New Hamster advice

[Deltaza30]

Hi there, I’m Dave from Bristol UK, and we just bought our son a hamster for his 9th birthday. We bought the Omlet enclosure and playpen for Nibbles, our Syrian Hamster. Can anyone advise on the best sand to buy for his sand bath please?

Many thanks!

 

[Maz]

Hello Nibbles is gorgeous - is he settling in ok? There are a number of options for sand and I'll list some that are popular and safe:

Komodo natural sand

Reptisand

Exo Terra desert sand

Argos childrens play sand

I use the Komodo natural sand personally. With any reptile sands you need to check that it is calcium-free - the reptisand is fine.

The childrens play sand does work out very economical as it's a big bag and very cheap - but it's quite "heavy" and it's debatable whether or not it needs sterilising first. Some people bake it (which is hassle!) although it might depend whether it says sterilised on the bag or not.

 

[Deltaza30]

Hello Nibbles is gorgeous - is he settling in ok? There are a number of options for sand and I'll list some that are popular and safe:

Komodo natural sand

Reptisand

Exo Terra desert sand

Argos childrens play sand

I use the Komodo natural sand personally. With any reptile sands you need to check that it is calcium-free - the reptisand is fine.

The childrens play sand does work out very economical as it's a big bag and very cheap - but it's quite "heavy" and it's debatable whether or not it needs sterilising first. Some people bake it (which is hassle!) although it might depend whether it says sterilised on the bag or not.

Thank you very much, this is very helpful. Nibbles is getting on well, just keeping our son away as much as possible to let him settle in.

 

[Socks' Mum]

Nibbles is such a cutie

 

[Doodleham]

What a cute hamster.

 

[Maz]

How long have you had him? It’s really hard at first when itching to handle them - a bit of time and patience and for a 9 year old that’s hard! For the first 2 or 3 days it’s best to leave them alone.

But you can talk to him through the bars so he gets familiar with the sound of your voice and scent and presence. After that you could try offering the odd treat through the bars (eg pumpkin seeds). It can take up to two weeks for then to fully adjust to the cage and make it their own and then there’s often a noticeable chafe where they’re looking confident and active and out more. Generally around that time it’s a good time to start having out of cage time anc some socialising and start with touch and handling. However it does vary and some hamster show they want to come out earlier. They will usually walk into a tube.

Personally I start out of cage time in the dry bathtub with a blanket on the bottom and a couple of hides and tunnels and start offering food on my hand. Ie a smaller place to start with handling. And then progress to the playpen.