Hello from Ginger

[Thehampsterlover123]

Hello everyone. I have one Syrian hampster named ginger. He is fairly new because we got him a few months ago. He has a pawhut cage, a wheel,a water bottle, etc. So far we have only brought him out of the cage for the occasional partial cage cleaning. He is a shy hampster and we have not gotten to taming him quite yet. I joined this forum because I need some help with nutrition, exercise, and how exactly to tame a hampster, and I am hoping this can help. Thanks for reading this! Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Maz]

Hello Looking forward to meeting Ginger Some of us have a "diary thread" for our hamster or hamsters under the species section (so in this case the Syrian section), so others can follow their progress and antics, with updates, photos and videos. I'll link the section below. It would be lovely to see how Ginger progresses.

Nutrition - which hamster mix is he having at the moment? I've also added the taming guide below. Others may also have individual tips as hamsters vary

Syrian Hamsters

www.thehamsterforum.com

How to tame a hamster

Hand taming a hamster can make life with your hamster very rewarding. Suddenly they will sit on you to be stroked or even go to sleep on you, and will be very easy to handle. It can take a bit of time and patience initially.

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Thehampsterlover123]

Hello Looking forward to meeting Ginger Some of us have a "diary thread" for our hamster or hamsters under the species section (so in this case the Syrian section), so others can follow their progress and antics, with updates, photos and videos. I'll link the section below. It would be lovely to see how Ginger progresses.

Nutrition - which hamster mix is he having at the moment? I've also added the taming guide below. Others may also have individual tips as hamsters vary

Syrian Hamsters

www.thehamsterforum.com

How to tame a hamster

Hand taming a hamster can make life with your hamster very rewarding. Suddenly they will sit on you to be stroked or even go to sleep on you, and will be very easy to handle. It can take a bit of time and patience initially.

www.thehamsterforum.com

For the pellets we use the mazuri rat and mouse blocks which they say are more nutritious than the hampster blocks, for a seed mix we use Higgins sunburst gourmet seed mix, and for most other treats we use the sunburst brand as well

 

[Maz]

Higgins Sunburst is not one of the better ones for hamsters - it is quite hay-based in which is not really good for a hamster diet - more for guinea pigs. It also has dried fruits in which will have various preservatives. There are other options so I've linked our recommended food list below as well USA mixes are further down the article.

Best Hamster Food Mixes

A Hamster food mix needs plenty of variety and 18 to 20 per cent protein, to keep your hamster fit and healthy. In addition, hamsters need a tiny piece of fresh veg every day. This article recommends best hamster mixes available.

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Thehampsterlover123]

thanks I will look into getting a different one We kinda abruptly decided to get a hampster so we didn't do too much research on which exact brands were actually good for hampsters.Thanks for helping us keep ginger happy AND healthy.

 

[Maz]

You're welcome Ginger will be fine with the Sunburst for now so you could finish the bag.

 

[Vanessa1]

Hi welcome to the forum, looking forward to seeing pictures of ginger. I have a Syrian hamster called teddy. I've had him for 5 months now. He's doing very well on Harry Hamster tasty mix and I give him small pieces of veg as a treat! Hope to see some pictures of ginger soon Ness

 

[Thehampsterlover123]

Here is a photo of ginger exploring the cage! Teddy sounds adorable.

 

[Maz]

Gorgeous hamster He looks quite large.

 

[Vanessa1]

Here is a photo of ginger exploring the cage! Teddy sounds adorable.

View attachment 14429

Oh wow Ginger is really beautiful, very similar markings and colour of Teddy fantastic to see a picture! Looking forward to seeing more pictures of him Ness

 

[Thehampsterlover123]

Thanks! I have 1 question, how often should I do a partial cage cleaning, about 1/3 of the bedding? His bedding doesn't get too dirty but I still want to change the bedding occasionally. for clarification I feed the seed mix a few times a week and do the mazuri rat and mouse blocks daily, as well as some freeze dried insects for protein a few times a week

 

[Thehampsterlover123]

I'm glad I found such a good hamster forum!

 

[elephanthamster]

All the advice above is great!

Welcome to the forum! Super happy to have you. I agree with Maz (as I always do ) - you should start a journal for him!

I'm curious how big the wheel is. Syrians tend to need 10-12"+ wheels, which can be hard to find (at least where I live).

 

[Maz]

You just need to spot clean the pee mainly. Once you know where he is pee is. Then do a third clean when you think it needs it. Maybe every 2 to 3 months, but it really depends as two of those thirds probably stay clean and dry and don't need doing that often. If your hamster only pees in one third!

For hamster mix/seed mix it's best to give a tablespoonful daily. You could scatter some and put the rest in a bowl. They like to forage for it and hoard it daily. He won't eat it all but it helps them have normal behaviours. I'm not sure Mazuri is used much these days - on the food article it mentions you can either use fresh human food for protein extras, or alternatively science selective pellets - 2 or 3 a day separately from the seed mix. But if you have the Mazuri there is probably no harm in using it. Hope he enjoys the insects

 

[Thehampsterlover123]

All the advice above is great!

Welcome to the forum! Super happy to have you. I agree with Maz (as I always do ) - you should start a journal for him!

I'm curious how big the wheel is. Syrians tend to need 10-12"+ wheels, which can be hard to find (at least where I live).

The wheel size is 11 inches, and yes I will start a journal page for him!

 

[Thehampsterlover123]

You just need to spot clean the pee mainly. Once you know where he is pee is. Then do a third clean when you think it needs it. Maybe every 2 to 3 months, but it really depends as two of those thirds probably stay clean and dry and don't need doing that often. If your hamster only pees in one third!

For hamster mix/seed mix it's best to give a tablespoonful daily. You could scatter some and put the rest in a bowl. They like to forage for it and hoard it daily. He won't eat it all but it helps them have normal behaviours. I'm not sure Mazuri is used much these days - on the food article it mentions you can either use fresh human food for protein extras, or alternatively science selective pellets - 2 or 3 a day separately from the seed mix. But if you have the Mazuri there is probably no harm in using it. Hope he enjoys the insects

Thanks for the help!

 

[Socks' Mum]

Here is a photo of ginger exploring the cage! Teddy sounds adorable.

View attachment 14429

Lovely photograph Ginger is gorgeous

 

[Thehampsterlover123]

Thank you!