Hamsters (merged)

roxalana

Thanks for everyones replies. Yes I think her wheel is abit too small as she arches her back but we have the largest wheel you appear to be able to get for a rotastak cage (rainbow wheel).

However, I've just bought a new cage off ebay because I can't stand cleaning the rotastak any longer (and it leaks)! This should allow me to get a larger wheel and let her do what she likes doing best - climbing whihc she doesn't get much chance to do at the mo!

I just hope the new cage will be big enough (savic cambridge). In fairness though she uses very little of the rotastak anyway - she doesn't seem to like the bigger areas.

jessicamb

roxalana wrote: »

Thanks for everyones replies. Yes I think her wheel is abit too small as she arches her back but we have the largest wheel you appear to be able to get for a rotastak cage (rainbow wheel).

However, I've just bought a new cage off ebay because I can't stand cleaning the rotastak any longer (and it leaks)! This should allow me to get a larger wheel and let her do what she likes doing best - climbing whihc she doesn't get much chance to do at the mo!

I just hope the new cage will be big enough (savic cambridge). In fairness though she uses very little of the rotastak anyway - she doesn't seem to like the bigger areas.

The Cambridge is a really nice looking cage - I'm sure that will be fine.

roxalana

Thanks - I was worried I would be depriving her!

New problem now! She now stinks of pee! We clean the cage out at least once a week and she started smelling the day after we cleaned it this time. This doesn't normally happen and the smell is definitely on her. She doesn't seem ill or anything.

I'm 99% sure she has peed in her chinchilla sand and then bathed in it...

I'm guessing all I can do is replace the sand and hope she then washes the stink out...

Any tips?

roxalana

As you might tell I like spoiling my hamster...

I too vouch for the wodent wheel! Much better than the old one!

I would like to get her something else that she can do with her time, but I'm not sure what to get that is safe and she would be interested in!

At present she has the wheel, usually a carrot in a carrot holder and a sand tray that she is only allowed for short time each day (to prevent the above wee-ing/washing stink combination!). We also take her out of the cage as much as possible either loose on the sofa but supervised or in a hamster ball.

The only toy for sale I thought she might be interested in was a ladder you hang from the top of the cage with ropes and a hammock hanging from it. She loves climbing but she already falls off things alot and I think she will do herself an injury leaping from that!

The other thing she likes is digging in the sand tray. I noticed someone was talking about making a digging tank for gerbils - is this something you can do for hamster too?

If so, how do you make it, what do you put in it for her to dig and do you need to clean it (and how!)?

If that isn't hamster friendly does anyone have any other suggestions?

kindofagilr

He bites all the time he hasnt bit me for a week and when he did he drew blood, I think its cos I had been cutting garlic and you know you can never get rid of the smell of garlic lol

He hasnt bit me since then (prob cos I havent really held him) but I am kinda scared to pick him up at the min in case he does again, I need to get over it but dont know how

He was dead cute last night he wakes up at about 8pm and I change his food and water as soon as he wakes up (well as soon as I hear him moving around in his cage) and I always give him food with my fingers like I will give him a piece holding it rather than put his bowl straihgt down, and he is so cute when he takes it off me, he was resting one of his paws on one of my fingers while he took the food last night and I was like awwwww lol

I also give him a milk drop every day as well

I know he doesnt mean it cos when I walk up to the cage and say his name and make kissing noises at him he comes right up to the glass and stares at me

But I wanted to know if you had any tips on getting them to stop biting? or is it something they just always do?

roxalana

I'm on my first hammy so not an expert. My hamster wasn't handled that much where she was before and was very bitey when we first got her.

At first I would pick her up from behind (so she couldn't bite me when the hand came towards her) and hold her with my thumb and forefinger just behind her front legs so she couldn't reach me to bite me.

I also used to wear my dressing gown when handling her with the sleeves over my hand so if she did bite she wouldn't get flesh! I then gradually started stroking her more without my hands covered. I woud keep an eye out to see if it looked like she was going to bite and was usually quick enough to only get a light nibble. If she did bite I blew gently in her face and put her back in the cage. I didn't take her out for a least a couple of hours after that.

She now barely bites at all - she bit me once when she managed to crawl into my pyjama sleeve and obviously scared herself as it was narrow and she nibbled me yesterday when I forgot to wash my hands after chopping sweet potato (but it was a gentle nibble to test if I was edible...).

kindofagilr

Thank you very much that is really good advice.

I will try him with the dressing gown and see how I go from there, yeah I think when he made me bleed it was to see if he could eat my finger after smelling the garlic lol

And I like the blowing in the face thing as well that is good, at least if he does bite me then doing that wont hurt him but should make him stop?

abaxas

Two points.

1) hamster need to be handled regularly to become tame

2) if the hamster can smell food on you, it's gonna have a nibble.

kindofagilr

Yup I got that lol thats why I said I think he bit me so hard he drew blood when he could smell the garlic, which is why I have been scrubbing my hands ever since then before I touch him.

Well its a vicious circle then isnt it lol, too scared to pick him up sometimes in case he bites which just makes the whole thing worse

I will def try the dressing gown tip

marshallka

We are in the same position with our second hammy. Our first died last month and she was brilliant. She was an absolute darling the sadly missed but this new little boy one is so aggressive. He is frigthened though of our dogs barking and I think thats his problem. We are thinking of giving him back to pets at home as they took him back for 1 week to get him used to being handled and we went to fetch him staturday and he was fine whilst there and then back at home he is very skittish scared again and has bit my daugther again. Its horrible cause all she want to do is hold him and cuddle him and play with him. She knows how to handle them correct and is doing it all right but some hammys are just too scared sometimes.
Good luck with yours.;)