Hamster Temperature In Mumbai HELP

[MochiTheHamster]

Hi guys I live in Mumbai and our average temperature in summer is in the 30°s. Winter is like 25° or even 23°. I use the AC all the time and I like it cold in my room, where my new hamster Mochi will stay. But when I am not there I am afraid of heat stroke

So is there anything I can do to keep him cool enough during trips? Obviously he has lived in Mumbai from birth and can handle some heat but just like people, cant survive constant 30° heat.

Also yes everything is celsius not farenheight

 

[Maz]

Hi there. The heat can be a real problem. I'm not quite sure what you mean by during trips? Do you mean if you're away and the air conditioning is off? Could you leave it on while away?

 

[MochiTheHamster]

Yeah Its not my house it's my mom's and I don't think she would be ok with also paying like WAYYY more for electricity. Do hamsters born in Mumbai become more heat resistant? I have a fan and I'm getting him at the end of summer (which is now) so it's less hot but somehow rain still is hot. I don't know how that works but that's Mumbai weather for you. Is a fan enough? They do live in a quite hot place from birth but I guess not even a person would be ok with 30° for hours XD

is 26 ok for like a Mumbaikar Syrian Hamster?
Are there hamsters that are ok with heat?

 

[Socks' Mum]

Can you move the cage to the coolest spot in your house? Slabs of slate or granite can help. Also ceramic items that have been put in the fridge. A wide ceramic dish full of damp good quality, dust free, clean sand such as Reptisand that has been in the fridge can retain coolth. Putting a bowl of ice in front of fan can also help. I hope things work out Getting a smaller cage or putting the cage on wheels so that he can be moved to a cooler room could also be a solution.

 

[MochiTheHamster]

Can you move the cage to the coolest spot in your house? Slabs of slate or granite can help. Also ceramic items that have been put in the fridge. A wide ceramic dish full of damp good quality, dust free, clean sand such as Reptisand that has been in the fridge can retain coolth. Putting a bowl of ice in front of fan can also help. I hope things work out Getting a smaller cage or putting the cage on wheels so that he can be moved to a cooler room could also be a solution.

Thanks so much for your help, but this is for travel like summer holidays, other countries. Having a hamster has a whole bunch of issues. they don't tell you when they say they are starter pets.. using ice or ceramics won't work At home AC is ok but for constant weeks on end away?

Nope.
What about a sitter? The people in getting them from do animal sitting and they have full AC all day at 20°.

 

[MochiTheHamster]

Can you move the cage to the coolest spot in your house? Slabs of slate or granite can help. Also ceramic items that have been put in the fridge. A wide ceramic dish full of damp good quality, dust free, clean sand such as Reptisand that has been in the fridge can retain coolth. Putting a bowl of ice in front of fan can also help. I hope things work out Getting a smaller cage or putting the cage on wheels so that he can be moved to a cooler room could also be a solution.

Also thank you that's very kind

 

[Maz]

How long would you be away for? I'm thinking in terms of a sitter depending on the length of time). Assume you mean taking him to someone else's house rather than having a sitter at your house? You couldn't leave him on his own in the house anyway if you were on holiday.

But not there are no different types of hamsters adapted to heat. Hamsters can get too hot or too cold. Like dogs, hamsters can't sweat. But neither can they pant like dogs. Apart from radiating heat, their only way of cooling down is to go somewhere cool - eg a cooler part of the cage, but essentially it's the room temperature that counts.

And I hear you - there is not enough information given about hamsters as pets when pet shops sell them - it's great you're on here asking.

 

[Socks' Mum]

The pet boarding house might be the best option. Hamsters would burrow down into cooler earth in the wild. Their small body size makes them more vulnerable than us to heat. Adaptation to heat would take a few generations and possibly leave you with an animal who looks very different to the animal we know. Even then, they would need to escape from the worst of the heat somehow

 

[MochiTheHamster]

How long would you be away for? I'm thinking in terms of a sitter depending on the length of time). Assume you mean taking him to someone else's house rather than having a sitter at your house? You couldn't leave him on his own in the house anyway if you were on holiday.

But not there are no different types of hamsters adapted to heat. Hamsters can get too hot or too cold. Like dogs, hamsters can't sweat. But neither can they pant like dogs. Apart from radiating heat, their only way of cooling down is to go somewhere cool - eg a cooler part of the cage, but essentially it's the room temperature that counts.

And I hear you - there is not enough information given about hamsters as pets when pet shops sell them - it's great you're on here asking.

Yeah we don't go on BIG more then 5 days long trips often, maybye like 5 times for a whole year. But the pet store is also an adoption centre AND a pet sitter??? These guys do everything. It's a very cool place too, it has literally every kind of exotic pet imaginable, and they have large space and I did see the hammies still had there mama when they were tiny

But one thing: THESE GUYS ARE CONFUSING. one second they are caring for little hammies and being good to animals (I saw them care for them with so much love) and then they say syrians would be lonely if you get one because they have been with siblings their whole life so you should get two! My god. That made me question this whole hamster thing and whether I was supporting something bad. THIS IS THE MOST ETHICAL BREEDER IN INDIA. GET YOUR STUFF TOGETHER. they were definitely doing it to sell more hamsters, or maybye they are just stupid, either way this is the best buisness that exists here. ITS VERY UPSETTING.

But I knew that despite being a bit clueless, they do care. Just badly. There is no adoptions nearby.

I have trust they can babysit my hammy and I WILL REMIND THEM PLEASE KEEP HIM IN THE ENCLOSURE NOT WITH ANY OTHER HAMSTER but now I'm confused whether getting one makes sense if this is the best buisness available.

Guys, do you think I should get a syrian from them??

 

[Socks' Mum]

The result would be a fight to the death, so best stay with a solo ham

 

[MochiTheHamster]

The result would be a fight to the death, so best stay with a solo ham

No I know that I'm saying should I trust them? Am I supporting a bad store who lies for profit or am I supporting a company that doesn't understand their own animals needs or is it they mixed up some siberian siblings and syrian

 

[Socks' Mum]

Stay with us, you will get impartial advice that will help you to avoid disasters

 

[Maz]

You already have the hamster don't you? If you mean should you trust them with boarding facilities, I would be feeling wary if they believe Syrians can mix because no you don't want to be worrying they might introduce your hamster to another one while you're away and they might do it anyway even if you say don't do it - if they really believe it's ok.

I think the best pet sitter is one that comes to the house daily - puts food and water out, chats through the cage for a little bit and is under strict instructions not to let the hamster out of the cage. That has worked well for me for years, for a week's holiday. However to do that, you would need to leave the air conditioning on. Maybe you could explain to your family that the cost of air conditioning for 5 days is cheaper than paying for a boarding place probably. And a pet sitter coming to the home could be a trusted friend or relative. You'd have to explain everything to them in advance. I used to leave a typed sheet out saying what they need every day, where to find veg, food etc, how much food to give. Which bottled water to use - my phone number for emergencies and so on.

 

[MochiTheHamster]

You already have the hamster don't you? If you mean should you trust them with boarding facilities, I would be feeling wary if they believe Syrians can mix because no you don't want to be worrying they might introduce your hamster to another one while you're away and they might do it anyway even if you say don't do it - if they really believe it's ok.

I think the best pet sitter is one that comes to the house daily - puts food and water out, chats through the cage for a little bit and is under strict instructions not to let the hamster out of the cage. That has worked well for me for years, for a week's holiday. However to do that, you would need to leave the air conditioning on. Maybe you could explain to your family that the cost of air conditioning for 5 days is cheaper than paying for a boarding place probably. And a pet sitter coming to the home could be a trusted friend or relative. You'd have to explain everything to them in advance. I used to leave a typed sheet out saying what they need every day, where to find veg, food etc, how much food to give. Which bottled water to use - my phone number for emergencies and so on.

I actually don't have my hammy, I just have been incredibly excited about a hamster and have done nothing but stare at hamsters read about hamsters and cry over the overly tiny cages on Amazon for hamsters. These hamsters probably haven't seen Syria for maybye 6 generations. They don't buy from breeders or mills like a petsmart, I actually saw the moms and they kept the babies with them at young age. But these hamsters are generations old Indian adapted! I mean, i was born in Mumbai, but my family is from South Africa, and yet while an average South African person would say it's boiling hot here I would say, Winter! Yippee! 25° yo!

Is it like that with hamsters?

Thanks a lot for helping me out guys tbh I have no idea if I would even be able to survive the research without your help. PETA is very pushy on ONLY THE BEST! And want me to build mansions, RSPCA is a great source for a healthy hamster cage dimension and for understanding disease, but some things have outdated recommendations!
I would instantly die trying to do this myself. I did actually before I found this. I died. 2 weeks to understand the full diagnosis of cancer and wet tail and find a single barely scraping the edge cage that my hamster would be happy in. XD

 

[Maz]

It's good you're doing your research before getting one The basics are a decent sized cage with plenty of enrichment, and keeping the room a reasonable temperature Most Syrians tend to stay quite healthy through to old age, unless there is disease at the breeding facility, but nothing is ever certain. It sounds like you know the breeding stock and that they seem healthy.

What cages or enclosures are available in India? Have you seen anything in particular?