Found something concerning need help.

So new wheel and cork log! first things i should get and i should put more wood shavings in his cage as well
 
Maz said:
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.
Click to expand...
Also sorry forgot to mention the green stuff under the climbing hammock is a Matt that is made to imitate grass for the little guy
 
Maz has given you great advice. If you prefer to use shavings then Aspen shavings are safe but if not then kaytee bedding is lovely. It is made of paper and hamsters seem to love it.

I really admire you for taking on board all the suggestions and not getting offended. I can see how much you love Cookie. :)
 
I wished there were more people like you, who don't get it completely right first time (neither did i) but who are willing to listen and learn to improve their hamster's lives.

I agree with everything said already and the positive thing is that Cookie probably caught a nail in the wheel or hammock and doesn't have an ailment like a uti.

The hammock is for rats but a shop wouldn't tell you that because they want to make a sale. The green mat underneath is a snuffle mat i think to hide food in but its made from a felt like material which isn't safe for hamsters who chew. You can get a wooden snuffle box or make one from cardboard and toilet paper. It's on here on a thread.

Cookie is a lovely hamster and lucky to have a human companion who cares so much about him and his welfare.
 
You can actually make quite a lot of things out of toilet roll tubes :-). I’ll link one of my favourite videos on that. I actually made a hammock out of a cardboard egg box carton. For all these things you need safe string which is sisal strung or rope. That is safe to chew. Normal string is made of cotton and woukdn’t break down in the gut if chewed so could lead to blockages.

So before you go spending a lot on cage items (and you already have a lovely sisal tunnel) I would prioritise a stone or terracotta tile on the shelf with his food bowl on top of it. That way his nails will be roughened every time he goes to eat. And have a look at some cage things that can be made cheaply maybe. A cork log is a good thing to have too but they can be very large some of them and they aren’t that cheap. Your cage is not really large so it might be tricky to fit in. What I would suggest is cork bark pieces. I have bought these before - a few in a bag. Amazon sells them. You still get the interesting texture in different places and they can be used as a step up to a wheel eg or you can turn one into a little shelf by putting a bolt in it (cork is very soft inside so easy to push a bolt in). Or just have them in different places in the cage.

Scatter feeding is also a way to encourage foraging. I would still use the food bowl but just scatter a pinch extra in the cage.

Personally I wouldn’t add more pine shavings but get a bag of Kaytee clean and cozy and add that to the existing shavings and mix it in. Then gradually as you spot clean it will get switched over. By the time a substrate change is due you can replace most of it but keep some back to spread on top so it still smells familiar (makes it less stressful for them)..

 
If you want to buy the odd new toy I’d get a rat Sputnik to replace the hammock :) . If hung next to the shelf it’s easy to get in and out of - with some paper bedding inside. Our Syrians have always loved these :)

They are a silly price on Amazon. You can get them from rat rations cheaper and choose the colour of the top and bottom parts. They hang from the top bars. It’s shown upside down in the photo


Rat rations link. £5 ish on there

 
Wow! I don't even know what to say thank you so much guys
Your advice and kind words are amazing
Thank you for all the advice and the videos I will be sure to look through all of them to get safe ideas for cookies cage!
 
It’s on the tall side so quite fiddly to set up!
 
I had this cage once and set it up for a rescue dwarf hamster who was adopted with his cage.
I created more space by cutting the shelf to a smaller size and placed the house to the left. The wheel was in front of the shelf with a seagrass tunnel behind it.
The dwarfie run circuits around the cage which was good because he was very chubby.

I'm not suggesting you should do something similar but wanted to show you a set up in the same cage.

20210720_191651-1.jpg
 
That's a good example Beryl. I think the shelf in that cage is very good though, and somewhere else to go. And he's used to it by the sound of it.
 
I mean it gives an idea of the kind of things you can add :). You are very creative with your cage adjustments and ideas.
 
Just out of curiosity what time does your guy's hamsters become most active? Also are there any fun safe healthy snacks for hamsters?
 
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That very much depends on the personality of the hamsters and their routines.

We have five hamsters, two male Syrians, a female dwarf and two male Robos.

One Syrian gets up around 18.30/19.00 and wants out to freeroam.
The other gets up a little later around 19.00/19.30 and wants also out to freeroam.

The dwarf girl is a morning hamster and wants out to freeroam and forage around 09.00/10.00. Sometimes she's up during the day as well and wants to come out to play.
She usually sleeps in the evening.

One Robo gets up around 22.00/22.30 and the other gets up when the humans are in bed. They do get up at random times during the day but not for long. Both Robos prefer to stay in their tanks and don't want to freeroam.

As for treats, there's a thread on safe and unsafe treats under the Food section.

Here yippees are popular, whimzees, crocks, nuts, nibble sticks, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and today i gave them a Lily's kitchen puppy treat.
Dwarfs usually like mealworms and some Syrians do but ours don't.

What you want to avoid are sugary treats or treats with honey or hay in it.
 
As Beryl says it depends on the hamster. What is he doing at the moment? Our current Syrian is a very active boy and used to be out about 8 to 9pm every night, wanting to come out of his cage. Since the winter started he doesn't come out till late at night which is tricky as he's still active and has given me quite a few late nights! Generally they sleep later in winter and start getting up earlier with the lighter nights. I think Beryl's must be well trained - maybe feeding time at a certain time of the evening.

This is the list of safe and unsafe treats - my hamster's favourites are: Pumpkin seeds (you can get them from the supermarket), Tiny Friends Yippees (VERY popular!) and half a shelled walnut. Not all at the same time! One per day or two usually. A few pumpkin seeds though - I scatter them round the cage.

www.thehamsterforum.com

Safe and Unsafe Hamster treats

Safe and unsafe treats for Hamsters Chocolate Not good for hamsters Hamsters shouldn't have chocolate - some people think it's harmful or could poison them, but other research says it doesn't poison them. Either way it is better to not give your hamster chocolate as it's not healthy for...
www.thehamsterforum.com www.thehamsterforum.com

This is the thread on safe veg for hamsters. It's good to give them a tiny piece of fresh veg every day, if you don't already. Just about 1cm cubed size (doesn't have to be square but an idea for size). Cucumber and broccoli are the favourites here and both keep for quite a long time in the fridge. If he hasn't been used to it then you introduce it gradually so they don't get an upset stomach - eg once every 3 days - then after a couple of weeks every day is ok. It's the one thing my hamsters wake up for and look for. I usually put it in a separate place to the usual food bowl - on the other side of the cage from their house on a separate dish - so it makes them actually get up to go and find it! If you feed early evening, this can get them in the habit of coming out earlier after a while. Although currently ours just eats his veg, ignores me and goes back to bed till midnight lol

www.thehamsterforum.com

Safe and Unsafe Fruit and Veg

Safe and unsafe fruit and vegetables for Hamsters (note - this post is also combined with the safe and unsafe treats post as part of the home page article on safe and unsafe foods) Providing Hamsters have a good hamster mix, with the correct nutrients and protein levels, they do not need any...
www.thehamsterforum.com www.thehamsterforum.com
 
Oh wow I see haha thank you I will take a look at all the safe things I can feed cookie I give him small slices of cucumber once or twice a week and I recently gave him a small slice of carrot I have been told these are both safe for him usually he comes out at around midnight my household is pretty noisy but calms down at midnight so I assume that's why he likes to start coming out then the most. The carrot I gave him he loved it so much! It was very cute to hear him nibble away at it lol

It's love to hear what your guy's hamsters get up to it's so nice to hear how much personality the little furballs have lol

Robbie
 
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