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

[Maz]

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. .

Yes they were the norm for a long time. I used them initially till I found out there were issues and actually I much preferred using paper bedding (after I got used to it) as the pine shavings used to affect my asthma a bit. Spruce is much safer. There were also long standing owners and breeders who said they'd been using pine shavings for years and hamsters had lived a long life. However they have the potential to be harmful and I think the research showed liver damage could be an issue. So maybe it depends what they died of eventually. But as you say there was a lot less bedding used then.

Another issue with pine shavings was the dust though - even dust extracted ones were dusty! Spruce is much safer, as long as it's not too dusty!

Hamsters can actually be allergic to any type of wood, whether it's hardwood or softwood. So providing the hamster doesn't have any allergy issues there's no reason to have to use paper bedding.

I'm sure you'll get it sussed. I am doing similar at the moment with a new hamster, who was under age when he came, having about 5" of bedding to start with during an observation period. He'll be due for an upgrade soon.

 

[oddvon]

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.

Thank you Rainbow... as you can tell Im nervous about getting it right for him so your reassurance is greatly taken on board....and yep... that camera idea sounds good.... what features did you look for ?? there are so many types

 

[Maz]

There are so many types. I must admit I haven't used mine much with Raffy except initially, because I see him so much as he's out and about more. It's helpful for a hamster you don't see much, to see they are ok. But it's nice to have as well to see what they get up to at night and that there are no issues. My first one was about £30 and I was very happy with it but it got broken. So I sent for another one that looked identical but the manufacturer had changed and the picture quality was terrible, so I sent it back. The one I have now is good (Eufy) but it cost £50! I am much more careful with it as a result so it doesn't get knocked over and broken! I think there are cheaper ones people have used and found good though.

@Daisy mentioned one when I was looking.

 

[oddvon]

Thank you Maz.... you are so good to help out the way you do..ok Ill hold off on the camera for a while.... (research and save )

who's you new baby hamster ???

 

[Maz]

He's a male Syrian as well He's the complete opposite to Raffy! Very shy and hides away a bit, but quite happy to be stroked or walk on my hand if he comes out. But he is still very young. I spent about 6 months trying to find a rescue Syrian in my region and gave up as there just weren't any. I found one about 2 hours away but they changed their minds at the end. So in the end I was offered one from an NHC breeder and got him (that's Tino). He's had an adventure already if you look at his thread He was deceptively slow - so I had him on the sofa for a while and he escaped. He is only allowed in the bathtub for now!

 

[RainbowBrite]

Thank you Rainbow... as you can tell Im nervous about getting it right for him so your reassurance is greatly taken on board....and yep... that camera idea sounds good.... what features did you look for ?? there are so many types

I looked for one with the highest resolution and bought a Reolink.

 

[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.

I meant in 6 weeks .. not 6 months .. so its even worse than I thought !!

 

[oddvon]

..well no doubt about it ... this food is maddeningly expensive....... but the bowl is almost empty... everytime !!
Even the pea flakes and mealworms are being taken...
Buddy is about 5 months now and is NOW gaining weight

 

[Maz]

Ah that's the new vegetable one - different packaging. Could you screenshot the ingredients list? It would be interesting to see if it's the same as the standard one but with added vegetables - or slightly different. I assume the protein is less than 18% though so it'll still need protein supplementing. That's the important building block for them in the first year.

So glad he loves it!

 

[oddvon]

 

[oddvon]

 

[oddvon]

I can only find clearer screen shots in German... there's an Ebay seller from Birmingham selling direct to Uk without 5 day delivery to door...I had issue with late first delivery but this one was quicker... its a 500g bag so ..100 grammes less than some of this line.... but an empty bowl makes me feel ok about it .

 

[Maz]

They look good. It's only .6% less protein than the standard mix - which is this one (the one I get).

Bunny Nature Hamster Dream Expert | Shop Now

Bunny Nature Hamster Dream Expert is a complete food for hamsters.Order easily and securely at Vetsend.co.uk

www.vetsend.co.uk

 

[oddvon]

and I noted it has little or no SOYA... not saying anything wrong with soya...just that it seems to be in so much food now.

 

[Maz]

The ingredients don't look that different - seems to be mainly added vegetables and no mealworms. This is the content list of the standard one.

Plata millet, canary seed, pea flakes, mung beans (6,5%), barley, oats, quinoa seeds (6%), corn, barley flakes, oat flakes, carrots (3,6%), sesame, silver millet, linseed, red millet, grass seed, parsnips (1,6%), meal worms (1%), calcium carbonate, beetroot (1%), yarrow, dandelion leaves, lucerne, sweet pepper, apples, rosehip, malva blossoms, semolina bran (vegetables 6,4%)

 

[Maz]

and I noted it has little or no SOYA... not saying anything wrong with soya...just that it seems to be in so much food now.

Yes that can be the main protein source in some mixes and partly why I started using this one some years ago.

 

[oddvon]

They look good. It's only .6% less protein than the standard mix - which is this one (the one I get).

Bunny Nature Hamster Dream Expert | Shop Now

Bunny Nature Hamster Dream Expert is a complete food for hamsters.Order easily and securely at Vetsend.co.uk

www.vetsend.co.uk

ok the Expert also doesn't have the pellets either... so Ill get the Expert next time... mix/match....

 

[Maz]

I think you can get it on ebay as well. I've bought from there before but prefer using Vetsend - the price is about the same.

Bunny Nature Hamster Dream Expert 500g Hamster food 4018761258222 | eBay

Bunny Nature Hamster Dream Expert is a complete and natural food for your hamster. The food is formulated specifically to correspond to the nutritional needs of your small rodent. It does not contain pellets.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Maz]

How is Buddy doing @oddvon ? Has he settled in ok now?