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Old 11-21-2022, 08:42 AM   #1
MilesAB
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Nov 2022
Posts: 2
Default Keeping my hamster warm in a cold room

Hi, this is my first post to Hamster Central. I purchased a Russian dwarf hamster for my daughter a couple of weeks ago. I read online that hamsters need an environment that is 18C+ degrees. As it is now winter in the Netherlands the house temperature is set at 15C during the working day (as we work in other rooms) and during the night. The hamster is in the main living room so will be experiencing temps of 15C and maybe even 14C.

To help the hamster I bought a reptile heating pad and also an Inkbird wifi thermometer (with temp probe). So the heat mat goes under the side of the cage where the hamster sleeps. The other side is not heated. I heard it is better to do that so they don't overheat and can go to a colder spot in the cage. I can't put the probe in the coconut substrate as I'm worried the hamster will chew the electrical wire so the probe hangs over the cage.

If I put the probe on the ground of the substrate then it registers 18C. If I put the probe in the substrate it registers 24C. If I hang the probe over the cage it records the air/environment as 15C.

So my question is if this is sufficient for the hamster. So when she sleeps during the day she will be in the substrate which is 24C however when he runs around the cage she is in 15C air. The ground is 18C but whether that really warms her up I'm not sure.

The costs for energy in the Netherlands (where I live) have more than tripled so it is too costly to heat a room to 18C or 20C all the time (even during the night). Is the heating pad sufficient or are there other alternatives? I want to make sure the hamster is happy and comfortable.
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Old 11-21-2022, 02:29 PM   #2
NanaBeaver
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Join Date: Jun 2022
Posts: 24
Default Re: Keeping my hamster warm in a cold room

I am having the same problems here in the UK. I have a reptile heat pad attached to the side of my detolf enclosure and I also put a glass jar with a tight screw on lid under the house she sleeps in. I can put jars in various other places under the substrate tooi. All the jars stand upright in the substrate and as they are glass with metal lids they can't be chewed. I have to change them every few hours and I use hot but obviously not boiling water in them. To ensure this I leave a little bit of the cold water in and top up from the kettle.
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Old 11-21-2022, 02:57 PM   #3
cloudy
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Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: World
Posts: 1,912
Default Re: Keeping my hamster warm in a cold room

Quote:
Originally Posted by NanaBeaver View Post
I am having the same problems here in the UK. I have a reptile heat pad attached to the side of my detolf enclosure and I also put a glass jar with a tight screw on lid under the house she sleeps in. I can put jars in various other places under the substrate tooi. All the jars stand upright in the substrate and as they are glass with metal lids they can't be chewed. I have to change them every few hours and I use hot but obviously not boiling water in them. To ensure this I leave a little bit of the cold water in and top up from the kettle.
I think this is dangerous. Your hamster could burn herself on the glass or knock them over. Sorry, I know you are trying to keep her warm but I really would not use glass jars with hot water in them.
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Old 11-21-2022, 05:55 PM   #4
Salem13
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Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Canada
Posts: 111
Default Re: Keeping my hamster warm in a cold room

If you put the reptile heat pad on the side of the enclosure instead of the bottom it will warm up some of the air as well.

I would personally suggest trying to insulate the enclosure as best you can. There are a number of ways you can go about this. I have one of my hamsters enclosures in my basement and have done the following:
-Attached styrofoam insulation to 3 sides of the exterior with double sided tape.
-Put a foam mat under the enclosure itself
-Covered parts of the lid with a thermal blanket
-Lined the interior bottom of enclosure with a roll of cork-board material.
-Piled 5-10cm of hay evenly spread across the cork. The bedding was then put back on top.
-Piled an additional 10-15cm of hay evenly spread across the top.

Additionally I have a heater aimed at it that activates once or twice a day for about half an hour, but as you said energy costs are increasing I imagine that isn't a great option for you at the moment. However, with all the insulation any heat you do put it should stay in there much longer. If you decide to do any of the things I did please be mindful of where your heat pad is, no one wants melted foam fumes.
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Old 11-21-2022, 06:24 PM   #5
NanaBeaver
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Jun 2022
Posts: 24
Default Re: Keeping my hamster warm in a cold room

Quote:
Originally Posted by cloudy View Post
I think this is dangerous. Your hamster could burn herself on the glass or knock them over. Sorry, I know you are trying to keep her warm but I really would not use glass jars with hot water in them.
Yes thst could happen if I was stupid but thankfully I'm not.
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Old 11-22-2022, 02:43 AM   #6
MilesAB
Newborn Pup
 
Join Date: Nov 2022
Posts: 2
Default Re: Keeping my hamster warm in a cold room

Thank you for all the advice. The substrate should be warm enough but when the hamster is not sleeping then the air temperature is colder than recommended (for a hamster). The substrate absorbs all the heat and this heat doesn't rise into the cage. I understand the idea of insulating the hamster cage but I'm concerned that the hamster will chew/eat the covering. Is there a heated fan attachment that could attach to the top of the cage to gently blow in warm air? That might work.
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