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wheel_runner

Rotating hideouts instead of buying more of them

The photo is a snuggle sack, which is still his favourite thing to sleep in, though not every week.

I went through a phase of buying a new hide every time I saw one I liked. What I actually found useful is having about five hides and swapping three of them out every couple of we...

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Cage Setup & Decor Cage Setup & Decor
Comment 4 New
peanut_butler
Chloe B.
The cork tunnel under the bedding sounds great. Where did you get yours?
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zhainan
zhainan
The ceramic hide doubling as a cooling spot in summer is a great tip, mine stands on his already.
hamster-c37QLm51k67lMuxjTwN.jpg hamster-c05ItmLVs7NE4l1Vhla.jpg hamster-c699ylyNvXTcXDuqwpx.jpg
mochi_moments
Ava L.
The tube getting stuck story is a good warning. Mine has one that is borderline and I have been putting off dealing with it.
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Total 4 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/fX5MiT76
syrian_dad

Playpen time: how I hamster-proof a room without buying anything

The photo is him after playpen time, which is the most tiring part of his day.

I do not have a proper playpen, so I use the bathroom floor with the door shut and a rolled towel along the bottom of the door. It works well because there is nothing in there he can destroy and nothi...

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Treats & Supplies Treats & Supplies
Comment 4 New
luna_the_hammy
Sofia M.
The bar biting stopping afterwards is the interesting part. Mine does it in the evenings too.
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mochi_moments
Ava L.
Never thought about using the bathroom for this. Trying it at the weekend.
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emma_hamham
Emma W.
Twenty minutes and never leaving the room is exactly the right rule.
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Total 4 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/mT9bOVEz
peanut_butler

Taming took me three weeks of doing almost nothing

I want to write this down because when I searched for advice at the start I mostly found either "just pick them up" or nothing useful at all.

Week one: nothing. I did not touch him. I sat next to the cage at the same time every evening, talked in a low voice, and put a treat in...

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Sharing everyday life Sharing everyday life
Comment 4 New
wheel_runner
Liam P.
The goal being that they come to you rather than tolerate you is the whole thing. Well put.
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mochi_moments
Ava L.
A week of doing nothing sounds slow until you realise it saves you a month later.
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paws_and_seeds
Daniel R.
Handling over the bed instead of standing up is such a simple fix and I had never thought about it.
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Total 4 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/k8GP2unR
zhainan
Hamsters look cute and adorable. Many people choose hamsters as their pets. However, hamsters are small in size and have relatively fragile vitality. Extra care must be taken when raising them, as any slight negligence may endanger their life and health!
Today I have compiled som...

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Treats & Supplies Treats & Supplies
Comment 5 New
syrian_dad
Marcus T.
Good summary. The adapt quietly at first point is the one I wish I had known on day one.
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paws_and_seeds
Daniel R.
The false hibernation warning deserves its own post honestly. It catches people every winter.
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dwarf_den
Noah K.
The 47 base for dwarfs and 60 for Syrians is a good baseline. Worth repeating because pet shops still sell much smaller.
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Total 5 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/4RU5EHU9
paws_and_seeds

What I actually feed as treats now (after wasting a lot of money)

Sharing my current treat list, because I spent the first few months buying colourful things from the pet shop that were mostly sugar.

The photo is a dried shrimp, which is still his favourite and the one thing he will climb into a basket for.

What works for us:

- Dried shrimp...

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Treats & Supplies Treats & Supplies
Comment 5 New
dwarf_den
Noah K.
Stopped buying the yogurt drops too. They really do make them picky about proper food.
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wheel_runner
Liam P.
Herbs scattered through the bedding changed foraging for mine completely. He is busy for an hour now.
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peanut_butler
Chloe B.
The weighing point. I started doing it weekly and caught a slow drop early because of it.
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Total 5 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/aBch9Yzb
dwarf_den

Wheel size guide after trying four of them (with photos)

I have now owned four wheels. Here is what I would tell my past self.

The single rule that matters: they have to run with a flat back. If the spine curves while running, the wheel is too small, no matter what the shop label says. For a dwarf that means 20cm minimum, and honestly...

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Cage Setup & Decor Cage Setup & Decor
Comment 4 New
paws_and_seeds
Daniel R.
The bearings point is underrated. Mine got loud at four months and one drop of oil fixed it.
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mochi_moments
Ava L.
28 for a Syrian looks ridiculous in the cage until you actually watch them run in it.
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luna_the_hammy
Sofia M.
The mounting point about facing a wall is new to me. Trying that tonight.
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Total 4 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/wPEE8S7a
emma_hamham

Bedding: the one upgrade that changed everything for us

Sharing this because it took me two hamsters and a lot of reading to get it right.

When I started out I used maybe 4-5cm of bedding because that is what the pet shop cage came with and it looked "clean". My Syrian slept on top of it, in the open, and woke up at every little nois...

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Sharing everyday life Sharing everyday life
Comment 4 New
mochi_moments
Ava L.
The heavy hide on the deep corner is a small thing that makes a huge difference.
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syrian_dad
Marcus T.
What bedding do you use at that depth? Dust is my problem once it gets deeper.
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peanut_butler
Chloe B.
The bit about not fully cleaning is the one I wish I had read a year ago. I was doing a full change weekly and wondering why he was miserable.
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Total 4 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/M5q1BuFe
peanut_butler

Returning after a few years away

Kept dwarfs years ago and finally have the space again. Picking up a pair of Roborovskis next week.

Surprised how much the recommended cage sizes have changed since I last did this — in a good way.

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Treats & Supplies Treats & Supplies
Comment 5 New
syrian_dad
Marcus T.
Second the wheel point especially for robos, they need the space more than the syrians in my experience.
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wheel_runner
Liam P.
Welcome back to it. Bedding depth is the other thing that changed completely since you last kept them.
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luna_the_hammy
Sofia M.
Robos are fast. Get the biggest wheel you can fit, they cover absurd distances in a night.
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Total 5 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/GUFmmJSj
syrian_dad

Hello from a first-time hamster owner

Just brought home a Syrian male, about 10 weeks old. He is still hiding most of the day but comes out around 9pm.

Looking forward to learning from everyone here. Any first-week advice is welcome.

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Treats & Supplies Treats & Supplies
Comment 6 New
zhainan
zhainan
The 9pm thing is normal, they are just settling. Ours hid for about a fortnight at first.
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emma_hamham
Emma W.
Welcome. Ask anything, this place has been friendly since I joined.
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paws_and_seeds
Daniel R.
Keep everything the same for a week, then start the hand-in-cage routine. There is a good taming thread on here.
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Total 6 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/SuhqIOZ5
luna_the_hammy

Mochi's first sand bath

Put the dish in and she immediately rolled in it for a solid five minutes, then sat in it looking extremely pleased with herself.

Sand baths are apparently the best thing that has ever happened to her.

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Treats & Supplies Treats & Supplies
Comment 4 New
emma_hamham
Emma W.
How often do you leave the dish in? Mine gets it twice a week and still goes straight for it.
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paws_and_seeds
Daniel R.
She looks so pleased with herself, that expression is the whole reason we keep them.
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syrian_dad
Marcus T.
What sand are you using? I switched to a finer one and mine stopped sneezing after.
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Total 4 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/nuIzsg48
emma_hamham

First time he fell asleep in my hand

Six weeks of patience and daily short sessions. Tonight he just climbed on and went to sleep.

No real point to this post, I am just very happy about it.

Treats & Supplies Treats & Supplies
Comment 5 New
mochi_moments
Ava L.
Mine took nine weeks, so you are ahead of schedule.
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syrian_dad
Marcus T.
No point needed. This is exactly the post people need to see in week two when they think it is not working.
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zhainan
zhainan
Congratulations. The day they choose to sleep on you is the day it all pays off.
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Total 5 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/aYnYB3EX
wheel_runner

Water bottle vs bowl — converted and never going back

Switched to a shallow ceramic bowl last month. He drinks noticeably more and it is much easier to see how much he is actually getting.

Only downside is he fills it with bedding within an hour.

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Treats & Supplies Treats & Supplies
Comment 7 New
mochi_moments
Ava L.
Shallow is the key bit. I tried a deep one first and he would not use it at all.
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paws_and_seeds
Daniel R.
Mine drinks noticeably more from the dish as well. I only noticed how little he used the bottle after switching.
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peanut_butler
Chloe B.
Does he still drink enough when it is partly buried? Mine gives up if there is anything in it.
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Total 7 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/S6glOd7P
mochi_moments

Freeze-dried chicken — how often is too often?

My hamster would eat these all day if I let him. Currently giving one small piece twice a week.

Is that reasonable, or am I overdoing the protein?

Treats & Supplies Treats & Supplies
Comment 6 New
paws_and_seeds
Daniel R.
Worth checking the protein on his main food too, some mixes are already high.
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peanut_butler
Chloe B.
Mine gets one piece twice a week and is still climbing into my hand for it, so it seems about right.
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emma_hamham
Emma W.
Watch the weight rather than the count. That is the only measure that has been reliable for me.
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Total 6 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/iC41Jzmk
dwarf_den

Best bedding for burrowing — paper or hemp?

Paper is cheap and easy to find but it does not hold tunnels at all in my experience.

Hemp seems to hold shape better. Anyone compared them side by side over a few weeks?

hamster-14.jpg
Cage Setup & Decor Cage Setup & Decor
Comment 6 New
wheel_runner
Liam P.
Hemp held shape much longer in my cage. Paper collapsed overnight every time.
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peanut_butler
Chloe B.
Does hemp hold up in the pee corner the same way? Paper falls apart for me there within a day.
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syrian_dad
Marcus T.
Two weeks of each here. Hemp for tunnels, paper for the nest itself. Neither wins outright.
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Total 6 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/wWAMb0tU
peanut_butler

My 120x60 DIY build, step by step

Finally finished the enclosure. Base is a modified storage bin, lid is mesh, and I added a raised platform so there is usable floor space underneath.

Total cost was about $70. Happy to answer questions about the cutting and the mesh framing.

Cage Setup & Decor Cage Setup & Decor
Comment 5 New
emma_hamham
Emma W.
Looks great. Do you have a photo of the inside now that he has moved in?
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syrian_dad
Marcus T.
How is the ventilation holding up? That was the one thing I could never get right on mine.
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paws_and_seeds
Daniel R.
This is the best kind of build post. What mesh did you use for the lid and how did you frame it?
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Total 5 comments
https://hamstertribe.com/post/qESmU7W1
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