Updating Cage.

Helens hamster

Helens hamster

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I have just got Frankie and know at some point the cage will need increasing. When do you feel this would be a good time as I don’t want to unsettle him? I’ve got 2 habitat trails with a tube to link and I have just seen that it should be all one area. Hoping to get a bin cage or something similar as I really don’t like the bars and he’s flinching each time I open the cage. He is obviously very new but is it worth doing it now or waiting for the first proper clean in a months time as he is not showing any stress signs at all.
 

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How long have you had him? When it's a better upgrade I think moving him now would be fine and he'll settle fine, as long as you move all his old bedding across (spread it on top of the new bedding) and don't clean anything, so everything that's moved over smells familiar :)

Did you see my post about taking them back to PAH for a refund :) I'm aware people have done that, even if it's been used.
 
Maz said:
How long have you had him? When it's a better upgrade I think moving him now would be fine and he'll settle fine, as long as you move all his old bedding across (spread it on top of the new bedding) and don't clean anything, so everything that's moved over smells familiar :)

Did you see my post about taking them back to PAH for a refund :) I'm aware people have done that, even if it's been used.
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Thx Maz! I got him Friday. I did see your post. I can’t take it back as the tubes were all smelly with urine! Don’t think they’d b too happy!
 
Just wash them :)
 
This is Frankie’s final cage and I’m happy with it! Still needing to put more enrichment I’d but going to build it up so it’s not all at once and scary for him. The wheel is fantastic. It’s wooden and quiet! 😝

IMG_0283.jpeg
 
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Helens hamster said:
This is Frankie’s final cage and I’m happy with it! Still needing to put more enrichment in but going to build it up so it’s not all at once and scary for him. The wheel is fantastic. It’s wooden and quiet! 😝
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That looks like an amazing cage for Frankie. I'm sure he'll appreciate the gradual improvements and not too much change all at once :) He might need a few days left alone to adjust or they can feel a bit stressed when everything changes. The one thing they never mind being added though, is lots of bedding! The more the better - the love digging and burrowing down and it helps them feel secure and keeps them busy :) It does take quite a lot of bedding to fill a 100cm cage! Buying it in bulk helps. Kaytee clean and cosy now do a 100 litre pack of bedding, but it does cost £39. They also do an 85 litre pack which is about £26

www.portonaquapet.co.uk

Kaytee Clean & Cozy White Bedding 85 Litres - Porton Garden Aquatic & Pets

Clean & Cozy White Bedding 85L gives you a whole new standard in super-soft, absorbent bedding.Soft & fluffy to encourage burrowing or nesting.
www.portonaquapet.co.uk www.portonaquapet.co.uk

I get Fitch (paper bedding) in a 70 litre bag (although it seems to go further than the 85 litres of Kaytee! Because the 85 litres is their estimation after it's de-compressed) but that costs £32. One of those fills the base of a 100cm cage with quite a bit left over :)

www.fitchfirst.com

1 x 70LTR Fitch Paper Pet Bedding

Fitch 70L Paper Pet Bedding Bales size are 500mmx440mmx330mm Fitch Pet Bedding. It is very absorbent,may vary in softness and colour, our bedding is warm and is ideal for dogs,cats,rabbits,hamsters,guinea pigs and many other animals. The paper is shredded into small pieces of about 15-20mm...
www.fitchfirst.com www.fitchfirst.com

Sorry I wrote this earlier and forgot to post the reply!

I believe it's the new Pets at Home XXL cage :-) 95cm x 57cm
 
We just updated Cinnamon's cage... alright, it just meant some fresh bedding and switching a couple hides and chew toys. Finished product attached. 20240603_155727.jpg
 
Maz said:
It looks amazing! I bet Cinnamon loves it :) So many things to do and enrichment.
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Maybe that's why he could care less about coming out of his enclosure:LOL: we took him out tonight and he went into a tunnel and basically waited there until we put him back in his enclosure. Then he spent time perusing the new forage and studying his cheek pouches. Now I think he's waiting for us to go to sleep so he can use his wheel in private :LOL:
 
What does Frankie's cage look like now? :) If he's still shy, I'd try offering him a rat tube with a bit of cucumber at the far end - he should walk in and then you can lift him out in the tube with your hands over the end and have him in a playpen area or the bathtub or a sectioned off area of the room for some socialising and taming time :) It took me two months doing this with Tino :-) And now he's had a cage upgrade he is invisible again! But it's a big change for them when they're young. Even Raffy (very extrovert) was nervous after a few changes in his cage when young.
 
This is what his cage looks like now. I’ve taken the top tray out as I wasn’t seeing him at all. I feel I’ve added a lot more enrichment for him, tubes and more Carefresh on the left so he can tunnel around. He has made his house where he was under the bridge on the left at the back.
Thank you Maz. I’ll do that but there are lots of tubes in his cage! He might just think it’s another tube and not bother. He does like cucumber though 😝IMG_0304.jpeg
 
He has lots of nice hidey places and tunnels in there - I can understand you not wanting to add too much bedding yet if he's a bit shy and not tame.

With offering a tube I meant as a kind of taxi :-) Rather than moving one that's already in his cage (although that could be an option). I used to put it at the house entrance, with a bit of cucumber at the far end, and it would tempt the hamster to walk into the tube. That way you can lift him out for some socialisation and taming. I always find it works better out of the cage than in it :-) Once he's got used to you and being handled he'll probably be out and about more in his cage. I'd maybe add a large shoe box house at the left hand side and put it over his current nest - he'll like that as it'll be dark inside. And you can lift the roof off to check on him. The current bendy bridge he's nesting under would make a good tunnel entrance (so it's even darker inside) and also a ramp onto the roof. If you cut the base out of a shoe box, keep the lid as a lift off roof and cut a hole for a door on one of the long sides (ideally towards one end so the other end is darker). :) I'm sure he'd be tempted out through the house door by a tube with a smelly treat at the far end :-)
 
Maz said:
What does Frankie's cage look like now? :) If he's still shy, I'd try offering him a rat tube with a bit of cucumber at the far end - he should walk in and then you can lift him out in the tube with your hands over the end and have him in a playpen area or the bathtub or a sectioned off area of the room for some socialising and taming time :) It took me two months doing this with Tino :) And now he's had a cage upgrade he is invisible again! But it's a big change for them when they're young. Even Raffy (very extrovert) was nervous after a few changes in his cage when young.
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Maz said:
He has lots of nice hidey places and tunnels in there - I can understand you not wanting to add too much bedding yet if he's a bit shy and not tame.

With offering a tube I meant as a kind of taxi :) Rather than moving one that's already in his cage (although that could be an option). I used to put it at the house entrance, with a bit of cucumber at the far end, and it would tempt the hamster to walk into the tube. That way you can lift him out for some socialisation and taming. I always find it works better out of the cage than in it :) Once he's got used to you and being handled he'll probably be out and about more in his cage. I'd maybe add a large shoe box house at the left hand side and put it over his current nest - he'll like that as it'll be dark inside. And you can lift the roof off to check on him. The current bendy bridge he's nesting under would make a good tunnel entrance (so it's even darker inside) and also a ramp onto the roof. If you cut the base out of a shoe box, keep the lid as a lift off roof and cut a hole for a door on one of the long sides (ideally towards one end so the other end is darker). :) I'm sure he'd be tempted out through the house door by a tube with a smelly treat at the far end :)
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Thank you!😊
 
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