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Old 06-02-2011, 01:32 AM   #1
Nagrom
Adult Hamster
 
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: South Africa
Posts: 371
Post Cage Enrichment please view

In my never ending quest to keep my hamster entertained and mentally stimulated (helps to keep her out of trouble, you know), I wanted to start this thread. I wanted to post here, with your help if you're willing, all the various toys for and games to play with your hamster. And the cheaper ones are preferred, cause More Expensive so NOT equal More Interesting to hamsters.

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1. Classic: toilet paper rolls or similar (with or without the toilet paper left on)
2. Toilet paper rolls and paper tea boxes cut up and glued together with non-toxic school glue into complicated configurations that your hamster can explore. Placing various treats (food/seed/etc) in various places along the way.
3. Sprinkling dried food/seed in the litter and even burying it in the litter so that the hamster has to forge and dig and hunt for it. (I think this is one of my hamster's favorites. And I've stopped filling her bowl with her food since I sprinkle it around everywhere.)
4. For the diggers among the furries: a deep area (like one foot deep) where your hamster can dig. Adding some hay to shavings and then pressing that down is a favorite of the Germans. My wood pulp product (Carefresh) seems to also do a decent job, though I wonder if hay would help the tunnels hold up better. And if your hamster loves tunneling, it would also help you if the container were clear like glass so you could see your hammie in there (and not panic that she's escaped).
5. Being let out to explore a hamster-proofed room. Mine seems to also love this. And she also seems to appreciate it when I lift her up to help her reach places she otherwise couldn't reach.... and catch her when she falls off.
6. Origami dumplings with treats inside seem popular with some hamsters.... others just don't seem to get the concept. Or just toilet paper cardboard tubes folded in at the ends with a treat inside. I also remember reading how one HFF member would hang hers from a string so that her hamster has to climb up the cage to fetch the treat-filled container.... otherwise, it was too easy for him. (I hope I remembered that correctly).
7. This thread also contained some interesting games and ideas. (the thread also goes into #6, above.)
8. Hamster balls. If your hamster refuses to go into the ball, don't force them. If your hamster eagerly jumps into the ball night after night, I'd say they like ball time.
9. My hamster is a climber. She does vertical walls (like my leg) as if they were horizontal. (!) So giving her things to climb on (including myself) seems good for her.
10. Here's a thread about a hamster cake you can make: hamster cake
11. Does anyone know how to make seed treats like you would find in a pet store? Good for chewing and gnawing on. The treats usually seem to have honey in them. I'm guessing that's used to hold the treat together. Does anyone know how to stick the seeds together without using something sweet? I wanted to make something similar for my hammy, but she's a dwarf, so I'm concerned about the diabetes potential. I wonder if water and white flour alone would work.
12. I bought this little stuffed toy mouse suspended from a bungee string. Coco's hardly shown interest in it, but maybe if I attach some food to the toy, it would pique her interests.
13. Here's our toy review thread.
14. Chew Books.
15. Make a paper loop chain like you would make for a Christmas tree, then hang it across their cage to rip up.
16. Weave toilet paper, paper, or cardboard through the wire cage. I guess I'm thinking about bar chewers.
17. Sand (not dust) bath.
18. Various containers put inside the cage for climbing on, digging in, sleeping in, whatever.
19. Hammocks made of coconuts or fleece (I guess fleece is used because its threads won't get tangled in hamster nails and feet.)
20. Pre-built playgrounds for rodents can be cool. Like this Trixie brand one, or this Trixie brand one.
21. Quite frankly, a large bin filled with random (safe) junk seems to keep my hamster interested and she crawls around checking through all the nooks and crannies.

OK, so what have I missed?

I imagine myself updating this thread time and time again as I run into new ideas. Please feel free to contribute.
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