Why do my hamsters stink??

[racinghamster]

Can I be frank? It was a bad idea!!! It`s nice that they love nesting in the tubes and are getting on well, that`s great to see. But they could be hiding all the time because they don`t know any better, apart from when you are cleaning them out.

Your options are not limited at all. Even if you went for a Ferplast Duna second hand and gave them two wheels, a cardboard box with no floor to nest in and their other bits and pieces, I`m sure they would be happier, even though they look happy enough in this cage, the wee souls!

That wheel is probably on the small side for them too Abi. A regular silent spinner would be better or one of the similarly sized wheels.

Pets At Home sell the Ferplast Duna, but you could probably have a look on Gumtree, ebay and other places for a second hand one or better still, a Zoozone 1 tank. Do a search for it and you will see it`s just a Duna but with more floor space. x

[AbiJ]

Frank is good! I had realised my mistake anyway. The cage is awful quality wise too, the tubes keep coming apart and when you unclip the base the top tries to fold up, nightmare. i've just emailed the seller (ebay) to see what they will do, it cost £40 and is so not worth it. I'll put them back in their ferplast and look for something better...I had considered the ferplast duna but got this as it seemed to offer a lot more space and play value, also the wheel in theFerplast Combi 1 Hamster Cage that they had first is incredibly noisy which put me off getting another ferplast cage, the wheel in this new cage is completely silent which is a bonus I guess. I had heard that chinese hamsters like to climb which is why I wanted to get a wire cage, but I haven't seen them do that, they just seem to love the tubes. I can't see any enormous boy parts either, shouldn't they be apparent by now?

[Peanut84]

Hi Abi!
Your two hamsters look lovely. I'm not sure what other people think here, I'm not an expert on Chinese hamsters, but from all I here they actually should not live together. And your cage still looks a bit small, what are the dimensions?
The tubes really have bad ventilation, so if they are peeing and sleeping in them it's quite natural that they stink. The only time my hamster stank was when I combined his two cages with tubes and he started to basically live in them. What I did was to remove the tubes for about two weeks and buy him a really nice big house with several chambers. He liked the house right away and now even though he still like to sit in the tubes he does sleep in his house and pees somewhere else

[AbiJ]

It's 55cmw 46 h 32 deep, not including exterior tubes.

[souffle]

As I said in the first place it's not good with the tubes. Their health can suffer in the tubes I'm afraid as they build up moisture and mould grows as well as fumes from the urine which can cause problems with chest infections and skin allergies. They quite like the small spaces but you can still provide these in a flat cage using pringles tubes and loo roll tubes. Any space should be run through with pairs so one cannot corner the other.
They are still young and this is why they are happy. Once their hormones kick in fully they may well start to fight and this can be sudden and very nasty. Personally I would separate them into two cages while they are still not fighting as you never want to come down and find a blood bath one day The cage size you have is OK for one hamster.
Chinese need lots of hidely holes and are not fond of huge open spaces. You need a wheel each as as mentioned at least 6.5inches or larger. The testicles on male chinese are huge when mature and they must not rub the wheel or else they get sore.
I don't normally post my cages but this is where our Chinese male lives. Some may consider it too small but I believe in the right cage for each individual and this suits him very well. His nest is under the wooden bridge He has a coconut, wheel, sand bath /potty cardboard tubes and if happy and content. (he is by the food bowl) This is a Ryden Millhouse and you can find these on Amazon and e bay and they are not too expensive. We take out the shelf and use a silent spinner for some hams depending on how we want the cage set up. You could get two of these for the same price you paid for that tube cage!

[racinghamster]

Souffle`s tank cage (Rydon Mill) is a good example. The Ferplast Duna would be another good one or the Savic Rody for both of your hamsters and having a second cage in case they fall out is a must have. So if in doubt, have a spare cage to hand. There are usually good bargains to be had on tank cages like the Duna, Rydon mill, Bingo and many others locally or on websites like Gumtree. It`s a shame you payed £40 for that cage. It does sound like a cheap imported cage that in fairness, may people go for due to the look of it.

Try not to worry though because I`m sure you will be bale to find one of these cages soon and either get a refund on the barred cage and look for a second Duna as a spare! x

[AbiJ]

Well I do have the ferplast cage still so at least I have a spare. Do chinese hamsters climb?

[Queen Of The High Teas]

Hi your hammies are lovely!

Just want to mention, that apart from the fact the tubes will cause the cage to stink badly as everyone says, you will also find it really difficult to get hold of or tame them as they just shoot straight into the tubes where they know you can't reach into. I would never have tubes on a cage only in it, unless it was just one or two connecting 2 cages together. Years ago I had Rotostack, what a pain, the tubes worked loose very quickly and had to be sticky taped together with new tape at every cleanout and not touched in between incase they came apart, awful contraption.

Also are you sure your hams are boys? Just you saying you couldn't see for sure and in my experience, Chinese males, even really young ones in the pet stores are very very obvious, like unmistakably so.

[AbiJ]

Well my friend who bought them originally said they were boys so she must have bought them as such, but I'm not sure that they are. Can females be kept together?

[Vectis Hamstery]

I would take off all the tubes and put a deeper layer of shavings in the bottom. You could also lower the bottom shelf or put in an upside down cardboard nest box (with the base of the box open) to give them a dark private area to nest in - Chinese hams like a private enclosed area and so will be using the tubes for this. If you replace it with a dark space on the bottom of the cage then any pee will be absorbed by the substrate. I would advise avoiding enclosed plastic houses as these often smell and get sweaty inside.

If you still find them smelly despite changes then I would do as Souffle mentioned and test them individually for diabetes.