Hamster Enclosure Help!

[JoshiBoi]

Hi Everyone, hope you are all having a great day! 😊

I have recently got a new hamster and his name is Timmy, he is 7 weeks old. I just want to ask, where would be the best place for his enclosure?
I currently have have him living in my bathroom which is right next to my bedroom and he has 1,176SQ of floorspace which is more than enough for him.

Every night I go and have a shower I see that he runs back to his house to shelter as I can imagine the loud noise of the shower must scare him a lot! At first, before I built his enclosure I wanted to place it in my bedroom however I have my computer screen in there which might disturb his sleep pattern and I also sleep in my bedroom too and he might keep me awake throughout the night. My bathroom has more space too for a bigger enclosure however my bedroom has a smaller space which can only really fit 800SQ of floorspace. (I could get it bigger if I move my furniture)

So what do you guys think? Which would be the best place for him to be?
Let me know, thanks Josh

[Ria P]

Hi and welcome to HC!

My answer is simple: Anywhere but the bathroom.

In my opinion a bathroom is not a room to keep a hamster in because of the moisture and condensation.
Everything gets steamed up when you have a shower, including your hamster's enclosure and moisture is something best avoided.

I didn't think a computer screen would bother a hamster as long as its not shining directly on him.

A silent wheel like a Silent Runner (9in for dwarf 12in for Syrian) will take care of a restful night for you.

[Earthy1]

I agree that if you keep a ham in a high-humidity environment, you are going to have to keep cleaning out the food stores and nests constantly due to mold growing on her food! It could make Timmy really sick if he doesn't know any better!

I also had my ham loose her play motivation for a day because I did not notice that some moldy food had gone bad in her corner hoard during our rainy season here in Japan. After that, I try to run the dehumidifier regularly and keep a humidity meter in her cage area that I can check. If it goes over 70 it can spell trouble.

Also, if it helps, I keep a newspaper as a partial cover over her nest to block any lights shining directly for my ChooChoo, just in case it leaks through and bothers her. You can do this to avoid the light of the screen for just when the computer is on...Of course make sure he gets enough ventilation if you cover a cage!

But sleep for the hoomans is important so I would recommend anywhere else in the house where the noise is not going to bother anyone. Actually I sleep in the same room with my ham and I get used to her noises at night. But I also freeroam her in a safe area for 2-3 hours with plenty of enrichment, before I go to bed (I am a night owl too) and she seems content enough to just run a little on her wheel and go to sleep. But she's also 18 months old, so she's not as active as when I first got her for sure!

Not everyone can give so much time to watching over their busy hammies, so I just hope you can find a happy medium for yours!