Help - Liquid in cage!

[Danibear18]

We have a syrian hamster who is 10 weeks old and we’ve only had him 2 weeks. I’ve noticed the last 3 evening there has been a strange liquid in his cage and I can’t work out what it is.

Every time we hold him, he gets ridiculously hyperactive when we we put him back in his cage. He runs at top speed all around the cage and climbs all over the walls and ceiling, especially round door the openings wanting to get back out.

He then goes into crazy bar biting mode and bites the bars in the exact same place every day. If I walk over to the cage he stops the biting and follows me back and forth along the cage, and if we put our hand in he climbs straight onto our hands to get out!

Over the last 3 days I’ve noticed a strange liquid on the floor in the areas where he bites the bars. At first I thought it was vomit but Google says hamsters can’t vomit. Then I thought diarrhoea but he is doing lots of normal stools in his bed so it’s not that. Does anyone know what this is?

Really hope this isn’t a sign of illness or distress

 

[Maz]

It's probably urine It doesn't look like diarrhoea. Urine can look cloudy, especially on plastic. He does sound quite stressed though. Does he have plenty of bedding and hidey places in the cage?

 

[Maz]

Sorry just realised you showed the cage on your other post But it's a bit concerning he might hurt himself. To be honest it's probably partly because of the cage size and not much bedding. Try filling the base with paper bedding and maybe adding a shoebox house at floor level so he has somewhere dark to hide There are some tips here about houses and also cleaning tips as cleaning them out really stresses them too - and there are methods to minimise the stress.

Houses, multiroom houses and nesting boxes for Hamsters

How to choose the best house or nesting box for your Hamster. The best houses have multiple rooms for nesting, hoarding and for a litter tray. This mimics a Hamster's burrow and they can have normal behaviours and enjoy a dark, safe and cosy...

www.thehamsterforum.com

Hamster cage cleaning

Tips on how to clean your hamster cage and avoid causing stress to your hamster. It's best to have plenty of depth of substrate and mainly spot clean your hamster cage. Avoid disturbing your hamster's nest and hoard.

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Socks' Mum]

If you can get a fresh sample, perhaps see your vet. It might be a UTI. It's worth checking it with your vet.

 

[Maz]

I think it's normal Socks Mum - I've seen it like that too. It's usually blood stained if it's a UTI. But it's a good idea to get a sample and get it tested. My main concern would be that the hamster is very stressed and frantic, monkey barring and bar biting. But some cage adjustments should help with that. More bedding, new wheel coming and a bigger house maybe.

 

[Danibear18]

Well the latest update is Nibbles the Ninja has escaped I left my husband and kids for a few hours and it’s all gone awfully wrong. My daughter put him in the ball (even though she had been told she wasn’t allowed to do it without an adult) and didn’t close it properly. It’s now nearly 1am and I’m laying on my living room floor, in total darkness, with lines of hamster food all over the floor trying to listen to even the tiniest sound ….. but nothing. Both kids have gone to bed absolutely distraught

We’ve checked every dark small place we can think of, left his cage open and accessible incase he wants to return but so far absolutely no sign of him at all I’m so worried he is going to get stuck somewhere, he’s only a baby. Any tips would be very welcome but I have done all the standard things suggested on Google

 

[Maz]

So sorry to hear this. I forgot to mention that hamster balls aren't recommended any more as well.

So do you know which room he's in? If so, close the doors, set a bucket trap and go to bed. If you're not sure which room he's in (downstairs presumably). Then close the door to the room his cage is in and leave his cage on the floor with a ramp up into it and set a bucket trap in the kitchen. It's a lot of hassle and you need a lot of books but the bucket trap has worked every time for me. (The twice I've needed it).

Our home page article shows how to catch an escaped hamster and I'll add a photo of a bucket trap below. The main thing is you need a trail of treats up the books and a smelly treat on the end of the ruler/piece of wood and a smelly treat inside the bucket as well.

He will probably stay hidden until the lights are out and the house is quiet. If you sit in bed for a while and hear a clatter (ruler falling in the bucket) you can go down and retrieve him.

If you know which rooms he's in I'd do both - bucket trap and cage on the floor. Have a trail of treats leading to the cage and up the ramp as well.

How to catch an escaped hamster

The best way to catch an escaped hamster is to use the bucket trap. Information on how to set up a bucket trap and other methods to catch your hamster are in this article.

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Socks' Mum]

Yes, if he is hungry, he will definitely come out, but he will know when the house is at rest and will time it so that all is quiet. If you can be sure which room he is in, it's just a matter of time before he gets caught in the bucket trap But it is a huge worry, very stressful for you and your family. Hamsters are notorious escape artists. I hope you get him back soon. Keep the doors to his area closed as sometimes they come out very briefly during the day and might leave the room if the door is open. Sending comforting vibes, I am sure you are all missing Nibbles very much

 

[Danibear18]

Thank you both so much. We didn’t know which room downstairs, so I closed all the doors and put food in each room and a little cucumber for hydration. He has taken all the food from the kitchen/utility room so we now have a room location. I have now set up the bucket trap but I’m about to pop to the shops to get his favorite sunflower seeds to add to the temptation!

I’m also once again very frustrated as the pet shop advised me to badly, so far things I’ve got on their recommendation:
- Flying Saucer was the wrong size
- They advised on the lavender infused wood shavings to help calm him but wood shavings aren’t great after all
- The biggest exercise ball they had and they’re not even recommended

I genuinely thought I could trust them to advise me on what to get for our first pet but I’ve learnt a hell of a lot more just from this forum so far!

 

[Danibear18]

We’ve spent hours pulling out every kitchen appliance and base cupboard boards but he is incredibly well hidden! The only way to find him it with the bucket trap, praying it works

 

[Maz]

So pleased you know he's in the kitchen! Mine have always headed there as well. I think it's better not to try and find them during the day and just wait for the bucket trap tonight. I was always worried I might squash our hamster trying to move something (like the fridge).

But close the kitchen door tonight before you go to bed or he might decide to roam the whole house and then you wouldn't know which room he's in.

I'm sure you'll catch him tonight - and yes sunflower seeds up the books will tempt him. On the ruler part I used cheese/cucumber/strawberry. Or a bit of each ha ha - the cucumber on the end of the ruler and the cheese and strawberry in the bucket. My Hamster Tino just jumped in the bucket to get to the strawberry! (I caught it on nighcam).

I can't believe they sold you lavender wood shavings! That will drive him absolutely crazy - it will smell so strong to him - they have a much stronger sense than we have and anything scented will overpower him - so that could be partly why he's been so crazy in his cage. They also have very sensitive respiratory tracts hence dust extracted bedding etc. I actually used the paper bedding initially because it's hypoallergenic and the wood shavings used to affect my asthma - (and then later found out the wood shavings had phenols anyway that weren't good for hamsters), so I think if it's good for my asthma, it's good for the hamster.

Hamsters can have allergy to some types of wood as well (mainly in the form of shavings rather than solid wood) - whether it's hardwood or softwood (hardwood is safer as negligible phenols but they can still be allergic to it!). So paper is safer. You can get coloured Carefresh as well which some people like and is fine

Which pet shop was it? A local one or a large well known chain?! I sometimes think they just want to sell stuff and will tell people what they think they want to hear - eg "this will hide the smell of urine" or something!

Actually the more bedding you have in the cage, the less often you need to clean it and hamsters will use a litter tray sometimes as well. Usually in a corner of the cage. If you put sand in it. The sand soaks up the pee so it doesn't smell. You then just empty the litter tray a couple of times a week and the rest of the cage stays clean and dry Once they get in the habit of using a litter tray, it's great. If he didn't use it straight away then wait a bit and see where his pee area is - maybe a different corner? And move the litter tray there.

At the moment it looks like his pee area is on that shelf!

 

[Danibear18]

It’s Pets at Home which is a big chain in the UK, and this is the stuff: https://www.petsathome.com/product/...Id=7144361&purchaseType=one-time&weight=3.5kg

I’ll keep you posted on tonight’s antics, really hope the bucket trap works

 

[Maz]

Yes fingers crossed for tonight! Maybe you could change his bedding while he's loose!

I wish they would ban scented bedding. I hope they didn't sell you "fluffy bedding" for nesting as well? There has been a campaign to ban that for a long time and a lot of stores have removed it from shelves now - it's dangerous as they pouch it and can swallow some and get digestive blockages - that stuff has killed a few hamsters. If they did - just remove it. And add a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper in the cage. Hamsters need nesting material to feel safe and cosy (different from substrate/bedding at the bottom of the cage). Plain white toilet paper is the safest option and they like it - they sometimes pouch the toilet paper strips and take them to their nest area and build a cosy nest. If the toilet paper strips pile goes down, just add some more as they keep adding to their nests regularly.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Yes, wood shavings are not good nesting material for hamsters. The less scented stuff and chemicals you use the better. Cage fresh granules aren't good either as they are quite harsh. Your bucket trap is ace. Lucky he can't read or he would be too busy reading to get to the bucket It's great that you know which room he is in and he is eating well. A saucer of water would be good to let him fill up. Good luck, I hope your little runaway is home soon!

 

[Tulsi]

I hope you catch him.

 

[Zara]

Hi there, so sorry to hear Nibbles is currently missing. Bucket trap looks good. Fingers crossed he makes his way out tonight, but please don’t lose heart if he doesn’t I think we’ve had hamsters found quite a few days later on the forum. If he’s scared he’ll just be quietly hiding out somewhere.

 

[Danibear18]

Yes fingers crossed for tonight! Maybe you could change his bedding while he's loose!

I wish they would ban scented bedding. I hope they didn't sell you "fluffy bedding" for nesting as well? There has been a campaign to ban that for a long time and a lot of stores have removed it from shelves now - it's dangerous as they pouch it and can swallow some and get digestive blockages - that stuff has killed a few hamsters. If they did - just remove it. And add a big pile of torn up strips of plain white toilet paper in the cage. Hamsters need nesting material to feel safe and cosy (different from substrate/bedding at the bottom of the cage). Plain white toilet paper is the safest option and they like it - they sometimes pouch the toilet paper strips and take them to their nest area and build a cosy nest. If the toilet paper strips pile goes down, just add some more as they keep adding to their nests regularly.

This is the bedding we have: https://www.petsathome.com/product/...=7135618&purchaseType=one-time&volume=10litre

Is this ok? It’s made of paper. I’m going to order that large bag you recommend on the other post x

 

[Danibear18]

Yes, wood shavings are not good nesting material for hamsters. The less scented stuff and chemicals you use the better. Cage fresh granules aren't good either as they are quite harsh. Your bucket trap is ace. Lucky he can't read or he would be too busy reading to get to the bucket It's great that you know which room he is in and he is eating well. A saucer of water would be good to let him fill up. Good luck, I hope your little runaway is home soon!

He is really smart, maybe he can read. He is bloody good at hide and seek I’ll tell you that much. If he can read he will be very clued up on the Roald Dahl books that’s for sure!

 

[Danibear18]

I hope you catch him.

Thank you

 

[Danibear18]

Hi there, so sorry to hear Nibbles is currently missing. Bucket trap looks good. Fingers crossed he makes his way out tonight, but please don’t lose heart if he doesn’t I think we’ve had hamsters found quite a few days later on the forum. If he’s scared he’ll just be quietly hiding out somewhere.

Thank you, I feel better knowing hr has lots of food wherever he is hiding, I just hope he is warm enough x