Brining home a hamster

[aspecht]

I am adopting a hamster. I'm looking for what you guys use for yours. It is a Syrian hamster. I plan to make it a tub cage. But wondering what types of items would be good for its cage, and what not. Any information is good really! Thanks!

 

[labgirl5]

I really like either Kaytee Clean & Cozy or CareFRESH bedding wise, but a lot of people like aspen (I wouldn't recommend pine). The wheel should be a plastic solid one, and the recommended size for a Syrian is 12 inch, such as here: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753360&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No (the larger one).

You should get a hut for the hammie to hide, and I think around 3-5" bedding is good, because most hamsters LOVE burrowing. The more bedding you put, and the larger the cage, the longer it should last between cleanings. I'd spot-clean the cage (remove soiled bedding and/or un-eaten food in their stash) every 2-3 days or so. You could also get wooden chews from the pet store, which help keep a hamster's teeth down, and a cardboard tube or two. There are some really good DIY hamster toy ideas on YouTube, if you search them up.

Don't use any type of corncob or coconut bedding, or anything that is scented. Cotton fluff is not good because it can get stuck in a hamster's digestive track, and Critter Trail tubes are often way to small for full-grown Syrian hamsters, so if you're going to get tubes stick to OVO's.

A good size for a bin would be 110 qt., which you can get at Target for $15. It's around 450ish square inches of floorspace, which is over the recommended minimum of 360 sq. inches.

 

[Iris Mochi]

There are SO many things that you MUST learn about hamsters that one or a few posts cannot give ou all the info you need. I'd join The Hamster Hideout Forum (I'm on there, and honestly, it's great!) http://www.hamsterhideout.com/forum/