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Old 12-29-2015, 04:20 PM   #1
GreySyrian
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Unhappy Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

Dandi currently lives in a Savic Rody (L 55 x W 39 x H 26cm) which I realised early on would be far too small for her in the long run and doesn't meet the minimum size for hamsters require.

Today I went out to Ikea buying the largest box I could find (Width: 78 cm, Depth: 56 cm, Height: 43 cm) which is far ore bigger and I intend on making some form of platform for her too. We cut mesh windows on both long sides and attached with many zip-ties.

I put her in there for a couple of hours but every time I came back to check on her she looked so utterly lost ... she'd done her usual of collecting as much food as possible (ready for when she was returned home), filling her pouches until she had to carry some in her mouth too! She ended up dumping them in the corner and she seemed fixated to her wheel after she ditched the food. I didn't want to leave her the night just in case she'd remain uncomfortable and wouldn't use her house (which is new as her last home as a built in house).

What should I do? Shall I introduce her to it slowly or just leave her to get used to it? I wouldn't want to upset her too much, I've had her for under a month so perhaps it's too soon to be changing something else?
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Old 12-29-2015, 10:12 PM   #2
DrKMcK
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Default Re: Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

Hello GreySyrian. What you can do is to let her play in the big cage for a week or so during her out of cage playtime. Then back in her old home for the night. That will help her get used to it. Hamsters sometimes don't know what to do with all the space when they move to a bigger home. You can also try putting her old home inside the bigger cage and leaving the door open. Once she's comfortable you can take the old cage out. At a month in a new home, she's still fairly new to being on her own. She should stay in the older home until she's tame enough to walk into your hands and not panic. I hope this helps.
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Old 12-29-2015, 10:49 PM   #3
cypher
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Default Re: Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

Whenever I've moved hams to a new cage I've just gone straight ahead not having space for both cages at once, some take longer to adjust than others & it's best to leave them quietly to sort their new space out for themselves, use the substrate, nesting material, toys etc from the old cage & try to keep the layout familiar, if the space seems a bit much for her just put a few more hideouts, cardboard boxes or tubes will do so she doesn't feel too exposed.
As her current cage is so small I wouldn't wait to move her, if you put her in for just a couple of hours then put her back in her old cage she was probably just getting confused, so long as she has all her old familiar things in there, including the substrate with her scent on she will most likely begin to settle better over night when it's quiet, don't expect her to be totally comfortable with it straight off but don't worry too much either, I'm sure she'll be fine & much happier in the long run.
I've had everything from a ham taking to a new cage immediately to one taking about two weeks to be completely at ease with her new home, just be patient & try not to interfere too much!
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Last edited by cypher; 12-29-2015 at 11:39 PM.
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Old 12-30-2015, 12:37 PM   #4
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Default Re: Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

I would put all her stuff in as Cypher suggests, it will smeall like home and she should be fine.

One of my roborovskis took a few days to settle into her new alaska cage but she is fine now.
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Old 12-30-2015, 02:23 PM   #5
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Default Re: Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

I used all the same toys, some of her old bedding/wood shaving along with some new toys to fill in the space and make it less exposed. Put her in again tonight and she seemed much more at ease so hopefully she'll be staying overnight!
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Old 12-31-2015, 05:47 PM   #6
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Default Re: Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

UPDATE: I'm really worried about how she's behaving in her new home ... She dedicates just a few seconds at a time to exploring/eating and the rest I can only describe as full panic escape mode. She tries to scrabble up the plastic sides, dig in every corner, she's even climbed the mesh but got her claws stuck several times (greatest worry for me) as the mesh window are low enough for her to access as I wanted her to be able to see out. As a result of this i'm still uncomfortable with the idea of leaving her in there. This is the most erratic i've seen her and she wasn't as bad when I introduced her to her first/current home.

Although her current cage is small, she does have exercise, a wood bridge/House and a tube. I scatter feed to make it more interesting for her and hope to build up a schedule so she has a minimum of 30 minutes outside the cage. Although not ideal would this be ok ?

Will repeat measurements, her current house is (L 55 x W 39 x H 26cm) - About 10cm is dedicated to a built in best area which also has her food and water bottle in. The rest is floor space.
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Old 12-31-2015, 10:57 PM   #7
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Default Re: Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

The problem with the mesh is a bit worrying as you obviously don't want any accidents, normally I would suggest just leaving it longer to give her a proper chance of settling down but if she seems really stressed & it's worrying for you it may be better to put her back into her old cage & have a rethink.
Her cage is too small for a full grown ham but should be ok for a little longer yet, if she's comfortable with that style of cage could you maybe get something like a zoozone to upgrade her to?
One problem with the current cage is getting a big wheel in, as she grows she may well need an 11-12" wheel which wouldn't fit I don't think.
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Old 01-01-2016, 07:13 AM   #8
GreySyrian
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Default Re: Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

I done my measurements and your right about the larger wheel not fitting .... That's actually a pretty good idea regarding the zoozone!
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Old 01-01-2016, 09:13 AM   #9
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Default Re: Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

One of my syrians lives in the maxi duna multi (100 x 50cm or just under). He is very contented in there (mind you he is contented everywhere).

It has smaller top bars than the zz2 so doesnt need meshing (not that meshing is big problem).

I got it on amazon for fifty quid (a return I think).

Hope you find something that she is happy with so you can relax.
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Old 01-02-2016, 01:02 AM   #10
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Default Re: Hamster House Move - Will she get upset?

Not all habitats are going to suit all hams. As has been said, your old cage is too small but I'd be worried about the issues with her being caught in the mesh and I'm inclined to think she's safer in the old cabe until you can sort out a new cage. Maybe she prefers bars to a bin.... When both mine moved cages they took to the new cage straight away and were settled pretty quickly. Hope you find a solution soon.
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