Rescued female syrian, underweight

You shouldn't need a topper if someone is around to supervise, but if it's for a cage it would need one. It's very big for a cage though! Yes life is weird lol. Our first hamster was for my 6 year old stepson - who lost interest as the hamster got older, but I absolutely fell head over heels in love with the little thing! They get you like that. He used to go to sleep on my knee and sit on the sofa between us! When he was tame. They can really bond with a human or two and you become Mum! They are like parents when they get older - tolerating your mistakes and looking stern at you. It's all very interesting! I am hooked and have had hamsters ever since of different species.
 
Yes that is a real shame if you had been expecting ferrets. I think hamsters are great though - once they are tame they are like little friends. Ferrets bite don't they?!
 
Maz said:
You shouldn't need a topper if someone is around to supervise, but if it's for a cage it would need one. It's very big for a cage though! Yes life is weird lol. Our first hamster was for my 6 year old stepson - who lost interest as the hamster got older, but I absolutely fell head over heels in love with the little thing! They get you like that. He used to go to sleep on my knee and sit on the sofa between us! When he was tame. They can really bond with a human or two and you become Mum! They are like parents when they get older - tolerating your mistakes and looking stern at you. It's all very interesting! I am hooked and have had hamsters ever since of different species.
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That's beautiful! Xxx
 
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Oh yes - you can have quite a lot of non verbal communication with them once they get to know you! They never cease to amaze me. Sometimes verbal as well lol! Some hamsters are quite vocal. I've never had a vocal one (except possibly our robo). They can look at you hard and indicate their head towards something in their cage or go over to it and keep looking at you - to tell you when there's a problem. Eg if the wheel is jammed or a ladder has collapsed. I swear our hamster understands what I say! Probably not but they do get to learn tone of voice. Like training dogs I guess.
 
The good thing about that pen - if it's to be used as a pen, is you can sit inside it with the hamster :) . That helps with taming and bonding too. They run all over you and get used to your scent and are easier to handle occasionally when you're on a level with them. Best to keep away from the sides or they can run up your arm and jump out! If you have a fairly hamsterproof room that shouldn't matter quite so much. Eg no holes where pipes go down through the floor (or block them up). Or big gaps under doors etc.
 
I'm having to "meet everyone's needs half way" so whilst it's not her permanent home, she's now in the pen (with the bottom lined to stop her chewing her way out of the corners) with her cage in there too. The fabric over the top is a very heavy miniscule weave blackout fabric, folded in 4, so she can't climb it or move it but the shelf that was in her cage seems to suit her as a nest since I pulled out the fabric to try and let her sleep on peace when the lights are on for us mere humans.

Now that I can get something akin to a good night's rest, I can focus on building her permanent enclosure without screwing it up! 😊
 
That looks great! You have done a wonderful job there.
 
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That should work as a temporary home and she'll have a great playpen once her habitat is ready.
As long as she can't climb out and gets enough air with the cover on, Rainy should be fine.
You could put a 28cm wheel in as long as its not near the side. The Trixie ones aren't expensive. Amazon (i also avoid Amazon) sells them but i buy them from package pets or the giant Rolly rat wheel from a petsathome would be ok.
Is the bedding straw? If it is i hope it was in the freezer for a week because straw and hay is notorious for harbouring bugs and bugs eggs.
I get Kaytee clean and cozy or Carefresh which is more suitable for hamsters and safer as no bugs and no stabby bits.

Looking forward to see your homebuilt enclosure.
 
The straw is left over from an activity I did with primary school kiddos in my previous job, it had to properly treated for that and only untouched, treated stuff is going in to rainys place, so I'm confident that it's "clean". The overall is a mix of (safe) shredded paper, card and tissue with both Timothy and orchard hay to add burrowing stability. I used to work in the print industry (many moons ago) so we've been leaning on my acquired knowledge to sanitise and make recycled paper bedding, although (due to the lack of sleep) I am running behind on production - having said that, there is a "bedding materials cake" in the oven as I type xx
 
I am sure she will enjoy the space and bedding in there :). I did something like that once with a Syrian whose cage was plenty big enough, but had been left at someone’s house while we were on holiday and came back very stressed and bar chewing like crazy. It got a bit upsetting seeing him like that so I also set up a playpen round the cage and left the cage door open. So he had no need to chew the bars. This helped until he settled down.

I used to have to close the cage door at night though as it wasn’t secure.

I would suggest you will need to close her cage door at night as well or she could escape! As long as she has a good nest in her cage and a reasonable sized wheel she should be able to exercise at night and have normal behaviours. They tend not to be awake all night and are crepuscular rather than nocturnal. Ie they are awake at dawn and dusk and for periods during the night but will often go for a sleep a couple of times as well. They vary though. Mainly it’s wheel running at night but a bit of foraging for food and nesting material as well as that’s their instinct. So scattering a bit of food in the cage as well as in her food bowl can perk them up so they can forage for it.

Great that you have materials from primary school use. We sometimes suggest freezing hay etc as some people have found it has mites in it. And freezing kills them. Others haven’t had any issues despite not freezing it. I am paranoid about things like that and freeze everything lol! Well not quite everything but certainly all hamster food for a week (after having an outbreak of pantry moths which I wouldn’t wish on anyone). Most pet foods contain moth eggs (which are not visible) but they only hatch out in particularly warm conditions.

Has she been out in the playpen yet? Only thing to watch for is in case she’s a chewer and chews a hole in the blanket! I have had a blanket over a cage before for a nervous hamster and only once had that issue but hamsters vary.

I thought this had a solid base?
 
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Princess Crazy-Locks said:
I used to work in the print industry (many moons ago) so we've been leaning on my acquired knowledge to sanitise and make recycled paper bedding, although (due to the lack of sleep) I am running behind on production - having said that, there is a "bedding materials cake" in the oven as I type xx
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This is really interesting. If you ever feel like you want to share your "bedding materials cake" recipe, please feel free to do so.
I sometimes wonder if i could utilise the recycling i put in the recycling myself but wouldn't know how to process it to sanitise it.
 
For nesting in her house just put a pile of toilet paper strips in the cage and she’ll build a nest from that somewhere in the cage. Often under a shelf if there isn’t a large house in there. Plain white toilet paper torn into strips is a safe cosy nesting material (not the same as substrate for digging/base of cage). Sometimes they actually weave the strips and make a kind of cocoon with a hole to climb into! She may add some of the hay etc to her nest as well.

They often bury their hoards under their nest as well and snack in bed.
 
I am also interested in the bedding cake! Some people have made their own paper substrate before as well. Baking is definitely a way of killing bugs too. I do that with cork logs sometimes but if you do it too long or too high a temp they smell weird 😳.Edit - I got it right eventually!

It will be lovely to hear more about Rainy as she settles in. They all have different personalities.
 
The reason I mentioned closing the smaller cage door at night is - all they have to do to escape is build a mountain of substrate in one corner, walk up it and climb over the top! They are very ingenious and great escape artists!
 
Do you have plans for the cage you're building :) . I am impressed - I think I would find it a huge undertaking! There are some diy cages listed on this cage options thread if you need some ideas. The Linmon DIY cage seems to be popular but doesn't work out that cheap. Also, have you seen the detolf option? If you google "Detolf Hamster cage" and click on Images you'll see some examples.

www.thehamsterforum.com

Cages 2024

Here is a list of suitable cages available for hamsters in 2024. Whether you prefer tank style or barred cages, front access or top access, there is, thankfully, plenty of choice in the Uk and Europe. Choice in the US is mainly tanks and tank style or diy. Both tank style and barred cages...
www.thehamsterforum.com www.thehamsterforum.com
 
PCL could you link your playpen please? It looks like a great option for people looking for a playpen.
 
Hi! Sorry for the quiet...I ended up improvising a lid (large sheet of thin plywood with all her gubbins placed around the edges)...I had checked, checked and checked again, the first night she was OK but last night I woke up to her rustling around (as I'm becoming accustomed too) and the cheeky minx accurately launched herself over a foot, to make an escape on to the top of the blanket box! Caught her up had some cuddles and a very gentle "No, Ms Rainy Ramboham; just because you can do it doesn't mean you should - furthermore- according to the general t'internet....YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THAT FAR, LET ALONE JUMP IT!" Put her back and...I'm sure no one here will be surprised to read - she immediately did it again! God love her!

This is the "pen" kit

SONGMICS Pet Playpen, Guinea Pig Run and Cage with Floor, Indoor DIY Transparent Plastic Enclosure for Hamsters, Rabbits, Hedgehogs, Small Animal Exercise Habitat, White LPC02W https://amzn.eu/d/5skPf1f
 
Princess Crazy-Locks said:
Hi! Sorry for the quiet...I ended up improvising a lid (large sheet of thin plywood with all her gubbins placed around the edges)...I had checked, checked and checked again, the first night she was OK but last night I woke up to her rustling around (as I'm becoming accustomed too) and the cheeky minx accurately launched herself over a foot, to make an escape on to the top of the blanket box! Caught her up had some cuddles and a very gentle "No, Ms Rainy Ramboham; just because you can do it doesn't mean you should - furthermore- according to the general t'internet....YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THAT FAR, LET ALONE JUMP IT!" Put her back and...I'm sure no one here will be surprised to read - she immediately did it again! God love her!

This is the "pen" kit

SONGMICS Pet Playpen, Guinea Pig Run and Cage with Floor, Indoor DIY Transparent Plastic Enclosure for Hamsters, Rabbits, Hedgehogs, Small Animal Exercise Habitat, White LPC02W https://amzn.eu/d/5skPf1f
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I'm pretty sure she has her own plan for her permanent enclosure build; due to the need to strengthen the corners and add a properly ventiliated lid (last night was a one off I assure you all!) I'm adding a wooden base frame, inside the pen, to prevent her getting to the corners and also the lid situation (both of which will have to be in place before I keel over tonight) so it looks like her temporary enclosure will be gradually transforming / further upgraded til she has her forever enclosure?!

Bossy little thing she is! 💖💖💖🤪🤣🤣
 
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