Blue

Levelled things out and cleaned Blue’s toilet. Seems curious about what’s going on but not upset 😅

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His wheel is due for a clean but one thing at a time. Also thinking I’ll attach the wheel to the cage to take some weight off his house while it’s still sitting on the substrate.
 
So Blue has been ghosting me these days. Coming out (literally one minute) after I’ve turned off the lights and headed to bed. (Thank you, all-seeing ham cam) he is eating well and even caught him hanging out in the sand bath finally!

However, I gave his wheel a good clean two days ago, and he hasn’t been on it since! It’s not the first time I clean it, and generally it’s not an issue. Just using the tiniest amount of dish soap and rinsing well. Randomly, he tends to pee while he is running on the wheel! So it gets quite dirty. And this morning, I found a pee on the plastic platform. Just the second time he has done this.

I’m going to give the wheel a good rinse and then rub some of his bedding in it so it smells more familiar. But appreciate any advice on this! I miss seeing my cute little guy. My older son did catch him foraging from the sunflower the other morning. (Seems to be Blue’s fave of the new sprays) But I miss my mid day visits and early evening hellos 🥺
 
Aw - I think they can have these periods of disappearing for two or three days and then coming out again. Did you notice on the nightcam whether he actually used the wheel after it was washed? If he isn't, I usually find putting a smelly piece of food in the wheel does the trick. Cucumber or a tiny piece of cheddar cheese eg. Tempts them back in for the food. If it's just the inside of the wheel that gets pee'd on and smelly, you could maybe try just wiping out the inside and not washing the outside, if it's needed fairly regularly, and only giving the wheel a full clean all over after a period of time.
 
My hamster also comes out one minute after I turn the light off. I would not worry about that as hamsters like their privacy. :)

Rubbing some of Blue's bedding on his wheel is a great idea. Have you double checked to see if the wheel is spinning well? Sometimes they can get a bit stiff and need adjusting.

Aw, I can understand you missing seeing Blue. Sometimes they seem to change their routine but hopefully he will pop out in the daytime again soon.
 
Thanks for your advice and encouragement. He has not been on the wheel at all from my scans of the night video footage.
Omg you’re right @RainbowBrite ! It isn’t spinning 🤦🏻‍♀️ when I cleaned it last I tried to attach it to the cage itself but I need some washers. I thought I had always put it at the very lowest level on its stand but now it won’t spin there. Just popped it up and it’s good.

Will leave some of his faves on the wheel so he will see he can start putting some miles on it again
 
And just want to reiterate my gratitude for this community and the existence of this forum! You have all bolstered my confidence into this foray of hamster ownership and helped me ensure Blue is a happy dude.

So thank you all! You are amazing humans ! And I truly appreciate you 😍
 
They do sometimes just go through phases like this & I know how much you must miss seeing him.
If the wheel wasn’t spinning that might well be the problem & hopefully he’ll start coming out again now.
 
IMG_2947.jpegBlue finally came out while I was awake and getting him a bit of fresh veg. Of course, he is continuing to work his way through that sunflower!

He only took a few steps on the wheel last night. So I’m hopeful he resumes his long distance sprints tonight!

I noticed the “hamster cage smell” for the first time tonight! He has been with us a month, so I guess that’s right. I’ve really only done a few “toilet cleans” in the time I’ve had him. Going to re-read the article on cleaning the cage and try and make a bit of progress. I find it’s hard for me to tell where his actual toilet is and I think he may use a burrow tunnel. Because, equally, I have never seen his hoard! Which I assume is underground. So just nervous about disturbing his nest which I also don’t find obvious to spot.
 
That’s such a lovely photo of Blue & all the sprays & twiggy bits around him look great too.
Maybe it will take him a little while to settle back into using his wheel properly again but I’m sure he will.
It can take some time for them to settle on one spot for the toilet so he may have been in a few places.
Have you got a carrier you can put him in while you have a good look around? That’s usually the easiest way to do it unless he can be supervised in the playpen while you do it.
I would only clean a little at a time to begin with & don’t worry if you miss a bit for now, a month isn’t long so it shouldn’t need much cleaning.
 
He is gorgeous and seems happy and settled. Maybe feel around to see if you can find any damp patches and spot clean those out. I think some people use a uv black lights that shows up where the pee is but I’m not sure how easy that is to do either.
 
elusive said:
If you use a UV light just make sure the hamster isn’t in the cage!
I’ve never tried it but I think looking & sniffing is probably the easiest way.
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May I ask why? I use a UV light with a hamster in the cage but not when the hamster is in view. I would shine the light over the surface only though. I did not realise this was not a good idea.
 
There’s a risk the hamster could come out possibly too quickly for you to remove the light so it’s safer to only use one when the hamster is out of the cage.
 
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