What is missing from my cage?

[girlinabox]

Hi everyone,

I have seen a lot of people mentioning hamster toilets on here, as well as sand baths (are they the same thing?) - would I be wise to obtain these for my new syrian?

Currently in his cage he has the bottom layer with wood shavings/sawdust type stuff, bedding in 1 corner, his food bowl and water bottle, a few toys, and on the upper level a bridge which takes him from one side to the other and a little house....don't know why but this is the way I started doing it when I got him, is there anything else missing? I'll get the hang of this soon I'm sure but it's still very early days for me! (I want a bigger and better cage but am overwhelmed by the choice and variety!)

{Pic of Herman's cage and current set-up attached - don't know what type of cage it is as it came from the local independant pet shop where we got my little man from! To gage the scale, behind the cage that is a 23" monitor}

[Hope]

Hamster toilets and sandbaths in my experience become the same thing. You can have seperate containers if you wish, ie a potty with litter and a bath with sand in, but to be honest I find that they go weewees naturally in sand (must be somthing about the way it feels!) without any training.

Another thing you could have is some chew sticks or a bonio dog busicuit to help his teeth.

[SarahJ]

The only thing iw ud say is get rid of the fluffy bedding as this can course harm to the hammie and can very dangers if he eats it, it can also get stuck in his cheek pouches.

What size is the wheel???
as syrians need an 8" wheel - you could look in to getting a wodent wheel for him

[mangoandmimi]

Yeh as sarah said fluffy stuff isnt good for them - even ripped up loo roll is ok

My lot started off with a tub of sand (that they used for sandbath and loo) but mimis kept tipping over and pip and pop never used theirs so mango is only 1 which has one now

just personal opinion but i'd add like a trixie suspension bridge... uuhh in surreys pet supplies they do them for like under a £ just means they can climb more mimi loves hers!

[Hope]

Hmm Im sure when I posted the picture wasnt there?! May be I am going mad!?

Yes please dont use the fluffy bedding, I know that the packaging says it natural and safe, but it really shouldnt be marketed as such, I have read so many horror stoies of limbs getting trapped in it and it causing internal blockages if injested which needs an operation to remove.

[girlinabox]

Thanks for the replies!

Yes I read about the fluffy stuff, I got some of the 'safe' bedding, like loo roll from P@H last night and once that has all gone I'll use toilet roll! The wheel isn't quite 8" so I am going to replace that with one of those Wodent ones (is it the same as the Trixie Rodent one advertised on Surrey's or is this Wodent one better?) which I saw in other peoples' posts on here! Herman already has some chew things from the Woodlands (??) range at P@H which he loves so I'll keep on getting things like that for him

Would one of the normal hamster toilets (as they are advertised) do, with some sand in it? Does it have to be any particular sand? (sorry if that is a ridculously stupid question lol!)

I noticed this Surrey Pet Supplies mentioned quite a bit so I have bookmarked them and will look for this bridge tomorrow, thanks! Thanks to everyone, I really appreciate it!

[mangoandmimi]

my 2 syrians have a wodent wheel and they love it although if your hamster doesnt pee all over the wheel then i'd go for a karlie wonderland one,, i mean the wodent wheels are ok but i prefer the look of karlies my friend has one theyre really nice
tbh you dont even need a hamster *toilet* - just a little pot or tray or something is ok but i bought 2 58p corner loos off surreys pets
Sand... playsand is ok but its better if u dry it first, Chinchilla SAND is ok but not dust because dust is too fine :P ik pets at home do some prety cheaply but i think its called dust even though its not... i'm not sure :/

[KutButLykee]

Syrian Hamsters Rarely like Sandbaths.. Well myne never have anyway. But Toilets do make it easier on you, you can take out the soiled Potty Litter and replace with clean everyday. And Generally it keeps your Cage Smelling fresher for long, but you still need too do the weekly clean. If your Hamster has a corner/Place it likes too go to the Toilet i would say your Cage is fine, and Potty Training your Hamster is slightly pointless if you clean the Corner it pee's/poo's in everday anyways x

[wofunny]

Originally Posted by girlinabox

Thanks for the replies!

The wheel isn't quite 8" so I am going to replace that with one of those Wodent ones (is it the same as the Trixie Rodent one advertised on Surrey's or is this Wodent one better?) which I saw in other peoples' posts on here!

This is a wodent wheel:

If you are thinking of ordering one, you might want to see this:
Wodent wheels..

[Womblehands]

mine love the coconut house, puzzle playground and their sputnik.. (pickle had his early ) a comfort wheel fits perfectly in the middle of the cage..