3 replies to this topic

[AsmoBaby4522]

Hello! I'm Asmo, and after years of asking my mom to let me keep a hamster, she finally agreed! I've been doing a lot of research to try and make sure I do things right, as I do with all my animals, and I think I've come up with a good starter. Please let me know what you think of my setup, what I should change, and how I can grow. Constructive criticism is always accepted!

 

Okay, so I'm starting with a 40 Gallon Breeder tank with reptile screen lid for 1 dwarf robo hamster. I'm not sure yet if I should get a male or female though, I have access to both.

I'm going to fill it with about 100 liters of Katee white bedding. I'm hoping this is enough to provide at least 6 inches of burrow space, but I can always go out and buy more.

 

In terms of hides, I bought the Niteangel 2-chamber hideout as well as a 6-chamber hideout from a different brand, but it's the exact same thing, just cheaper.

 

I found this silent 8 inch wheel on amazon which looks to be good, but the price was definitely too good to be true, so I do have a 6 inch backup just in case. I plan on keeping this, as well as food and water dish on top of a 7 inch platform also bought from Niteangel.

 

I bought an acrylic hamster bath with a wooden lid, and it comes with sand, but i'm just going to toss whatever it is and use reptisand instead.

 

I really like the natural look of things, so I bought a pack of 11 wood toys and chews, just those classic hamster toys bundles.

 

And finally I got some Katee food from the wild snack pack, i'm not sure about it, but I only plan to use it as extra forage and not the main diet. I would definitely like some information on diets, though. I want to give my hamster the best combination of seeds, pellets, and whatever else needs to be in them. Oh, and I plan to buy flax and oat sprays later when I get paid. Right now I just have some millet to add to my forage box.

[Happyhammies26]

Your cage sounds pretty good, I would add cork logs, grapevine wood, and maybe some bendy bridges! Since you are getting another species than Syrian you can put in some toilet paper tube, these make great add-ons to your cage and you can even stick them in the bedding as a burrow starter or you can put them under the bedding as a burrow starter they can add on to as well (often Syrians are to big for them, but some will be smaller, personally my Syrian hamster can fit in one ),.

Edited by Happyhammies26, 02 August 2022 - 08:09 AM.

[Kikya]

Hello! I'm Asmo, and after years of asking my mom to let me keep a hamster, she finally agreed! I've been doing a lot of research to try and make sure I do things right, as I do with all my animals, and I think I've come up with a good starter. Please let me know what you think of my setup, what I should change, and how I can grow. Constructive criticism is always accepted!

 

Okay, so I'm starting with a 40 Gallon Breeder tank with reptile screen lid for 1 dwarf robo hamster. I'm not sure yet if I should get a male or female though, I have access to both.

I'm going to fill it with about 100 liters of Katee white bedding. I'm hoping this is enough to provide at least 6 inches of burrow space, but I can always go out and buy more.

 

In terms of hides, I bought the Niteangel 2-chamber hideout as well as a 6-chamber hideout from a different brand, but it's the exact same thing, just cheaper.

 

I found this silent 8 inch wheel on amazon which looks to be good, but the price was definitely too good to be true, so I do have a 6 inch backup just in case. I plan on keeping this, as well as food and water dish on top of a 7 inch platform also bought from Niteangel.

 

I bought an acrylic hamster bath with a wooden lid, and it comes with sand, but i'm just going to toss whatever it is and use reptisand instead.

 

I really like the natural look of things, so I bought a pack of 11 wood toys and chews, just those classic hamster toys bundles.

 

And finally I got some Katee food from the wild snack pack, i'm not sure about it, but I only plan to use it as extra forage and not the main diet. I would definitely like some information on diets, though. I want to give my hamster the best combination of seeds, pellets, and whatever else needs to be in them. Oh, and I plan to buy flax and oat sprays later when I get paid. Right now I just have some millet to add to my forage box.

Welcome Asmo =)

 

You'll find the things that your specific hamster likes as you go along so don't worry about being perfect right now!

 

I wouldn't waste a lot of money on cheap wheels, they aren't worth it lol I use this wheel for my Robo:

https://www.amazon.com/Niteangel-Super-Silent-Hamster-Exercise-Wheels/dp/B08FC8SDXRin the medium

 

As far as diets, it depends on what you want to go for. Some people like commercial mixes because they have additives of artificial vitamins for comfort, some people like homemade mixes because they provide a lot more variety in a diet.

 

I like this as a commercial mix:

It's got real food ingredients but the downside is it does have to be refrigerated for long term storage.

https://www.amazon.com/Henrys-Healthy-Hamster-Natural-Baked/dp/B005MZB0XO

 

There is also Higgins Sunburst, which isn't a fantastic mix but it's better then other widely available ones but it needs a protein booster if you are going to use it, like freeze dried chicken or mealworms.

 

You can also get some mixes off Etsy, like Hammypals has repackaged German mixes (these are great) the only major downside is that it takes a while to ship to the US. There are other mixes as well on Etsy, just read the ingredients and make sure that it's what you want. Somewhere between 18-20% protein, 8-20% fat, and 10-12% fiber is the generally recommended for homemade mixes for adult hamsters.

[♥~kitkat7♥]

Hello! I'm Asmo, and after years of asking my mom to let me keep a hamster, she finally agreed! I've been doing a lot of research to try and make sure I do things right, as I do with all my animals, and I think I've come up with a good starter. Please let me know what you think of my setup, what I should change, and how I can grow. Constructive criticism is always accepted!

 

Okay, so I'm starting with a 40 Gallon Breeder tank with reptile screen lid for 1 dwarf robo hamster. I'm not sure yet if I should get a male or female though, I have access to both.

I'm going to fill it with about 100 liters of Katee white bedding. I'm hoping this is enough to provide at least 6 inches of burrow space, but I can always go out and buy more.

 

In terms of hides, I bought the Niteangel 2-chamber hideout as well as a 6-chamber hideout from a different brand, but it's the exact same thing, just cheaper.

 

I found this silent 8 inch wheel on amazon which looks to be good, but the price was definitely too good to be true, so I do have a 6 inch backup just in case. I plan on keeping this, as well as food and water dish on top of a 7 inch platform also bought from Niteangel.

 

I bought an acrylic hamster bath with a wooden lid, and it comes with sand, but i'm just going to toss whatever it is and use reptisand instead.

 

I really like the natural look of things, so I bought a pack of 11 wood toys and chews, just those classic hamster toys bundles.

 

And finally I got some Katee food from the wild snack pack, i'm not sure about it, but I only plan to use it as extra forage and not the main diet. I would definitely like some information on diets, though. I want to give my hamster the best combination of seeds, pellets, and whatever else needs to be in them. Oh, and I plan to buy flax and oat sprays later when I get paid. Right now I just have some millet to add to my forage box.

Hi Asmo and welcome <3

 

Your cage sounds good, and sounds like you have some good enrichment!

Adding cork wood and grape vine wood would be a perfect item as well.

 

Make sure to scatter feed to, using a food dish is ok - but scatter feeding provides more enrichment.

 

Sadly, there aren't to many appropriate foods on the market - so I would suggest mixing Higgins Sunburst Gourmet, Mazuri blocks and meal worms or purebites dog chicken.

Another HHF member (Robin) has an etsy shop I would check out. The blends are healthy and perfect: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RobinsGourmetFood

 

 

If the hamster starts showing signs of stress and boredom, such as-

-trying to escape

-pacing

-abnormal behaviours,

 

I would add more bedding as 6 inches may or may not be enough to burrow and tunnel. If adding a few more inches doesn't work, helping enrich the cage more (victoria raechel has awesome videos on that, check her out if you haven't!!) and then try to move up to a bigger cage.

 

 

 

 

 

Anyways, welcome and I do hope this helped!

Also hope to see you around here!

 

-kat