How to get your hamster to help with the housework

Holly's Mum · 05-06-2011, 01:00 PM

I'm now letting Holly out in the evenings to run around in the living room. Last night I lost him for a while, then I heard some scratching noises coming from one of my central heating radiators. (Luckily they are turned off now.) He had climbed up somehow and got himself between the two panels of the radiator, there's about a two inch gap between them.

Because it's narrow it's very dusty, I hardly ever remember to clean down there. And all these huge clumps of dust were falling down from the gap on to the floor. Anyway he wriggled himself out when I called him and dropped down on the floor, absolutely covered in dust, he looked like a little dust bunny, adorable!

samincittagazze · 05-07-2011, 12:44 AM

Awwww! I'm debating letting Albert free range, as the playpen I use for my dwarfies doesn't hold him. I'm really worried I'll lose him though. :/

fluffychick · 05-12-2011, 02:01 AM

excellent

now if only they could push the hoover....

a friends hamster escaped from his cage once, they found him up the chimney. when they got him down he was covered in soot, a mini chimney sweep.

Redame · 05-12-2011, 02:09 AM

I let Choco and Messy run about in the hallway with all the doors closed, and some stuff on the floor like magazines, tissues, pads, anything safe really. I love seeing Messy speeding his big butt around and see Choco exploring (and tugging the carpet if I don't watch him!).

Holly's Mum · 05-13-2011, 05:41 AM

I love to see Holly chugging across the floor like a little locomotive, his little feet moving so fast you can hardly see them!

Katty_Sheldon · 05-14-2011, 07:40 AM

That does sound cute! But I think Id totally freak out that my hamster is covered in dust - my parents made me think dust is totally unhealthy and stuff like that, so I would probably go crazy

$hAzZa · 05-14-2011, 01:52 PM

It's great to let them free roam when you have fitted furniture, like in my bedroom where there are no nooks or crannies

I can't imagine the dust being too good for her either, so long as it doesn't happen again

x

Gillzy · 05-14-2011, 02:08 PM

Hehe, yeh Sen likes cleaning the back of the radiator. Haha, I've taken to letting her climb up it if she wants to (because she'll spend the rest of her out-time trying to climb it otherwise) and grabbing her when she reaches the top - and usually with a tentative hand underneath the radiator as she climbs... Lol. :P

Although having Sen out in the hall makes me clean it more than I probably would for us, because I'm so worried about her eating/picking up things she shouldn't.

Sammybingo · 05-14-2011, 02:11 PM

Hehe

Chewy does that for me under the sofa that I can't move if I take my eye off him and he manages to get under!

He found a bit of amaretti biscuit I had dropped the other day. I thought I had swept it all up, but no..

Catherine Spark · 05-24-2011, 04:01 AM

I'm envious! The only safe places in our flat for absolute free range are really the bathroom and the hall. The hall, Oakie just tears up the carpet obsessively, so that's not really an option because the flat is rented. And the bathroom, he's already chewed a hole in the FLOOR, and in the gap behind the sink! He gets some free range in the kitchen on the work surface (not the healthiest but we've probably had all the germs now), but you have to watch him carefully or he'll try and climb off the top of the work surface, or go behind the fridge where we can't get him. We tried getting him a collar and lead for hamsters, but it stressed him out and he escaped it once. It was terrifying. But he's happy to come out only once in a while now (apart from daily cuddles), so it's not really a problem. I would love to see him scooting across a floor in safety though!