Any advice on settling in please?

[grommit217]

In the green plastic there's a recess, he's been using that as his toilet. He pushed the poop out of the tubes so I pick it out.

 

[Maz]

Have you seen the cardboard creations section? That has some great ideas for cage items and boredom breakers. things with food stuck on. Plastic and ceramic items are fine, as well as wood items.

 

[grommit217]

Ive had a go at making a hideout. I need to try again.

 

[Maz]

In the green plastic there's a recess, he's been using that as his toilet. He pushed the poop out of the tubes so I pick it out.

That's because it's in a corner! They often choose a corner of the cage as a toilet. He thinks the recess is a toilet I had the same issue with my first cage. There was an inset food bowl in the corner of the platform and the hamster kept peeing in it. So I put a potty litter tray over it and a new foodbowl somewhere else. That sort of worked except he kept moving the litter tray and pulling the pot out! They are funny little things.

 

[Maz]

Ive had a go at making a hideout. I need to try again. View attachment 4691

He looks like he's enjoying it anyway! If you have a shoebox, that's the easiest way!

 

[grommit217]

I haven't stopped him. His food isn't in there, I put some shaving in it

 

[Hank]

Such a cute little hamster
We had similar challenges with my little girl. She stayed in her tubes, but we removed them after this forum suggested it and she was a bit confused at first, but then started to burrow.
We also had the Metro but Female Syrians need a lot of room, so we moved her into a Plaza (a little sooner than we expected to), as she kept biting the bars wanting to get out, removing the tubes and then a new cage changed everything and after a while she settled down nicely.
Jas didn't come out much at first, then I couldn't let her out enough, she has calmed a bit, but comes out everyday.
I love your pumpkin hide, I have to confess, we brought one when we saw yours, and she will have hers in the playpen.
Jas doesn't like to be picked up, happy to be stroked and will tolerate you picking her up if she needs help, but it's taken a while.
You seem like you really care for your hammy, just a bit of patience and you will both find your rhythm together.

 

[Maz]

People tend to use other beddings rather than wood shavings now. The shavings will be ok for now but check the bag to see it says "Pine" rather than just "softwood" as softwood can be anything. It should also say kiln dried and dust extracted. All pine shavings in the Uk have to be kiln dried by law which removes the harmful phenols, but there is some debate as to whether kiln drying is enough. There are also a lot of choices of nicer beddings now - Kaytee Clean and Cosy is very popular and it's quite soft so hamsters love it.

 

[grommit217]

Such a cute little hamster
We had similar challenges with my little girl. She stayed in her tubes, but we removed them after this forum suggested it and she was a bit confused at first, but then started to burrow.
We also had the Metro but Female Syrians need a lot of room, so we moved her into a Plaza (a little sooner than we expected to), as she kept biting the bars wanting to get out, removing the tubes and then a new cage changed everything and after a while she settled down nicely.
Jas didn't come out much at first, then I couldn't let her out enough, she has calmed a bit, but comes out everyday.
I love your pumpkin hide, I have to confess, we brought one when we saw yours, and she will have hers in the playpen.
Jas doesn't like to be picked up, happy to be stroked and will tolerate you picking her up if she needs help, but it's taken a while.
You seem like you really care for your hammy, just a bit of patience and you will both find your rhythm together.

Thankyou, it's so nice to hear..the forum is going to be my support for him for a long time. Everyone has tried and tested ideas x

 

[grommit217]

People tend to use other beddings rather than wood shavings now. The shavings will be ok for now but check the bag to see it says "Pine" rather than just "softwood" as softwood can be anything. It should also say kiln dried and dust extracted. All pine shavings in the Uk have to be kiln dried by law which removes the harmful phenols, but there is some debate as to whether kiln drying is enough. There are also a lot of choices of nicer beddings now - Kaytee Clean and Cosy is very popular and it's quite soft so hamsters love it.

I'm going to check in this tomorrow. If its bad bedding should I change it all as I've heard that's not great for him?

 

[grommit217]

One tip. I wouldn't clean him out for a while now, while he's scent marking and settling in. You can just spot clean his pee area. That is taking a handful of wee'd on substrate out and adding a new handful. Their pee is the only smelly unhygienic thing as they're quite clean little things and groom a lot (although if he was nesting and peeing in his tube he will have got whiffy but that will wear off!).

If i get the new cage. Should I use the old substrate he already has in his cage, and If I find its not the right bedding should i change to the new straight away? X

 

[Maz]

If it's pine I would just mix the new bedding in with it so it's about half and half and then gradually, as you spot clean, it'll get replaced with the new.

There's a balance - if the substrate is all changed in one go, it removes all the hamster's scent marking and can stress them out. So that can sometimes be a greater issue than the slight risk of the wrong bedding for a short time. The only time it would be better to replace it all at once is if the bedding is cedar or mixed softwood (ie mixed softwood could contain cedar).

 

[Maz]

If i get the new cage. Should I use the old substrate he already has in his cage, and If I find its not the right bedding should i change to the new straight away? X

If you get the new cage, post back on here for tips for moving the hamster It's best to transfer all the old bedding across on top of the new as it has his scent and helps them settle in a lot quicker

 

[Zara]

Hi there, great looking layout, I’m sure your hamster will love the extra hides and coverage, the pumpkin is super too.

Our hamster has always used a shoebox hide. He has an awesome nest inside, completely filling it with Kaytee Clean and Cosy and toilet paper strips. We also have tissue box hides, he tends to sit in these early evening to wash. It all takes time to come together. I took so much inspiration from this forum and looking at other peoples set ups and then just slowly made changes to my own.

I also started out with wood shavings and then swapped it for the Kaytee. I replaced half to start with and then did the other half about a month later. Wishing you lots of fun together.

 

[grommit217]

Hi there, great looking layout, I’m sure your hamster will love the extra hides and coverage, the pumpkin is super too.

Our hamster has always used a shoebox hide. He has an awesome nest inside, completely filling it with Kaytee Clean and Cosy and toilet paper strips. We also have tissue box hides, he tends to sit in these early evening to wash. It all takes time to come together. I took so much inspiration from this forum and looking at other peoples set ups and then just slowly made changes to my own.

I also started out with wood shavings and then swapped it for the Kaytee. I replaced half to start with and then did the other half about a month later. Wishing you lots of fun together.

Thanks zara, I have a few changes tk make, I'm planning that when he gets his new cage ( very soon) then I'll change half the bedding, small changes I hope won't upset him too much. Do you leave his shoe box filled with whatever he puts in there? Like his untouched area? I'm hoping he sees the shoebox house tonight and abandons the tubes he's been staying in

 

[Maz]

I have a feeling he might not move into the house until the tubes are gone. He might investigate it though. Normally you just leave the house empty with a pile of toilet paper bedding near it and the hamster takes the toilet paper strips inside to build a nest. Our first one had a very creative nest - it was like he’d woven the strips!

 

[Zara]

That’s right, just small changes at a time I’ve found haven’t been a problem. Yes, I’ve always pretty much left Hams nest alone. I popped a layer of Kaytee in to start with then left extra by the door with toiler paper strips and over time he literally filled the whole box up, he sleeps one side and buries his stash of food on the other. I check it from time to time and may pick some poops out but otherwise I leave it well alone. Every now and then he pushes old substrate, food and poop out the door which I remove and then place some fresh bedding down for him to take back in if he wishes.

 

[Maz]

They are great like that aren’t they Cleaning out their own nest and leaving it for you to take away the old stuff.

 

[grommit217]

I have a feeling he might not move into the house until the tubes are gone. He might investigate it though. Normally you just leave the house empty with a pile of toilet paper bedding near it and the hamster takes the toilet paper strips inside to build a nest. Our first one had a very creative nest - it was like he’d woven the strips!

We're waiting for the caps to come from amazon. Then we can take the tubes out. I've left him some teabag type bedding in the cage and some shredded toilet paper to start with.

 

[grommit217]

Is it best to get a wooden wheel or the trixie wheel?