Garden fun

[xAwesomex]

Me again

Would a hamster enjoy the fresh air on a sunny day?

My grandad is going to make a pen, With wood + mesh sides, A wood base and a wood top so that she cant escape, I was just wondering if she would enjoy a little fresh air ? =] Plus my grandad likes to keep busy , So its good for both of them

[fluffymunchkins]

hamsters do enjoy a bit of fresh air and sun and a nibble on the grass.
But some don't like the big scary open space!

You must be really careful ensuring the pen is completely secure, and watch for predators (cats, birds etc.) which i'm sure you will.

Make sure water is provided, a house for security and shade over part of the pen to prevent overheating. But it would probably be best to only put her outside for short amounts of time say 10 minutes to start with as she gets used to it. Then maximum 20 minutes at a time after that.

My grandad loves to help on my hamstery projects too
be sure to post it when its finished!

[Fidgetthefirst]

Yeah, Milo loves to go out - but i dont have a pen, so i hardly ever take him out so :/ But yeah, with the right supervision, and security - im sure he'll love it

[xAwesomex]

Cats don't come in our garden much, Cuz we have a big Tom and he keeps his territory well patrolled when we let him out..

Ah birds of prey, We have a sparrowhawk that comes at sunset for the chance that he'll see our dove pair

She'll be right next to me on my tanning chair, I'll be sure to give her a nice juicy dock leaf

I always used to help my grandad build bird tables and rabbit hutches when I was small I don't know what I'd do without him

Fidget : I'm too scared to even let my cat go out in the garden too long , nevermind Boo xD .Eversince my Mum told me about her little white mouse that escaped and got eaten by the neighborhood cat ):

[Hope]

This sounds really great, as long as you are careful like the others have said. Alittle ham would just be a nice snack for a sparrow hawk

Let us know how it goes

[souffle]

Don't give her a dock leaf please as they are poisonous to hammies.
You must also be sure the grass has never been treated with any fertilisers or weedkillers.
In all honesty hamsters don't really like to be out in the sun for long as they are after all nocturnal and would only normally only go out in the darkness or twilight time. They can overheat easily in the sun so 5 minutes maximum outside is enough.

[shazzy]

I too have been tempted to give Little Mo some sunshine this summer, but have decided against it as the risk outweigh the positives! (our lawn is quicky mucky and definitely needs treating anyway this summer)

But Souffle, Dock Leaves are on the safe food list on the Wiki - is this not so?

[Hope]

Yes, they are on the safe list Shazzy, I have just had a look too.

I'm confuddled now :-/

[souffle]

Safe list or not I would never risk it. You never see them being eaten by wild animals and you never know if they have been sprayed so really not worth it. Personally we would never feed any wild plants unless they had been grown organically by ourselves such as a tiny bit of dandelion. Dock leaves are very acidic I think (thats why you rub them to neutralise nettle stings )and they may cause a tummy upset.

[Fidgetthefirst]

Originally Posted by xAwesomex

Fidget : I'm too scared to even let my cat go out in the garden too long , nevermind Boo xD .Eversince my Mum told me about her little white mouse that escaped and got eaten by the neighborhood cat ):

My cats just go out, all day, and sometimes, if they stay out at night! I always call them, but in summer, they'll stay out at night because its nice and warm They love it!