Also i been to other hamster forums and they tell me just to spot clean, and that I never have to do a full clean, just replace the soiled bedding, do you agree? I did buy the 160 QT for my hamster, but was told that it is too small, to me is huge, anything bigger would really be big. The hamsters are in both their new homes, but it looks like I am going to have to buy 200qt tote, will do ASAP. I did buy hamter toys and hideouts and sprays, not sure what else to buy. Right now all I have is hamster wheel, a big wheel, water bottle, food dish, 2 hideouts, some sprays and hamster toys, what else should I buy seems kind of bare and that i need to buy more for my hammies.
is spot cleaning my hamster cage all I have to do, or do i need to do a full clean as well?
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Hi. We have an article here with cage cleaning tips, that should give all the information needed 
Partial cleans are better than full cleans - that means you don't clean everything at the same time, so something always has the hamster's familiar scent.
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That's great the robos are in their new bins. The 160 quart bins are good. People will always say bigger is better, which it is, but you have good sized bins for your hamsters. I wouldn't worry about that. It's good you've made them better homes.
With these larger bins, it can take a bit of filling them. And you sound to have nice things for them. You don't need to buy a lot of expensive things - you can make hides out of cardboard (eg a tissue box) and tunnels from kitchen roll inner tubes and toilet roll inner tubes. Some people get quite creative with cardboard! You can make treat parcels out of cut up toilet roll inner tubes as well.
There's also a thread on here about making things out of cardboard
www.thehamsterforum.com
Partial cleans are better than full cleans - that means you don't clean everything at the same time, so something always has the hamster's familiar scent.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
That's great the robos are in their new bins. The 160 quart bins are good. People will always say bigger is better, which it is, but you have good sized bins for your hamsters. I wouldn't worry about that. It's good you've made them better homes.
With these larger bins, it can take a bit of filling them. And you sound to have nice things for them. You don't need to buy a lot of expensive things - you can make hides out of cardboard (eg a tissue box) and tunnels from kitchen roll inner tubes and toilet roll inner tubes. Some people get quite creative with cardboard! You can make treat parcels out of cut up toilet roll inner tubes as well.
There's also a thread on here about making things out of cardboard
Cardboard creations
This is a thread to show how many things you can make for your hamster or enclosure, out of cardboard :-) Cardboard is your friend.
www.thehamsterforum.com
Thank you for the helpful info. I will read it a few times, but i think i got it. I also bought some dust free hamster sand and my hamster likes playing in it. I will also take a look at card boar creations. I did buy them some hide ways that I have to put together. looks easy to put together. I also bought some sprays and toys as well as toilet paper rolls. is this enough bedding or do I need to add more. Here is a picture I took of my 160 QT with the bedding. If I need to add more, how much more, thanks. His food bowl is way in the back of cage, but it is there, just hard to see. i also bought another hideaway, so they have two hideouts. Hammies will get more toys as well, not sure if they will play with the toys, or not, guess I will have to wait and see.
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That's a good amount of bedding and the hamsters sometimes pile it up where they want it deeper! There is scope for more bedding but it's probably best to just let them adjust and settle in for a couple of weeks. It can take two weeks for them to adjust to a cage change. Adding some sprays will give them more cover as well.
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There are some amazing cardboard items on this thread that a member on here made
I think they're a bit beyond my diy skills
Cardboard is fine for hamsters to chew and cardboard hides can easily be replaced if they get soiled. Pringles tubes (wiped out inside or the silver foil pulled out), make good tunnels as well as kitchen roll and toilet roll inner tubes.
You could also scatter a bit of his food as well as putting some in his bowl - they love to forage for it and find it. Maybe a level teaspoon in the bowl and scatter a level teaspoon. Robos also like sitting in a food bowl to eat Which food mix do they have?
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I think they're a bit beyond my diy skills
Cardboard is fine for hamsters to chew and cardboard hides can easily be replaced if they get soiled. Pringles tubes (wiped out inside or the silver foil pulled out), make good tunnels as well as kitchen roll and toilet roll inner tubes.You could also scatter a bit of his food as well as putting some in his bowl - they love to forage for it and find it. Maybe a level teaspoon in the bowl and scatter a level teaspoon. Robos also like sitting in a food bowl to eat
Which food mix do they have?
DIY cardboard setup!
Hi everyone! 🐹 So my hammy and I absolutely loveeee cardboard, so here is what I managed to create so far! 💕 P.S If you have any suggestions or ideas ( DIY enrichment, hideouts, etc.) feel free to write them down c:
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Here is a photo of my set up. I have a few sprays and hide aways for hammy. Also has a water bottle inside the cage, but I do not think you can see it, or maybe you can see it. I did not see it on my end, but the water bottle is in there. Is this enough, or do I have to add more? I did move the hide away from the end of the tote. i do not want hamster trying to esape, as they love to do.
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It looks very nice. I'm sure hammy will enjoy that wood hide. Robos like a lot of clutter at substrate level so they can dive under things as they move across the cage. So you could maybe add a couple of tunnels. I would add more sprays if you can too as that helps it feel cluttered and gives them cover. Like a mini forest with clearings (not as many as a forest but you get the picture).
The only thing I'd be a bit cautious about is the roller toys. Depending on the spacing between the struts, a robo could get their head stuck in there.
Also do you know the size of the wheel - it's a bit difficult to tell but it is maybe a bit on the small side. A wheel needs to be about 8" diameter really. Although the current one, if it's smaller, may be ok short term. Anything less than 6" diameter is far too small though.
The only thing I'd be a bit cautious about is the roller toys. Depending on the spacing between the struts, a robo could get their head stuck in there.
Also do you know the size of the wheel - it's a bit difficult to tell but it is maybe a bit on the small side. A wheel needs to be about 8" diameter really. Although the current one, if it's smaller, may be ok short term. Anything less than 6" diameter is far too small though.
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I looked on amazon and the wheel is 7 inches, that is where I bought it. I will buy more sprays. I only have 3 sprays at the moment. I can take out the roller toys. just to be on the safe side. how do you add tunnnels? I keep hearing that from other people, but not sure what they mean. Do I buy the tunnels? and if so, where?
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You can just use toilet roll inner tubes or kitchen roll inner tubes as tunnels - just on top of the substrate It's something for the hamsters to run through they love running through tunnels. Robos also dig their own tunnels in the bedding, so the ones on top of the substrate are just to help them feel secure when they're moving around the cage.
It's something for the hamsters to run through they love running through tunnels. Robos also dig their own tunnels in the bedding, so the ones on top of the substrate are just to help them feel secure when they're moving around the cage.
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You can also get some ideas from this thread, about adding clutter and filling the floorspace a bit A lot of items sold for hamsters aren't always suitable for hamsters or safe unfortunately, so best to check on here before buying anything. I wasted money with our first hamster, buying unsuitable things! They either weren't safe or broke very quickly.
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A lot of items sold for hamsters aren't always suitable for hamsters or safe unfortunately, so best to check on here before buying anything. I wasted money with our first hamster, buying unsuitable things! They either weren't safe or broke very quickly.
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.
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