Raffy is our Syrian who arrived on St George's Day this year, at approximately 8 to 12 weeks old apparently (adopted from Happy Hamsters). So I had considered calling him George but he didn't seem like a George - he was absolutely tiny, only weighed 97 grammes and very perky and active. Absolutely adorable. So he was called Raffy, short for Raphael (who was a teenage mutant ninja turtle, and an Angel - both of which suited his personality). Raphael was also an artist but Raffy hasn't shown artistic tendencies (yet).
I absolutely love him. He is quite quirky. He is out every single night, seems very confident (yet at the same time was scared of hands and used to bite at first). He really interacts with you and is so sweet - and also extremely active.
He moved straight into a Savic Plaza cage which he settled into straight away and explored every inch of. Hence him being confident in some ways. However he has always seemed a bit of a gypsy who never really seemed settled. He didn't even have much of a nest in his house at first. He seemed to just be sleeping rough in the house!
He now has a rodipet labyrinth house and is a bit more settled and has a kind of nest - which he has built in the tiniest back compartment of the house! Surprised he even fits in there along with his nest. Unlike other Syrians we've had who choose the larger front compartment for a nest.
Taming was slow and took time and patience (and gloves to avoid being bitten) but I can now pick him up easily and he accepts it without biting - especially on the sofa - although he still doesn't like it.
He had been a child's pet for, presumably, a very short time, before he went to Happy Hamsters. So assume he's had a bad experience with hands or handling in the past.
I thought he was just a very small Syrian but he grew! And is now a healthy 170 grammes and a normal sized looking hamster. I guessed he had probably just been a baby when he arrived but Happy Hamsters thought he wasn't. Anyway he has grown and thrived.
He keeps me on my toes as wants to be out every single night - we've got into a routine. He began escaping the playpen for a while by hurling himself at the sides off the top of a hide. So I removed the hide and added a flying saucer (as well as a wheel). He loves the flying saucer and doesn't try to escape the playpen any more.
He must be about 8 to 9 months old now.
So here he is - the day he arrived
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He had the Carolina Storm wheel as a temporary wheel at first until I managed to get another one (which took longer than expected) and he absolutely thundered in it. Although it was a silent wheel it banged against the cage bars, attached like that. He now has a 32cm rodipet wheel - which I forked out for and love - and so does Raffy. I quite missed the noise after the wheel was changed!
He was absolutely wild at first and I thought about calling him - Raffy the destroyer. Because the Plaza cage is quite tall I had carefully attached about 5" of cardboard round the inside bars and had deeper bedding - to reduce the height. Raffy chewed off most of the cardboard in the first few days and there was substrate all over the floor. He also used to leap on top of his flower basket.
He has definitely calmed down a bit but maybe that's the cooler nights. He comes out a bit later now but would happily keep me away all night so he could have out of cage time!
Here he is in the playpen (this was when he was still quite little)
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This is his cage set up now (with the labyrinth house and 32cm wheel).
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Which then had to be adapted at one end when he couldn't reach the sputnik
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He is out now while I am typing this so will have to go and have our time together!
That is his personality though, he will hang around me and follow me and come if I call (eventually). Tino is a different personality and I suspect would just disappear! As he did the other night.
cinnamon is like Tino...I would love it if he had a little Raffy in him, but c'est la vie!
)
I keep finding his hay step tipped over on one side. So I guess he's been digging under it!
