Hi! And thanks for having me!

[4melyon]

Hi everyone, new to the hamster community. I am Melissa and have just adopted a winter white hamster named Blue. He has only been with us three days and is very shy, so we are giving him his space to adjust. Here is a pic of him on his way home from the pet store and of his set up in the Savic Hamster Plaza 120. I’m worried the stairs are too slippery for him to go up! I have been spreading his food around the bottom of the cage just in case. But would love any input on the enclosure set up. Thanks for having us

 

[Maz]

Hello and welcome Blue looks absolutely gorgeous! And another Savic Plaza 120 on the forum! Did you get it from Wales? I have one - it's a great cage.

I'm sure he'll manage the ramp ok. You might want to think about the odd minor tweak in his cage in case he decides to climb the bars and drop but there is loads for him to do in there I'd maybe add another small shelf over the bendy bridge front left so he couldn't fall far and land on anything hard if he did fall.

Is he handleable yet? I was also wondering where you got him. Is he a pedigree winter white?

 

[4melyon]

I’m in Canada and was so lucky to grab one from a local pet shop that the owner acquired at a pet expo!

I was thinking of dropping the level of the platform a bit. And I’d love to get some inserts or replacement for the wire to plexiglass so that I can build up the bedding higher. I have caught him trying out the wheat grass climber a few times so he def likes to climb so lifting up the base would be great. I’ve only seen the glass inserts or replacements available in the UK on Etsy. Will keep searching for something more affordable w the shipping !
Thanks for the quick reply

 

[elusive]

Hello & welcome
Blue really is gorgeous, look forward to hearing more about him when he’s settled in, it is very early days yet so he’s bound to be a bit shy for a while.

You might still be able to get more bedding in even without any plexiglass or anything, you can half bury the house, that will be fine as they just burrow in & burrow under it a bit, then you could maybe raise some of the things up a bit, I think lowering the shelf would probably be a good idea if you can, he should be able to manage the ramp ok but it is high & even though they sometimes climb the bars they’re not always xomfortable being high up & are good at falling off things!
Does he have a sand bath in there, I can’t see for sure.

 

[4melyon]

Thanks for your feedback! I will top up the bedding and lower the shelf. He loves that multi chamber house and is making his nest in there (and I think a toilet too as I haven’t spotted any pee!) yes there is a sand bath tucked under the shelf. Hard to see in that photo. It doesn’t have any kind of coverage so I thought under the shelf would provide some privacy. I’m sure he will be even happier w a lowered shelf.

 

[Maz]

He sounds really happy in there Wow I didn't know you could get the Plaza 120 in Canada! Even if it was a one off. It's a struggle getting hold of them in the Uk! I mean they're available at this pet store in Wales but they don't deliver - other than very expensive pallet delivery.

It's lovely he likes the multiroom house (they all seem to).

I'd have a think about it before changing things, because the shelf might be the right height if you then decided to put more bedding in. A cheap option is to put cardboard inside the bars - I did that with our Robo. Not as glamorous as perspex but the perspex can work out quite expensive. He might not even try to climb the bars anyway - I just have a maverick female at the moment!

 

[RainbowBrite]

Hello and welcome. Blue is adorable. It is lovely you have a nice big cage for him.

 

[Zara]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Blue looks gorgeous.

It’s still early days so perhaps sit tight for a bit and see how he settles into the new set up, then you can make some changes a little at a time, which I did with our hamster.

Lowering the shelf a little I think would be fine as you’re not physically moving it somewhere else and it will give a little more overhead coverage down below which they always seem to like.

 

[4melyon]

Hello and welcome Blue looks absolutely gorgeous! And another Savic Plaza 120 on the forum! Did you get it from Wales? I have one - it's a great cage.

I'm sure he'll manage the ramp ok. You might want to think about the odd minor tweak in his cage in case he decides to climb the bars and drop but there is loads for him to do in there I'd maybe add another small shelf over the bendy bridge front left so he couldn't fall far and land on anything hard if he did fall.

Is he handleable yet? I was also wondering where you got him. Is he a pedigree winter white?

I haven’t tried handling him yet since we are just three days in. But when I got to at the pet store he seemed very calm (but was prob also half asleep poor bub!) don’t think he is pedigree since he was a pet store purchase. Sadly no hamster breeders within a reasonable distance from me. Going to look up the taming tips on the site here and try to interact with him a little more tonight! Maybe offer a few yummy seeds and see if he will take it from my hand

 

[4melyon]

Thank you all so much for your advice and warm welcome. I agree, Blue is soooooo cute

 

[Maz]

He certainly is He is probably a hybrid, as most russian dwarf hamsters are, unless from a breeder with a pedigree ancestry for them. Some look like winter whites, some like Campbells and some like a bit of both. They are all just as adorable. The only think to be aware of is they need a sugar free diet due to a predisposition to diabetes. It helps prevent it (if they have that genetic disposition). That is the same for all dwarf hamsters except Roborovskis.

 

[4melyon]

Oh good to know! Thank you. Should I avoid fruit in this case?

 

[RainbowBrite]

Yes, it is best to avoid fruit. Here is a link to the safe and unsafe food for hamsters.

Safe and Unsafe Food list for Hamsters

Many human foods are safe for hamsters, but some are toxic to hamsters. Our researched and referenced food list gives up to date information on safe and unsafe foods for hamsters.

thehamsterforum.com

 

[Maz]

Fresh veg is ok though The main thing is a hamster mix that's sugar free. Higgins Vita Garden is supposed to be ok but needs the protein supplementing a bit.

 

[4melyon]

Perfect. Thanks for the advice! I’m currently feeding him a 50/50 mix of Higgins Sunburst seed mix for hamsters and Mazuri Rat and Mouse diet. With a small amount of fresh veg (and now no longer any fruit!) each night. Will def look at the safe foods link.

 

[Maz]

That sounds good The Higgins Vita Garden with Mazuri would be better, as the sunburst contains fruits.

 

[4melyon]

That sounds good The Higgins Vita Garden with Mazuri would be better, as the sunburst contains fruits.

Ah ok. Good to know. I hadn’t realized. Thank you again

 

[4melyon]

I have been watching _a_lot_ of Victoria Raechel vids ! Happy to have more resources here in this community

 

[Maz]

She has some very good ones But many members on here have also had a lot of experience of keeping hamsters And it's the little quirks and day to day things that we can sometimes help with

Also have you seen the "show us your cages" threads? Lots of ideas on there

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.

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Frida]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
Blue is a cute boy and you've given him a lovely home