Couple of questions...need some answers

mylilchichi · 07-18-2012, 08:00 AM

Hi guys as you may have read I brought my lil guy Chicken Nugget home Friday night well I have a couple questions.....When can I put him in his run about ball ?.....What is the best thing to give him to chew on ? He has a dog biscuit and 3 other chew toys but the only thing he's been chewing is a baby carrot.

Liz'sHammies · 07-18-2012, 08:41 AM

You can probably start handling him today or tomorrow, depends on how he has adapted to his new home. I try to put a variety of chew toys, to give options. My hamsters enjoy cardboard (toilet paper rolls), salt likes, loofa wood chews, various wood or nut toys

mylilchichi · 07-18-2012, 08:56 AM

I have toilet paper roll,loofa chews and lil wood sticks(apple I think)and Ive not seen any signs that he has chewed on any of 'em.I have a pack of the salt licks thta someone gave me but I dont know much about them...are they ok to give hamsters ?

Kissa · 07-18-2012, 10:29 AM

I find Darla doesn't chew at all, his mix is enough to keep his teeth down

I wouldn't give him the salt licks, they're unnecessary in my opinion. As for the ball, I'd say put him in it when you start handling him, but be prepared for him not to like it. Darla likes his more than his playpen, I think the open space of the playpen scares him a bit and the confines of the ball give him a sense of security, but some Robos don't seem to like them.

mylilchichi · 07-18-2012, 10:53 AM

When I put him in it how will I know if he likes it,what are somes signs of delight or being scared ? Also how long can I keep him in it and how many times can he go in ?

Kissa · 07-18-2012, 11:54 AM

I don't really know what a scared hamster in a ball looks/acts like, to be honest. Darla does having fun (charging around investigating things, occasionally stopping for a wash/something to eat) or bored (sitting for longer than a couple of minutes looking grumpy) and not much else

In his playpen he darts around skittishly and hides a lot, whereas in his ball he moves around a lot more confidently, which is why I say he prefers his ball.

As for length etc, I leave Darla in his ball for a maximum of 30 minutes, and I know other members on the forum would probably advise less, nearer 20 minutes. He can go in as many times as you/he likes, but they shouldn't stay in balls for very long as they don't have access to food (unless they pouch some beforehand) or water in there

**kyrilliondaemon** · 07-18-2012, 03:10 PM

I know this isn't the answer, but just watch. You'll work out for yourself if he's happy or not.
We found Muffin was miserable his first time in a ball, then he's loved it since. He made it really clear what he wanted. Skip and Whizz've just loved theirs from the start though

Its great for Skip now he's blind too, he's stopped enjoying playpens but his ball is still great for him.

We do a max of 30 minutes ball time for hamsters and rarely more than once a day.

racinghamster · 07-19-2012, 03:22 AM

Hi. I don`t use a ball at all for any hamsters I have or have had. I feel if their cage is big enough and they have a suitably sized excersize wheel, they don`t require a ball at all. Particularly with Roborovskis because they are so fast and unpredictable little creatures that they could do themselves damage if they feel highly stressed being placed into a ball thay cannot see out of. Balls can also crash into objects which could frighten the hamster even more. I would go with a secure playpen over the use of a ball, but with robos, I always prefer a larger cage. It means they don`t need that much out-of-cage time, if at all apart from handling inside the cage base at a low level. Roborovskis can jump!

I would advise taking handling slowly first before even thinking about having playtimes outside the cage environment. Because roborovskis are naturally fast and aloof anyway, if they can`t be easily tamed or handled, I wouldn`t even risk having them out of their cage for safety.

Mikayla · 07-20-2012, 12:38 PM

Just watch him closely. There's no surefire way to know if your hamster is happy, but you'll know better than any of us.

I have used a ball for my robos, and Delilah is okay with it, she doesn't dislike it, but Phoebe LOVED her's. There is no yes or no answer. It's like cage size- just make sure your hamster is happy.

What kind of cage do you use? Sometimes hamsters do prefer to stay in their cage. Neither of my robos really liked playpens. They cowered in the corner and slept. I don't recommend playpens, but you need to decide that for your ham.