Mr Nibbles Diary

[Amy]

Mr Nibbles seems to be settling in and getting more adventurous. I made him some toys out of wooden beads with some string through and knots on the side (so he couldn’t catch his paws in the holes). He loves them he drags them through the cage and plays rather rough games with them. He also comes running up for a treat, far more confident than he has been so far. I will post of foto of the toys if anyone is interested. I made sure to sterilise them in very hot water and let them dry before putting them in the house.

 

[Amy]

I never mentioned where I bought Nibbles, I was a bit afraid as here in Germany it is frowned upon.
I was originally trying to either find a good breeder or adopt a hamster. I had already bought all necessities. One day I went to the nearest pet shop to look for cork bedding and they told me about Nibbles. He was 12 weeks old and no one seemed to be interested in him. They don’t have many hamsters, but therefore a variety of robos, teddies, dwarfs and Syrian. They get them at 6 weeks and keep them for 14 days in quarantine. I kept thinking of Nibbles and was worried he would stay there for a long time. So the next day I decided to buy him and went together with my friend. He had very little interaction with humans but seemed healthy and very lively. I guess that’s why it’s taking a bit longer to tame him. Strangely enough he was not really afraid of me from the beginning, he never hid away (only when sleeping) and comes out every evening and most mornings. He’s very curious, a bit wary but not shy. I know many people condemn buying pets at pet stores. But I couldn’t leave him there…
I just don’t know where he came from and hope it wasn’t a breeding farm.

 

[Maz]

These smaller pet shops sometimes aren't as bad as the large stores, and that is how we got our first hamster - from the local small pet shop. I'm not surprised you felt you couldn't leave him there. He has probably been used to being clean out every day and handled so maybe friendly as a result of that Sometimes breeder hamsters are actually harder to tame as they've only been in the one place with the one carer and their siblings.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Socks comes from the same background. He has always been very energetic. When I first saw him he was climbing onto everything in the cage while his brothers, who were still with him in the pet shop cage, slept soundly It's lovely that Nibbles is outgoing and friendly

 

[Amy]

They did seem very nice there and one girl said she had three hamsters st home as they were also one that nobody wanted. They said Nibbles was difficult to find a home because he was rather sassy and not the colour that people are currently interested in. I think his colour is beautiful

 

[Socks' Mum]

Black hamsters are gorgeous

 

[Amy]

Socks comes from the same background. He has always been very energetic. When I first saw him he was climbing onto everything in the cage while his brothers, who were still with him in the pet shop cage, slept soundly It's lovely that Nibbles is outgoing and friendly

They both have quite a bit in common

 

[Maz]

I've had: First one - local pet store (we knew no different and that's how pet stores operate - someone sees the hamster and wants to take it home). Second one - NHC breeder hamster. Third one - NHC breeder hamster. Fourth one - one year old rescue. Fifth one - rescue - unexpected litter. 6th one Rescue. Current two - breeder hamsters. In my location it is very hard to find any hamsters and I've always refused to go to the big chain pet store. It's almost impossible to find one to rescue without traveling very long distances, and also quite hard to find an ethical breeder with hamsters.

 

[Amy]

That’s true, the only breeders I found here were just hobby breeders. The local rescue center told me they don’t get hamsters, the last one they had was years ago..

 

[Amy]

I need some advice regarding the place of Mr Nibbles home. I am very concerned about the actual setup, as it is the warmest room in summer. I have spent the weekend searching for blackout blinds have hung them up, but I don’t know how reliable they are. I have also bought parasols for the balcony.
The coolest room is actually my bedroom and here’s the question: do you think he would be okay with a relocation? The bedroom is of course a lot quieter as I don’t spend much time during the day. I will post some pictures for you to get an idea of the situation. I do like to watch a program before going to sleep, he would obviously be awake at that time. Is it okay to have a tv running at a low volume? Sorry for all the silly questions
I would not be disturbed at night as I have a deep sleep. I just want the best for Nibbles the second foto would be his new place

 

[Amy]

I need some advice regarding the place of Mr Nibbles home. I am very concerned about the actual setup, as it is the warmest room in summer. I have spent the weekend searching for blackout blinds have hung them up, but I don’t know how reliable they are. I have also bought

 

[Maz]

To be honest, as long as it doesn't get too warm in the room I think it's ok. One of my cages is directly opposite the window. Even though it's at the other side of the room it gets full sun. In warm weather you would probably have those sliding doors or window open a bit and he shouldn't get draughts from that as he is in a solid sided enclosure. If it gets a bit warm in the room in summer, even with windows open you could use a fan. Blinds might help as well if possible. The downside to having them in a bedroom is - they can keep you awake at night, and also they can play up more if they know you're in the room.

A room move does stress them a bit, and it can take a couple of weeks for them to adjust, but if it's a one off thing sometimes it's necessary.

 

[Maz]

I just saw you said it's the warmest room in the house. See above re keeping things cooler In very hot weather, all rooms get warm even with the windows open so then a fan and cool items from the fridge in the cage help as well. A cooling tile or ceramic hide helps with that. Sometimes people use a ceramic mug in the fridge and alternate it with another mug. Put it on it's side in the enclosure and it's somewhere cool for them to go - you just swap the mugs around from the fridge. Some Bucatstate hides have a compartment in top for putting a small ice pack as well - to keep the hide cool.

 

[Amy]

It does get rather warm here in Germany, some years we are lucky but last year it was terrible. The kitchen and living room are the warmest rooms. The bedroom and bathroom are cooler, much cooler. I didn’t think about this when I bought him.
I should have set him up in the bedroom straight away. But then again I read that they need the room to be light during the day, so I thought the kitchen would be best. There is no place in the front room….
I guess I will have to check the temperature and if it gets too hot, I will move him. I wouldn’t be disturbed as I have a very deep sleep my mum says a typical soldiers sleeping habit (although I am not in the army now)

 

[Amy]

I just saw you said it's the warmest room in the house. See above re keeping things cooler In very hot weather, all rooms get warm even with the windows open so then a fan and cool items from the fridge in the cage help as well. A cooling tile or ceramic hide helps with that. Sometimes people use a ceramic mug in the fridge and alternate it with another mug. Put it on its side in the enclosure and it's somewhere cool for them to go - you just swap the mugs around from the fridge. Some Bucatstate hides have a compartment in top for putting a small ice pack as well - to keep the hide cool.

Yes I bought the bucastate hideout with the cooling pads

 

[Socks' Mum]

Fans oddly can get quite warm during operation. My fan last year blew after a couple of months, but it was on a lot

 

[Amy]

I don’t think I would like to have one running while I am at work I will get a camera to watch him, I am only 7 min away from home and as I start at 6.30 and finish at 1 it should hopefully be okay. I can leave the doors open, my neighbour is always there and guards the place

 

[Maz]

Yes I bought the bucastate hideout with the cooling pads

I thought you had