Bobi!!

[dwarfhamstermom]

The wheel probably is her pee spot then, you can clean that more frequently! I would say every 3 - 4 days or so.

It's absolutely fine to leave her bed alone longer if you don't find a bad smell! If it's coming close to three months, I would give it a check for soiled bedding & suspect food.

Some people have said the smell female hamsters give off is like rubber cement. It's very noticable and unique, you will be able to tell the difference since you're probably familiar with her pee thanks to the wheel.

Yes, the pee smell in her wheel it’s quite noticeable and “common” for us since we adopt her hahaha

Besides her wheel we have found pee in her bed (smelly bedding and toilet paper that she uses as nesting material) and sometimes in her sand (very easy to see and cleaning).

I’ve never smelled this “heat smell”, I’ll guess we’re lucky Can heat change a bit her behaviour? She is a social hamster but some days she doesn’t want to know anything from us unless it’s a treat

 

[Hank]

You will need to clean her toilet area that is by her nest, it probably isn't her actual nest, they tend to have a place closer, but not the actual nest.
I'm not sure about female Russian dwarf hamsters in heat, I'm sure others can help. I have a Syrian, she didn't give off any smell, but she had a lot of energy, when she went into heat. They can be a little less tolerable, for example, not wanting to be handled, when they are in heat, but every hamster is different. That might be what you are seeing? I'm not sure anything would get in the way of treats

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

You will need to clean her toilet area that is by her nest, it probably isn't her actual nest, they tend to have a place closer, but not the actual nest.
I'm not sure about female Russian dwarf hamsters in heat, I'm sure others can help. I have a Syrian, she didn't give off any smell, but she had a lot of energy, when she went into heat. They can be a little less tolerable, for example, not wanting to be handled, when they are in heat, but every hamster is different. That might be what you are seeing? I'm not sure anything would get in the way of treats

Hahah yea that’s what I meant: some days she doesn’t want to be held when normally she comes to our hands so we think in that days she’s in heat.

How often should we clean her toilet if it’s in her nest or in her hoard? We don’t want to “force” her to change the hoard as she already did

 

[Hank]

There is no specific frequency, if it really is her nest, then you need to leave it as much as possible and only clean it, if it needs it. Are you able to spot clean that bit? Just take out the soiled bits and replace. If her hoard is spoilt, you will need to take it out. If you take any of the hoard it's a good idea to add a bit more. I try to clean different parts of the cage, I split mine into thirds, so there is always an area that stays the same, unless it needs cleaning.
There is a good article on the home page for hints.

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

There is no specific frequency, if it really is her nest, then you need to leave it as much as possible and only clean it, if it needs it. Are you able to spot clean that bit? Just take out the soiled bits and replace. If her hoard is spoilt, you will need to take it out. If you take any of the hoard it's a good idea to add a bit more. I try to clean different parts of the cage, I split mine into thirds, so there is always an area that stays the same, unless it needs cleaning.
There is a good article on the home page for hints.

It’s what we do but I thinks the ham gets upset only for doing clean spot, since she changed her hoard after we spot cleaned it

 

[Maz]

I think it’s normal for dwarf hamsters to move their hoards or have more than one hoard.

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Hey guys! I would like to know your opinion about this article: https://m.shein.com/es/1pc-2-Layers...-Loft-For-Gerbils-Chinchillas-p-38810518.html

I need another platform for Bobi’s enclosure and I find them pricey in some specific hamsters brands or shops (like Niteangel or Bucatstate). I’ve already received at home this platform but it’s too tall (M size) and I’m wondering if I should just return it or if I should change it by the S size. Or maybe you have another option from other shop.

The reason why I care so much is because Bobi is a very chewer hammy, she absolutely loves to chew any kind of wood. She chews her Niteangel stuff but I don’t really mind since they are safe products. If she wasn’t such a chewer I wouldn’t care.

What would you do if you were me?

Thanks!

 

[Socks' Mum]

The platform looks OK as long as it is buried in deep substrate so that Bobi can’t fall from it. Hamsters don’t need to climb but they love tunnelling under platforms. The legs should stop the platform from falling into the tunnel. Cardboard is a good target for chewing, and sprays of seed heads sold specially for hamsters. One of my hamster, Socks, favourite houses was a Quaker Oats box on its side which he customised to suit himself

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

The platform looks OK as long as it is buried in deep substrate so that Bobi can’t fall from it. Hamsters don’t need to climb but they love tunnelling under platforms. The legs should stop the platform from falling into the tunnel. Cardboard is a good target for chewing, and sprays of seed heads sold specially for hamsters. One of my hamster, Socks, favourite houses was a Quaker Oats box on its side which he customised to suit himself

Yeah, her niteangel multi chamber is deep buried but she also digs very deep and chews the wooden “legs” of it and the lower part. She’s a bit crazy… She has a lot of sprays and wooden toys from niteangel too but still she loves chewing the multi chamber

 

[Maz]

Does it say what wood it is made from? I ordered a shelf once, and it snapped in half on arrival - and had a weird smell - turns out it was some kind of wood I'd never heard of even though it looked like pine.

Anyway - if it's too tall then it's not going to work for you. I agree that niteangel platforms are ridiculously expensive for what they are. Have you considered just making one? You just need a piece of wood and round dowels The difficult bit is finding a way to secure the legs to the platform. If they are wide dowels (which are cheap to buy on Amazon) then glueing them on might work - but you need a non toxic wood glue. The ideal way is to drill a small hole through the platform top in each corner and through the centre of the legs and then use a screw on top through the wood and the legs, in each corner.

Are you in the Uk? If so there are much better places to buy platforms with any length leg you want! Quite a few "cottage industries" making good quality hamster stuff.

Sorry, I forgot you're in Barcelona

So these are my favourite platforms The Cloud platforms from Happy Henry Homes, which is a small Uk business. I am thinking he might post to you if you email him to ask They also have different shaped and sized platforms. I like these cloud ones because of the shape which fits better with a barred cage base and I use two at different heights, like in the photo, but you can have whatever height you want or a longer one whatever height you want, and if you have a tank you're fine with straight corners!

Hamster Cloud Platform 300mm x 200mm with Solid Birch Legs | Happy Henry’s Homes

Hamster Cloud Platform with Solid Birch Legs Description:Hamster Platform with 4 supporting legs. Legs come complete with brass threaded inserts for stainless steel screw fixings to fix the platform and legs to one another.

www.happyhenryshomes.co.uk

This page shows all the platforms he does and all the different leg lengths. The screw on top is visible (although inset) but that doesn't bother me - they are well made and screw together very easily and he uses formaldehyde-free plywood.

They are not as cheap as the Shein ones though - but I think it's really helpful to be able to get the exact height you want! Postage to Spain shouldn't be that much. Delivery can be a bit slow even in the Uk - but if you need it urgently he's usually helpful.

Platforms | Happy Henry’s Homes

www.happyhenryshomes.co.uk

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Does it say what wood it is made from? I ordered a shelf once, and it snapped in half on arrival - and had a weird smell - turns out it was some kind of wood I'd never heard of even though it looked like pine.

Anyway - if it's too tall then it's not going to work for you. I agree that niteangel platforms are ridiculously expensive for what they are. Have you considered just making one? You just need a piece of wood and round dowels The difficult bit is finding a way to secure the legs to the platform. If they are wide dowels (which are cheap to buy on Amazon) then glueing them on might work - but you need a non toxic wood glue. The ideal way is to drill a small hole through the platform top in each corner and through the centre of the legs and then use a screw on top through the wood and the legs, in each corner.

Are you in the Uk? If so there are much better places to buy platforms with any length leg you want! Quite a few "cottage industries" making good quality hamster stuff.

Sorry, I forgot you're in Barcelona

Yeah I’m from Barcelona and I don’t have references on which safe glue I could use so I’ve never thought about making one. At the moment I’m using a food container downside as a platform lol but I think Bobi doesn’t have space to dig underneath as she has when it’s a platform…

This one from Shein doesn’t say the material but it looks good to me, it’s just the chewing issue what concerns me.

 

[Maz]

Sorry I just added more to my previous message above! The legs on the HHH platforms are thick and solid birch so Bobi would struggle to chew through those! He might chew the top part though but it would be safe to chew. Is it mainly the legs he chews?

 

[Maz]

I had a look on the Shein site (when I got past all the pop ups!) and I couldn't see what type of wood the platforms were made from. I would email them and ask them what type of wood they're made from as not all wood is hamster safe.

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Sorry I just added more to my previous message above! The legs on the HHH platforms are thick and solid birch so Bobi would struggle to chew through those! He might chew the top part though but it would be safe to chew. Is it mainly the legs he chews?

Yeah, she often chews legs and the lowest part of her multi chamber. Thanks for your advice but shopping in £ + the shipping might be almost as pricey as buying a Niteangel platform in Amazon in €.

 

[Maz]

Oh good point! Yes shipping can add to the cost. Some of mine have chewed the legs on multiroom houses and platforms before - I think they decide they're in the way!

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Oh good point! Yes shipping can add to the cost. Some of mine have chewed the legs on multiroom houses and platforms before - I think they decide they're in the way!

I think Bobi is just a crazy girl since she chews cork too... And I can't find a platform which has shorter legs (5 cms aprox)... I think the tupperware upside down that is working as a platform will remain a lot of time in her enclosure lol

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Hello! This is Bobi running!

I would like to ask if there’s something we can do to prevent her from flying away from her wheel when she’s running… I think it’s quite common but I’ve just seen her falling off and I worry about her even I check she’s fine later (walking, eating, drinking, acting normal…)

 

[Maz]

Aw - lovely to see Bobi running in her wheel They sometimes do fly off a bit at first but then get used to it and it stops happening. The main thing is that she can't land on anything that would hurt her. So if she just lands on substrate, she'll be fine. If there is anything particularly pointy or hard to land on nearby then maybe move it further away.

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Aw - lovely to see Bobi running in her wheel They sometimes do fly off a bit at first but then get used to it and it stops happening. The main thing is that she can't land on anything that would hurt her. So if she just lands on substrate, she'll be fine. If there is anything particularly pointy or hard to land on nearby then maybe move it further away.

She has fallen in the wheel and it’s made of plastic so that’s why I worry. I hope she learns to prevent flying off, because she’s been 7 months with us in this enclosure and she keeps falling

 

[Socks' Mum]

It is a long fall for a little hamster. Perhaps a wooden wheel would be better. The cork track could offer a much better grip and the heavier wheel might turn more slowly and predictably. It is difficult if you love running on your wheel but then it flips you off