Thinking of getting a Syrian...advice please!

[ImoT]

Hiya

I've been a lurker on here for a good few months now. I'm thinking of getting a Syrian hamster and would just like some advice really. I have been looking at cages and size recommendations and am thinking about getting the Ferplast Duluxe Criteci (as a new user the forum won't let me post links ) What do people think? I was also thinking of a Ferplast Duna Multy but my concern with that is I would be lowering my hand into the cage which might panic the hamster a little bit?

I am aware the wheel in that cage is completely inappropriate for a Syrian, so I was thinking of a 28cm one from zooplus (again I can't post links apparently!)

Food wise, I feed my 2 house rabbits Burgess Excel, would their hamster equivalent be a good option? I believe it's called Hamster Harvest? Or would a pelleted food be more suitable?

With regards to substrate, I currently use wood pellet litter for my house rabbits, but am thinking of switching to megazorb to accommodate the hamster. I have seen on here that it is possible to litter train a hamster, what do people use in the litter tray and how do people go about litter training a hamster?

I'm not too fussed about whether I would get a male or a female, but are there any general personality trait differences or health issues I should know about? For example is uterine cancer common in females? Also any other health issues in Syrian hamsters would be good to be aware of/look out for.

[velma]

Hello! Welcome to HC!
I've never used the cricetti cages so can't help you too much on that but I would say looking at it that there are better cages for the money. I think the slope would make it awkward to fit stuff in. There are some excellent cages for less but I don't use them so I'll let someone else advise on those but try looking up the Barney, Alexendar and Hamster Heaven cages.
I prefer a tank style cage but you're right there is still the issue of top only access but they just are more suitable for me. I have a duna multy and it is a bit too small shallow for a Syrian as it won't fit a big enough wheel. The measurement are the external measurements and you lose a bit of that to feet/the lid so you can't fit an 11" wheel in there. They do a duna multy maxi though which is 99cm long and tall enough for a wheel. I would have got that if I had space. I have the kerry terrarium instead for my Syrian which is just tall enough for an 11" wheel. It's a glass tank & it weighs a tonne but I like it. But bigger is better if you can fit it in. Some people use a detolf cabinet from ikea, laid in it's side and make a roof which gives you a lot of floor space but you need a lot of room for it.

I have an 11" Wodent Wheel but there are also wheels like the Trixie & Karlie wheels. If you get a wooden wheel, I believe they need sanding so no sharp edges & a coat or two of plastikote to seal the wood against pee.

There are complete pellet foods for hams (I use the science selective as a supplement) but muesli mixes are better as they are foragers. I believe the hamster harvest is ok (I only use the dwarf version for my robo) or Harry Hamster is another good one. None of them are perfect and could do with a little supplementing, usually protein so an occasional bit of cooked chicken or scrambled egg plus a small amount of veg a few times of week but I'll let someone better at nutrition guide you in that one.

I've never used megazorb but I know others here do. I think only those with long haired hamsters use wood pellets so I'd swap though if I were you. And cheap white loo roll for nesting so perfect. Personally I use chinchilla sand for the toilet and I use a glass biscuit jar. Other use sterilised (baked in the oven) children's play sand and have things like Guinea pig corner trays/certain dishes etc. If they naturally have a corner, I'd stick the toilet in that; otherwise, pick a corner that's easy for you to access for cleaning & add some of their pee'd on substrate to it, while you clean the rest away from wherever they've been. Hopefully, eventually they just start using their loo

I think males can be more chilled than females but every ham is different so no telling really. And as for disease I think for every womb condition for the females there is something testicular for the males so not sure it makes a difference. The main thing, I think, is to pick the ham that really jumps out at you. Though maybe not literally...

[velma]

Forgot to say, when you've posted a bit more then you'll be able to post links. First few posts are moderated to prevent spamming accounts

[Pebbles82]

I haven't seen one of those cages in use either. I can see why you like it - it's top opening but with access from the front as it slopes down. It is a little bit on the smaller side of the minimum RSPCA sizes, and I agree with Velma that there are probably better cages for the money.

The Alaska and Barney cages from Zooplus are popular Syrian cages. The Alaska is a bit bigger than the Ferplast one - a couple of inches wider - also a bit deeper and a bit taller. It's a good price at under £35. It also has a large front opening door so access is good.

Alaska Hamster Cage | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!

The Barney is a brilliant cage size for a Syrian hamster if you can fit a 100cm cage in - a 100cm cage will fit on top of a chest of drawers for example - doesn't matter if there's a slight overhang at the sides. It has two smaller front doors and one large top door, so access isn't quite as good but the large top door is good for getting items in and out of the cage for cleaning (your hamster doesn't have to be in the cage when you do this) and most people work around the two front doors somehow, either by how you set the cage up or by tempting the hamster to one of the doors.

It would be nice if it had a large front door, but is an excellent cage anyway. It has small 7mm bar spacing so is also quite futureproof as it could be used for a dwarf hamster at some point too. And it is less than £50. It comes with a good house that is a good large size for a Syrian.

Barney Pet Cage | Great deals at zooplus!

Personally I think the Criceti cage is a little on the small side and you would miss out on having roof runs/toys by the whole of the barred roof being an opening lid.

Syrians need as much floorspace as possible. I have an 80cm cage and am finding it's not quite big enough once you have the wheel and a house in it.

Both the Barney and Alaska have good deep bases and if you fill them to the top with substrate this will reduce the fall height and give a soft landing, plus encourage tunnel digging. Another advantage of the 7mm bar spacing on the Barney is substrate doesn't fall out through the bars easily - my cage has 7mm bar spacing and our hamster sometimes piles substrate up against the bars and it doesn't come through!

Yes Burgess Hamster Harvest is one of the better mixes. Harry Hamster is ok as well. Ours will only eat Harry Hamster. But I supplement with fresh veg (a thumbnail sized piece) each day - either broccoli, carrot, cucumber or cauliflower usually. Plus an occasional piece of cheese or half a brazil nut, and give him the rosewood dandelion chew sticks (they are sugar free) for gnawing.

The Zooplus wheel is the same as the Trixie wheel and it is fine and a lot of people have them. It isn't the quietest wheel (not the noisiest either!) - not sure if that's an issue. But it's a good size wheel for Syrian Hamsters and a good price.

Megazorb used to be very popular but I've heard complaints about it being too dusty. Popular ones now are Fitch (paper based - cheap as you buy in bulk) and hemp beddings.

I switched to Fitch and really like it - our hamster really likes it too! I get the 10kg bale which isn't too big and lasts for months although it does need storing indoors to prevent it getting damp and mouldy.

Fitch Recycling - 10kg Single Smaller Bale For Smaller Critters - Fitch Pet Bedding

Zooplus sell the hemp bedding/substrate.

The best nesting material is torn up strips of white toilet paper. Your hamster will pouch it and take it somewhere to build a nest.

Yes hamsters can be toilet trained. They tend to choose a corner of the cage as a wee corner. If you put the potty there, they should use it. The first few days it is best to leave them alone to get used to their new environment and not do any cleaning for the first two weeks. You can spot clean - ie remove the odd handful of wee'd on substrate and replace it with a new handful and mix it in so it smells familiar. This would be a time to introduce the potty - when you spot clean the wee corner.

I have this potty tray and it works well.

Hamster Potty corner Litter Tray for Mice Hamster Gerbil Cage House. Size: 16 × 7 × 12/12 cm: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

Most people use Chinchilla bathing sand in the potty. It has to be sand and not dust, and not just any old sand - this is the one people usually get (I get it from Viovet to avoid the Amazon 'add-on' thing).

Supreme Petfoods Science Bathing Sand 1.5 Litre: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

To encourage your hamster to use the potty at first, put a small bit of the stinky wee'd on substrate on top of the sand in the potty.

A house is another important thing for a hamster. It needs to be big enough for them to build a good sized nest, especially in winter. And open at the base and sitting on the substrate (hamsters like to hoard under their nests).

I haven't had a female Syrian hamster, but our male is lovely. He's quite lazy and dopey though. I've heard females can be a bit more active (but also sometimes too active lol!). Mainly though it comes down to the personality of the hamster - and one will probably choose you

Syrians aren't known for particular health issues and are generally healthy but look to see how alert and bright-eyed they seem when you go to get one. You can also get one from a breeder where their genetics are known and they are bred well. The biggest disease is wet tail which you sometimes hear of hamsters having acquired while in a pet shop. It is bad diarrhoea basically and is a very serious illness requiring urgent vet treatment. But if your hamster looks and seems well then he/she probably is.

Hamsters need a lot of variety in their cage so need toys like cardboard tubes, bendy stick bridges, little hidey places. Ours likes his sputnik and his little lava ledge (which he sits under sometimes). The key word is 'enrichment' to keep them happy and active and their stress levels down.

Enrichment includes - depth of substrate for digging, variety of food (you can scatter half of it occasionally so they can forage for it), plenty of interest in the cage such as tunnels and toys. Rat sized toys are best for Syrians - most things sold for hamsters are too small and only big enough for dwarf hamsters. Things that are too small can be dangerous as a syrian can get stuck in a house window or tube that is too small.

[ImoT]

Thank you everyone for your replies

Velma - I did consider a terrarium but they cost a small fortune, and I thought about the Detolf but it's just so long!! Thank you for the advice re hamster food. Seems to be the opposite to the recommendations for rabbits, ie. for hamsters muesli type food is better! My only concern with Fitch is it comes in a bale rather than loose in a bag so is it really hard to break bits off?!


Serendipity - I do really like the Alaska cage actually. The reason I was really taken with the Ferplast Deluxe Criceti is because I could make the substrate really deep! Does 8cm extra length trump deeper substrate? I think the Barney is just a little large I do know 'bigger is better' (my house rabbits free range our 115sqft kitchen permanently), but I do have to draw the line somewhere. Also same question to you about the fitch bedding...is it easy to manage? I currently keep all my litter in a bit plastic storage box, would it be easy to tip the bale into the box?

Where would you advise getting a hamster from? I was hoping to go to a rescue but my concern is as hamsters don't live particularly long, it may be a bit silly getting one that's maybe a year and a half old. Also they don't seem to come up that often in rescue, there doesn't seem to be the overbreeding issues like there are with rabbits. I wouldn't know how to go about finding a breeder?!! I did think about the Pets at Home adoption section but to be honest I don't often see them in there!

[velma]

I'm considering trying Fitch but I've not heard anyone have a problem breaking it up. I currently use a mix of wood shavings and carefresh - I don't have a problem breaking up the carefresh which is also paper based so guessing Fitch is the same.

I got my two from p@h - one I bought, one I rescued. I know various members also rescue from gumtree. Amazing the amount of hams on there that people have only had a couple of months before rehoming. And depending on where you are, you may be lucky enough to have a good breeder near you. Be wary of people breeding their pet shop hams though but an ethical breeder will be able to tell you the past history of your ham and it's parentage.

[flowerfairy]

I have two male (fluffy) syrians. One is mr laid back and one is mr intelligent and watchful but a bit jumpy (he is still very young though).

I have Woodstock (older hamster) in the multi duna maxi. Its great. I wish it was even bigger as once his house and wheel and food/water dishes are in there isnt much running around space.

Gopal is in the barney. It is lovely and deep in the base and has narrow bar spacing so should I ever want to get mice or dwarf hamsters in there it would be fine. His 28cm wheel fits in fine and I hang a hammock from the roof.

I also have the alaska cage for one of my roborovskis. Its great. So easy to access and again a nice deep base. It would be fine for a syrian.

I use fitch and find it very easy to break apart and just store it in its huge plastic bag that it comes in.

If you want extra digging area you could always get a cardboard box with a few holes in for you hamster to be to dig in. Neither of my syrians dig at all.

[ImoT]

Thank you for your replies. I have had a quick google search for hamster breeders in Buckinghamshire but I can't seem to find much. I am slightly wary of getting one from preloved/gumtree as I just wouldn't know any history at all and I wouldn't really know how handleable they are. I had Russian Dwarves when I was a teenager which I bought from P@H, they were lovely but I'm really not a huge fan of P@H. I suppose I could just keep an eye on their adoption section which is better than buying one straight from the pain part of the shop.

After doing more research I would quite like a male, females are characteristically more territorial and so that has made me a bit wary, especially as it's the first hamster I've had in 10 years and my first Syrian.

I really like the access with the Alaska cage, so I think I will go for that one.

Thank you for the info about fitch, I think i'll go for that!

[Pebbles82]

Fitch is fine - it doesn't need breaking up, it's just like loose bits of paper, but good sized bits. It comes in an outer black plastic bag which holds it together quite firm. I get rid of that and keep it in the inner clear plastic bag which is looser and also quite tall, so it sits loosely in the bag. It means it's like a beanbag then so you can squish it either short and flat to fit under something, or tall and thin (which I did once, to fit it between a wardrobe and a chair. At the moment it is short and fat with a blanket over it so it looks like a bedroom chair . The 20kg one is pretty massive though, so I stick to the 10kg one which lasts months anyway.

I see what you mean about the Criceti being able to have deep substrate - but on the other hand if you put deep substrate in it there wouldn't be a lot of headroom left. You can still get a fair bit in the Alaska - and you can heap it up in the middle, where it won't fall out of the edges (I've done this sometimes).

It's a shame there isn't a standard cage with a really deep base, like a 30cm base or something, but that would need some diy I think.

Have you checked to see if there any breeders near you? If not, a rescue would be nice - but as you say may be shortlived. We got ours from the local pet shop, knowing no different. But once he stood up and looked us in the face, that was it! But our pet shop is a small local one, not one of the big chain ones.

And yes it would be easy to tip the Fitch into a box, although it might not all fit in, but you could leave some in the plastic bag.

[ImoT]

Beanbag consistency is want I was looking for, then hopefully it will pour nicely into the big storage box I have I'll use it for the rabbits too who have their litter tray changed every day so a 10kg bag won't last as long as if it was just for the hamster! But it would be a good starting point to see if it all fits and things.

You pose a good point about headroom, so I think I will go with the Alaska It would be good if they made a cafe with a really deep base...although there becomes a point were then it's a gerbilarium?!

I've had a google for breeders and had a look in the breeder section on the forum, but to be honest I haven't had much luck. I also wouldn't really know how to go about ensuring it's a reputable breeder?! I might pop into pets at home and check the adoption section on occasion and keep an eye on the RSPCA website for some young ones. My partner says I have to wait until we get back from Australia after Easter anyways so I've got time!

Also one other question...how often should a hamster cage be cleaned out?! As a teenager I used to do a total clean once a week or once a fortnight but for various posts on here I've gathered that might not be the right way to go about it??