New hamster

[CtrlU]

So my son got a hamster this weekend and it’s going well however I would like him to be able to play with the hamster comfortably so I am trying to encourage him opening the cage and stroking/ petting/ feeding the hamster.

How can I safety take the hamster out the cage without it running off and getting lost ?

Currently we’re using the sofa pillows to make some sort of ‘fort’ to allow the hamster to walk around without escaping however it seems a hassle to do everyday and I don’t know how effective it may be if and when the hamster does do a runner ?

The hamster is 6 weeks old and so far all is well but this is our first pet and I’m terrified of it getting lost.

What a gorgeous little fella, you do need a cage of at least 4000cm2 fairly soon, as 6 weeks isn’t far off full grown. Unfortunately pet shops re pretty poorly informed and mainly want to make quick cash. I agree bathtub is the best place to tame them, with towels lining the bottom in case they fall.
Some people use the top of the stairs with doors closed and stairs blocked off for free roam time, could try that? Or you can buy Click and connect guineapig cage panels to make an enclosure for roaming

@CtrlU proper cutie pie you’ve got there! It’s a constant learning curve with these little beings but they bring so so much joy! 🥰

Thank you @Felicity

I will have do some research on a new cage and the enclosures for him to roam.

Thanks

Thank you @DingleberryRose

Yes, I’ve never imagined myself with a pet like a hamster as I’ve always been terrified of mice and rats but he is so cute and so tame and I feel like his so special.

Thanks x

I have a big plastic box from Ikea for our mice to go it. The dc make mazes and structures for them to play in with wooden blocks inside the box. We obviously hold the and let them climb on us too, but it is handy to have a safe place to put them down.

I think hamster balls are not ideal as the hamster can't use it's whiskers or interaction with the world in a normal way.

Thank you @stompy !
Great idea.

I’ll do that too actually. That’s what I mean. I just want a safe space I can let him roam free for a few hours a day where I don’t have to be too worried he will escape. Obviously I’ll be watching him in the box but it’s more peace of mind then trying to contain him between my legs on the floor which I’m currently doing (with an army of pillows and blankets around us so he can’t run away) but in the long term I would like another option. Thank you x

Get a mineral gnawing block for his teeth. Maybe a salt lick wheel to. My hamster used to love them and a bit of kiwi every week.
Also a sand bath was very funny watching him do that. X he is very cute x

@mommymooo

Great idea ! I’ll have a look in the shops tomorrow for some new and fun supplies whilst looking for a new cage

Hi guys
I am about to top up the sawdust but I have just noticed I have a little hamster hut inside the cage. Will it still be safe to add more sawdust ?
I don’t want to add too much and the hamster suffocates ?

Here’s the hut

Aww awesome! Look for a bigger cage though. We started off with a enclosed cage and then developed to a two story habitat with tubes (they love the tubes). Hammy did a disappearing act and we found her on top of a wardrobe 2 days later 😒. They are very, very quick! Especially considering small mammals with little feet! We had a ball, but had to duct tape it up when in use due to it splitting apart. The small cages don't really cut it as they need a designated 'poo area' due to being clean, and they like a 'home building area', that's not normally in the house you supply 😒. A sand pit is good as they like that, and don't buy the 'fluffy' bedding as it can trap around their feet.

The hamster knows what it needs to take to make its bed comfy so I'd not worry about that. Just don't use the 'fluffy' cotton wool type bedding as it can get trapped around their feet and they may also consume it. Hamsters are pretty smart! They understand their habitat and will utilise a wheel for exercise/tube to hide. Hamsters also don't love naturally being handled as they're still a basically wild animal (although massively over breed/sold). It's a desert animal that's quite fucked off with living in a very small box. However, if you choose to own one then try to make its miserable little existence as painless as possible 😊

www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/hamster_cages/hamster_cages/189303

This is the cage i have - and for comparison, my previous cage which was the largest available in Pets at Home. Pet shops are rubbish at stocking decent cages.

He will burrow, so won't suffocate, mine buries her house! I tear up toilet roll and fit it round the cage, she gathers it all up and runs off to make her bed.

Hamster Central is another good forum for advice.

We are 2 weeks in to our second hamster.

The first we used to put in a blow up paddling pool until tame but he bit holes in it, so for this one we are using a large storage tub (80x40cm with high sides) for when we get her out. We transport her from A to B by getting her to walk into a small food tub. We are currently using gardening gloves for picking up and she is getting more relaxed with us and is happy to be stroked by hand in or out of her cage.

We have this www.ferplast.com/gb/duna-fun-large.html but without the top layer in so we can fit a full size 28cm wheel. Hammy1 was very happy there.

He won't suffocate. Ours digs a little burrow and sleeps totally buried underneath his sawdust/paper.

The Alaska cage is a good option in terms of size and you should be able to get a refund in your current cage if you tell the shop that it was missold and is too small for the pet you bought.

Our hammy is buried somewhere in that bottom corner underneath the shelf

We close all the doors in the hall downstairs and let ours roam, she occasionally legs it up the stairs but not so much lately as she’s getting older and I think it’s becoming a bit of an effort.

I used to let my Syrian loose in the living room - but only because it was in a flat and the floors etc were solid concrete so no little gaps for him to escape down! He was very tame and easy to catch and he loved running around and climbing up the furniture. They will chew everything though including wires so you have to keep a close eye on them, and as a pp said they can escape through tiny gaps. My friend's hamster escaped from her flat and was found outside, three storeys down, several days later

TeenPlusTwenties We are 3 weeks into our new hamster and have the same cage!! It was £85 in our local pet shop but it’s a great cage.
OP we put ours in the bath the first couple of times too. How old is your child? Our youngest is 9, he is only allowed to get it out with our 12 year old, in a bedroom with the door closed now. He’s an absolute sweetheart, very friendly. He rotates between bedrooms and I go in every night and have a little chat before I go to bed!!

We handled our hamsters everyday as kids. They are lovely to play with, they ran up our arms, over and over on our hands like a treadmill (just put one hand in front of the other). Bare in mind they are short sighted so they occasionally nip but it doesn’t really hurt. We had one room there was no escape from that they had a run around in the evening. We also used to get a big cardboard box and put loo rolls (empty) and little obstacles for them with nuts and seeds dotted around. And this prob wouldn’t work these days but we used to get our old VHS videos and line them up to make long mazes the hamseyer could run through. We had so much fun with ours :)

Another thing we did sometimes was get several cardboard boxes and connect them via kitchen rolls (just cut a hole low down in the boxes) and let the hammy run around in that.

Janus and anyone else with tubes that go outside the cage:

The tubes can break open if they get worn or not joined properly. We had two 'escapes' that way. Once he just hid behind some furniture in the same room, the other he made it all the way up the stairs to find DD . After the second time my DH reinforced the tubes with wooden struts, and we always shut the door of the hamster room.

Thank you all for the advice. I’m having a look at a new cage as I type x

Last night whilst I was typing I put a square of tissue inside his cage that I had rubbed on my body to get him used to my scent.

This morning whilst I went in for a stroke he seemed so much less nervous. I mean he actually ran up to my hand I know it’s early days as we have only him for 48 hours but still I felt like crying lol. My little rodent friend.

I think I’m enjoying him more than my son is

Completely agree! We check ours every single day and make sure doors are shut in whatever room they are in. We had another cage and it came with a ‘plug’ too so you can choose to take them off, may check if this fits this cage too!