Raffy (Syrian Hamster)

[Maz]

I was actually up a couple of times late and saw him He looks so cute sitting there. And he comes over if you call him. He has always been a bit like a dog in that respect! Most Syrians I've had just ignore you (or turn their back on you!)

 

[RainbowBrite]

That is just so precious! It shows how much he has bonded with you.

 

[Maz]

He was like that from the start so I think he was just used to people. He’s not afraid of people (except their hands).

 

[Coco61]

Someone appreciates the heating being on!
I used to watch the indoor thermometer closely and did not like it going below 18c but I have 2 heat pads as Maz has mentioned elsewhere.
may have to use those myself this winter!

 

[Maz]

I have a room thermometer too Coco. It had been a steady 16 degrees until I started to put a bit of heating on. Anything lower than that isn't good really but it wasn't that bad. Difference was - they can't put woolly jumpers and fleece dressing gowns on! One night Raffy did look very bleary and even slightly staggery and I was a bit worried it might be cold enough for them to go into torpor. He soon brightened up with a bit of warmth.

 

[Member ID2]

Does Raffy not keep warm inside his house?

 

[Maz]

I'm sure he does but it is getting colder. I still need to peek and see if he's sorted a proper nest yet but he definitely digs down a bit sometimes.

 

[Maz]

So Raffy is back to being Raffy. Pestering to come out of the cage and full of beans. The difference was - the room was very warm. Clearly the clothes dryer wasn't enough for him - he wanted full heating! Which we now have on. It hasn't actually been that cold recently so we'd had minimal heating on. Seems it's time for full heating though. In the evenings anyway.

While he was out I had a peek in his house and emptied his toilet. He is still a bit not quite there with nest building. Half his nesting material is sort of loosely piled in the larger nesting chamber (but he's not nesting in it and it looks a bit empty). The other half he has crammed into the tiny compartment at the back - but there is also a bit of a hole under that so I think he's burrowed down under it.

He is the most unusual hamster I've had when it comes to nesting and I wonder if he had daily clean outs before he was taken to the rescue (eg his nest thrown away daily).

 

[RainbowBrite]

Aw maybe he did have daily clean outs. That would make sense especially as you have not known a Syrian to behave that way before.

 

[Maz]

There's something a bit different about him. Never known a hamster have such a minimal tiny nest!

 

[Member ID2]

Could it be that he needs more space to build a nest?
I'm just wondering if the multi chamber house confuses him because he had a shoe box house originally.

 

[Maz]

He didn't really build a nest in the shoebox either. He just slept under it. He has loads of rooms in the multi room house I think he is nesting partly under it. He's just a bit quirky. But I do wonder if he was one of those hamsters who had his nest thrown away regularly. He's old enough now to have developed proper nesting habits. He does use his toilet though (mostly).

 

[Maz]

Raffy had spaghetti last night. I always like seeing hamsters eating spaghetti - they suck it in and it's funny to see. But Raffy did it faster than any other hamster I've seen ha ha. I wish I'd got a photo of it.

 

[RainbowBrite]

That would have been such a wonderful video clip!

 

[Maz]

I know I wish I had thought to film it but it was a bit dark and he was so fast ha ha. - I do have a video clip of Newt doing the same thing

My hands look awful on it! I had bad eczema at the time. Raffy did it much faster - just sucked it all in in one go ha ha. It's the second piece with Newt that he does a bit faster.

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[RainbowBrite]

Aww, he loved that! He is so beautiful. I love how he held it in his little paws. I did not imagine the spaghetti would be enough to make his pouches bulge. Haha.

 

[Member ID2]

That is so funny! Newt sucks most of it into his pouch first to make sure nobody else gets it and then eats some.

 

[Zara]

Te he, what a fab video, he’s enjoying that.

 

[Maz]

Thank you Zara. How is Hams doing ?

 

[Zara]

He is good, sleeping a bit more than usual and similar to Raffy waking up so late some nights that he’s missing out of cage time. I think it’s just the cooler environment keeping him in his nest longer. We did have a giggle this morning though as I dared to give him tiny bits of cauliflower last night which I’d say are his least favourite veg and this morning everything was gone apart from the cauli which he’d found and left piled by the front door, made me chuckle. I’m sure I wouldn’t find any spaghetti there, he’d be pouching it like Raffy.