Buddy..... aka Mercury... aka streaky bacon.....

[oddvon]

This .......is ............ Buddy . .... He's a bolt of lightning disguised as a baby Syrian Hamster......He loves disco dancing

Skiing , iceskating and toboganing ( well any winter sports really ).... and flying his kite........ at least thats what his previous carer told me ..(that he told her )...

She was only 9 tho.

( she's my great niece....and wasn't confident handling him....to her .....he felt "skittery like a spider"....so she was getting sad that she wasn't doing a good job etc....and I didnt want her feeling sad so I offered to share him with her....
.. so thats what we decided to do......and so Buddy moved in with me and she visits...... so its a win win win


and yep... he is "skittery" in my opinion too.... he's not calm at all !!! .... and he's either been bred small.... or he really burns off food too fast to grow much


So yeah....I became his guardian about a month ago .

First thing to go was the cage... which was too small and noisy..... I have a cat ... SPARX........and the whizzing metallic noises .. teeth on bars ...squeeky wheel was ruining her beauty sleep...so I trawlled cage reviews on Amazon....mentioning cats.... cat safe etc.... and the Mewoofun cage that I did the review for on here got good comments
.....which I can endorse myself..... Its so big... its like furniture,..... and SPARX just seems to ignore it....... She Occasionally..... when she can be bothered sits on the back of a lounge chair.... about 6 feet away from him....
to supervise..... but hasn't ever jumped up and onto the top ....and as ive said before...as laid back as she is..... I couldn't relax with him in the Savic ... even though id prefer that design for strip down maintenance etc...

Sorry I digress..... Buddy..... well he came to me at about 90 grammes (at a guess 3-4 months old ???.. ).. but I was soon suspecting he was loosing weight.......

P A N I C !!!!!!

NOT ON MY WATCH PLEASE HAMSTER GOD !!!!!!!



I had put in non pine shavings ( spruce I assumed ) .....and deep filled 8 inches ........ and he loved it....... he's a tunnel making monster.....

but with his new found running /tunnelling/ and his super wheel..... I think he was running off what little weight he had......

Immediately thinking the shavings might be pine after all....I got rid of that and.....and then only shallow filled ( as an attempt to cut down his activity Calorie burn rate ? )

I honestly think he might have been loosing his food stashes ????? There was no stash in his bed...( a buried cardboard box )...

and I promise I was putting in fresh food every day..... food and water ... greens broccoli ... dandelion etc...

Once Id cut down his tunnelling opportunity ... I feel he started to gain weight a bit and when the scales id ordered arrived they confirmed his weight at about 92 gms....

OK BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ?????

HELP.......and so I asked MAZ for advice ... and with her help and reassurance.. and advice on a better quality food.....including meat ..to boost his protein intake he's creeping up in weight again... at 98 gms .... I cant wait for him to hit 120gms....... and will totally celebrate 200gms if he ever gets there...




Buddy burning off weight too fast ?? or not happy in substrate ??



Buddy last night... you cant see it but he's chunked out a bit .... still burrows like mad.... but Im not so worried now ....Thanks to everyone that offered re assurance and advice ...

 

[Maz]

He's gorgeous! That is great news he's put on a few grams Hopefully that will continue. He might never get to 200g if he's a small hamster but hopefully a solid 120 to 150g!

He is bound to be a bit skitty the first couple of weeks. He sounds like the kind of hamster who would enjoy out of cage time in a playpen for some hand interaction (gradually) and to get used to you. But I wouldn't attempt it till he's had a couple of weeks in his cage since the substrate changes.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Buddy is adorable and it is lovely you have started a diary for him. When he gained weight and you reduced his bedding, I think that was likely because he was growing. A hamster would not loose weight by having deep bedding or tunnelling so you do not need to worry about that. With your lovely enclosure you can get a lot of deep bedding in it and I personally think the more bedding the better.

 

[Maz]

It's a difficult one as some highly active hamsters, who wheel run a lot, can lose weight a bit when they're young, if they overdo it. I'm sure his new diet will help

 

[oddvon]

Thank you ....Yes I really want to deep fill ..and so does Buddy !!!!! even in this 4 inch fill he spends 90% of the time tunnelling...in preference to his wheel........so I definitely intend to increase the fill as he gains weight.....

but Im thinking it can wait a while until I can get an idea of where he's stashing his loot...
( Im scared he's not growing !! ... I need to know he has stashes...)

In Raffy's Column...just recently Maz discusses where/how and why they seem to choose... bed..... toilet.... stash 1......stash 2 .... etc.......

When I got him I had to wait a week or so for the extra substate.. and when I deep filled he Immediately
moved out of his surface cardboard box bed..... which had a corner stash in his bedding zone .....
( and which he later remodelled into his bathroom ) .........and went underground ....

but then I couldn't monitor without being too invasive and wrecking his tunnels...... where he was sleeping and stashing ???....... Then one time I couldn't get him to answer .... AND I PANICKED and had to route around in the deep fill to find him......wrecking all his work...

.and I was aware Id be making him scared of me acting like that.

As it is.....I know his bed/stash....and toilet zones.... and feel confident again that he's getting to his food.....and when he's 120 gms

he gets more tunnelling rights !!! haha xx

 

[Maz]

I think that's fine if he needs keeping an eye on for a while

 

[oddvon]

So I get it now.... the evidence is in and Ive realised that all hamsters are capable of mach 2.. . Buddy is not unique in this .... I was judging him on my previous experience of .. fidget... my first hamster from years ago... who was ... Regal..stately..chunky....and who would never run for a bus.... He was full grown when I was given him...

 

[Maz]

Their personalities vary so much! I have one like Buddy (Raffy) always active and wanting to be out. I've also had male syrians who are so laid back they are catatonic almost

 

[oddvon]

Hi Maz..... yeah... thats why I joined this forum... to learn from you all....and you are especially generous with your help and explanations.....I find tidbits of advice in all sorts of discussions on here....so thank you .....and yep Buddy and Raffy seem soul brothers

 

[Maz]

I wonder what they would say to each other

 

[oddvon]

Buddy .." hey bro... wanna come over to mine... eat pizza and then go dig some tunnels ?"

 

[Maz]

How fast can you run? I'll race you ..............

 

[oddvon]

Actually Maz.... I have good news ... Buddy is weighing in at 106 gms....... Im looking for a certified spruce shavings dealer locally.....and when Buddy is 110 gm and I find spruce..dust free...then im going to deep fill.... I like the look and smell of wood.... and Im hating the dust off this Megazorb.... its going to the skip asap...

 

[Maz]

Have you looked at Fitch? That's what I use. It's sold in bulk. Only comes in white though! It's recycled food grade paper. And holds tunnels well. It might be an idea, if changing the substrate, to keep back some of the top megazorb to spread on top again or it might stress him out if all his familiar smells go. That top layer can be gradually spot cleaned out then.

It's great news he is 106g. It shows he is thriving.

1 x 70LTR Fitch Paper Pet Bedding

Fitch 70L Paper Pet Bedding Bales size are 500mmx440mmx330mm Fitch Pet Bedding. It is very absorbent,may vary in softness and colour, our bedding is warm and is ideal for dogs,cats,rabbits,hamsters,guinea pigs and many other animals. The paper is shredded into small pieces of about 15-20mm...

www.fitchfirst.com

 

[oddvon]

It it dust free. ? I had to get rid of a big bale of paper off Amazon cause it was so bad ... with perspex sides you can see the dust film and it was clinging with static...and the more I tried to swipe it off .....it attracted as much again... the Megazorb is almost as bad...and has a yoghurt about to go off ripe kinda smell.....where I live ( on the very edge of urban /rural divide ) there are farms and farm suppliers within delivery distance south of me so I can collect.....and Ive found Vida Spruce 25kg ....so Im hunting a local (ish ) seller........ if not I will try Fitch.Thanks Maz.

 

[Maz]

Yes, that's why I've been using it for years I know what you mean - other paper based beddings like Kaytee can leave a film of dust. However the Vida spruce shavings work out cheaper! I just looked them up. I hadn't heard of that brand before and it sounds good.

I'm not sure how well spruce shavings would hold tunnels.

 

[oddvon]

Hi Maz. . this link ...( if I can add links ) ... is a you tuber who uses spruce shavings in really big tanks.and they seem to hold really deep tunnels

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Her name is Pluschraupe.
Im confident..... if I start shallow ( 5 inches ). and build the up the level so I can dive in and grab Buddy if I need to
(and check he's eating well/finding his stashes...)

for anyone who cant see the video or doesnt have an hour to watch ( hahah ) it seems to work if .....

. a ) the shavings are no smaller than hers.... which look like about 1 cm or larger.

.b) she does this compression routine as she adds them .....
add /compress. / add. / compress... type of thing.. but judging the correct tension thats something i'll have to get the hang of....
but I want spruce and then paper loo rolls which I know to be dust free....

Ive also got a bale of Timothy Hay I can add...

also I plan to include a few BIG emergency tunnels that will just be air spaces ... just in case

....so like Ive said Im not doing any of this till Buddy is 110-120 gms.. ( currently 106 since I added the protein you recommended . and Im still. looking for Uk Vida spruce ( or similar ) supplier closer than Bedfordshire.... which is a fair old drive for me.. but if needs must I will do that ..

Buddy has... hands down.... cost more in 6 months than my cat has in 7 years.

 

[Maz]

Actually I was just going to say that Plueschraupe uses some kind of wood shavings and her hamsters have tunnels! Yes I have seen her amazing cages So the key seems to be compression then

 

[oddvon]

yes it seems so doesn't it ? .... hope so cause if she can trust it... with set ups so big... she must be really confident.....
(otherwise it wouldn't bear thinking about... ) I like the scent and feel of wood.... and if Buddy pee doesnt react like it would to pine...

it will be great......

we used pine shavings years ago when I was a kid... in ignorance....... and my hamster still lived a full length life......he was grown when I had him ... so 6 months maybe ?? ..... so 2.5- 3.5 years ish ?? .... but having said that ... we didn't deep fill so he wasn't as exposed as Buddy would be deep fill... so I want to get it right.... remember I have a 9 year old partner in this. .

 

[RainbowBrite]

All bedding needs to be firmly compressed and you do not need to worry about lack of air as it will have air pockets and also air when Buddy burrows. There is no correct tension to achieve as you just press it down. I have seen enclosures using Chipsi and enclosures with aspen and they hold burrows. I remember how nervous I was with my first hamster and it helped me to have a camera so I could see what he got up to at night.