Hi everyone!

GinoDHammo · 01-04-2022, 01:53 PM

Hi guys, first post here.
I've got myself a cute little 11 week old Syrian male called Gino, he's really gentle but pretty skittish at the moment.

He's already had one successful escape which resulted in him being upgraded to a 160l bin (I've since mixed in some paper bedding too and added a sand bath) but he still tries his best to climb out when I take the lid off (it's got a boat load of air holes drilled in and the central part has been cut out and meshed).

The only thing I'm concerned about at the moment is that he hasn't established a "pee corner", he pees in his bed causing the bedding to be completely soaked after a couple of days, is there anything I can do to help change that behaviour?

Many thanks.

sushi_78 · 01-05-2022, 08:04 AM

Make sure he has a big enough house. Syrians often pee in their houses, away from their nests, but if their houses are too small they end up sleeping and peeing in the same spot and it gets very messy. And then you have to choose between removing the wet nest (and usually hoarded food) and upsetting the hamster or leaving them with a wet nest, neither of which is a good option!

The plastic house I can see in your bin will be too small for a Syrian. You want something approximately 30cm long, with a roof that lifts off so you can spot clean it without destroying the nest.

I have this house for one of my dwarfs. For a Syrian you probably need the bigger 33cm size.

Some people also have the multichamber hides with different rooms, which serve much the same purpose. Basically they need a house where they can have separate corners or rooms for sleeping, peeing and hoarding.

Ria P · 01-05-2022, 11:15 AM

Hello and welcome to HC!

I agree that he needs a big, guinea pig sized house like a Ferplast sin for example with a lift off roof or a shoe box house with the base and a door cut out. The lid acts as the roof.

Have a look at the thread "Let's see your cages" on the Forum under Housing for ideas.

He's a gorgeous hamster!

GinoDHammo · 01-07-2022, 09:31 AM

Thanks guys, luckily I just bought some new running shoes so little Gino will be living in the box until I get something a bit more fancy.

sushi_78 · 01-07-2022, 09:58 AM

A box can work just as well as a fancy wooden house! The hamster won't know the difference

GinoDHammo · 01-07-2022, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushi_78

A box can work just as well as a fancy wooden house! The hamster won't know the difference

Unfortunately my girlfriend will definitely be able to know the difference

GinoDHammo · 01-07-2022, 07:38 PM

I introduced his new nest into his bin and it all went a bit wrong...

He instantly used it as a platform to escape, I managed to break his fall and get him back in his bin after a little chase (and blood being drawn).

Gonna re-evaluate the situation tomorrow and make sure he can't use it to escape, really don't want to stress the little guy out any more.

sushi_78 · 01-08-2022, 07:24 AM

Do you have a lid for the bin cage? You definitely need a lid because hamsters are escape artists. You can make one by cutting a opening in the lid and zip-tying wire mesh over it. There are various tutorials on Youtube.

GinoDHammo · 01-08-2022, 08:55 AM

Yep, it does have a meshed lid but I underestimated how fast the little critter was and certainly didn't expect him climb up and scramble over in a blink of an eye.

As soon as the lid comes off he instantly goes into escape mode.

Ria P · 01-08-2022, 11:48 AM

Does he have a big enough and smoothly running wheel?

I'm asking because i had a foster hamster once who would climb out of his bin soon as i lifted the lid so quickly i couldn't believe my eyes. He had this built up energy inside him because he didn't know what a wheel was for. All he wanted was to get out of his cage to run around the room at speed.