Mr Nibbles Diary

[Amy]

I am do worried about Nibbles , he wanted to come out and he’s in his playpen but is not running as much as usual, it’s still very warm 25 degrees. He’s eating in between and then he lies flat on the mat cooling himself. I wish he would drink something but I can’t force him, or should I try with a small syringe? I still have plenty of unused ones. He has had a piece of apple

 

[Socks' Mum]

I am do worried about Nibbles , he wanted to come out and he’s in his playpen but is not running as much as usual, it’s still very warm 25 degrees. He’s eating in between and then he lies flat on the mat cooling himself. I wish he would drink something but I can’t force him, or should I try with a small syringe? I still have plenty of unused ones. He has had a piece of apple

If you have cucumber, that is quite watery. Or damp veggies in action lid. Eating is a good sign. You could put a little dab of water on the back of his ear if he will stay still and let you. Putting a tray of sand in the fridge could also give him a cool surface to walk on.

 

[Socks' Mum]

That should be a tin lid, not action lid

 

[Amy]

If you have cucumber, that is quite watery. Or damp veggies in action lid. Eating is a good sign. You could put a little dab of water on the back of his ear if he will stay still and let you. Putting a tray of sand in the fridge could also give him a cool surface to walk on.

He won’t eat cucumber he seems more active now, I have opened a few windows as it’s cooling down. I think dabbing behind his ears with water sounds good, but would probably be an impossible task
He made himself quite cosy on the mat, it’s cool on the floor, but it gave me a fright. He’s also been stretching and grooming on the wheel, so i guess he’s fine

 

[Socks' Mum]

Sweetie

 

[Socks' Mum]

These cool mats are good. You can give them a little boost in the fridge, but they are also naturally cool

 

[Amy]

I was shocked yesterday when I saw Nibbles lying on the mat cooling himself it was not the hottest day yesterday on Tuesday it will be a few degrees warmer. But he managed very well actually. He was in the playpen until 1.00 am and all the windows were open and it cooled down to 23 degrees. Thomas (vet) called me this morning as I sent him a voicemail and told me not to worry. He said thousands of people all over Germany have hamsters and have to deal with the heat. Only if Nibbles was completely lethargic and stopped eating, that’s a warning sign and I would need to take action.
He also advised me to place the cage on the floor as my tiles are very cool and heat rises. I could also spray the curtains with ice cold water or hand up a wet towel as evaporative cooling.
He stated 25 degrees is a temperature that a hamster can deal with and it’s nice to know Nibbles has so much trust in me that he lyes next to me on the floor to cool off (I was also flat out on the cold tiles).
I cleaned his bed to make sure their was no urine smell, he seems to pee in the corner of his house now right next to the entrance of his burrow, clever boy! He must have noticed how nice a clean bed is after the last clean out, it was very stinky!
There are no hoards in his bed, he just takes what he needs for the day in his house.
I would appreciate if you tell me your thoughts on lifting the cage to the floor… the new Bucatstate will be on the floor on wheels, so it will be even less transition if I put this one lower

 

[Socks' Mum]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FurDreams-Pet-Cooling-Mats-Overheating/dp/B099NQSN8S/?tag=thehamsterfor-21

 

[Amy]

These cool mats are good. You can give them a little boost in the fridge, but they are also naturally cool

I bought him the lovely granite tile which is rudely ignored

 

[Amy]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FurDreams-Pet-Cooling-Mats-Overheating/dp/B099NQSN8S/?tag=thehamsterfor-21

I will give it a try thank you he eats through my purse another few euros won’t make a difference

 

[Socks' Mum]

You could put a fan on the floor to circulate the cool air onto the cage. Not sure of the physics though

 

[Socks' Mum]

I will give it a try thank you he eats through my purse another few euros won’t make a difference

You just need to see whether or not he is going to chew it

 

[Amy]

I couldn’t get that mat here, but I found this one and will give it a try… it’s safe as it is not plastic

https://amzn.eu/d/029mcNOH

 

[Amy]

You could put a fan on the floor to circulate the cool air onto the cage. Not sure of the physics though

I had the fan running all day, only when he came out I had to switch it off, he hated it. And it’s not loud

 

[Socks' Mum]

Looks good My pigs won't touch the piece of slate I got. They have another cool mat which is soft and quilted which they like to lie on.

 

[Socks' Mum]

I had the fan running all day, only when he came out I had to switch it off, he hated it. And it’s not loud

Switch that noisy, windy thing off

 

[Amy]

When I put him back in the cage last night I made a cup of tea sat down and watched him. First of all he refused to get out of the Pyrex jug, he kept turning around nudging and licking it, he wanted to go back in his playpen.
Eventually he got out and climbed in his wheel and started grooming, he pulled a “nugget” out and spat it in the wheel, it rolled towards him, he picked it up and spat it out away… again it started rolling. With a look of exasperation he picked it up and spat it further away, it finally got stuck half way up the wheel. He pulled out two more nuggets and after stretching started jogging. The treats did what treats do in a wheel: they jolted and bounced a few rounds and fell out. After a while he stopped for a further washing the ears session and saw the treats in the bedding and sniffed them in surprise he couldn’t understand where they arrived from

 

[Amy]

Looks good My pigs won't touch the piece of slate I got. They have another cool mat which is soft and quilted which they like to lie on.

I was looking at those too, but I guess he would chew them