Hamsters (merged)

hayley11

My hamster is driving me insane!! He is constantly biting his bars, trying to get his doors open etc. It's a 3 tier cage, so a door on each level and then another on the top and he can open them all! We have the cage up against a wall and put something on the top to stop him getting out but he still keeps trying :rolleyes: He's only been this bad since he got out of the top door on xmas eve (we didn't realise he could get out the top door then!)

I don't understand why he is constantly trying to escape though, he's got a wheel that he loves, we put him in his ball every day for at least 30 minutes, he gets plenty of food/water/treats.

Is it normal?? We've only had him about 6 months so he's still a baby I guess. He's a syrian if that makes any difference, we call him a HE but actually we don't know

globalds

couldn't you close the room door and then let him/her have a run around for a while .....Or a hamster ball

UKTigerlily

hayley11 wrote: »

My hamster is driving me insane!! He is constantly biting his bars, trying to get his doors open etc. It's a 3 tier cage, so a door on each level and then another on the top and he can open them all! We have the cage up against a wall and put something on the top to stop him getting out but he still keeps trying :rolleyes: He's only been this bad since he got out of the top door on xmas eve (we didn't realise he could get out the top door then!)

I don't understand why he is constantly trying to escape though, he's got a wheel that he loves, we put him in his ball every day for at least 30 minutes, he gets plenty of food/water/treats.

Is it normal?? We've only had him about 6 months so he's still a baby I guess. He's a syrian if that makes any difference, we call him a HE but actually we don't know

If he's a he, you WILL know trust me! They have balls a human male would be proud of! Seems like you have a she As he's already escaped, he'll probably want to do it again, they are very persistant. Years ago I had two in a Rotastack (Different Rotastacks not the same) & they'd push the water bottle out & then chew around the hole it went in to escape :rolleyes:

Has he got a wheel? He'll need a bigger one than the cage came with (If it came with one), you can get bigger ones for adult Hamsters & of course it needs a solid back not bars (Just cause if he doesn't have one - or she - it may well be bored, mine used to run non stop all night on them it sounded like!)

Get small padlocks to put on the doors that'll stop him/her !

MrsTinks

Yep they are escape artists I used to have an angora hamster many years ago and he was a pest for trying to get out, he was also impossible to handle the little !!!!!! but he was great fun to watch

Get him loads of hidey holes and things to chew, fresh twigs etc as well as a bigger wheel.

I used to "lock" the doors with wire... something reasonably thick like paperclips twisted round should do the trick

hayley11

UKTigerlily wrote: »

If he's a he, you WILL know trust me! They have balls a human male would be proud of! Seems like you have a she As he's already escaped, he'll probably want to do it again, they are very persistant. Years ago I had two in a Rotastack (Different Rotastacks not the same) & they'd push the water bottle out & then chew around the hole it went in to escape :rolleyes:

Has he got a wheel? He'll need a bigger one than the cage came with (If it came with one), you can get bigger ones for adult Hamsters & of course it needs a solid back not bars (Just cause if he doesn't have one - or she - it may well be bored, mine used to run non stop all night on them it sounded like!)

Get small padlocks to put on the doors that'll stop him/her !

Yeah we did check for any male parts and found none but we've been calling him a HE for months now, he might get confused if we start calling him a SHE :rotfl:

He's a got a big metal wheel, he loves it and does play on it a lot. I'm still waiting for him to figure out if he pushes the water bottle out he could get out, or in fact the circle things (you can move the tubes about) I'm sure he'll figure it out one day!

He's escaped about half a dozen times so I do just think he has a taste for it, we're putting him in his ball again now for a while, see if we can't tire him out :rotfl: Oh my god my OH is now ENCOURAGING him to get out by himself to get him in his ball He thinks it's clever, well yes it is clever but when he gets out and we never see him again, it wont be so clever then!!

(Before anybody thinks i'm cruel, we know when hes had enough of his ball, I wouldn't make him stay in it longer than he wants )

hayley11

MrsTine wrote: »

Yep they are escape artists I used to have an angora hamster many years ago and he was a pest for trying to get out, he was also impossible to handle the little !!!!!! but he was great fun to watch

Get him loads of hidey holes and things to chew, fresh twigs etc as well as a bigger wheel.

I used to "lock" the doors with wire... something reasonably thick like paperclips twisted round should do the trick

Oh he is an escape artist, he's a little monkey! I was almost in tears xmas eve because I went in to get him and he wasn't there but all the doors were closed, I thought he was dead in his house :eek: But no he'd got out and closed the door behind him, he MUST be a woman :rotfl:

I think I might get a bigger cage for him, then get a bigger wheel. This one has 3 levels but each level isn't really that big and when he stands up tall his head touches the ceiling.

krystal-divination

depends what type of cage you have, i had to tie the doors shut on mine when i had hamsters, i have heard of people putting padlocks on the doors.

they just don't give up.

and yes i could tell mine was male :eek:

squidge60

ours got out and noone realised untill the next door neighbour knocked on the door (it was in his garden):eek: and a friend of dds escaped and hers got its head bitten off by their cat :eek: theyre certainly good at escaping .!

Mutter_2

:rotfl: :rotfl: I'd want to escape from a cage, would'nt you?

Happy new year to you, family and hamster.

hayley11

Mutter wrote: »

:rotfl: :rotfl: I'd want to escape from a cage, would'nt you?

Happy new year to you, family and hamster.

:rotfl: Well when you put it like that Happy new year to you too