Friedrich Vogel Smol-Boi Nietzsche

[Mossie]

After three Syrians an unknown type of dwarf (it was 2008 and she was from the pet store), I’ve just welcomed a Chinese hamster into my life. There was a lot of conversation about names, so he’s officially Friedrich Vogel Nietzsche (a compromise between Friedrich Nietzsche and Vogel)*, but we mostly call him Smol Boi as he is so tiny!

Friedrich came home with us a week ago Saturday (it’s Tuesday now) and I’m trying to be patient with his shyness, but it’s really hard! He will occasionally come out with the lights on to get water, but if we move too much even slightly (usually from the other side of the room), he’ll scamper back into his burrow. He has a 100 cm x 58 cm enclosure; I don’t have any great pictures of it, but I’ve just done a screen grab from the Hamster Cam:



I’m reminding myself that it’s still early days and he’ll get used to us eventually, but I’m worried that he hasn’t gone on his wheel at all since he’s come home. Aside from checking the camera, there has also been five bits of hamster kibble and a meal worm that have gone ignored. I’ve attempted to entice him with broccoli, coriander, and cucumber as well. Small bits of veg have disappeared from other areas of his home, but not from the wheel. Tonight I’m trying a very small bit of cucumber on the wheel’s base and another on the rim of the wheel.

I know, even if it’s doing my head in, that he might initially be shyer than previous hamsters I’ve known, but I am concerned that he isn’t using his wheel. Based on videos I’ve seen of him climbing around his enclosure at night, I’m confident he can get into it. Will he work it out with time?

I’ve not managed many good pics of him yet, but here he is on his way home with us!



*I have a random belief that hamsters are all German and should have German names. I don’t know where it came from, but after knowing Glücklich, Schneeflocke, Pfeffer, and Laubchen, I’m not debating it.

 

[Lovelyness]

That’s an impressively big name for a small hamster

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome to you and Friedrich Vogel Nietsche Chinese hamsters are incredibly shy at first. We have some chinese hamster owners on here who might give you some tips about the early days. I think it's slowly does it.

I'm wondering if the wheel is in the right place for him and maybe that's why he's not using it. It might be just the photo but it looks like it might be leaning backwards a bit and not much space in front of it. Could you maybe sort a platform of some kind for it to stand on near the back wall of the cage - he might feel more secure there and it could be more stable. I'm sure you'd still be able to see him using the wheel.

He's a lucky boy to have such a lovely cage

 

[Frida]

Hello and welcome to the forum
He's a cute hamster
There are some members on here that have experience with Chinese hamsters. I'm sure they will be able to help you

 

[Maz]

Elusive and Daisy know quite a bit about Chinese hamsters Robert has one as well. In fact we have a few chinese hamster owners!

 

[RainbowBrite]

Welcome to the forum.

Having had hamsters before I am sure you know how shy they can be being prey animals. Smol Boi has not been with you for very long at all and it can take time for hamsters to settle. Although it is very early days, I think it is important to remember that some hamsters are shyer then others and will not be keen on interaction. My past hamster took 8 months before he was comfortable coming out when I was around.

How much bedding is there in your set up? 25cm is the minimum I would go for as it will enable your hamster to make lots of burrows. It will also mean you do not have to spot clean his cage as much.

I would personally move the wheel to the back of the cage as it will give more privacy for him. Some hamsters like to use their wheel in private. You may like to add a bit more clutter to the cage too to help him feel safe and have opportunities to hide.

As he is shy you do not need to even attempt to interact with him yet. Just chatting as you put out his food and water is a nice way of letting him get used to your voice.

 

[Maz]

I noticed you said it was a week ago I find, even with some Syrians, it can be 10 days to 2 weeks before they're fully settled into the cage and start coming out more and behaving a bit more confident - and that's based on no cleaning out or major changes during that first two weeks, to unsettle them. Although I think carefully moving the wheel wouldn't cause too much upheaval - especially if you put a smelly treat in it

I agree that maybe adding some more hidey places on top of the substrate might help him feel more confident above ground. Just a tissue box hide or cardboard tunnel maybe, but cork log tunnels are popular too. It's a nice large tunnel and also something to climb over. Adding the odd new thing is usually accepted well, providing it doesn;t mean moving anything else or taking something away!

Oh and Chinese can be very fast as well!

I think after 10 days to 2 weeks you could try offering the odd treat by hand - but he may edge forwards and run away again until he's more confident. Elusive on here says all her Chinese love pine nuts It's just time and patience - and it can be frustrating when you start from scratch again after being used to a tame hamster.

 

[Daisy]

Hello,

Congratulations on your new hamster!

Chinese hamsters are very shy by nature but they do tend to settle down gradually over a few weeks or months.

His wheel is in quite an exposed position at the front of the cage and I wonder if that might be making him uncomfortable to use it. You could try moving it to the back as RainbowBrite suggested. Another possibility would be to turn it round so that it faces the back of the cage. I know this isn't as interesting for you because you won't be able to see him running, but it may be that he doesn't want to be seen! Many shy hamsters are also prefer an enclosed style of wheel such as the plastic Trixie wheels or Silent Runners. My Chinese hamster Leo will only use an enclosed wheel.

Another suggestion is to possibly raise the bedding level throughout the cage (I can see it's deeper towards the back). The reason for that is because Chinese hamsters like to make quite elaborate burrow systems with entrances all over the place, and if he's able to burrow all over the cage, he can make sure he's never very far away from a burrow entrance, which might mean he's happier to be out more.

It is very early days though and everything sounds quite normal for a week in.

 

[elusive]

Congrats on your new Chinesey boy, he is gorgeous!
It is very early days for any hamster & Chinese can be a bit more timid than other species to begin with so you do need to be patient & give him plenty of time to settle in & get comfortable, just talk to him for now & don’t worry about him being shy.
What are you feeding him? I just wondered as you mentioned hamster kibble & Chinese do need to have a good seed mix.
I agree with what’s been said about the wheel, I always put mine at one end of the cage so it’s facing into the cage, that way I can see them run but they don’t feel too exposed, I would definitely try moving it & see if that helps. If you can fit anything in try adding in another hide or a cork tunnel or something close to the wheel too, they like to have lots of hidey places they can dive into around the cage.
I’ve found the best treats for tempting them are pine nuts which they go crazy for usually, tiny bits of walnuts & pumpkin seeds work well too.

 

[Mossie]

Wow! Words cannot express how lovely it is to read all of your helpful suggestions! Thank you all!

I’ve done a little bit of rearranging in his cage and added one new box to put his wheel on. I was hoping that his wheel would fit on the platform with his water bowl on it, but it was around 15mm shy of working! I found a box that would be the right size, cut the ends off, and squeezed it between the platform and the wall. I was hesitant to get rid of the platform as there is a dig box underneath it and I think the dig box being covered might make it feel safer. The hamster hut that was on the plat form got moved to the opposite end of the cage. The bottom of the platform is open, so I’m hoping it might be a safe place for him to use as a burrow entrance. Finally, I filled in where the wheel was with more bedding and redistributed hides and seed sprays.

Current in his cage he has:
-a wheel
-a water bottle and water bowl
-three coconuts to hide in
-one mug to hide in (more about this later)
-two large cardboard tunnels, one of which seems to be the entrance to a burrow
-a small toilet paper tube
-a bendy bridge
-cork bark
-grapevine branch
-a sand box
-a dig bowl with coco fibre and herbs and seeds
-a three room hamster hut
-an underground tunnel with windows to the outside world
-lots of seed sprays, herbs, and dried flowers to nibble at

I am open to feedback if he needs more enrichment, but I also down’s think the original enclosure picture showed it off very well.

With regards to food, he gets a mix of Science Selective Hamster food, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, meal worms, and a very small bit of daily fresh veg…broccoli seems to be his favourite so far! I chose that hamster food because of its macro nutrient breakdown, 19% protein, 5% fat, 5% fibre. These proportions appear to be in line with current research, but I won’t mind being corrected if I’m wrong!

Currently I am using the mug to feed him for two reasons. First, it makes it easy to see if he’s gathered food. Second, I will likely use the mug in the future for taming purposes. I would like him to think food magically appearing in the mug is normal, not a trap! As he settles, I will do more scatter feeding.

His bedding is around 28 cm deep at the very front of the cage and a bit deeper at the back. It’s a mix of Kaytee paper bedding and timothy hay.

Here are some better pictures of the set-up:










Again, thank you all for your input and kind words!

 

[RainbowBrite]

It is so lovely to hear you are happy with the suggestions.

Did you compress the bedding? It may be just my eyes but when bedding is compressed it is easier for hamsters to burrow in as it gives the tunnels stability.

A seed mix is a better option for hamsters as it gives them a wide variety rather then pellets. Which country do you live in? This will help members to suggest a seed mix for you.

Getting him used to the mug is a great idea as it can act as a taxi for him once he has settled in.

You may like to add a cork log as this will give more cover and will also be fun to explore. I am going to link members cage set ups in case it is helpful for you to look at.

Show us your cages 2023 onwards

A new thread for 2023 to show cage set ups :) Some may have changed or be new but feel free to add your existing set up again. It's mainly so all current ones are viewable in the same place.

thehamsterforum.com

 

[Maz]

It looks great I think the only thing I would change (possibly) is moving the cork bark tunnel from the platform, on top of the substrate so he has something to dive under when crossing the cage

 

[Maz]

Food - I will leave it up to Elusive and Daisy to suggest things as they are our food gurus and both have chinese hamsters As Rainbow says, a muesli/seed mix is usually given - part scattered maybe but part could also go in a mug. Mainly for the foraging and variety. But the Science selective is an option and you could scatter a forage mix perhaps - it can be difficult finding a good mix with the right nutrients. Most seed mixes need the protein supplementing.

 

[Daisy]

I'd agree that a seed mix is better than pellets. One with lots of small seeds like Little One Dwarf Hamster with extra animal protein added, or Bunny Dwarf Hamster Expert. There are also Rodipet and Getzoo foods which are good but more expensive.

 

[elusive]

The cage looks great, he has lots of nice things in there! I’d agree about the cork on the substrate though, as well as a place to hide or just peek out from safely they do like to dig under them.

I think a seed mix is important, the science selective can be useful as an addition in small amounts but I wouldn’t use it as a main diet as they do need to forage naturally & a seed mix allows them to do that. It is a bit frustrating that all seed mixes do tend to be low in protein but it’s not too hard to make up the protein with things like mealworms, tiny amounts of chicken (dried or plain cooked) tofu & egg white are all good options.
I think of the available mixes the little one is probably the best unless you want o order from Germany which gets very expensive but Mixerama do good food mixes.
This is the Little one mix, it’s available from various places online & in some pet shops (if you’re in the UK?)

Mealberry

Mealberry is a dynamic, fast growing producer that develops and manufactures high quality pet products in Germany

mealberry.com

 

[Frida]

That's a lovely home for your hamster

 

[Mossie]

More awesome feedback! The attention seeker in me is loving it! I will move the cork log to the substrate (which is compressed!) and put one of the coconuts in a bit of timothy hay on the platform so he has a place to hide when he’s up there. He’s definitely pro-coconut as I’ve caught him hanging out in them on the hamster cam.



Even with the night vision camera glowing eyes, I still can’t get over how cute he is! I’m really excited that his home is getting better for him!

Food seems to be my next big consideration (I swear I thought I had this worked out before he came home with me!). I’m leaning towards Bunny Nature Dwarf Hamster Dream Expert. I’m tempted to joke that because it’s German and has a name that’s a mile long, it must be the right fit for him, but the blend honestly looks to be a good one. Bonus points for being available in the UK!

Thanks again for all of the feedback!

 

[elusive]

Love the glowing eyes!
He should be ok with the Bunny dwarf mix, quite a few people use it but personally I wasn’t to keen on it when I tried it & the hams I had at the time weren’t too impressed but it is a healthy mix with quite good ingredients as long as you top up the protein.

 

[RainbowBrite]

He really is very cute.

 

[Maz]

Are you in the Uk? My preferred dwarf hamster mix was the rodipet hybrid one - which is suitable for all dwarf hamsters. It's supposed to be tailored to diabetes prone species, but apart from that it contains about the right level of protein and not much supplementing needed really. The Bunny Dream one is nice too but the protein does need supplementing with that.