Hello - and wooden platform recommendations

[Maz]

Yes it's better to let him settle in for a while before making changes I'd say at least 3 weeks. There's no need to go spending a lot either. You could get one platform and make a shoebox house instead of a multiroom house. The advantage of that is, it's light so just sits on top of the substrate.

You cut the base out of a shoebox and keep the lid as a lift-off roof. Then cut a hole for a door. The best place for a door is on one of the long sides of the box, towards one end. This means the other end is darker - they almost always nest in the darkest area. You can then put a corner litter tray inside at the end opposite the door. They almost always use a litter tray if it's inside a dark house. They seem to like an ensuite toilet . Then spot cleaning is easy and you can go a very long time without needing to change the substrate/litter (which stresses them). You just lift the roof of the house/shoebox and take the litter tray out to empty it once or twice a week.

And putting a bendy stick bridge/tunnel over the door really helps. That makes it even darker inside (light doesn't go round corners) and it's also a ramp up onto the roof which can be used as a shelf for the odd light thing.

A new young hamster can take a few weeks to get into good toilet training habits but if a shoebox gets wee'd in it's easily replaced.

 

[mskitty]

Yes it's better to let him settle in for a while before making changes I'd say at least 3 weeks. There's no need to go spending a lot either. You could get one platform and make a shoebox house instead of a multiroom house. The advantage of that is, it's light so just sits on top of the substrate.

You cut the base out of a shoebox and keep the lid as a lift-off roof. Then cut a hole for a door. The best place for a door is on one of the long sides of the box, towards one end. This means the other end is darker - they almost always nest in the darkest area. You can then put a corner litter tray inside at the end opposite the door. They almost always use a litter tray if it's inside a dark house. They seem to like an ensuite toilet . Then spot cleaning is easy and you can go a very long time without needing to change the substrate/litter (which stresses them). You just lift the roof of the house/shoebox and take the litter tray out to empty it once or twice a week.

And putting a bendy stick bridge/tunnel over the door really helps. That makes it even darker inside (light doesn't go round corners) and it's also a ramp up onto the roof which can be used as a shelf for the odd light thing.

A new young hamster can take a few weeks to get into good toilet training habits but if a shoebox gets wee'd in it's easily replaced.

Great advice. Thanks again. We have a couple of spare shoe boxes so I'll make sure we keep them for him

 

[Maz]

One hamster thing which could help, is this trio of balls. The seagrass ball you can unravel and use as string for tying things to the bars (eg the wheel). Which can be easier than trying to track down sisal string and getting a whole ball. The hyacinth ball is nice in the cage and you can stick things like pumpkin seeds under the folds of it sometimes (it's the soft ball) so it makes a boredom breaker for them and they can enjoy getting the seeds out. The wicker ball I find a bit scratchy and sometimes they have had the odd sharp end, so I keep that one for the playpen to keep an eye on it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosewood-B...ix=rosewood+trio+of+balls,aps,129&sr=8-2&th=1

 

[Socks Mum]

You can do the same with that one. Stand it on top of as much substrate as will fit and just tie the stand to the bars Or if you're feeling like it, you can fix those wheels upside down. I haven't seen the PAH version but it looks the same as the Karlie and Trixie ones. They have two screws in the bottom. You just take the screws out, then you just use a couple of large washers on top of the cage, put the screws through the washers and screw them into the holes in the base of the stand. You get very slightly more substrate underneath But the downside is if you want to take the barred top off regularly, you're lifting the wheel out with it (which isn't too much of a problem really).

View attachment 8763

I bought a P@H wheel and it had no screws in the base. It started "nodding" before long and I replaced it with a Trixie wheel, but the model I have has started nodding too The wheel taps against the upright part of the stand and makes a noise. My Trixie is 31cm, and being tall and fairly flat, resonates like a drum It was nice and quiet when I bought it a few months ago.

 

[Maz]

Wheels can vary. I hope mskitty's wheel is a good one! Assume it's doing ok so far? That's helpful to know it doesn't have screws in the bottom. And tbh if it's a PAH one and it breaks within a year, I'd take it back for a refund.

 

[Socks Mum]

Yes, the "Trixie" wheel was a cheap one on eBay, so it could be a fake