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  • Thread starter Thread starter Thams14
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Thams14

New member saying hello.

My daughter had been nagging me - and I do mean nagging - for a hamster for quite some time, and so I finally gave in and took her to get one.

Her name is Zazu, a Syrian hamster, and she is absolutely adorable. Yes, I've become rather attached to the wee thing myself. She loves nothing more than coming out of her cage and chewing on the carpet on the stairs, progressing stair by stair. She has been on two major adventures since we got her, both times escaping from her cage and hiding somewhere in the house for several days before showing up.

Being a hamster newbie, I will no doubt be seeking advice on various topics! In fact, I feel a question about a cage upgrade brewing.

Thanks for accepting!
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Zazu sounds adorable. There is a handy guide to cages on here which you may find of interest. It is always best to ensure a cage cannot be escaped from as it can be dangerous. I am sure you know that already. :)
 
RainbowBrite said:
Hello and welcome to the forum. Zazu sounds adorable. There is a handy guide to cages on here which you may find of interest. It is always best to ensure a cage cannot be escaped from as it can be dangerous. I am sure you know that already. :)
Click to expand...
Thank you :) Indeed I do! I am super careful now when it comes to ensuring there is no escape route from Zazu's cage, much to her annoyance (I suspect). Ah, I just posted my cage related question before I saw your post! I will check that out, thanks.
 
Hello and welcome :-) Zazu sounds quite the intrepid Syrian! Looking forward to seeing a photo of her. They are great escape artists, so any cage needs to be completely escape-proof. How does she get out? Does she just open the door? Some hamsters are good at that if the door doesn't close very tightly or doesn't have a good fastener. If it's that you can use a peg or bulldog clip on the door.

Female Syrians are notorious for needing a lot of space and being highly energetic, so it might be that she needs a bigger cage, or it might be just that most hamsters try and escape at night, if they can. However if they have out of cage time, as Zazu does, they're usually happy enough in their cages overnight, if it's big enough and if the wheel is big enough. Most cages are sold with a small wheel that isn't big enough for a Syrian hamster (they need about a 28cm diameter wheel or larger). So if the wheel is too small she could have pent up energy. They won't use it if it's uncomfortable. (Their backs bend in a small wheel and they need to run with a straight back).

There's a section on cages and housing on the home page :)
 
Just to add - I've usually used a 100cm cage for Syrians but for some Syrians they need something even bigger than that. So it takes a bit of thinking about so you don't end up having to upgrade twice. Does she bar chew at the moment?
 
Hello & welcome to the forum .
Zazu sounds like quite the lively character! Look forward to hearing more about her.
 
Maz said:
Hello and welcome :) Zazu sounds quite the intrepid Syrian! Looking forward to seeing a photo of her. They are great escape artists, so any cage needs to be completely escape-proof. How does she get out? Does she just open the door? Some hamsters are good at that if the door doesn't close very tightly or doesn't have a good fastener. If it's that you can use a peg or bulldog clip on the door.

Female Syrians are notorious for needing a lot of space and being highly energetic, so it might be that she needs a bigger cage, or it might be just that most hamsters try and escape at night, if they can. However if they have out of cage time, as Zazu does, they're usually happy enough in their cages overnight, if it's big enough and if the wheel is big enough. Most cages are sold with a small wheel that isn't big enough for a Syrian hamster (they need about a 28cm diameter wheel or larger). So if the wheel is too small she could have pent up energy. They won't use it if it's uncomfortable. (Their backs bend in a small wheel and they need to run with a straight back).

There's a section on cages and housing on the home page :)
Click to expand...
Thank you :) Yes, she is very interpid! My daughter left the door open on Zazu's cage, but she's now very careful to check it. She got quite a fright when Zazu went missing and was very upset (as was I). I think that's made her more vigilant. I will check out the cage section, thanks :)
 
What cage does she have at the moment? That might give an idea as to what would work better for her possibly. I've also had the odd scare where I forgot to close the cage door. Amazingly our hamster was still in the cage in the morning lol! It's not something you do more than twice usually! The worst scare was when I went to bed and forgot the hamster was out!
 
Do feel free to discuss on here when you've looked at the cages thread. There are pros and cons to most of them and some of us have certain cages already and can help work out what would be best. I have the Savic Plaza cage. However, the Grosvenor 100cm cage has big floor area. And for an active female, more floor area can be better.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum!

Maybe we should start an escape artists club on one of our fun threads. A few of my hamsters could join.
It is so so scary though. The afterthoughts i mean. Thinking of where the hamsters could have ended up. I know of people lifting up floor boards and carefully knocking holes into walls to free their trapped hamsters.

Mainthing is that Zazu is alive and well.
Once a hamster has managed to escape and had a taste of freedom they can be quite unsettled for a while but they usually calm down again.

Looking forward to here more about Zazu.
 
Hi there and welcome to the forum.

I confess to leaving a cage door open once and then relied on the bulldog clip! I left it on the top on the cage when I took it off for any reason like feeding. I have also been known to use the back of an envelope to write in capitals ‘close the door’ and leave that on top of the cage. So reassure your daughter that we have all done it! Glad Zazu reappeared though as it is a heart stopping moment when you realise they are gone…
 
If you have time to look around the forum, try looking at the Caption Competition for December 2022.
You will see from the photo for which captions are invited, that we all know that look on a hamster’s face when the front door is open!
 
Maz said:
What cage does she have at the moment? That might give an idea as to what would work better for her possibly. I've also had the odd scare where I forgot to close the cage door. Amazingly our hamster was still in the cage in the morning lol! It's not something you do more than twice usually! The worst scare was when I went to bed and forgot the hamster was out!
Click to expand...
It's one we bought from Pets at Home when we got her. Wow, that's amazing! Soon as Zazu's cage door is open, she'd be off :) Yeah, I'm a always double checking her cage when I'm going to bed at night, just to make sure!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Maz said:
Do feel free to discuss on here when you've looked at the cages thread. There are pros and cons to most of them and some of us have certain cages already and can help work out what would be best. I have the Savic Plaza cage. However, the Grosvenor 100cm cage has big floor area. And for an active female, more floor area can be better.
Click to expand...
We would love to get the Savic Plaza, but I think it's too big for the space we have available. It might be possible if I was to rearrange some things (and part with others) :)
 
It depends on the hamster maybe :) Males have more of a reputation for being a bit lazy but he was also in a large cage so probably didn't think about climbing out of it! He was in a routine of coming out a few times a week when he felt like it.
 
Thams14 said:
We would love to get the Savic Plaza, but I think it's too big for the space we have available. It might be possible if I was to rearrange some things (and part with others) :)
Click to expand...
I think that would be a good option. Apart from being taller than the Hamster Heaven, it's the same depth - so it would be 10cm extra width either side to fit in. You would ideally need another house as well as a wheel. But shoeboxes houses can be fun to make.
 
Beryl said:
Hello and welcome to the forum!

Maybe we should start an escape artists club on one of our fun threads. A few of my hamsters could join.
It is so so scary though. The afterthoughts i mean. Thinking of where the hamsters could have ended up. I know of people lifting up floor boards and carefully knocking holes into walls to free their trapped hamsters.

Mainthing is that Zazu is alive and well.
Once a hamster has managed to escape and had a taste of freedom they can be quite unsettled for a while but they usually calm down again.

Looking forward to here more about Zazu.
Click to expand...
Yes, exactly that - fearing where she could have ended up was absolutely horrible! One thing I've quickly learned is that hamsters are resilient little things! Zazu was indeed very nervous going back into her cage after all those days away (she was shivering), but as you say, she calmed down. Thankfully :)
 
Just to add - the Plaza does need plenty of substrate in because it's a fairly tall cage so it helps reduce the height a bit and cushion any falls.
 
How is Zazu doing? It will be lovely getting to know her personality. :)
 
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