I am rescuing a hamster tomorrow!

[Munchkin]

I got a text message this afternoon while I was rearranging the kids bedroom asking if I would take in an unwanted hamster of a friend of a friends.

I, being me, figured "Hey - what a great way to learn more about hamsters for work" and texted back "sure I'll take him!"

His name is Charley and he is a long haired syrian as far as I can gather. He is coming with cage and all tomorrow evening, so no output for me, which is good because I have spent too much on the animals as it is!

So excited!!!! :biggrin2:

 

[Michaela]

Congrats!! Did you gethim yet?

Syrian Hamdters are soo cute! I have a dwarf hamster, they aren't the friendliest but they are so fun to watch when they come out.

 

[Munchkin]

Not yet - he is coming at 7:30pm tonight. I might leave him to settle in a few days but if he is not too nervous I'll try and get some pics. I don't know if he is tame or not yet.

My fav in work are the chinese dwarf hamsters as they don't bite usually, and are just so cute! We get people who are experts in hamsters in and I always ask them about taming them, so it'll be interesting to test the theories - same as we do with rabbit care.

I REALLY want a chinchilla but the house is officially full now!!! Haha.

How are you Michaela?

 

[Michaela]

I can't wait for pics! What kind of cage will he be in? That's cool you don't have to buy one.

I'm fine thanks for asking :hug:. Still missing Pebble , but getting by. How are you?

Oh yes, I'd like a Chinchilla too, I'll never be allowed though . Maybe someday. I'm trying to convince my mum to let me get a pair of Guinea Pigs right now.

 

[Munchkin]

I have no idea until he gets here what kind of setup he will be in, so if its a crap cage then I guess I'm spending more money

I'm so sorry about Pebble and hope you start to feel better soon.

Guinea pigs are fantastic. I adore my two, although teddy the male is alot tamer and comes when I call him. They take alot of work and that but are worth it!

(Back to cleaning I go...lol)

 

[Snuggys Mom]

Munchkin wrote:

I have no idea until he gets here what kind of setup he will be in, so if its a crap cage then I guess I'm spending more money

Don't waste your money on a store-bought cage. They're expensive and the hammies usually bite the bars, which can be deadly, believe it or not.

When we had our hamsters, I built them bin cages from clear plastic storage bins.

You cut out the top,leaving just a frame and replace it with hardware cloth (metal mesh). You drill air holes in the top portion of the bin and there's plenty of ventilation. Hammie will have a large, safe home and I think it cost me about $10 to make at home. Plus they are much easier to clean.

You can find instructions here:

http://critterscoop.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=97&Itemid=41

http://www.hamsterific.com is a great site, too.

 

[tamnjo]

Have you got your hammie yet? Oh I'm so jelous! Lucky you!

What their name? Good luck with the cage:brownbunny

 

[Munchkin]

Well he is here and I'm still adjusting...
He has a long grey skirt, black body and is under a year old. He looks kinda skinny to me but his cage is one of those hideous rotastak yokes with lots of bits I can't figure out, and if I'm totally honest - looks far too small for him.

So I'm more than grateful snuggysmom for the advice. This little guy doesn't bite but is not used to being handled. I had him out and he is not too bad but tends to take off unannounced :?

I cleaned out his cage as it needed it, and tried adding tubes and stuff but it just looks like crap to me.

I'm hoping he will come around to me in time and will post some pics tomorrow if I can get them.

I'm so annoyed about this cage though. Why do people buy small cages?? :grumpy:

 

[SweetPeasMommie]

Snuggy's I am at the point of ordering a cage for a hammie on ebay. It is a 5 level cage with 2 mini carriers that can be used as a sleeping hidey for 50 bucks including shipping. Click Me, is that too small too. Right now this hammie's cage is a 10 gal tank as a temporary cage until I purchase a cage. I thought of building a nic cage with mesh grids, cause one girl had her hammie in it and had no problems but my hubby do not want our hammie in it. I may coax him, I would rather save 50 bucks and just buy some tubes and toys. I dunno.

 

[YukonDaisy]

I would save my money, if I were you. I have not heard many good reviews of Crittertrails. It's a more common view that hamsters need room to run, not climb.
Check the link that Snuggy's Mom posted on how to make bin cages, they work great and are very inexpensive.

Here is the link again:
http://critterscoop.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=97&Itemid=41

I would have made a bin cage, but the "rabbit" cage I bought for Ookpik (a ZooZone2) wasn't nearly large enough for her, but works really well for a hamster, so that's where Totoro lives.

Can't wait to see you're new little one!

~Diana

 

[Munchkin]

The bin idea looks fab but as I don't have a drill and it looks kinda complicated - I went down to work yesterday and got him a savic cambridge which is what the hamster forum people all recommended.
It has good floor space, room for a great sized wheel and is two level. It also has areas for hiding (hence no pictures as he is making full use of this new privacy!)

He is very shy and for now I'm not pushing him. I feel he will come around in time but after being in such a rubbish cage with no hiding space and little human contact for so long - its going to take time.

I have my camera in the room so when he eventually comes out - I'll do my best to get a pic.

His long hair is chocolate brown but the ends have gone grey and like fuzzy - I have got a brush for him but am waiting for him to settle in. I guess I'll get him some chinchilla sand and try to improve his coat that way. Any tips from hamster people on sorting the messy coat out?

He also seems very thin and although his food is going - he doesn't seem to stuff his mouth like the syrians in work do. Should I be concerned?

 

[Munchkin]

Got a pic! Not great but its a start:

 

[binkies]

What a precious little face!

I would love to see a picture of his cage. Please.

 

[YukonDaisy]

Hi Charley! What a little cutey. Can't wait until he comes out for better pics!

 

[Munchkin]

Here's 3 images of the cage from different angles ;-)

I have 2 wheels in at the minute as I reckon the smaller in cage one was too small, and got the bigger one but waiting to see him use one to know which he wants to keep.

 

[binkies]

Wow! That looks like hamster heaven!

 

[Munchkin]

He loves it I must say - he was in his big wheel last night!

Here is a couple of pics of him out so you can see him better:

 

[binkies]

He makes me smile!

 

[clarzoo]

Wow! What an impressive skirt!



I bet he sure is happy to be living in his new place- that cage looks nice!

 

[Munchkin]

He is ecstatic :biggrin2: He lounges in bed all day, then of an evening comes out and runs on his wheel, poops, runs and does hamster stuff!

His skirt looks way better now I've brushed it - I'll give it a week or two and post pics to see if he changes at all!