Hamsters (merged)

the_devil_made_me_do_it

For bedding I use Megazorb. It comes in a huge bag & can be bought online for about £11 all in. I think the store is Farmway, you will find it on google.

I also buy the paper type bedding from Morrissons, I think it's 69p a bag, but for 1 hamster, you would probably get 2 goes out of it. I'm quite generous when putting bedding in, especially in the winter months.

For food, I buy WAGG hamster & gerbil food also from Morrissions. I think it can be bought @ Wilikinsons aswell.

You need to fully empty the cage once a week. I clean mine with warm slightly soapy water, then rinse with plain water. I dry it off with kitchen roll.

I second a cage with at least another tier. Depending on how big the tank is, you may get away with buying a wire cage which fits on top. This usually comes with a couple of sets of ladders so the hamster can get from the bottom to the top. If you check out gerbilarium (sorry for bad spelling), you will see what I mean. I think you can buy the cage bit from Pets at Home.

I have 4 gerbils & they are pretty much the same as hamsters. They live in a fish tank with the wire cage on top of it & it suits them fine.

I always change the water every couple of days & top up the food bowl.

Mankysteve

I would keep the fish tank and fill it third full of saw dust nothing more stratifying that watching them burrow just a gerbill will. Don't use pine or ceder shaving but use an aspen shaving and make sure there dust extracted.

Use a good quality food stuff and use the usually bedding material. Don't use hay or straw as it poke in there eyes and blind them.

I made a lid for my ex gf Gerbil cage using some square style chicken wire from B&Q. You could even attach a wheel to roof.

Fang_3

Mankysteve wrote: »

I would keep the fish tank and fill it third full of saw dust. Hamsters will burrow the same way a gerbill will. Not use pine or ceder shaving but use an aspen shaving and make sure there dust extracted.

I made a lid for my ex gf Gerbil cage using some square style chicken wire from B&Q. You could even attach a wheel to roof.

Please don't do this, it is nonsense.

Get a wire cage for her and feed hr fresh fruit and veg alongside a good complete mix, so she can't selectively feed.

Get her a large wheel for her to run on, and toys to play with, and save up egg boxes to hide treats in so she has something to do that will stimulate her.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Oh yes, definatly get a wheel. I'd also buy a hamster ball. This way you can get the hamster out of the cage & it can run around in the ball safely.

I don't get my gerbils out much as I got them from Pets at Home adoption centre. They had never really been handled, so are not used to it. However, I do put them in hamster balls when cleaning the cage.

formaldehyde_perfume

I had lots of hamsters when I was a kid. I had one of those play gym type cages with tunnels and stuff. From memory we bought shredded paper from a pet shop for bedding as it's easier to clean out than shavings, I second the cotton wool thing that an earlier poster said, it's awful.

We used to give the toilet roll cardboard end bits to our hamsters so they could gnaw away, but there are lots of specially designed food things like that which you can buy to keep them occupied and also help oral hygiene. Anything that is designed for hamsters or gerbils will be fine.

Every hamster I had loved the wheel in the cage, but as they are nocturnal and were kept in my room the squeaking of the wheel mechanism woke me up quite a lot.

If you do decide to get one of those play gym type cages then I would advise buying a small-ish single story wire cage as the multiple compartments and lock systems mean it can take a while to take a part and clean out so it would be best to put the animal in there, I also used it to take mine to show and tell at school and to the vets.

Hamster balls can be fun, but they do need supervision as the animal can become stuck and therefore distressed. They should also only be used for short periods at a time as this can also distress the animal.

HTH

Bunny

I've had a few hamsters when I was younger, I had a big habitrail cage, not sure they still do them now, but the only thing I would say definately avoid, would be a wheel with gaps in, their feet can get stuck in them, so get a solid wheel, mine used to love the wheel and the hamster ball which must be kept away from stairs!
If you do have a room in with no gaps for the hamster to escape under the floor boards etc, you can let it go free in there supervised!
On nice days, I also used to make a little run (I was 12) on the grass and let it have a run there, closely guarded from any birds etc and so that it couldn't make a run for it, which it also seemed to enjoy.
When out of the cage ensure the hamster has regular opportunities to get a drink.

~Chameleon~

Mankysteve wrote: »

I would keep the fish tank and fill it third full of saw dust nothing more stratifying that watching them burrow just a gerbill will. Don't use pine or ceder shaving but use an aspen shaving and make sure there dust extracted.

Fang wrote: »

Please don't do this, it is nonsense.

Why on earth is it nonsense?? A hamster's natural behaviour is to burrow and they live underground during the day, only coming out at dawn & dusk. Placing toilet roll tubes underneath the shavings will also serve as burrows for them. This is a far more natural habitat than a wire cage!!

Cait2

Thanks everybody - we got her a wire cage and just gave her lots of bedding to burrow in but she isn't really haha.

I wasted money buying her toys she is ignoring, but she seems shy. She lets me handle her, though.

Cait2

Amethyst_ice wrote: »

come join us on hamster central...we can give you LOADS of tips and its a really friendly forum my user name is the same, look forward to meeting you xxxx

I'll join now :j!

Amethyst_ice

Cait2 wrote: »

I'll join now :j!

let me know your username or send me a pm when ur on there so i know who you are my name is the same x