We're making 2026 The Year Of Laundry Hamper!

[aFunnyThingHappened]

[A long haired golden Syrian with bedhead (paper bedding tangled in his fur) at his food dish, hoovering up the noms]

Been posting bits and bobs about him over the site before realizing I'm supposed to put most of it here. The Humane Society told me Laundry (the hamster formerly known as Jeff, formerly known as Greg but there was already a dog named Greg at the shelter so they changed his name there) was an extremely picky eater and would only eat one specific variety of Oxbow, even tho they tried giving him other things. They were kind enough to send us home with a baggie of it when I couldn't find that exact kind to mix in with the better stuff I got him (Bunny Nature Hamster Dream Expert, it was the best I could find after crossreferencing with the Hamingway Database), and was anticipating a struggle to wean him off the junk food. Well, see those green pellets he's ignoring? That's the Oxbow he's ignoring in favor of the Hamster Dream! It took 4 days! (This isn't to say the HS was doing it wrong, I realize this was probably pure luck on my end)

Btw (I'll delete this paragraph if not allowed, or maybe a mod can do it if can't edit posts) if you happen to be on tumblr, you'll see identical posts and extra videos in the Laundry Hamper tag, as I don't post videos to my YouTube account

 

[aFunnyThingHappened]

[Crayon drawing of Laundry Hamper, showing the hamster standing on his hind legs and wearing a green cloak with a gold ring on a necklace around his neck. He is hiding under a tree]

I had a pack of 99 cent "organic" crayons and as I started commemorating Laundry after the first day, I realized it was giving Frodo so...

 

[Maz]

Lovely to see you've started a thread for him. Hamsters can be very contrary! Glad he likes the Bunny Dream - mine like it too. They also like the Mixerama hamster gourmet mix. But that's only available in the Uk and Germany.

I do like the drawing - he looks like he's on a quest for sure

 

[Amy]

he is very cute

 

[aFunnyThingHappened]

Laundry Log, Stardate [i actually don't know i never got the hang of stardates]. I'm a MONSTER bc I didn't realize the crepuscular Laundry was still asleep when I went to feed him this morning and when i called for him i woke him up and he peered out at me all sleepy teenager like, but I am REDEEMED bc the reason I wanted his attention was to give him a peanut

 

[Maz]

Aw I can just imagine him peering at you Generally it's best to feed once a day in the evening Unless you're a very early riser and then some people do feed early morning. Evening feeding gets them into the habit of coming out at a certain time, which is good for interaction It's also the start of their day basically and they go back and snack on the food at various times throughout the night.

 

[aFunnyThingHappened]

Aw I can just imagine him peering at you Generally it's best to feed once a day in the evening Unless you're a very early riser and then some people do feed early morning. Evening feeding gets them into the habit of coming out at a certain time, which is good for interaction It's also the start of their day basically and they go back and snack on the food at various times throughout the night.

I usually feed him around midday, but i have to be out and about around that time today and he had eaten or stored away yesterday's food. I had seen him ambling about a few minutes prior so I genuinely thought he was still awake by that point. I felt so guilty as he peered at me

 

[Maz]

I usually feed him around midday, but i have to be out and about around that time today and he had eaten or stored away yesterday's food. I had seen him ambling about a few minutes prior so I genuinely thought he was still awake by that point. I felt so guilty as he peered at me

Don't feel guilty - they are very forgiving. Mid-day feeding sounds ok as it will be there when he wakes up. But usually they get to know when food is being put out - either by smell or the odd little enclosure noise, so it gets them in a routine of waking for food. Hence best to do it in the evening, rather than wake them in the middle of their sleep time Is that possible?

 

[aFunnyThingHappened]

Oh, also, yesterday I realized he has completely covered his cork granules pit with bedding and hasn't gone near it since the first day, and I realized that other than biting off and spitting out some of the granules I safely glued onto a cardboard bridge I made (to help him up an incline of bedding, not suspended over the air), he hasn't interacted with it at all and would rather climb the bedding itself. So I guess he just doesn't like cork. Good to know, as cork logs and sheets to add to the enclosure were next on my list of things to buy. Too bad I still have half a huge bag of Niteangel cork

I want to give him a variety of textures to experience . He's already got sand and slate, anyone have any other suggestions? I put the cork in a big ceramic food bowl I ordered mistakenly not realizing was way too big and deep to be used for that purpose

 

[aFunnyThingHappened]

Don't feel guilty - they are very forgiving. Mid-day feeding sounds ok as it will be there when he wakes up. But usually they get to know when food is being put out - either by smell or the odd little enclosure noise, so it gets them in a routine of waking for food. Hence best to do it in the evening, rather than wake them in the middle of their sleep time Is that possible?

 

[aFunnyThingHappened]

Ugh accidentally hit post before actually replying. Yeah that's perfectly reasonable and good to know! Thanks!

 

[Maz]

It's very early days for him - he will still be working out the best place to nest and sleep and organising things, and things can change. They often fill things with bedding - sometimes accidentally! Eg if he's been digging and it all got thrown in there by his back legs chucking substrate around. It doesn't mean he doesn't like cork granules really. Although mine tend to ignore them unless there is food hidden in them! He's just rearranging things for a while until he's happy. Or he might have used it as a toilet - they can be very neat and clean by covering up a toilet with bedding

So is he sleeping behind the wheel at the moment? Over the next couple of weeks he will sort out his routines. Do you have a photo of his enclosure? He may be looking for overhead cover somewhere.

 

[aFunnyThingHappened]

It's very early days for him - he will still be working out the best place to nest and sleep and organising things, and things can change. They often fill things with bedding - sometimes accidentally! Eg if he's been digging and it all got thrown in there by his back legs chucking substrate around. It doesn't mean he doesn't like cork granules really. Although mine tend to ignore them unless there is food hidden in them! He's just rearranging things for a while until he's happy. Or he might have used it as a toilet - they can be very neat and clean by covering up a toilet with bedding

So is he sleeping behind the wheel at the moment? Over the next couple of weeks he will sort out his routines. Do you have a photo of his enclosure? He may be looking for overhead cover somewhere.

[84 gallon tank covered in child safety locks*. Large wheel is in the back with a water sippy close by and a homemade cardboard foraging toy upended by it. Next to that is the aforementioned bridge and a cardboard tunnel. Right next to the wheel is a toilet paper tube with applewood sticks in it like a tree, upended. A large repurposed flower pot** that looks like a bunch of faces sticking out of it on its side in the foreground. Behind the pot is a barely seen large sand bath in the bedding with a hollow coconut on its side next to it. In front of the sand bath is a half-buried seagrass tube. In front of that is a heart shaped dish with half-covered food on it, and a basswood blocks. In the front right corner, a cardboard box has been dragged. Decently sized slate pieces are here and there]

Unseen: hamster (behind the wheel); cork pit: buried in the front left corner.

Not yet acquired/on its way (was on a time crunch as someone else was expressing interest in him and if we didn't have basics set up by a certain time frame I would have missed my shot): sprays, a larger hideaway, more stimmy toys, more sand (thought two bags would be enough but it wasn't). Also a groom kit, but that wouldn't be in this photo anyway.

*I was warned he was a noted and prolific escape artist and took the right precautions because he spent the first three days climbing up the pot and dragged the box over to the corner to climb and try to push up the wire mesh hatches, and I was worried the corners of the front sliding doors were a weak point if he kept trying to press against them.

**plain white nontoxic 3D printed hard PLA plastic. this seems to generally be agreed upon as safe provided there's no excessive chewing and there's been no sign of chewing at all