Hamster care.

Susannahmia

Hi we got a Syrian hamster the other day and I have a few questions.

This little guy is really shy and hates being handled. What is the best way to tame him, He wont even take food from our hands.

We got him this cage.http://www.pets2home.co.uk/item--Habitrail-OVO-Suite-Hamster-cage--599122.html But I don't think he can figure out the water bottle at all, its also at a weird angle so I have an extra food tray in and have extra water in the raised food tray provided. Is that ok?

The pet shop gave us this fluffy bedding but I'm after reading that this stuff is actually lethal so I have replaced it with loads of kleenix for the moment. Is this ok and should I change it every day or is ok to just clean out the poo etc and change the bedding every few days?

We got a hamster ball he seems to like that but I would like some ideas for toys, he has a loolypop stick to chew on and the inside of a toilet roll. There really wasn't a good selection in the pet shop.

Our apartments small so we have him in the sitting/dining room as far away from the TV as possible. Would the noise disturb him?

Stupid question but does it need a light on at night?!

Any other advice would be great!

ashlingm

hamsters can take a while to get used to people, just play with him as often as you can, just take him out and spend a while every day building a bond with him.
until he can figure out the water bottle id leave another source of water with him, although in most pet shops there watered through a drip bottle so he should be used to it., so maybe it is just the angle.
and please do not give him the fluffy stuff, can trap and cut off legs etc - not a pretty sight. best thing to do is throuw in lots of tissue...he will shred and make a bed out of it, plus its good for them, stops them getting bored and gives them something to do. I usually just changed my bedding and tissue once a week when he was getting his cage cleaned...however if you find your cage gets smally or dirty before then , then you might have to clean every 5 days...etc
toilet rolls, cardboard boxes, bits of untreated soft wood , dog biscuits are good for them, anything they can chew on really. you might want to throw in some hay aswell if you want. you can buy special flavoured bit of wood for them to chew on which is good as it stops there teeth getting over long
id keep him in a room which you use often so he gets used to humans. having him in a room with a tv isnt that bad...once it isnt very loud. it laos might encourage him not to be so noctournal. i always found if there in a room which u use often your more likely to take them out and play with them if ur watching tv...etc, plus the room will be warmer then a disused one.
and no they dont need the light on, there noctournal so there eyesight is pretty good, and there sense of smell helps them find there way around.
if u wanna know anything else just gimme a shout!

Susannahmia

ashlingm wrote: »

hamsters can take a while to get used to people, just play with him as often as you can, just take him out and spend a while every day building a bond with him.
until he can figure out the water bottle id leave another source of water with him, although in most pet shops there watered through a drip bottle so he should be used to it., so maybe it is just the angle.
and please do not give him the fluffy stuff, can trap and cut off legs etc - not a pretty sight. best thing to do is throuw in lots of tissue...he will shred and make a bed out of it, plus its good for them, stops them getting bored and gives them something to do. I usually just changed my bedding and tissue once a week when he was getting his cage cleaned...however if you find your cage gets smally or dirty before then , then you might have to clean every 5 days...etc
toilet rolls, cardboard boxes, bits of untreated soft wood , dog biscuits are good for them, anything they can chew on really. you might want to throw in some hay aswell if you want. you can buy special flavoured bit of wood for them to chew on which is good as it stops there teeth getting over long
id keep him in a room which you use often so he gets used to humans. having him in a room with a tv isnt that bad...once it isnt very loud. it laos might encourage him not to be so noctournal. i always found if there in a room which u use often your more likely to take them out and play with them if ur watching tv...etc, plus the room will be warmer then a disused one.
and no they dont need the light on, there noctournal so there eyesight is pretty good, and there sense of smell helps them find there way around.
if u wanna know anything else just gimme a shout!

Thanks for all the information ashlingm.:) We have been taking him out every day and actually today he seems slightly less nervous. I can't believe they are still allowed sell that fluffy bedding if it really is that dangerous. I will certainly not be buying that again! He definitely gets a lot of attention in the sitting room so I'm glad that the noise isn't a big issue.

carwash_2006

Their is fluffy bedding available now that is digestible and doesn't wrap around limbs the way it used to. Most of the ones you get in shops now are this kind. The lethal stuff has pretty much gone out of use.

I have owned and known hundreds of hamsters over the last ten years or so and even before they changed the bedding I never personally cam across a problem with it.

I would not recommend trying to encourage him to be less nocturnal. Hamsters are meant to be nocturnal. Unless you keep him in a totally controlled environment that you have him dark during our day and lit at night so he changes completely it could damage his health considerably to be wakened on a regular basis during the day.

He will almost certainly smell the water and wotrk out how to use the bottle, they do not drink much so I would not worry if you think he doesn't seem to drinking. If you do put a dish of water in you will want to clean the cage more regularly as it likely to get damp.

You should be able to get loads of toys for him. I am not mad about the habitrail cages. I always found them such a pain to clean and the syrian hamsters seem to fill the tubes with sawdust so they have to dig themselves back and forth any time they want to go anywhere. I prefer a good big wire cage or a large tank. They are easier to keep clean and you can put lots more toys in them and change them around often.

Bainne2

That fluffy stuff took off my chipmunk's arm It then got infected and caused him alot of stress I find my gerbils like hay, as they can dig through it and still make a nest but they also have to chew it into little bits giving them something to do I also get cheap toliet rolls from Tesco and give them some of that every other day to add to their bedding.:D

dudara

carwash_2006 wrote: »

Their is fluffy bedding available now that is digestible and doesn't wrap around limbs the way it used to. Most of the ones you get in shops now are this kind. The lethal stuff has pretty much gone out of use.

Agreed. The fluff is digestible and is safe to use. Just read the side of the packet to make sure that you have the right kind. Stupid as hamsters are, I haven't seen any attempt to eat the bedding yet. I've kept numerous pairs over the years and have never seen a hamster have a problem with this.

He will almost certainly smell the water and work out how to use the bottle, they do not drink much so I would not worry if you think he doesn't seem to drinking. If you do put a dish of water in you will want to clean the cage more regularly as it likely to get damp.

Hamsters have quite efficient kidneys and generally don't need to drink a lot of water. (Unless ill). He will figure it out. Hamsters tend to get quite smart when food is involved.

boomerang

The Hamster Heaven website and discussion board is a great place to learn more about hamster care, ideas for toys, cage reviews, etc. etc.

Just google "hamster heaven"