disturb her bed so I think she must be going right at the bottom of the cage in the corner of the blue tray that is under her house. It doesn't smell in there so we'll leave it for now.

So that's about it really for today... we'll see what tomorrow brings in Hattie's world :D

ScoobyWoo

05-30-2016, 01:34 PM

And here are a couple of photo's- finally some not too blurry ones :D

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/undercover_angel1986/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160530_210023.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/undercover_angel1986/media/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160530_210023.jpg.html)

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/undercover_angel1986/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160530_205957.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/undercover_angel1986/media/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160530_205957.jpg.html)

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/undercover_angel1986/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160530_205934.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/undercover_angel1986/media/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160530_205934.jpg.html)

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/undercover_angel1986/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160530_205921.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/undercover_angel1986/media/Hamster%20Shenanigans/20160530_205921.jpg.html)

Pebbles82

05-30-2016, 01:52 PM

She is very sweet. She looks more relaxed now somehow. Glad the taming is going well. I wouldn't worry about the wee until you can smell it lol! Best she has a couple of weeks to settle in anyway and I'm sure it will start getting whiffy at some point - then you can spot clean. Are you sure she isn't using the sand bath and covering up the wet bit with more sand? The poops aren't dirty or smelly - they are just like little black seeds and they like to keep them with their hoard sometimes in case supplies get short then they can eat them for extra vitamins!

Coco61

05-30-2016, 01:57 PM

Lovely looking Hattie, lovely photos. Don't worry about the wee corner. Serendipity is right, your nose will detect it in the end. While she is settling in it is best not to disturb anything as the cleaning will only stress her.

cypher

05-30-2016, 09:51 PM

She's doing so well, sounds like such a lovely little character, nice photos too.
I agree about the pee spot, it's still early days so don't worry, she may well be going in more than one place to begin with but I'm sure you'll sort it out between you soon enough!

ScoobyWoo

06-02-2016, 12:48 PM

I didn't manage to get to online yesterday- almost unheard of for me!

Anyway, thank you as usual for your comments and advice- much appreciated! :)

I cannot believe it is a week today since our beautiful little girly came home- on one hand it has gone incredibly quickly and on the other- I can't remember a time when she wasn't here! She has settled in so well- we're both amazed!

She hasn't really needed any taming and we know we're very lucky with that, she's getting herself into a bit of a routine now...

At 7pm(ish), we hear her pottering about in her hoard which is in her house so we know she's awake. We change her water and us rattling about usually brings her out to see what's going on, she has a bit of a wander around and stretch- usuallly a drink and then she comes to the door for us to open it. :) Clever girl!

We usually give her a small treat- a seed or small bit of mealworm and she either crawls out onto our hand to eat it, in which case we sit down and let her crawl over us or we put a treat in her mug and she crawls into there to eat it and we transport her to the sofa in that for her to crawl over us.
She usually stays on us for a few minutes at a time before she gets a bit too excited and we can't safely keep her out without loosing her- she's fairly speedy! So then she will go in her playpen, and have a little explore in there.

She isn't overly keen on the play pen we don't think. She's happy in it for a little while, we will scatter some of her muesli in there so she will potter around a bit finding that and then she usually goes for a dig in the sand box for a few minutes and then after that she starts to get a bit agitated and looks for a way out- trying to clamber up the sides or digging/chewing the corners at which point we usually tempt her back into her mug and back into the cage. Whilst she's in the pen, we put her fresh veggies in the cage.

Hopefully the more she goes in her playpen, the more she will like it and the longer she'll want to spend in there.

When she's back in her cage, she goes straight to the house (I'm assuming to empty her pouches) and then she stays in there for another hour or so. She usually comes back out then, around 9.00- 9.30ish and goes about her business of tunneling, chewing, drinking, veggie hunting and washing (she does a lot of washing!). We're not sure when she goes to bed again as we go to bed 11ish and she's still up but she's asleep when we get up at 630ish in the morning.
She doesn't use her wheel much at all whilst we're here- the odd few seconds here and there but nothing major. Whether she uses it much overnight or not we're not sure.

So yeah, overall she seems happy which means so are we :D

Once we've worked out the ongoing wee wee spot issue- all will be well, although as you guys have said, don't worry about it till it starts to smell and so far it isn't so we're not worrying :)

ScoobyWoo

06-02-2016, 12:52 PM

Little poppet looking for a way out of her playpen:

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/undercover_angel1986/Hamster%20Shenanigans/IMG_20160602_195224602%201481630.jpg (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/undercover_angel1986/media/Hamster%20Shenanigans/IMG_20160602_195224602%201481630.jpg.html)

cypher

06-02-2016, 09:24 PM

It can take a while for them to get used to a play pen so I'm sure she'll enjoy it more with time, just try to make it as interesting & fun as you can with lots to do in there, trying to escape is part of the fun, it's just what they do!
Some hams prefer to run on the wheel in private lol! so she may well be using the wheel mostly while you sleep, you can always try putting some substrate on top & then looking to see if it's gone in the morning, a sign it is being used.
It is still very early days but she sounds as though she's coming on fine.

SKB_Hamsters

06-03-2016, 02:57 AM

Hattie is so sweet, all the pictures of her are just lovely.
All my Syrians past and present all like to climb up and out the playpen, I think they get some fun and enjoyment out of it, but with some of them it's because they wanted to be cuddled to as once they got out they came and sat on my lap. But I find if you place loads of toys such as rat tunnel and cardboard boxes in the playpen, it gives them something to do and boxes provide something to climb up onto.
Some hamsters are more active when they know that no one is around, so they like to use there wheel in private.
But Hattie sounds like fairly tame, friendly and intelligent. It seems like she happy with her home.
I always find time flies by when you have a hamster for a pet.

Thin Lizzy

06-03-2016, 08:11 AM

She's so lovely! You've made really great progress with her, I love the cuddles but, the whisker kisses are the best.

ScoobyWoo

06-04-2016, 10:34 AM

Thank you all, she seemed a little better with the playpen yesterday- still trying to climb out but less chewing at the corners so that's good although I'm pleased to see that others seem to find that their hamsters try to escape the pens too.

She does have lots of tunnels and boxes etc in there and a couple of chewy things and bendy bridges aswell as her sand box so there is quite a bit to do for her- obviously not as much fun as escaping though! Haha

BREAKING NEWS- we have found the wee wee spot! I noticed yesterday a slight whiff and again this morning and as I run a business from home and have clients coming occasionally, I can't be having that really so we had a bit of prod about and discovered she is weeing in her plantpot! Not ideal as it's not the easiest of things to clean but much better than weeing in her house so I'm happy with that! :D

We must have disturbed her a bit whilst we were sorting that out (about noonish) so she seems a bit confused with times today and woke up about an hour ago and came out for a cuddle, then went back in and now she's up again- bless her!

Anyway... think she can have a veggies a bit early tonight so think I'll go and have a browse of the fridge and decide on what she's having...

ScoobyWoo

06-12-2016, 01:12 PM

I haven' been online for ages!

Life is busy at the moment; working 2 jobs, preparing for our first abroad holiday in 7 years next month and most importantly- adjusting to life with our latest and most fluffy addition to the family! :D

Hattie is well and truly settled in now, she's a calm and content hammie and is showing her true personality now.

She is a massive chewer and is systematically destroying everything in her cage, so far she is only chewing things that should be chewed (no bars so far- thank goodness) so we're happy with that. Her chill and chew mat is pretty much destroyed! She likes to nibble fabric (my top! cushion on the sofa!) so it is safe to say she will not be having any cosy pouches or hammocks in her cage in the near future! Haha!

She loves to climb and will always take the difficult routes up to the shelves in her cage rather than using the ramps and ladders.

She also likes to just sit and "watch" what is going on, she perches on her shelves/bridges and washes a bit and then stares out at us and then washes a bit more.

She still doesn't seem to be using her wheel a great deal, she will go into it and walk a few steps and then come out again- it runs fine, I just don't think she likes it.

She does however seem to like her ball, we introduced it on Thursday, she doesn't run around like crazy in it, she just wanders a bit then stops for a sniff, wanders a bit more then stops for more sniffing. If we put the ball (open) in the corner of the playpen or on the sofa, she will go straight to it and climb in so we're assuming she quite likes it or is at least curious about it.

She is very food orientated and up until yesterday we hadn't found anything that she didn't like- however we tried her with basil yesterday and she didn't bother with it and today we tried chicken for the first time and she physically spit it out! Haha! She loves cheese though and mealworms so protein is still ok :)

Next month, she'll be going to stay with our friends for 10 days whilst we're away so I've been writing some care instructions out today for them and putting some her her treats into little pots to send with her.

Next weekend we're going to give her cage it's first proper clean since she came home as it will have been about a month, so think it's time for a bit of a fettle, although we're going to keep some of the substrate back and just replace half or 2 thirds of it.

Think that's about it for her little update for now, she's currently munching on her bendy bridge- little vandal!

Oooh- also, we have weighed her now. She's weighing in at 210g so a chunky monkey but not too big we don't think?