Meet Maisy

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Shambles

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Hi everyone, this is Maisy. She’s a 10 week old Syrian that has been with us since Saturday. She’s in a plastic tank style enclosure with bars at the top. She’s not showed any signs of chewing plastic just yet but should I be worried that this could be a possibility? At the moment I just read out loud next to her cage quietly in the evenings and she comes and runs in her wheel mostly, with a little exploring in between whilst I read. I’ve popped in some toilet roll that has my scent on it. I’m going to try scatter feeding from tonight. She has a tunnel and some sprays coming today ❤️ I’ve become aware since getting this enclosure that I need to save for a deeper one as this one isn’t deep enough. I was unaware before buying as it does meet minimum floor space.
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Hello and welcome :-) She's absolutely gorgeous :) I wouldn't rush to upgrade her enclosure but let her have time to settle and adjust. It looks like the PAH Ferplast Maxi Duna version? As you say it's the right floor space. It is a little low for a Syrian. There are pros and cons with that. The restricted height means it's hard to have deeper bedding or a platform. Although it's possible to have a deeper end of bedding and a platform at the other end. The pros are that there are no fall risks to worry about and it gives her chance to get used to you and adjust to the space and her new environment.

Her set up looks lovely and you do have a platform :) I wouldn't change anything for at least a month as it will stress her while she's settling in. In a couple of weeks you could maybe add a bit more bedding at one end, even if it part buries the house.
 
Thank you, yes this is what I have. I’ve managed to get bedding quite deep. Deeper in some places than others, she does make little tunnels underneath but once settled I will add more. The house could be buried by bedding as it is deep enough but I only pushed it in some of the way.
Do you think I need to be worried about her chewing through the plastic where I can’t see or am I worrying over nothing? My main concern is just that she is safe and happy. I’d rather not upgrade unless I need to due to her being unhappy/risk of chewing through. ☺️
 
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Whereabouts is she chewing at the plastic? I have seen hamsters chew their way out of these. Is there a bottle hole? That's often where they start. That can be blocked up with a screw in wood chew (pets at home sell carrot shaped ones).

Female syrians are known for being super active and energetic and even a bit maverick at times - particularly when on heat (every four days), so it may be she will start needing some out of cage time in the next week or so - to burn off some of that energy and have a change of scene :-)
 
She hasn’t chewed yet as far as I know. I’m just scared incase she might. There is no bottle hole, only the inside ridge inside the tray (inserted a pic) that she could probably start with if she wanted too. She’s shown no sign of wanting out. Maybe I’m over thinking - a talent of mine. image.jpg
 
Oh I wouldn't worry about it if she hasn't tried :-) Just see how she goes.
 
Thank you. Hopefully if she did I would notice way before she got out 😬😂 like having a newborn all over again !
 
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It is a bit like that - I had so many worries and anxieties with our first hamster!
 
Hey everyone! Maisy is doing great, she’s settling in nicely and has even come out in the day despite the noise of the kids 😂 She’s been taking treats from my hand every day for the last few days and I think the piece of cucumber was her favourite! ❤️

I have a question though, she’s not used her wheel in a few days, she did when she first came home. I’ve made sure it moves properly ect. I’ve got a tiny sticker on the outside of the wheel and have left a sunflower seed on there so I know she’s not used it at night. Should I be concerned about this?

The first few nights she was here she was using it lots so she knows how to use it.
 
Aw that all sounds lovely :-) Have you cleaned the wheel by any chance? Sometimes they ignore it if it's been cleaned and all their scent has gone. Putting a tasty smelly treat in it usually tempts them back in. I wouldn't use a sticker on the outside though as she might get it off and chew it. It tends to work just putting a piece of bedding on top at night and see if it's gone in the morning.
 
Maz said:
Aw that all sounds lovely :-) Have you cleaned the wheel by any chance? Sometimes they ignore it if it's been cleaned and all their scent has gone. Putting a tasty smelly treat in it usually tempts them back in. I wouldn't use a sticker on the outside though as she might get it off and chew it. It tends to work just putting a piece of bedding on top at night and see if it's gone in the morning
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Oh no, yes it was getting smelly as she was peeing in it, so I wiped it but only with a damp piece of kitchen towel. I will try and find something smelly to pop in there. She doesn’t like mealworms so I’ll have to think up something else, maybe a little piece of bell pepper? Okay I’ll get the sticker off, I saw it on a hamster care tips YouTube video. I’ll pop a piece of bedding on tonight. Thanks @Maz ☺️
 
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Try a small piece of cucumber or cheddar cheese maybe :-) That always worked for me. Bell pepper might work too - haven't tried that.
 
Okay, so I tried cucumber on her wheel and she took the cucumber but then got straight off the wheel and has still not used it to run. I’ve been placing a piece of bedding on it every night and it’s not moved.
 
My girl does chew plastic...but then she chews everything 😏😆 I bought her a plastic corner toilet but she chewed through it! I had to replace it with a ceramic one! It does depend on the type of plastic...she has never chewed her wheel for example which is a savic Giant Rolly.
 
Shambles said:
Okay, so I tried cucumber on her wheel and she took the cucumber but then got straight off the wheel and has still not used it to run. I’ve been placing a piece of bedding on it every night and it’s not moved.
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Maybe give it some time 😊. If you keep putting the odd treat on it (maybe a nut next time or a few sunflower seeds). She might eventually have a little run when she takes them. The wheel looks big enough on the photo. And not jammed or stiff or anything?
 
Maz said:
Maybe give it some time 😊. If you keep putting the odd treat on it (maybe a nut next time or a few sunflower seeds). She might eventually have a little run when she takes them. The wheel looks big enough on the photo. And not jammed or stiff or anything?
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No, I’ve checked it and it spins freely. It’s the largest one from bucatstate I think 28 cm. She loved it the first few days, and seeing how much she ran on it makes me think she must be getting quite bored not using it.
 
I doubt it's boredom - as they settle in they usually only use it at night after lights out, but you've tested that with the bedding on top. I think it's a time thing and keep putting treats in - I'd try a few sunflower seeds next - she'll need to sit longer to pouch them.
 
How is Maisy doing? :-) If you want you could start a thread of her own under the personal/diary section for Syrian Hamsters. People post updates, photos and videos in their Hamster's personal threads and others can interact, share and follow - they are fun threads. The Syrian section is here :-) You can call it what you want - Maisy's diary, Maisy's thread or something more creative!

www.thehamsterforum.com

Syrian Hamsters

www.thehamsterforum.com www.thehamsterforum.com
 
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