Bobi!!

[dwarfhamstermom]

Yes just normal drinking mugs Leave it in the fridge a few hours, pop it on it's side in the enclosure and it makes a cool ceramic hide to sit in. Using two mugs and swapping them over means one is in the fridge ready to swap with the one in the enclosure.

I feel like how’s the enclosure now set there is no much room to place a mug. But it’s a good idea to have more time to swap it with her cactus ceramic hideout. But as I said before, she keeps seeds there and maybe she misses them when that hideout is in the fridge

 

[Maz]

Yes she might miss them so maybe best to leave her cactus hide where it is. Ceramic is cooler than other materials anyway. It sounds like you're doing fine with ice packs anyway

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Hi!
This is Bobi enjoying her cool mug, she was scratching inside like if she wanted to burrow there lol.

We’re happy she’s finally using the mug because it’s been some days she didn’t even looked at it!

Btw is it fine that we clean up the poops she leaves in the same place? She looks like she enjoys collecting them

 

[Maz]

Aw it's great she's enjoying the cool mug I bet she really appreciates that. I would not remove all of her poops at once, as they sometimes do keep a little hoard of them - emergency food supplies. I tend to just "prune" a bit! If they start taking over then I spot clean some out.

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Aw it's great she's enjoying the cool mug I bet she really appreciates that. I would not remove all of her poops at once, as they sometimes do keep a little hoard of them - emergency food supplies. I tend to just "prune" a bit! If they start taking over then I spot clean some out.

I cleaned them up from the sandbox, I’m pretty sure she has more poops in her multi chamber. Is it very common that they eat the poops? I thought it was something more “typical of rabbits”.

 

[Maz]

It is normal behaviour for hamsters to eat their poops yes They are corophagic and have two stomachs, so they can redigest nutrients and vitamins etc from their poops. However, I find they don't seem to do it so much when they have enriched cages and very nice food and forage available But they still seem to like to have a few spare ones available - presumably hard wiring - as hoarding is hard wiring. They are hard wired to prepare for food shortage

 

[Maz]

Good point - and actually, I don't know if you can get hold of it in Spain, but this Bucatstate hide is terracotta and has a lift off top with a space in it to put a small ice pack But it's why it's so tall. And both my hammies love theirs to sit inside, and it it was placed so the top was near a level they can sit on top as well. It has a false roof inside between the top of the hide and the lift-off top with a gap between them so any ice pack isn't accessible to the hamster.

It doesn't seem to be available on Amazon at the moment (maybe sold out) - maybe available elsewhere?

Terracotta Castle Hide

Also available from Bucapet

BUCATSTATE Castle Shape Ceramic Hamster Hideout Hamster Cool Nest

•The hiding place is specially designed for small pets •The overall size is 15.5*18cm/6.1"*7.08" (D*H), and the size of the entrance is 2.5"*2.9" (W*H) (ca.6.5cm*7.5cm). •Open the top cover to place two sizes of 8*7.5*2cm/3.1*2.9*0.9 inches Ice bag for Cooling. (This hamster nest does not...

bucapet.com

View attachment 10209

The Bucatstate castle hide is back in stock at Amazon uk

Terracotta Castle Hide

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Hey guys!

I was searching the post about hot summer and hammies and I couldn’t find it! I’ll be grateful if you could link it here!
But just in case I’d like to ask: is it safe to offer hammies cold water from the fridge as well as we drink it? Our fridge is at 4 grades. And what about putting a small ice (like that ) in her water bowl?

I struggle because her water might be warm in less than an hour and I’d like her to have cold water the most time possible

Thanks!

 

[Socks' Mum]

I think that if she has a normal temp bowl to choose if she prefers it should be OK. Then she can choose which she prefers

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

I think that if she has a normal temp bowl to choose if she prefers it should be OK. Then she can choose which she prefers

Okay but cold water or ice shouldn’t be dangerous for her right?

 

[Maz]

Okay but cold water or ice shouldn’t be dangerous for her right?

I wouldn't give ice cold water - it can be too cold for them to drink yes, and not good for them. They seem happy enough drinking water at normal temperatures or even a bit warm - the key is to maybe change it more often in hot weather - at least once a day.

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

I wouldn't give ice cold water - it can be too cold for them to drink yes, and not good for them. They seem happy enough drinking water at normal temperatures or even a bit warm - the key is to maybe change it more often in hot weather - at least once a day.

OMG Now I feel horrible for giving her cold water hopefully she drank it when it was warmer Thank you for answering

 

[Maz]

OMG Now I feel horrible for giving her cold water hopefully she drank it when it was warmer Thank you for answering

Don't worry If it's really warm, it probably didn't stay ice cold for long!

 

[Socks' Mum]

Don't worry, if it was too cold she wouldn't drink it. Her whiskers would tell her not to

 

[Maz]

Don't worry, if it was too cold she wouldn't drink it. Her whiskers would tell her not to

You would hope so! But sometimes hamsters aren't that sensible! But yes she might avoid it if she tried it and it was a bit too cold, and they need to drink.

 

[Maz]

The PDSA have recently put out a video saying not to give ice cubes to pets or it can send them into shock. They sound to be mainly referring to dogs really, but anything too cold isn't good to eat or drink It's very difficult when it's so hot.

 

[Socks' Mum]

The PDSA have recently put out a video saying not to give ice cubes to pets or it can send them into shock. They sound to be mainly referring to dogs really, but anything too cold isn't good to eat or drink It's very difficult when it's so hot.

It makes a lot of sense!

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Hey guys!

We’re a bit worried. Bobi has been always a crazy girl and we have been sometimes bitten but it’s been 4 or 5 days that she ALWAYS bit our fingers or hands when we put them next to her inside the cage. I’ve checked her today to see if she might have any health issue but she looks perfect to me. Maybe she’s grumpy because of the high temperatures (35 degrees outside but inside her room she’s always between 25-28) and she has always ice packs on her cage.

I insist she has a normal behaviour beside the biting thing but it’s very annoying! I think we’ll have to do a “taming process” which we know how to do that. Any advice?

Btw I’ll post a picture of her because last weekend it’s been a year since our gotcha day

 

[Maz]

Lovely photo She's gorgeous. And yes she might be a bit grumpy with the hot weather Some dwarf hamsters do this unfortunately, but it can particularly be if a hand is in the cage as that's their territory. Is she the same out of the cage? Some taming could help though - you could try that. I think taming is better done out of the cage. Do you have a playpen or a bathtub? If a playpen is big enough, (or if you have a bathtub) you can sit inside it with her and she'll probably run over you as if you're a piece of furniture And it can be a time for gradual handling as well. She will already be used to your scent and presence though, so a smaller area might be better to begin with and just focus on the gradual hand taming. Although it can be fun having a hamster running over you! I had a robo run up my trouser leg once

I'd suggest wearing a thick glove (eg suede or leather like a gardening glove) on one hand to start with. then you won't jump or react if she bites, then you can focus on gently saying "No". As a repeated thing. So maybe have your gloved hand palm up with some food on, and the back of your hand flat on the floor with your hand flat and straight generally. When she comes to eat food of your hand. You gently say No. And gently move your hand with the food on away again. Then put it back again. If she does the same thing again - repeat. She will start associating "No" with food being taken away (if she bites).

I used to do a combination of that and then just a bit of time letting them "play" in the playpen, maybe having a chew stick in there as well or something, and also the carrot cottages are popular (they like nibbling the top).

If you can start with a smaller area it helps (eg a bathtub but I know not everyone has one) as a large area straight away can be a bit overwhelming. But you could just block off one end of a playpen to make it a smaller area and then it's up to her if she wants to progress beyond the blockages!

Sometimes they enjoy exploring and wheel running in a playpen as well and then get into a different "mode" and she might be less likely to bite as she's having a different experience and distractions. She'll also get in the habit of coming out in a playpen and know what to expect. Do you have a "taxi" for transferring her? Using the same "taxi" each time means she knows she's going to the playpen if she hops into it.

So they can be "trained" to a degree.

 

[dwarfhamstermom]

Lovely photo She's gorgeous. And yes she might be a bit grumpy with the hot weather Some dwarf hamsters do this unfortunately, but it can particularly be if a hand is in the cage as that's their territory. Is she the same out of the cage? Some taming could help though - you could try that. I think taming is better done out of the cage. Do you have a playpen or a bathtub? If a playpen is big enough, (or if you have a bathtub) you can sit inside it with her and she'll probably run over you as if you're a piece of furniture And it can be a time for gradual handling as well. She will already be used to your scent and presence though, so a smaller area might be better to begin with and just focus on the gradual hand taming. Although it can be fun having a hamster running over you! I had a robo run up my trouser leg once

I'd suggest wearing a thick glove (eg suede or leather like a gardening glove) on one hand to start with. then you won't jump or react if she bites, then you can focus on gently saying "No". As a repeated thing. So maybe have your gloved hand palm up with some food on, and the back of your hand flat on the floor with your hand flat and straight generally. When she comes to eat food of your hand. You gently say No. And gently move your hand with the food on away again. Then put it back again. If she does the same thing again - repeat. She will start associating "No" with food being taken away (if she bites).

I used to do a combination of that and then just a bit of time letting them "play" in the playpen, maybe having a chew stick in there as well or something, and also the carrot cottages are popular (they like nibbling the top).

If you can start with a smaller area it helps (eg a bathtub but I know not everyone has one) as a large area straight away can be a bit overwhelming. But you could just block off one end of a playpen to make it a smaller area and then it's up to her if she wants to progress beyond the blockages!

Sometimes they enjoy exploring and wheel running in a playpen as well and then get into a different "mode" and she might be less likely to bite as she's having a different experience and distractions. She'll also get in the habit of coming out in a playpen and know what to expect. Do you have a "taxi" for transferring her? Using the same "taxi" each time means she knows she's going to the playpen if she hops into it.

So they can be "trained" to a degree.

Our “taxi” is a sieve (I was using it to clean the sandbox once ago and she came to check) and she always get inside it. She also gets up on a branch and that means she wants to be hold. It’s just that she looks extremely grumpy these days we don’t have a bathtub but we have a safe room where we did the taming before. She’s been biting even out of the cage and that’s why we got more “worried” since we understand she is territorial with her stuff. If we touch anything in the cage and she sees it she comes fast to “check” what are we touching

We’ll need to be patient with her!!