Higgins

[Maz]

He'll be 22 months old on 16th May He still acts like a young hamster.

 

[Socks' Mum]

He's in his element enjoying all the attention and interaction

 

[Vanessa1]

Oh Higgins is totally gorgeous, he looks so content and happy. Lovely to see your hamsters maz Ness

 

[Maz]

Thanks all. He has never slowed down! He has always been very fast and darty but he does sit still for food.

 

[Maz]

Well I usually wait till they're a bit older to transition from the playpen to free roaming. ie when I know I can get them back easily. Tino was maybe about a year old when he started free roaming but Higgins is maverick . I do think he would like to free roam though. They are both trained to walk into a tube if offered which is how it's easy to get them back. I have knee problems now so need to make sure I can get them back easily! Higgins does seem quite happy in the playpen or on the sofa but it would be nice if he could start some free roaming. It would need to be the right day for me and well planned! Just in case it means turning the living room upside down to find him again and then I'd need OH around to help.

 

[Hamster Haven]

How big is your playpen set up? I might give that I go over the summer with Pipsqueak. She's only been in the bath, and of course, doesn't come out often while we're up, but I'd love to set up something slightly bigger, or simply different, than the bath at some point. It's trickier now that our bunny is free roaming our second floor, because I can't really leave a play pen out full time.

 

[Maz]

It's this one - apparently it's 161cm x 84cm but - I've had it in various shapes so it doesn't have to be long like that. Currently I have a long side up against the sofa and the rest of it in a kind of semi hexagon shape. You can have it any shape you want I don't use the floor in it, because it only takes seconds to put up and down if you don't attach the floor part. It's available in the US as well. But a bit expensive. I tend to keep to the bathtub until they are handleable though, as once they're in a larger space, they can be harder to get used to hands.

https://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/hamsters_and_gerbils/hamster-playpen/large-playpen-with-floor/

 

[Socks' Mum]

I remember trying to corrall Socks with my arms only for him to hop deftly over my arm and scamper off to do another round of the room

 

[Maz]

They're good at that!

 

[Steve]

Hello handsome little man, great to see you as well.

 

[Hank]

Gorgeous! Lovely to see the little guy

 

[Maz]

Thank you Hank . He’s eternally cute.

 

[Rescued One]

It's this one - apparently it's 161cm x 84cm but - I've had it in various shapes so it doesn't have to be long like that. Currently I have a long side up against the sofa and the rest of it in a kind of semi hexagon shape. You can have it any shape you want I don't use the floor in it, because it only takes seconds to put up and down if you don't attach the floor part. It's available in the US as well. But a bit expensive. I tend to keep to the bathtub until they are handleable though, as once they're in a larger space, they can be harder to get used to hands.

https://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/hamsters_and_gerbils/hamster-playpen/large-playpen-with-floor/

View attachment 13224

Thanks for this!! I have been looking for a playpen that both the hammies and the guinea pig could use (not at the same time of course) and big enough to fit me and fold-up-able. This one checks all the boxes

 

[Maz]

Thanks for this!! I have been looking for a playpen that both the hammies and the guinea pig could use (not at the same time of course) and big enough to fit me and fold-up-able. This one checks all the boxes

There’s a review of it here!

Omlet Playpen Review

Review of the new Omlet playpen This is a review of the new Omlet Playpen. It's large and rather nice. You can find it on their website here (affiliate link). Size and measurements I measured it as 164cm x 81.5cm wide x 26cm tall. But that was a rough measurement without the playpen...

www.thehamsterforum.com

 

[Socks' Mum]

It's a great play pen

 

[Hamster Haven]

I fully understand. I am
Lucky that Nibbles comes running when I tap my fingers on something. Nevertheless I was on my hands and knees yesterday to persuade him to climb back in the Pyrex taxi but there’s not really much where he can hide in the kitchen.

I'm so jealous of those with the hamsters that actually come to human sounds!

 

[Maz]

Higgins was so funny the other night - he is still such a character. He normally gets bored quite quickly in the playpen so I had him out on the sofa for a bit, then he was getting a bit too active, so popped him back in the playpen for a bit. And then I got distracted dealing with something so wasn't giving him any attention and he then started doing more in the playpen, without any attention, running in his wheel - which he hasn't done for a long time. So he had a much longer time than usual in the playpen and when I looked over, at one point, he was so funny - his carrot cottage had ended up next to his wheel and he was standing on the carrot cottage and sort of "running" on the outside of his wheel with his front paws . Back paws on the carrot cottage, most of body and front paws on the wheel "running" and spinning it round - he seemed to enjoy that and kept doing it for a while.

Unfortunately I didn't get that on video. But here are some photos of him and a video of him on the sofa.

Chewing a zip on something - he always chews zips

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[Vanessa1]

How totally scrumptious, it's lovely to hear about him having so much fun

 

[Socks' Mum]

I can just imagine Higgins on his little exercise bike, with one eye on you to see if you had noticed what he was doing

 

[Roborovskis r us]

He's so gorgeous ! Love his idea of 'running' on his wheel !! Also quite funny that he became more active in the playpen when you weren't looking !!! Lol