The BRODENTS! Rodent Enthusiast Thread!

[guineapigsrock100]

this is what i have mine in it's super boring though. i don't know what to do.

[guineapigsrock100]

So I was thinking of getting a hamster. I haven't had a hamster since I was 10 and both of them ended up having cancerous tumours. Anyways, I'll be starting up my job at Petsmart soon which means discounts, so after my first paycheck I was thinking of spending some of that on getting a hamster. Not a dwarf hamster like I had before, but I was thinking of getting a teddy-bear hamster.

So, can anybody tell me what it's like to have a hamster, first hand? Can they be affectionate? I'm assuming they need stuff to chew on as well. Do they need anything special that they don't mention in stores?
I know not to give them pine bedding of course.

Also, how is this for cage and food? Oxbow I know is good food-wise, and the cage I think looks pretty good, I'm just not sure about the size.

i don't have the teddy bear hamster i have the short hair one. i think it's really fun! the hamster is very relaxing to watch in its cage when it plays around and digs etc. very entertaining and cute. but not so fun to play with because they are so tiny and keep moving if that makes sense. i think a hamster can be affectionate, well the most i've gotten is that my hamster doesn't mind me petting her and won't bite when i pick her up it's not really as affectionate as other animals though. hmmmm i think the store covers the basics really... AND I USE THAT FOOD!!! they said it was very high quality food at the pet store AFTER i selected it so it's good. i personally get fruit/seed mixes as well and sprinkling a little bit in addition to it so my hamster doesn't get bored of plain pellets all the time. the cage is your preference, i wanted to try a tank for easy viewing and you can watch them dig and nest. when i was younger i had a crittertrail cage but it was for a dwarf hamster. one thing i do not like about that cage is the hideout, you'll never see your hamster when she is sleeping and if you want to pull her out it's not like you can just lift the hideout, you have to take the whole thing off.

also i've heard bad things about pine bedding but i use it for mine because it's so soft and fluffy and she seems to like it and some sources say it's ok. aspen is kind of rough

[Saracirce]

@CaptainMarvel: Personally I think a bin cage can and often does look much nicer then the store bought cages. You're also saving a ton of money on the cage. I do understand not being handy though. The Ikea Detolf cage doesn't require much modding except for poss. building a lid if you have a cat or want deep bedding or tall toys/ornaments. You can always ask someone to help you with the lid.

@guineapigsrock100: that cage is way too small and your hamster doesn't appear to have a suitable place to hide. Hamsters are prey animals low on the food chain and they don't feel comfortable out in the open.

idk why I'm awake right now.

[guineapigsrock100]

@CaptainMarvel: Personally I think a bin cage can and often does look much nicer then the store bought cages. You're also saving a ton of money on the cage. I do understand not being handy though. The Ikea Detolf cage doesn't require much modding except for poss. building a lid if you have a cat or want deep bedding or tall toys/ornaments. You can always ask someone to help you with the lid.

@guineapigsrock100: that cage is way too small and your hamster doesn't appear to have a suitable place to hide. Hamsters are prey animals low on the food chain and they don't feel comfortable out in the open.

idk why I'm awake right now.

her hiding box is the gray tree stump, she just blocked off the entrance with bedding. ya i guess it is kind of cramped as there is not really any room for other toys (we realize this after we bought it) and we have tried to put stuff in but it seems to take up room...i'm hoping it's good enough for the hamster though but if you got any ideas to make it more fun let me know? or is it ok? at least she has a lot of space to run around and dig.10 gallons is actually the recommended size by the aspca

[Angelus Gaston]

You really need a bigger cage as even the aspca can be wrong that cage is far to small.
The bin totes mentioned in the above post are more suited and can be customized by the maker.

[Keriae]

Her tank is way too small and the substrate isn't deep enough. Syrians love to dig - the substrate should reflect this. As a minimum, Syrians need 360sq in of floor space minimum. This is bout 30”x12” (totally not using Hekomi's hamstery blog nope)

[orpheus.]

Thank you all so much. <3
I'm going to miss him but at least he's pain-free now.
----

@guineapigsrock100
You might want to look into buying a bigger cage for her, the tank you have now doesn't even look suitable for dwarf hamsters.

[PeachFuzz]

guineapigsrock100 ;; Not everything on the ASPCA website is correct. A couple examples:
- They say pine bedding can be used for guinea pigs. While some people consider kiln-dried pine to be acceptable, they never mention that it needs to be kiln-dried. Non kiln-dried pine is completely toxic to small animals.
- They say plastic habitats with tubes, which I assume refers to Crittertrail and Habitrail cages, are okay for mice and hamsters. Those cages are actually awful and cause all sorts of problems.
I wouldn't trust the ASPCA as your sole source of information. really you shouldn't trust any single site to always provide completely accurate facts - always double check elsewhere.

[Saracirce]

I haven't heard that one about the critter trails?

[PeachFuzz]

I haven't heard that one about the critter trails?

Crittertrails are okay as attachments to larger hamster cages/tanks, but on their own they aren't big enough. Even if you attach many small ones together it's not ideal because hamsters need one large area to run.