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Found something concerning need help.
- Thread starter RobbieH
- Start date
When I say this I mean on what it could of been? Do you guys think it was more likely he scratched himself?
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Perhaps he scratched himself as his nails look a little bit long in the picture. It is such a good sign you have not seen any signs of blood or discomfort.
Does Cookie have a cork log? I find they can help with keeping nails down and hamsters seem to love them.
Does Cookie have a cork log? I find they can help with keeping nails down and hamsters seem to love them.
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Yes I think just keep an eye on things and it’s likely he scratched himself a bit hard with his long nails. So they could do with a trim 
Hopefully there will be no more signs of blood. If you decide to take him to the vet for a nail trim they can give him a check over at the same time. But if you decide to try a nail trim method just keep an eye on him. If he continues to seem well and active I wouldn’t worry.
Hopefully there will be no more signs of blood. If you decide to take him to the vet for a nail trim they can give him a check over at the same time. But if you decide to try a nail trim method just keep an eye on him. If he continues to seem well and active I wouldn’t worry.Thank you guys I will keep an eye on him and take him vet if I do see anything strange again you guys have been a really big help to me and you have all kept me from stressing out. And you have kept me calm instead I am sure cookie appreciates it I know I do!
Could you send me a link rainbowBrite?
For the cork log he does not have one and I could get him one
Robbie
Could you send me a link rainbowBrite?
For the cork log he does not have one and I could get him one
Robbie
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I got my cork logs from Rodipet. I have found their German website has a lot more things but they do have a UK website too. I will enclose the link to the German website. I use google chrome so it translates the page for me.
www.rodipet.de
Feel free to post pictures of your cage set up if you would like any advice or tips. I found that helped me a lot.
Zubehör Natureinrichtung
Rodipet® Rebenholz 20-30 cm, Rodipet® Rebenholz 40-50 cm, Rodipet® Kletterblock 24-35 cm, Rodipet® Kuschelmoos 50g, Rodipet® Plattenmoos 2 Stück mit j ...
Feel free to post pictures of your cage set up if you would like any advice or tips. I found that helped me a lot.
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That does happen at times and it can take ages to find any. Sometimes zooplus or reptile places have them.
I hope this gives you guys an idea of the layout of his cage i change it up once in a while so its a little different for him but i make sure not to make it to different so he does not get stressed out what do you guys think any ideas for the little guy?
Thank you
Robbie
Thank you
Robbie
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Thank you so much for showing us his set up He seems to have quite a few nice things to do in there and it looks cosy and is a reasonable sized cage There is the odd safety thing though and that might also explain why he might have caught a nail on something. Sorry to say but the wheel isn't safe. The design is not that safe and he could get a leg caught. It is also too small for a Syrian hamster.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you need a new wheel asap! They do best with a 28cm diameter wheel. He will love that! They can run so much better in them and also it means he can run with a straight back. If the wheel is a bit small it can start to cause them back pain if they're curved when running. The trixie 28cm is about one of the cheapest wheels you can get at £12 and it's an ok wheel and perfectly safe design! Our Syrian has one in his playpen and loves it. I'll link it below.
Other than that - maybe add some more substrate to his cage Ideally at least 4 to 6" deep as they like burying their hoards and digging. The idea is - the more substrate you have, the less they need cleaning out. You just spot clean - which is taking out the odd handful if it's getting a bit soiled, and replacing it with a new handful. You can go on like that for weeks or even months, without needing to change the substrate, especially if they use a litter tray as then the cage stays clean and dry. Their poops aren't really dirty - they're like little hard seeds. So don't worry about those unless there start being quite a lot and then spot clean them out.
There are also many alternatives to wood shavings these days. Kaytee clean and cosy is popular and works out quite economical. It's a compressed bale so fluffs out. Sadly pet shops do sell wood shavings and in the Uk they are not too bad as they have to be kiln dried by law to remove most of the phenols (the pine smell). The phenols are bad for hamsters respiratory tract.
But next time you get some substrate have a look at Kaytee clean and cozy. Amazon sell it. So you're not buying everything at once. Hamsters love it too as it's nice and soft and they sometimes take some for their nest.
By the way if you were sold any kind of "fluffy bedding" or synthetic type material for nesting that is mega dangerous! There are a few petitions to ban it. If you have that you need to bin it asap! The safest nesting material is plain white toilet paper, torn into strips. Hamsters love that too and they pouch it and take it to the house to build a big cosy nest.
He looks to have a good house in there and a nice sisal tunnel. Am assuming he's not a chewer or the hammock would have been chewed but unfortunately the hammock isn't really safe either. Even if he doesn't chew it, he could get a leg trapped. Plenty of hamsters end up hanging by a broken leg unfortunately! Any kind of fabric is unsafe as string or threads can't be digested if chewed and threads can get wrapped around feet and cut the circulation off or wrapped around teeth. So always best to avoid anything made of material. Wood, ceramic and plastic are safer (and there are some grass hammocks that are ok).
Sometimes we know our hamster and know they're not a chewer and would be ok with say, a fleece hammock that's well made with no loose threads or fluffy filling. If he's been ok with it so far then don't worry too much but it might be an idea to replace it with something safer.
So basically - more substrate, new wheel, replace hammock . Some people will probably say you need to upgrade the cage to a bigger one as well. But if he's been perfectly happy in there and has plenty of out of cage time, I wouldn't worry too much right now. It looks like the Grosvenor cage which is just about on the minimum cage size recommended for a Syrian. Having said that, they always appreciate more space!
Changing things around is a debatable point. Generally hamsters like things to be the same - familiarity. And it can stress them if things get changed around. They accept something new being added but don't seem to like it if things are in different places.
He seems to have quite a few nice things to do in there and it looks cosy and is a reasonable sized cage There is the odd safety thing though and that might also explain why he might have caught a nail on something. Sorry to say but the wheel isn't safe. The design is not that safe and he could get a leg caught. It is also too small for a Syrian hamster.Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you need a new wheel asap! They do best with a 28cm diameter wheel. He will love that! They can run so much better in them and also it means he can run with a straight back. If the wheel is a bit small it can start to cause them back pain if they're curved when running. The trixie 28cm is about one of the cheapest wheels you can get at £12 and it's an ok wheel and perfectly safe design! Our Syrian has one in his playpen and loves it. I'll link it below.
Other than that - maybe add some more substrate to his cage
Ideally at least 4 to 6" deep as they like burying their hoards and digging. The idea is - the more substrate you have, the less they need cleaning out. You just spot clean - which is taking out the odd handful if it's getting a bit soiled, and replacing it with a new handful. You can go on like that for weeks or even months, without needing to change the substrate, especially if they use a litter tray as then the cage stays clean and dry. Their poops aren't really dirty - they're like little hard seeds. So don't worry about those unless there start being quite a lot and then spot clean them out.There are also many alternatives to wood shavings these days. Kaytee clean and cosy is popular and works out quite economical. It's a compressed bale so fluffs out. Sadly pet shops do sell wood shavings and in the Uk they are not too bad as they have to be kiln dried by law to remove most of the phenols (the pine smell). The phenols are bad for hamsters respiratory tract.
But next time you get some substrate have a look at Kaytee clean and cozy. Amazon sell it. So you're not buying everything at once. Hamsters love it too as it's nice and soft and they sometimes take some for their nest.
By the way if you were sold any kind of "fluffy bedding" or synthetic type material for nesting that is mega dangerous! There are a few petitions to ban it. If you have that you need to bin it asap! The safest nesting material is plain white toilet paper, torn into strips. Hamsters love that too and they pouch it and take it to the house to build a big cosy nest.
He looks to have a good house in there and a nice sisal tunnel. Am assuming he's not a chewer or the hammock would have been chewed but unfortunately the hammock isn't really safe either. Even if he doesn't chew it, he could get a leg trapped. Plenty of hamsters end up hanging by a broken leg unfortunately! Any kind of fabric is unsafe as string or threads can't be digested if chewed and threads can get wrapped around feet and cut the circulation off or wrapped around teeth. So always best to avoid anything made of material. Wood, ceramic and plastic are safer (and there are some grass hammocks that are ok).
Sometimes we know our hamster and know they're not a chewer and would be ok with say, a fleece hammock that's well made with no loose threads or fluffy filling. If he's been ok with it so far then don't worry too much but it might be an idea to replace it with something safer.
So basically - more substrate, new wheel, replace hammock
. Some people will probably say you need to upgrade the cage to a bigger one as well. But if he's been perfectly happy in there and has plenty of out of cage time, I wouldn't worry too much right now. It looks like the Grosvenor cage which is just about on the minimum cage size recommended for a Syrian. Having said that, they always appreciate more space!Changing things around is a debatable point. Generally hamsters like things to be the same - familiarity. And it can stress them if things get changed around. They accept something new being added but don't seem to like it if things are in different places.
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Actually that's the wood shelf, not a house Is his house underneath the shelf? I'm curious to know what the green is under the hammock on the shelf!
Please don't take it heart - it's not criticism at all - it's just unfortunately so much rubbish and dangerous stuff is sold by pet shops!
He looks like such a happy little guy that I am sure he enjoys his life with you and his cage.
Is his house underneath the shelf? I'm curious to know what the green is under the hammock on the shelf!Please don't take it heart - it's not criticism at all - it's just unfortunately so much rubbish and dangerous stuff is sold by pet shops!
He looks like such a happy little guy that I am sure he enjoys his life with you and his cage.
Yes! His house in underneath the shelf he only has normal white toilet paper for his bedding ripped into strips
Its funny you mention the fluffy bedding we did get given that when we got him and he hated it. he pulled it all out of his bed so he told me that he did not like that pretty quickly so i just got rid of all of it and i have stuck with toilet paper ever since!
Its funny you mention the fluffy bedding we did get given that when we got him and he hated it. he pulled it all out of his bed so he told me that he did not like that pretty quickly so i just got rid of all of it and i have stuck with toilet paper ever since!
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