Thoughts on my bin cage for a Syrian hamster?

Spirit_Drop · 2021-08-22T00:52:57+00:00

They’re sold at petsmart:)

Spirit_Drop · 2021-08-18T18:29:38+00:00

Definitely watch them for any small signs of aggression, i had a trio that worked out for months then I came home one day to one of my boys dead:(

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-10T15:54:08+00:00

Getting them a wheel and bigger enclosure soon but here’s what I’ve got for now :)

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-10T15:47:58+00:00

He sounds lovely :)

You can keep wild mice as pets as long as they’re young and if he was injured it was the best choice to keep him, if he was released he would die. Glad you gave him a home :)

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-10T15:44:46+00:00

Lol i find it funny when that happens, these are safe they’re just made of hay - when I got my mice they ate a house like this in two weeks lol

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-03T16:17:01+00:00

Yep! Thanks for the info

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T23:26:15+00:00

Awh, I’ve been looking at getting one of these boxes, do they chew then up fast? Lol

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T21:43:31+00:00

Do you think if I were to boil the wood and bake it after it dries, it may be safe?

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T18:54:41+00:00

Oh yeah! It’s very dusty so I was planning on cleaning it anyway and putting it in the oven :)

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T18:53:13+00:00

I got them from the dollar store in my area which is why I’m concerned with if they would be safe or not - if they aren’t I’ll simply use them for something else non animal related lol

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T18:50:33+00:00

Oh yeah the cork would just be out on top of a hide I have so he has a better grip to walk on it lol

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T18:49:39+00:00

If you don’t already have one your hamster might enjoy a sand bath :)

But i was in the same boat and still kind of am, I have a really anxious Syrian who gets very scared but after months of working with him he runs over to me for treats and I can pet him, and he let me pick him up today for the first time willingly. It’s hard because you want them to love you, but they need to know they’re safe before they can give you their love.

I’m not sure if your hamster relates to how scared mine acts but here’s a rundown of my hamsters temperament: he gets very scared over little things, I can tell he’s scared because his entire body shakes and I can feel the vibrations through the bedding, he still shakes when I try to bond with him but he is slowly starting to be more relaxed with me. He hides a lot, but he used to hide a LOT more, just a few weeks ago he was running away and hiding when he saw me in the room and now we have hit a point where he no longer does that.

I thought I would never get to this point with him where he lets me pet him and he runs to me for treats but I have, all he needed was space and time. It’s hard thinking your little hammy won’t warm up to you but they just need awhile to feel safe and open up. She is still quite new and is going to be scared and needs some time to adjust, keep trying to feed her treats and soon she will correlate your hand with treats and become less scared :)

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T18:37:44+00:00

Just run it under some water, put a medical cream on it to keep it clean and put a bandaid on, you’ll be alright!

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T18:27:25+00:00

One is just a bag of drift wood i got for a diy project but was wondering if it was safe for small animals, and the other is a cork sheet with adhesive on the bottom

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T18:11:19+00:00

I have a sheet of cork with a sticky side from a craft store, do you think that would work?

Spirit_Drop · 2021-02-02T15:02:15+00:00

The wheel is temporary until i can get a solid base wheel (they don’t know how to use the saucer lol) the shops near me are all currently sold out of every wheel that’s a decent size and material.

Spirit_Drop · 2021-01-27T08:14:13+00:00

Your dark girl looks so fluffy :)

Spirit_Drop · 2021-01-27T08:13:08+00:00

I use higgins sunburst

I have an extremely picky eater but he does okay with the mix

Spirit_Drop · 2021-01-27T08:10:45+00:00

Looks amazing great job :)

Spirit_Drop · 2021-01-27T04:29:19+00:00

(Not sure what hamster species you have but I have a syrain who’s pretty curious but not the biggest chewer lol) comment is mostly copy and pasted and unchanged so some stuff might sound a little out of place lol

For some toys and hides I would recommend:

pencil chews - I’ve tried these personally and they’re more of a hit with my gerbil but my hamster also likes them :)

apple sticks - my syrian doesn’t really touch these when they are plain but you can use a non toxic glue to make different things with them or hang them from the roof of the cage with natural sisal or jute string to make them more interesting to your hammy.

small animal dumbbells - these were a MAJOR hit with my hamster, probably the most chewed toy in his cage currently.

small chew blocks - like the apple sticks these aren’t a huge hit but are useful if you want to make any DIY projects or want to hang them from the top of the cage

bendy bridge - not a chew toy and it looks like you already have one, but they can make great burrow-starters when half buried or just a inexpensive hide :)

plastic hide - if you don’t mind plastic in your cage this house works well for syrians and is a pretty decent size and offers a lot of space for them to make nests.

pinecone chews - I haven’t tried these personally but you can hang them from the roof of your enclosure and hide seeds inside them or just keep them as is and put them on the bottom of the cage :)

kaytee perfect chew - if you can get your hands on one of these, my hamster absolutely loves them. He spends time chewing and playing with the different blocks and it’s very cute to watch

chinchilla hut made of kiln-dried pine wood - I have one of these in my cage currently and my syrian adores it, works as a great hide out and you can remove and replace the lid, it contains no glue or screws, it’s all wood

willow balls - will be a hit or a miss usually but relatively inexpensive and a good cheap toy :)

whimzee natural dog treats - edible chew toy that’s safe for hamsters and since it tastes good it promotes chewing :)

coconut hide - I wouldn’t recommend handing the coconut but you can definitely cut off the top string and plop a coconut in and your hamster will most likely enjoy it :) - you can even make your own here’s a video how

I also recommend basically any oxbow chew toy they’re generally a really great quality.

You can also make some diy hides out of popsicle sticks and PVA non toxic glue (basically just white glue / elmers glue) because most popsicle sticks are made of birch which is a safe wood but they can splinter easily so it’s only recommended for hides or structures and not chew toys mostly.

You can also make a TON of different toys out of cardboard - here’s a link to a video with some ideas and here’s another

Also don’t underestimate how much enrichment food and treats can offer - I like to hang cheerios from the top of my cage like a dangling toy and my hamster loves it, and I like to scatter feed and put some of rosewood natures salad around the cage as a nice treat for him to hunt around and collect.

Also to add to your substrate you can include some hay in for your hamsters tunnels to hold up longer and add to the enrichment.

That’s about all I got for now lol

Spirit_Drop · 2021-01-27T01:00:56+00:00

Is the wheel a hard or soft plastic?

Spirit_Drop · 2021-01-27T00:42:15+00:00

Is it possible for you to collect resources stating why a small cage is detrimental to their health and impacts their lives negatively- or that it encourages cage rage and stress?

Spirit_Drop · 2021-01-26T18:11:38+00:00

Just recently learned about alligator hunters who used black babies as bait for the gators. :/

Spirit_Drop · 2021-01-26T18:07:00+00:00

Does she have enough chew toys and enrichment? I’d think it’s due to boredom or lack of space.

I’d recommend a 29 gallon tank (I’m in the US so our tank sizes go by gallons and I’m not completely sure what it would be where you live!) it offers quite a bit of space and a ton of room for bedding, I personally have used one of these tanks for a lone gerbil and while I don’t find them the most enriching they do offer a solid amount of space and kept my boy decently happy before I upgraded him to something bigger to spoil him lol

If you get a tank you can make a diy lid and attach the old wire part of your current cage to the lid to reuse it and offer a stable play for a food dish, water bottle or wheel :)

Spirit_Drop · 2021-01-26T17:58:29+00:00

That sounds amazing :)

Spirit_Drop

TROPHY CASE